The Story of Vegemite The story of Vegemite began with the Fred Walker Company in 1922. They wanted to create a spread with plenty of Vitamin B. The company hired a chemist called Dr Cyril P. Callister. It was he who developed the spread. They wanted lots of people to buy their new product, so the company let the public name it themselves. They launched a national competition. In 1923, the product was named Vegemite. Soon, jars of Vegemite were being sold all over the country. At the same time, there was a similar product from England known as ‘Marmite’. Shoppers didn’t want to try something different and Vegemite sales dropped. The company renamed it to ‘Parwill’ with a clever catchphrase to go with it: “If Marmite… then Parwill”! However, sales did not improve. It took 14 years and a change back to its original name before the people of Australia embraced Vegemite. Doctors began recommending it and during the Second World War, the armed forces sent it to the soldiers. It became so popular that the company couldn’t meet the demands of the public. The company also created the song ‘Happy Little Vegemites’, which was released on the radio in 1954. It went onto the television in 1956. Even today, the song is easily recognised, with Vegemite putting ‘a rose in every cheek’. Photo courtesy of (Tristanb@wikimedia.org) - granted under creative commons licence - attribution Page 1 of 3 The Story of Vegemite Did You Know…? • Twenty-two million jars of Vegemite are sold every year. • It has a thick and sticky consistency and is almost black in colour. • Being one of the richest known sources of Vitamin B, it is very salty. Australians are used to the flavour of Vegemite, as they grow up eating it. When travelling overseas, some people even take it with them as a small reminder of home. However, adults who try it for the first time say that it is something that takes a little getting used to! Page 2 of 3 The Story of Vegemite Questions 1. Fill in the blanks: The name of the company that created Vegemite was the F W C . 2. Who developed the recipe for Vegemite? 3. What year was the Vegemite naming competition held? 4. What was the name of the product that was very similar to Vegemite? 5. How many jars of Vegemite are sold each year? 6. How long did it take to change the name back to Vegemite? 7. Who did the armed forces send the Vegemite to during the Second World War? 8. Fill in the blanks: Vegemite has a and in colour. Page 3 of 3 consistency and is almost The Story of Vegemite The story of Vegemite Answers 1. The name of the company that created Vegemite was the Fred Walker Company. 2. Who developed the recipe for Vegemite? Dr Cyril P. Callister 3. What year was the Vegemite naming competition held? 1923 4. What was the name of the product that was very similar to Vegemite? Marmite 5. How many jars of Vegemite are sold each year? Twenty-two million 6. How long did it take to change the name back to Vegemite? 14 years 7. Who did the armed forces send the Vegemite to during the Second World War? Soldiers 8. Vegemite has a thick and sticky consistency and is almost black in colour. The Story of Vegemite The story of how Vegemite was invented began in 1922 with the Fred Walker Company. They wanted to create a spread from one of the world’s richest known sources of Vitamin B. The company, which was later known as the Kraft Food Company, hired a chemist known as Dr Cyril P. Callister. It was he who developed the spread, using leftover brewers’ yeast extract and various vegetable and spice additives. The Fred Walker Company came up with the very clever idea of having the public name the spread themselves. They launched a competition right across Australia, and in 1923 the winning entry was announced. ‘Vegemite’ was to be its name! By the end of 1923, jars of Vegemite were being sold all over the country. Unfortunately, a similar product from England known as ‘Marmite’ was already very popular in Australia. Shoppers weren’t keen to try something different and Vegemite sales dropped. They decided to call it a different name to try to convince people to buy it. It became known as ‘Parwill’, with a clever catchphrase to go with it: “If Marmite…then Parwill”! Even with this new strategy, sales did not improve. It took the Fred Walker Company 14 years to change Vegemite back to its original name before the people of Australia would embrace it. Doctors began recommending it as a rich source of Vitamin B and during the Second World War, the armed Photo courtesy of (Tristanb@wikimedia.org) - granted under creative commons licence - attribution Page 1 of 3 The Story of Vegemite forces were buying it to send to the soldiers. It became so popular that it even had to be rationed, as the company couldn’t meet demands. Another clever advertising tool that was used was the creation o f t he son g ‘Happy Li ttle Vegemites’, which was released on the radio in 1954. It became a television commercial two years later and was aired right through the 1960s. Even today, the song is easily recognised, with Vegemite putting ‘a rose in every cheek’. Vegemite has gone on to become a food source that is loved by Australians of all different ages, at any time of the day. Twenty-two million jars are sold every year. It has a thick and sticky consistency and is almost black in colour. Being one of the richest known sources of Vitamin B, it is very salty. Australians are used to the flavour, as they grow up eating it. When travelling overseas, some people even take it with them as a small reminder of home. However, adults who try it for the first time say that it is something that takes a little getting used to! Page 2 of 3 Questions The Story of Vegemite 1. The Fred Walker Company went on to be known as what? 2. Who developed the recipe for Vegemite? 3. What were the ingredients for Vegemite? 4. What was the name of the song sung in the advertisement about Vegemite? 5. What year was Vegemite being sold for the first time? 6. What was the name of the product that was very similar to Vegemite? 7. What happened after the company couldn’t meet demands of the spread? 8. Why is Vegemite good for you? 9. Name the two very important groups who supported the buying of Vegemite. 