Squirrel was a Canadian brand of peanut butter, marketed from about 1915 to about 2000.
Squirrel was originally manufactured by the Canada Nut Co. Ltd. of Vancouver, B.C., in 1915. For its initial 25 years or more it was marketed through Western Canada. [1] . Canada Nut Co created a subsidiary for their peanut products around 1931, called Squirrel Brand Products. The company was acquired by Vancouver food wholesaler Kelly, Douglas & Co in 1944, who continued to market Squirrel under the former Canada Nut Co moniker. In 1958 a second production plant was opened in the Toronto area (Ajax). By 1959 it was marketed across Canada through the Nabob Foods Limited division of Kelly, Douglas & Co. Ltd., then of Burnaby, B.C., which in turn was controlled by George Weston Limited and Loblaw Companies. [2]
In May, 1975, George Weston Ltd. sold the 81-per-cent interest it held in Kelly, Douglas to Loblaws. [3] In 1976 Nabob Foods Ltd. became a wholly owned subsidiary of Jacobs Suchard AG of Switzerland. In June, 1981, Nabob Foods Ltd. sold the Squirrel brand to Canada Packers Inc., to focus on its coffee business. [4]
In December, 1990, Canada Packers sold the peanut butter business to a subsidiary of CPC International of Englewood Cliffs, N.J. CPC decided it would continue making Squirrel peanut butter, along with Skippy peanut butter, at a Montreal plant, owned by Best Foods Canada Inc., a subsidiary of CPC's Toronto-based subsidiary, Canada Starch Inc. [5] In 1997 CPC International split into Bestfoods Corp. and Corn Products International, Inc.
Unilever PLC (ULVR) London took over Bestfoods Corp. in June, 2000, for $20.3-billion (U.S.), acquiring the Squirrel brand in Canada. It discontinued the Squirrel brand, marketing only the Skippy brand after its acquisition, despite Squirrel's longer history in Canada.
Unilever temporarily renamed Skippy in Canada as "Skippy the Squirrel", featuring a redrawn squirrel on the label (Skippy had previously used a stylized peanut as its mascot). The Skippy brand was withdrawn from the Canadian market in 2017. [6]
Squirrel was known for containing one whole peanut which lay on the top of the peanut butter when the jar was first opened, hence the slogan "The One With The Peanut On Top!" The peanut on top was eliminated when rebranded as Skippy. The brand was also known for "peanut points," which could be collected and redeemed for prizes. The mascot was a brown squirrel wearing a green sweater, smiling and sometimes holding a peanut. The slogan The One With the Peanut on Top was actually originally from York Peanut Butter and was transferred to Squirrel with Canada Packers purchase of the brand.
During the early 1960s Nabob used Joe Kapp, while he played for the BC Lions football team, to market Squirrel throughout British Columbia, helping him acquire the nickname "Peanut butter Joe". [7]
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.
Loblaws is a Canadian supermarket chain with stores located in the province of Ontario, and in Alberta and British Columbia under the Loblaws CityMarket banner. Headquartered in Brampton, Ontario, Loblaws is a subsidiary of Loblaw Companies Limited, Canada's largest food distributor.
Loblaw Companies Limited is a Canadian retailer encompassing corporate and franchise supermarkets operating under 22 regional and market-segment banners, as well as pharmacies, banking and apparel. Loblaw operates a private label program that includes grocery and household items, clothing, baby products, pharmaceuticals, cellular phones, general merchandise and financial services. Loblaw is the largest Canadian food retailer, and its brands include President's Choice, No Name and Joe Fresh. It is controlled by George Weston Limited, a holding company controlled by the Weston family; Galen G. Weston, is the chair of the Loblaw board of directors, as well as chair of the board of directors and CEO of Canada-based holding company George Weston.
Willard Gordon Galen Weston was a British-Canadian billionaire businessman and Chairman Emeritus of George Weston Limited, a Canadian food processing and distribution company. Weston and his family, with an estimated net worth of US$8.7 billion, are listed as the third wealthiest in Canada and 178th in the world by Forbes magazine.
