Vegemite History - All One Billion Jars of It

In the beginning, there was the British Marmite. Then in the early 1920's, due to a shortage of supply the Fred Walker Cheese Company decided to make it's own Yeast extract based spread. Thanks to food technologist Cyrill P Callister, Vegemite (although still unnamed at that time) was born. The nutritious spread would soon become known as one of the worlds richest sources of Vitamin B.

A name was needed for the new product so in 1923 Fred Walker hit upon the idea of holding a competition. 50 pounds (which was a princely sum in 1923) was on offer for the winner. According to history the winning entry was drawn from a hat by Fred's daughter, Sheilah. The winners name has not been recorded. "Vegemite" was the name chosen and the first jars were soon on the shelves. It was advertised as being great on toast and in sandwiches and also added flavour to soups, gravies and stews.

In 1926 the company name was changed to the Kraft Walker Cheese Company. A limited edition ceramic jar was produced this year which is now very valuable as a collectors item.

Due to slow take up by the Australian public, by 1928 Walker thought new marketing with a new name might be in Order. He came up with the name "Parwill" as a play on words based on the main competitor, Marmite. The catchphrase being "Marmite but Parwill". Parwill was only ever merchandised in the state of Queensland and was not successful. Walker realised there was still more potential with the original Vegemite brand.

In the mid 1930's a new marketing strategey was used. Vegemite redemption coupons were included in the packaging of Kraft cheddar cheese. Hordes of Australians redeemed the vouchers and sales of Vegemite leapt along with it's reputation as a tasty nutritious spread.

In 1939, just prior to the start of World War II, the British Medical Association endorsed the nutritional value of Vegemite. This allowed it to be advertised in medical journals and promoted by medical professionals as a vitamin B rich food ideal for patients.

In the 1940's the popularity of Vegemite continued to increase among millions of Australians. This was greatly assisted by the uptake of electric appliances, especially the humble electric toaster. In the late 1940's infant care centres were advocating an increase of vitamins B1, B2 and Niacin for babies. Vegemite contained them all.

The 1950's were a period of more "firsts" for Vegemite. 1952 saw the introduction of the Kraft company logo to the Vegemite label. This was the first time the label had displayed the Walker company connection with it's American counterpart. 1954 was the year the "Happy Little Vegemites" jingle was first used. This catchy little tune is still in use and familiar to all Australians over 50 years later. Clear glass jars were used for the first time in 1956.

The 1970's saw a new advertising campaign with the "Pass the Vegemite please Mum" slogan.

In the 1980's a new advertisiig strategy was used, targetted mainly at teenagers and young adults. The product was promoted by well known sporting celebrities, Peter Brock, Ken Rosewall and actress Helen Morse. In 1984 a jar of Vegemite was the first product to be scanned electronically in a store in Australia. The jar was scanned in the Woolworths supermarket at Chullora and it can still be seen displayed in the Woolworths Head Office in NSW.

The 1990's saw the introduction of the now familiar tamper proof lids. Vegemite celebrated it's 70th birthday. New advertising campaigns were launched using a revamped version of the "Happy Little Vegemites" tune and the Vegemite breakfast campaign using humorous messages to promote the B group Vitamins.

The 2000's see Vegemite's nutritional message continuing to spread by school competitions with the theme "The future is a bright as can be". 2006 saw rumours that Vegemite had been banned in the United states due to it's high folate content but this was eventully revealed to be a hoax. Vegemite can still be purchased in the USA.