| Product type | Meat extract |
|---|---|
| Owner | Bega Cheese (2017–) |
| Country | Australia |
| Introduced | 1919 |
| Previous owners | Kraft Heinz |
Bonox is a beef extract made in Australia, currently owned by Bega Cheese after it acquired the brand from Kraft Heinz in 2017. [1] It is primarily a drink but can also be used as stock in cooking.
Bonox was invented by Camron Thomas [2] for Fred Walker of Fred Walker & Co. in 1918. Bonox was launched the following year. [3] [4]
The Walker company was purchased by Kraft Foods Inc. sometime after Walker's death in 1935. [5] The product was produced by Kraft (from 2012 Kraft Foods, from 2015 Kraft Heinz) until 2017, when Bonox, along with other brands, was sold to Bega Cheese. It kept the same recipe and jar designs. [6]
As of 2021 [update] , Bonox continues to be produced by Bega. [7]
This concentrated beef extract contains iron and niacin. It is a thick dark brown liquid paste which can be added to soups or stews for flavoring and can also be added to hot water and served as a beverage. [8]
Bovril is the trademarked name of a thick and salty meat extract paste, similar to a yeast extract, developed in the 1870s by John Lawson Johnston. It is sold in a distinctive bulbous jar and as cubes and granules. Bovril is owned and distributed by Unilever UK. Its appearance is similar to the British Marmite and its Australian equivalent Vegemite; however, unlike these products, Bovril is not vegetarian.
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.
Vegemite is a thick, dark brown Australian food spread made from leftover brewers' yeast extract with various vegetable and spice additives. It was developed by Cyril Callister in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1922, and it was first sold in stores on 25 October 1923.
Yeast extracts consist of the cell contents of yeast without the cell walls; they are used as food additives or flavorings, or as nutrients for bacterial culture media. They are often used to create savory flavors and umami taste sensations and can be found in a large variety of packaged food including frozen meals, crackers, snack foods, gravy, stock and more. They are rich in B vitamins. Yeast extracts and fermented foods contain glutamic acid, an amino acid which adds an umami flavor. Glutamic acid is found in meat, cheese, fungi and vegetables—such as broccoli and tomatoes. A number of other substances found in yeast extract provide aromas, some meat-like, when allowed to react under heat.
Kraft Singles is a brand of processed cheese product manufactured and sold by Kraft Heinz. Introduced in 1950, the individually wrapped "slices" are not really slices off a block, but formed separately in manufacturing.
Promite is a dark brown, salty food paste derived from yeast extract. It is primarily used as a spread on sandwiches and toast similar to Vegemite and Marmite. Promite was invented in the 1950s by Henry Lewis & Company and marketed under the Masterfoods brand. Henry Lewis & Company later became MasterFoods Australia and New Zealand, before being bought out by Mars, Incorporated, a privately owned U.S. company, in 1967. Promite has continued to be manufactured and primarily sold in Australia.
Vecon is the brand of a concentrated vegetable stock, used for flavouring dishes. It is popular amongst vegetarians, as it can be used to replace other stock in soups, stews, etc. It is fortified with a number of vitamins that are rarer in vegetarian or vegan diets, including iron and vitamin B12.
Cheer, formerly Coon, is the Australian trademark of a cheddar cheese produced by the Warrnambool Cheese and Butter company, which is majority-owned by Canadian dairy company Saputo Inc.
Meat extract is highly concentrated meat stock, usually made from beef or chicken. It is used to add meat flavor in cooking, and to make broth for soups and other liquid-based foods.
Mother is an energy drink that originated in Australia and New Zealand by Coca-Cola. Introduced in late 2006 after Coca-Cola's failed attempt to purchase Red Bull, it competes with the two leading energy drinks on the market, V and Red Bull, in the $151 million industry.
Cyril Percy Callister was an Australian chemist and food technologist who developed the Vegemite yeast spread. As well as Vegemite, he is known for his contributions towards processed cheese.
Fred Walker was an Australian businessman and founder of Fred Walker & Co. and the Fred Walker Company in Melbourne. He also set up Kraft Walker Cheese Co. in partnership with American businessman James L. Kraft in 1926, in order to market Kraft's patented method of processing cheese.
Warrnambool Cheese & Butter Factory Company Holdings Limited (WCB) is an Australian-based company manufacturing dairy products, majority-owned by Saputo Inc., a Canadian company, that manufactures a range of dairy products under various brands. The business is based in Allansford, Victoria and is the oldest dairy processor in Australia, having been established in 1888. It owns cheese brands CHEER and Cracker Barrel.
Velveeta Shells & Cheese is a shell pasta and cheese sauce food product that debuted in the United States in 1984, as part of the Velveeta brand products. Its ingredients, texture, and flavor are very similar to macaroni and cheese. The product is a shelf-stable food.
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.
The Bega Group is an Australian diversified food and drinks company with manufacturing sites in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria. Founded as an agricultural cooperative in the town of Bega, New South Wales by their dairy suppliers, it became a public company in 2011 when it listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Close to half of shares publicly traded are still held by Bega's farmer-suppliers. It is currently one of the largest companies in the dairy sector in Australia, with a base milk supply in 2018 of approximately 750 million litres per annum.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)This article was first published in hardcopy in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 12, (MUP), 1990
The sale includes ZoOsh and Bonox, and products sold under the Kraft brand license
