Cinnabon’s Position: Business Operations in Israel vs. Political Stance

The American bakery chain Cinnabon, famous for its cinnamon rolls, began operation in 2011 in Israel, opening in Tel-Aviv with its first establishment in partnership with Ronen Sorinov’s ROK Investments. With intentions to open exactly 10 stores in Israel and promising strict kosher certification to local consumers, this move became part of the company’s overall global expansion strategy.

With Israeli-Palestinian relations gaining sensitivity in the politics of the region, the company was destined to generate controversy following the excitement that it elicited among the Israeli culinary elite. The relationship between Cinnabon and Israel is complex and multi-faceted in that it is defined more by the commercial presence of the company rather than one manifest by a direct financial-political support of the Israeli authorities and their policies. This blog critically examines the issue, considering sociopolitical, ethical, historical, and contemporary aspects.

The ethical debate surrounding Cinnabon’s presence

The complex sociopolitical history of the region and the implications of a multinational franchise having a presence in Israel without visibly discussing or mentioning its sociopolitical history lie at the center of the ethical debate regarding the presence of Cinnabon in Israel. Customers wishing to have Cinnabons’ popular cinnamon rolls were elated as it opened its first Israeli kosher premises in Tel Aviv. However, this euphoria was soon cast into shadow by the ethical implications of the role and responsibility of multinational companies in war zones.

The critics can point to the conspicuous nothingness of Cinnabon with regard to social responsibility and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that casts doubt on how well the brand fits in with the ongoing conflicts of the region. Although the company has made considerable financial success and plans the view up to ten shops to be built, Cinnabon has not made any formal promise to either help the local communities affected by the violence or to offer any stance on the bigger political problem. 

Given that the company is run by a local investment firm that has substantial holdings in the Israeli market, some people see this silence as tacit involvement.

However, the absence of overt backing or contributions to Israeli political or military purposes complicates Cinnabon’s case. The franchise largely functions as a business endeavour in Israel, concentrating on meeting local kosher certification requirements to serve Israeli customers while avoiding openly discussing political issues.

BDS and boycott calls

The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement targets companies and organisations that are found to collaborate in supporting the occupation, apartheid, and human rights by Israel against Palestinians, by discouraging international corporations and organisations through boycotted actions. The campaign aims at making these businesses accountable to their collaboration by deliberately focusing on businesses that directly back the military, financial, or infrastructure apparatus of Israel through boycotts returning on them pressure.

Cinnabon is not on the list of targets that the BDS movement has turned into a top priority of the boycott.

Companies engaged in direct military or intelligence support, infrastructure development, and financial support for apartheid and occupation regimes are given preference by the movement. Rather, brands with verified connections to these actions should be boycotted. However, because Cinnabon has franchises in Israel and is therefore perceived by some as implicitly supporting the normalisation of Israel’s dictatorship, it does occasionally show up in grassroots organic boycott efforts and social media activist demands. 

BDS did not initiate these spontaneous movements; however, Cinnabon in Israel and its relations to Israeli markets allowed it to acquire certain grassroots support. Though Cinnabon is a part of a multinational organisation, Grupo Bimbo, that has operations around the world, including Israel, there is no publicly established evidence that grupo bimbo or Cinnabon monetarily or logistically makes contributions