Product type | Mustard |
---|---|
Owner | Kraft Heinz (World) Associated British Foods (UK) |
Produced by | Kraft Foods |
Country | Dijon, France |
Introduced | 1866 |
Markets | Worldwide |
Previous owners | List
|
Website | greypouponmustard.co.uk |
Grey Poupon is a brand of Dijon mustard which originated in Dijon, France. [1]
The U.S. rights to the brand were acquired by the Heublein Company, later passing on to Kraft Foods. Grey Poupon became popular in the United States in the late 1970s and 1980s as American tastes broadened from conventional American yellow mustards, aided in large part by a memorable advertising campaign emphasizing the product's association with luxury.
Like other Dijon mustards, Grey Poupon contains a small amount of white wine. The American version is made with brown mustard seed grown in Canada. [2]
Maurice Grey (b. Urcy, France, 1816; d. 1897), [3] was awarded a Royal Appointment in 1860 for developing a machine that dramatically increased the speed of production of mustard. However, needing financing, which he obtained in 1866 from Auguste Poupon, another Dijon mustard manufacturer, the Grey–Poupon partnership produced their first mustard around 1866 in Dijon, France. [4]
In 1946, the Heublein Company bought the American rights from the original company. [5]
In 1970, the directors of Grey Poupon and of another Dijon mustard firm, André Ricard, having earlier bought the popular Maille-label, formed a conglomerate called S.E.G.M.A. Maille. Soon afterwards, the new company decided to phase out the Grey Poupon label in France.
In America, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company acquired Heublein in 1982 [6] and merged it with Nabisco in 1985 to form RJR Nabisco. In 1999, Kraft Foods acquired Nabisco, including the Grey Poupon brand.
In 2000, Amora-Maille was acquired by Unilever and UK trademark rights to Grey Poupon were assumed by it until 2005 when the rights were sold to G Costa & Company Limited, a subsidiary of Associated British Foods. In 2008, Associated British Foods folded G Costa into AB World Foods. [7]
Grey Poupon Dijon and wholegrain mustard are still produced in France for the European markets. [8] Production of Grey Poupon for the American market moved to Holland, Michigan, from Pennsylvania following Kraft Heinz's expansion of its 120-year-old Holland production facility. [9]
Heublein increased the visibility and name recognition of their mustard brand with a 1980s commercial pointing out that "one can enjoy the finer things of life with white wine mustard without paying high prices", in which a Rolls-Royce pulls up alongside another Rolls-Royce, and a passenger in one asks "Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?" The other responds, "But of course!" The closing shot is of the Grey Poupon jar being passed between the vehicles. In one variation, the characters are on the Orient Express. [10]
The commercial spawned a number of variations, often comedic; a 1991 version features Ian Richardson asking Paul Eddington if he has any Grey Poupon, to which Eddington replies, "But of course", then motions for his driver to speed away. It is implied that they are playing the roles of the fictitious British Prime Ministers Francis Urquhart (from House of Cards) and Jim Hacker (from Yes, Prime Minister ), respectively. [11] [12] Another commercial included the introduction of a plastic squeeze bottle, wherein the bottle makes a flatulent noise, much to the mortification of the driver. [13]
The advertising campaign helped solidify Grey Poupon's status as a product associated with the wealthy; in 1992, Grey Poupon had the strongest correlation between a person's income and whether or not they used the product. [14]
In 2013, Grey Poupon created a new advertisement, playing upon the 1980s commercial, displaying a duel between the driver who took the Grey Poupon jar (played by British actor Frazer Douglas) being chased down by the mustard's original owner (played by American actor Rod McCary). [15] The spot was nominated for an Emmy for best commercial. [16]
In 2007, Kraft introduced three new specialty mustards under the Grey Poupon brand: a coarse-ground mustard with whole mustard seeds, a spicy brown mustard with diced yellow onions, and a honey mustard with clover honey and spices. Only the coarse ground version remains in production.
The "Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?" commercials have been parodied in many films and TV shows, including Wayne's World (1992), Married... with Children 's "Old Insurance Dodge", WWE SmackDown and Family Guy's "Blue Harvest" (September 23, 2007). The question was asked by Michael J. Fox's character, while preparing to eat a frog dog in the film The Hard Way (1991), by Little Richard in The Naked Truth , and by the Dutch character (Joost Michael de Witt) in Emilio Estevez's film The Way (2010). The line was also mentioned in a deleted scene from The Office , said by character Andy Bernard.[ citation needed ]
In her semi-autobiographical 1983 novel Heartburn, Nora Ephron's protagonist describes the recipe for an ideal vinaigrette as "mix two tablespoons of Grey Poupon mustard with two tablespoons good redwine vinegar. Then, whisking constantly with a fork, slowly add six tablespoons olive oil, until the vinaigrette is thick and creamy; this makes a very strong vinaigrette that is perfect for salad greens like arugula and watercress and endive." [17]
The Grey Poupon name has appeared frequently in hip-hop and rap lyrics since 1992, when Das EFX mentioned the brand on their song "East Coast". Artists such as MF DOOM, [18] Kanye West, Eminem, Big Sean, [19] Jay Z, Kendrick Lamar, [20] and T-Pain have all referenced Grey Poupon in their song lyrics. According to rapper Open Mike Eagle, the prevalence of these references is attributable to how convenient it is to create a rhyme with the brand name as well as how strongly the product is associated with class, style, and luxury. [21]
Oreo is a brand of sandwich cookie consisting of two cocoa biscuits or cookie pieces with a sweet fondant filling. It was introduced by Nabisco on March 6, 1912, and through a series of corporate acquisitions, mergers and splits both Nabisco and the Oreo brand have been owned by Mondelez International since 2012. Oreo cookies are available in over one hundred countries. Many varieties of Oreo cookies have been produced, and limited-edition runs have become popular in the 21st century.
