Imperial is a brand of margarine or spread, depending on the country, previously distributed by Unilever and currently marketed by Upfield. It is best remembered for television commercials in which a person who recently ate something with Imperial margarine would suddenly have a crown appear on their head (accompanied by a four note fanfare). [1] [2] [3] [4]
Formulations of the product may vary by region. In the United States, Imperial is now a "vegetable oil spread" due to reductions in the percentage of vegetable oil in the product. [5] However, in other countries, the product still qualifies as margarine. [6]
In 1956 Lever Brothers (Unilever) developed Imperial, a margarine which had a lower melting point and which contained butter. [7] [8]
In 1980 Michael Angus became chairman. The bulk of Lever's losses stemmed from Imperial margarine. So in 1981, Angus shut down the outdated Hammond, Indiana, plant that made Imperial and farmed out the work to contractors able to produce it more cheaply. [9]
In 2018, Unilever sold its margarines and spreads to Upfield.
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 Although originally made from animal fats, most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil.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.
Unilever plc is a British-Dutch multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, ice cream, cleaning agents, beauty products, and personal care. Unilever is the largest producer of soap in the world and its products are available in around 190 countries.
Lever Brothers was a British manufacturing company founded in 1885 by two brothers: William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme (1851–1925), and James Darcy Lever (1854–1916). They invested in and successfully promoted a new soap-making process invented by chemist William Hough Watson. Lever Brothers entered the United States market in 1895 and acquired Mac Fisheries, owner of T. Wall & Sons, in 1925. Lever Brothers was one of several British companies that took an interest in the welfare of its British employees. Its brands included "Lifebuoy", "Lux" and "Vim". Lever Brothers merged with Margarine Unie to form Unilever in 1929.
Shortening is any fat that is a solid at room temperature and used to make crumbly pastry and other food products. Although butter is solid at room temperature and is frequently used in making pastry, the term shortening seldom refers to butter.
Naamloze Vennootschap Margarine Unie was a Dutch company formed in 1927 in Oss by the merger of four margarine companies, Antoon Jurgens United, Van den Bergh's, Centra, and Schicht's. Margarine Unie was the dominant producer of margarine in the UK.
Dalda is a brand of vegetable oil popular in South Asia.
Becel is a brand of vegetable oil spread produced by Upfield. In France it is sold as Fruit D'or in the United States as Promise.
Dove is a brand owned by the British multinational consumer goods company Unilever. Dove products are manufactured in countries around the world.
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! is a brand of a spreadable emulsion of vegetable oil in water with butter flavor produced by Upfield and marketed as a substitute for butter.
Spry was a brand of vegetable shortening produced by Lever Brothers starting in 1936. It was a competitor for Procter & Gamble's Crisco, and through aggressive marketing through its mascot Aunt Jenny had reached 75 percent of Crisco's market share. The marketing efforts were phased out in the 1950s, but Aunt Jenny and her quotes like With Spry, we can afford to have cake oftener! have been reprinted. Though the product is discontinued in most countries, there are anecdotal reports of its being used through the 1970s. It appears as an ingredient in "Hungarian Nut Cake" in the August 1975 booklet "Favorite Recipes of the Aetna Girls" [Toledo, Ohio office].
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.
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.
The Newfoundland Margarine Company was Canada's first oleomargarine manufacturing company, and a leading producer in the Dominion of Newfoundland and after 1949, the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was founded by Sir John Chalker Crosbie in 1925 and was one of three margarine plants established in Newfoundland during the early 20th century. With the expertise of George Ehlers, a Danish chemist, the Crosbie family grew the firm into the largest margarine manufacturing firm in Newfoundland. The Newfoundland Butter Company through acquisition and merger over the years with the other two manufacturing plants was eventually sold to Lever Brothers of England in 1937 and became a subsidiary of Lever Brothers of Canada.
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.
Mac Fisheries was a branded United Kingdom retail chain of fishmongers, founded by William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme, the co-founder with his brother of Lever Brothers, which later merged to become Unilever.
Unilever Philippines, Inc. is the Philippine subsidiary of British multinational company, Unilever. It is based in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig since 2016. It is a manufacturer of laundry detergents and soaps, shampoos and hair conditioners, toothpastes, deodorants, skin care products, household cleaners, and toilet soaps with an annual sales of over 40 billion pesos. It employs over 1,000 people nationally. It is the largest polluter in the Philippines.
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.