 | |
| Product type | Margarine |
|---|---|
| Owner | Upfield |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1981 [1] |
| Markets | Global |
| Previous owners | Unilever |
| Website | www.icantbelieveitsnotbutter.com |
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! is a brand of margarine, [2] [3] produced by Upfield [4] and marketed as a substitute for butter. [2]
The J.H. Filbert company, based in Baltimore, Maryland, developed the product in 1979 as a low-cost alternative to butter for the food service industry. [5] The name originated from a comment by the husband of a company secretary as he sampled the product and it was first marketed to retail consumers in 1981. [1] [5] The company was acquired by Unilever in 1986, which then expanded sales of the product, previously only available primarily in the Washington, DC/Baltimore area, throughout the entire United States in 1988 and later to the United Kingdom, Canada and Mexico in 1991. [6] [7] [8] [9] The product was put on the market in Germany in 2011 and in Chile in 2012.[ citation needed ]
Fabio has been the brand's celebrity spokesman since 1994, appearing in many of the brand's commercials, usually with his only line of dialogue being the brand name. [10]
In addition to a regular and 'light' spread, Unilever also uses the brand name to market a liquid butter substitute contained in a spray-bottle. [11] This product is an emulsion of vegetable oil in water formulated with a 'hint' of butter flavor (derived from buttermilk) and is marketed as having zero calories and zero fat content. [12] In 2017, Unilever announced two new varieties, "It's Vegan" and "It's Organic". [13]
It was reported in July 2005 (per research from the market research company Information Resources) that the product at that time led in product sales for its category of margarines, butter blends and spreads, with sales revenue standing at US$244.7 million, [11] summarized from 52 weeks up to July 10, 2005. [11]
But by 2012, the situation had changed. It was reported in 2012 by Euromonitor International that while sales of butter and spreadable oil fell, margarine sales increased by 1.1 percent, but sales of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter fell by 3.9 percent. 7 percent of sales at Unilever consists of spreads, with a significant amount consisting of butter substitutes, the sales of which are on the decline. [14]
In 2016, there were $248.4 million in sales of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and $47.7 million of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light. [15]
In February 2017, Unilever rebranded the product as "I Can't Believe It's So Good... For Everything!" in the UK. The stated objective was to increase awareness of the product's versatility. The rebrand was greeted with puzzlement and some derision by many media commentators. [16] Subsequently, the branding was simplified to "I Can't Believe It's So Good...". The brand was returned to its original form in November 2019. [17]
Marmite ( MAR-myte) is a British savoury food spread based on yeast extract, invented by the German scientist Justus von Liebig. It is made from by-products of beer brewing (lees) and is produced by the British company Unilever. Marmite is a vegan source of B vitamins, including supplemental vitamin B12. A traditional method of use is to spread it very thinly on buttered toast.
Margarine is a spread used for flavoring, baking, and cooking. It is most often used as a substitute for butter. Although originally made from animal fats, most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil. The spread was originally named oleomargarine from Latin for oleum and Greek margarite. The name was later shortened to margarine.
Individual branding, also called individual product branding, flanker brands or multibranding, is "a branding strategy in which products are given brand names that are newly created and generally not connected to names of existing brands offered by the company." Each brand, even within a same company, has a unique name, identity and image, allowing the company to target different market segments, tailor pricing and marketing strategies, and separate the image and reputation of different products.
Unilever plc is a British multinational fast-moving consumer goods company founded on 2 September 1929 following the merger of British soap maker Lever Brothers and Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie. It is headquartered in London.
Shortening is any fat that is a solid at room temperature and is used to make crumbly pastry and other food products.
Dalda is a brand of vegetable oil popular in South Asia.
Becel is a brand of margarine produced by Dutch company Upfield. In France, it is sold as Fruit D'or, and in the United States as Promise.
Lurpak is a Danish brand of butter owned by Arla Foods. It is sold in over 75 countries worldwide, and is known for its distinctive silver packaging. Lurpak came into existence in October 1901 after a combination of several Danish dairy farmers decided to create and register a common brand and mark for butter to increase sales. Its logo is based on the lur, an ancient instrument once used in Scandinavia.
Flora is a brand of spread produced by Upfield except in southern Africa where it is produced by Siqalo Foods, a subsidiary of Remgro). The original manufacturer Unilever came up with the brand after being asked by medical professionals to develop a healthier alternative to traditional margarines, lard and butter.
Bertolli is a brand of Italian food products produced by multiple companies around the world with the trademark owned by Mizkan Holdings. Originating as a brand of extra-virgin olive oil, in which it was the global market leader, pasta sauces and ready meals are now sold under the brand name as well.
Sana is a Turkish margarine brand that was first released by Unilever's Turkey Branch in 1953 and now owned by Upfield. It is the Turkish variant of Country Crock. It is the first margarine that was wrapped up a packet in Turkey. As it had no other opponent in market and produced from soybean oil that was imported from the U.S., it became the leading margarine brand for decades. It is a generic brand for any margarine produced in Turkey. In Turkish, any margarine is often called Sana yağı. It is the bestseller margarine in the world.
Country Crock is a food brand owned by Upfield. It originally sold spreads such as margarine, but later extended to side dishes, particularly mashed potatoes and pasta, made by Hormel under license.
Planta is a brand of margarine produced by Upfield for Belgium, France, Malaysia and Portugal. It is made from vegetable oil: rapeseed, maize and sunflower.
Stork is a brand of margarine spread manufactured primarily from palm oil and water, owned by Upfield, except in southern Africa, where it is owned by the Remgro subsidiary Siqalo Foods.
Brummel & Brown is the name of butter spread that was introduced by Van den Bergh Foods in 1994 and now produced by Upfield. In 2000, Brummel & Brown introduced a line of creamy fruit spreads, such as Strawberry Fruit Spread, and Blueberry Fruit Spread. The spread contains 10% nonfat yogurt and 35% vegetable oil. Water is the top listed ingredient in the margarine spread, but not in the fruit spread which lists high fructose corn syrup, water, strawberries, and sugar within its top 7 ingredients.
J.H. Filbert, Inc. was a company based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States that produced margarine and butter substitute products, including Mrs. Filbert's Margarine and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!.
Blue Band is a brand of margarine, cheese spreads, and vegetable fat spreads. Originally a Dutch brand developed by Van den Bergh it remains widely available in Germany, where it has been sold since 1924. It is produced by Upfield except in southern Africa, and by Remgro-owned Siqalo Foods in southern Africa.
Vegan cheese is a category of non-dairy, plant-based cheese analogues. Vegan cheeses range from soft fresh cheeses to aged and cultured hard grateable cheeses like plant-based Parmesan. The defining characteristic of vegan cheese is the exclusion of all animal products.
Upfield Holdings B.V. is a Dutch food company owning multiple brands of margarine, food spreads, and plant-based foods, including Flora and Blue Band. It states that it is the largest plant-based consumer packaged goods company in the world, operating in 95 countries.