Nabisco is an American manufacturer of cookies and snacks headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey. The company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Mondelēz International.
The second incarnation of Kraft Foods was an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. on October 1, 2012, and was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz on July 2, 2015.
A.1. Sauce is a brand of brown sauce produced by Brand & co, a subsidiary of Premier Foods in the United Kingdom and in North America by Kraft Heinz. Sold from 1831 as a condiment for "fish, meat, fowl and game" dishes in the United Kingdom, the makers introduced the product to Canada, and later to the U.S. where it was later marketed as a steak sauce. A.1. sauce is still produced in England and exported to Asia. In May 2014, Kraft Foods in North America announced it was dropping the word "steak" from the A.1. name, reverting to A.1. Sauce, to "reflect modern dining habits".
French dressing is a creamy dressing in American cuisine that varies in color from pale orange to bright red.
Wheat Thins is a brand of baked whole grain snack food crackers distributed in the United States and Canada by Mondelez International. The product is also available in Australia through wholesaler USA Foods. Vegetable Thins, Oat Thins, Pita Thins, and Rice Thins, which are all spinoffs of Wheat Thins, are available in Canada and some regions of the United States. Wheat Thins themselves come in many flavors and varieties. Nabisco first introduced the product in 1947.
Wish-Bone is an American brand of salad dressing, marinades, dips and pasta salad. The original salad dressing was based on a recipe served at the Wishbone restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri, founded by ex-soldier Phillip Sollomi in 1945 along with Lena Sollomi, Phillip's mother. The Italian dressing served at the Wishbone was based on a recipe from Lena Sollomi's Sicilian family which was a blend of oil, vinegar, herbs and spices. Demand for the salad dressing proved so high that Phillip started a separate operation to produce it for sale, making it by the barrel. The brand was acquired by Lipton, part of the Unilever portfolio, in 1958, and was manufactured in the Kansas City area. In 2013, Pinnacle Foods acquired Wish-Bone from Unilever. In turn, ConAgra acquired Pinnacle Foods on October 26, 2018.
Parkay is a margarine made by ConAgra Foods and introduced in 1937. It is available in spreadable, sprayable, and squeezable forms.
Gulden's is the third largest American manufacturer of mustard, after French's and Grey Poupon. One of the oldest continuously operating mustard brands in the United States, it is now owned by agricultural giant ConAgra Foods.
Maille is a brand of mustards originated in Marseille, France, in 1723. As a subsidiary of multinational consumer goods company Unilever, which manufactures the mustard at plants globally, the company now also markets cornichons, stoneware, salad dressings, kitchen gifts and oils under the Maille brand—in company stores, through global distribution agreements and online, since 2007.
Amora Maille Societe Industrielle, also written as Amora-Maille, is a French company and brand that manufactures condiments. The company is a subsidiary of Unilever and the leading condiment maker in France. The company operates two major brands, Amora and Maille.
Vinaigrette is made by mixing an oil with a mild acid such as vinegar or lemon juice. The mixture can be enhanced with salt, herbs and/or spices. It is used most commonly as a salad dressing, but can also be used as a marinade. Traditionally, a vinaigrette consists of 3 parts oil and 1 part vinegar mixed into a stable emulsion, but the term is also applied to mixtures with different proportions and to unstable emulsions which last only a short time before separating into layered oil and vinegar phases.
Heublein Inc. was an American producer and distributor of alcoholic beverages and food throughout the 20th century. During the 1960s and 1970s its stock was regarded as one of the most stable financial investments, earning it inclusion in the Nifty Fifty.
Mustard is a condiment made from the seeds of a mustard plant.
Chiffon margarine was first manufactured in 1954 by Anderson, Clayton and Company, a cotton products firm of Houston, Texas. Chiffon was one of the first soft, tub-style margarine products. It was originally available in "regular", "sweet", and "unsalted" forms.
Belvita, sometimes stylized as belVita or BelVita, is a brand of breakfast biscuit introduced originally in France in 1998 as LU Petit Déjeuner by Kraft Foods Inc. and currently owned by Mondelēz International.
The Kraft Heinz Company (KHC), commonly known as Kraft Heinz, is an American multinational food company formed by the merger of Kraft Foods and H.J. Heinz Company co-headquartered in Chicago and Pittsburgh. Kraft Heinz is the third-largest food and beverage company in North America and the fifth-largest in the world with over $26.0 billion in annual sales as of 2021.
Dijon mustard is a traditional mustard of France, named after the city of Dijon in Burgundy, France, which was the center of mustard making in the late Middle Ages and was granted exclusive rights in France in the 17th century. First used in 1336 for the table of King Philip VI, it assumed its current form in 1856 when Jean Naigeon of Dijon replaced the vinegar usually used in prepared mustard with verjuice, the acidic juice of unripe grapes.
"Humble" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on March 30, 2017, along with its music video, by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The song was written by Lamar and producers Mike Will Made It and Pluss. It was provided to rhythmic contemporary radio as the lead single from Lamar's fourth studio album, Damn. "Humble" is Lamar's second number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 after "Bad Blood" and his first as a lead artist. The song received four nominations at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video, winning in the last three categories.