Since then, Unilever has worked to make Elida an autonomous unit that could also appeal in its entirety to private equity firms, the sources added. Morgan Stanley and Evercore have now contacted several parties to gauge acquisition interest in Elida for what could be a multi-billion-dollar deal, according to the sources. Unilever, Morgan Stanley and Evercore declined to comment. This has prompted Unilever, the maker of Dove soap and Ben & Jerry's ice cream, to review its portfolio of non-core assets it can sell to raise cash. Unilever beat underlying sales growth forecasts in the second quarter after raising prices to offset the higher costs.

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Persons: Morgan Stanley, Hein Schumacher, Ives, Moussel, Alberto Balsam, Evercore, Abigail Summerville, Richa Naidu, Chizu Organizations: Unilever Plc, Evercore Inc, Unilever, Credit Suisse, Elida, Breyers, Thomson Locations: St, Zwitsal, Elida, Klondike, New York, London