Planters Nut & Chocolate Company is an American snack food company now owned by Hormel Foods. Planters is best known for its processed nuts and for the Mr. Peanut icon that symbolizes them. Mr. Peanut was created by grade schooler Antonio Gentile for a 1916 contest to design the company's brand icon. The design was modified by a commercial artist and has continued to change over the years.
Jif is an American brand of peanut butter made by The J.M. Smucker Company, which purchased the brand from Procter & Gamble in 2001.
Skippy is an American brand of peanut butter spread manufactured in the United States and China. First sold in 1932, Skippy is currently manufactured by Hormel Foods, which bought the brand from Unilever in 2013. It is the best-selling brand of peanut butter in China and second only to the J.M. Smucker Company's Jif brand worldwide.
President's Choice or PC is a line of grocery products and services offered by the Canada-based Loblaw Companies Ltd.
Hellmann's and Best Foods are American brand names that are used for the same line of mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, sauce, salad dressing, condiments and other food products. They have been owned by the British multinational company Unilever since 2000. The Hellmann's brand is sold in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains; Latin America; Europe; Australia; the Middle East; Canada; India; and Pakistan. The Best Foods brand is sold in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains; in East Asia; Southeast Asia; Australia, and New Zealand.
Associated British Foods plc (ABF) is a British multinational food processing and retailing company headquartered in London, England.
Entenmann's is an American company that manufactures baked goods and delivers them throughout the United States to supermarkets and other retailers for sale to the public. They are often known to have display cases at the end of store aisles. The company offers dessert cakes, donuts, cookies, cup cakes, loaf cakes, pies, cereal bars, muffins, Danish pastries, crumb cakes, and buns among other baked goods. In the past several years, they have added designer coffee flavors along with scented candles to their product line in an effort to broaden its appeal.
George Weston Limited, often referred to as Weston or Weston's, is a Canadian holding company. Founded by George Weston in 1882, the company today consists of the Choice Properties real estate investment trust and Loblaw Companies Limited, Canada's largest supermarket retailer, in which it maintains a controlling interest. Retail brands include President's Choice, No Name and Joe Fresh. The former Weston Bakeries division, which owned the brands Wonder, Country Harvest, D'Italiano, Ready Bake and Gadoua, was sold off to FGF Brands in 2022. The company is controlled by the Weston family, which owns a majority share in George Weston Limited.
Willard Garfield Weston was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist who was a member of the prominent Weston family. He led George Weston Limited and its various subsidiaries and associated companies, including Associated British Foods, for half a century and established one of the world's largest food processing and distribution concerns. He also served as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the British House of Commons during World War II.
Gale's is a UK brand of honey, currently owned by Premier Foods. The former company had been established in 1919, remaining independent until it was acquired by Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery in 1986.
Sunflower butter, also known as sunflower seed butter, is a food paste made from sunflower seeds. Sunflower butter is commonly used as a substitute for peanut butter when allergies are a concern.
Ingredion Incorporated is an American food and beverage ingredient provider based in Westchester, Illinois, producing mainly starches, non-GMO sweeteners, stevia, and pea protein. The company turns corn, tapioca, potatoes, plant-based stevia, grains, fruits, gums and other vegetables into ingredients for the food, beverage, brewing, and pharmaceutical industries and numerous industrial sectors. It has about 12,000 employees in 44 locations, and customers in excess of 120 countries.
Bear Naked is a food company that makes whole grain granolas, granola bites, and oatmeal. The company was launched in 2002 by Kelly Flatley and Brendan Synnott. In 2007, Bear Naked was purchased by Kashi, a subsidiary of the Kellogg Company, one of the biggest food corporations in the United States. Bear Naked is based out of La Jolla, California.
Justin's is an American brand of natural and organic nut butters and peanut butter cups. The Boulder-based company manufactures and markets jars and single-serve squeeze packs of nut butter, along with various kinds of organic peanut butter cups. Justin's peanut butter cups are USDA-certified organic and use Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa. Both the peanut butter cups and nut butters are distributed through stores such as Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, Starbucks, and Target in the United States.
Lady's Choice is a spread and salad dressing condiment brand owned by Unilever. The brand was introduced in the Philippines in 1955 by California Manufacturing Company, Inc. (CMC). In 2000, Unilever Philippines, Inc. acquired CMC as a result of parent Unilever's acquisition of CPC International, parent company of CMC.