10. Have you ever tried Vegemite? If so, what was it like? If not, does this text make it sound good? Page 3 of 3 The Story of Vegemite The story of Vegemite Answers 1. The Fred Walker Company went on to be known as what? The Kraft Food Company 2. Who developed the recipe for Vegemite? Dr Cyril P. Callister 3. What were the ingredients for Vegemite? Leftover brewers’ yeast, vegetable and spice additives 4. What was the name of the song sung in the advertisement about Vegemite? ‘Happy Little Vegemites’ 5. What year was Vegemite being sold for the first time? 1923 6. What was the name of the product that was very similar to Vegemite? Marmite 7. What happened after the company couldn’t meet demands of the spread? It had to be rationed 8. Why is Vegemite good for you? Because it is one of the richest sources of Vitamin B. 9. Name the two very important groups who supported the buying of Vegemite. Doctors and the armed forces 10. Have you ever tried Vegemite? If so, what was it like? If not, does this text make it sound good? Answers may vary. The Story of Vegemite The story of how Vegemite was invented all began with the Fred Walker Company in 1922. They were interested in creating a spread from one of the world’s richest known sources of Vitamin B. The company, which soon became known as the Kraft Food Company, hired a very clever chemist known as Dr Cyril P. Callister. It was Dr Callister who developed the spread, using leftover brewers’ yeast extract and various vegetable and spice additives. As they wanted lots of people to buy their new product, the Fred Walker Company came up with the very clever idea of having the public name it themselves. They launched a national competition right across Australia, and in 1923 the winning entry was announced. ‘Vegemite’ was to be its name! By 1923, jars of Vegemite were being sold in supermarkets and grocery stores all over the country. Now at that time, a similar product from England known as ‘Marmite’ was already very popular in Australia. Shoppers weren’t keen to try something different and Vegemite sales were low. To increase sales, the company even called it by a different name to try to convince people to purchase it. It became known as ‘Parwill’ with a clever catch phrase to go with it: “If Marmite…then Parwill”! The public didn’t bite. Even with this new advertising strategy, sales did not improve. Photo courtesy of (Tristanb@wikimedia.org) - granted under creative commons licence - attribution Page 1 of 4 The Story of Vegemite It took the Fred Walker Company 14 years of persistence and a reversion to its original name before the people of Australia finally embraced their Vegemite. Doctors began recommending it as a rich source of Vitamin B, and during the Second World War the armed forces bought it in bulk to send to the soldiers. It eventually became so popular that it had to be rationed across Australia since the company couldn’t meet the demands of the needy public. Another very clever advertising tool that the company used to popularise the brand was the creation of the song ‘Happy Little Vegemites’, which was released on the radio in 1954. It went on to become a television commercial two years later. It was aired right through the 1960s and then remastered in the 1980s for a new generation. Even today, the song is easily recognised as an unofficial national anthem, with Vegemite putting ‘a rose in every cheek’. Vegemite has gone on to become a food source that is loved by Australians of all ages and eaten at any time of the day. Twenty-two million jars are sold every year. It has a thick and sticky consistency and is almost black in colour. Made from yeast and vegetable extract, it is an excellent source of Vitamin B but it is extremely salty. Australians are used to the flavour because they grow up eating it. When travelling overseas, some people even take it with them as a small reminder of home. However, adults who try it for the first time say that it is something that takes a little getting used to! Page 2 of 4 Questions The Story of Vegemite 1. The Fred Walker Company went on to be known as what? 2. Who developed the recipe for Vegemite and what was his job? 3. How did they decide to name the new spread Vegemite? 4. In which year was Vegemite sold for the first time? 5. What was the name of the product that was very similar to Vegemite and was its direct competition? Where did this come from? 6. How many jars of Vegemite are sold each year? 7. Why is Vegemite good for you? 8. Explain what the company did to try to make people buy more Vegemite. 9. Name the two very important groups who supported the buying of Vegemite. Page 3 of 4 10. Why do you think some people take Vegemite on holiday when they go abroad? 11. Do you think ‘Vegemite’ is a good name for the spread? What would you call it and why? Page 4 of 4 The Story of Vegemite The story of Vegemite Answers 1. The Fred Walker Company went on to be known as what? The Kraft Food Company 2. Who developed the recipe for Vegemite and what was his job? Dr Cyril P. Callister. He was a chemist. 3. How did they decide to name the new spread Vegemite? They launched a national competition and the public of Australia decided on the name. 4. In which year was Vegemite sold for the first time? 1923 5. What was the name of the product that was very similar to Vegemite and was its direct competition? Where did this come from? ‘Marmite’, which came from England. 6. How many jars of Vegemite are sold each year? Twenty-two million. 7. Why is Vegemite good for you? Because it is one of the richest sources of Vitamin B. 8. Explain what the company did to try to make people buy more Vegemite. They tried to call it by a different name – ‘Parwill’. They came up with a catchphrase to help advertise it. 9. Name the two very important groups who supported the buying of Vegemite. Doctors and the armed forces for their soldiers during the Second World War. 10. Why do you think some people take Vegemite on holiday when they go abroad? Answers may vary – examples include: that it reminds Australians of home; that you can’t buy Vegemite in other countries; that they will miss the taste of it when they go away. Page 1 of 2 11. Do you think ‘Vegemite’ is a good name for the spread? What would you call it and why? Answers will vary. Page 2 of 2