2022 Top Australian food companies
In December 2022, Food & Drink magazine published a feature on Australia's 100 top food companies. Of the ten top… Read More
Manufacturing
2018 Violet Crumble ownership change
In January 2018, Nestlé sold the iconic Australian chocolate bar to the South Australian confectionery company Robert Menz, returning it… Read More
2017 Vegemite Australian-owned again
Some people have suggested 19 January should become a national holiday to commemorate the day we saw Vegemite Australian-owned again.… Read More
2013 Rosella closed down – then revived
In March 2013 the remaining factory of iconic Australian brand Rosella closed down after the receivers failed to find a… Read More
2012 Peters Ice Cream Australian again, but not for long
In June 2012, international food company Nestlé sold Peters Ice Cream to the Australian private equity firm, Pacific Equity Partners.… Read More
2009 Pollywaffle discontinued
The Pollywaffle chocolate bar was introduced in 1947 by Hoadley’s Chocolates. It consisted of marshmallow inside a chocolate-coated wafer tube… Read More
2003 Four ‘n Twenty Australian again – for 19 years
In 2003, Patties Pies bought Four ‘n Twenty, Herbert Adams and Nanna’s from Simplot, putting the iconic pie brands back… Read More
2002 Food Standards Code introduced
The Food Standards Code set the standards for food labelling and composition for all States and Territories throughout Australia and New… Read More
1997 Arnott’s ownership passed to Campbell’s
The Arnott's ownership passed to the American Campbell’s Soup Company in 1997. Campbell’s had been increasing its stake in the company… Read More
1995 E.coli outbreak highlights food safety
In South Australia, an E.Coli outbreak among people who had eaten contaminated Garibaldi metwurst killed one four year old child… Read More
1991 Pacific Dunlop acquires Petersville
The Petersville brands acquired by Pacific Dunlop included Edgell-Birds Eye, Peters Ice Cream, Herbert Adams Bakeries, Socomin and Four ‘n’Twenty.… Read More
1991 National Foods created
The new food giant, National Foods, was created by the Adelaide Steamship Company by amalgamating several dairy and food-related businesses with… Read More
1991 The National Food Authority founded
The new National Food Authority promoted cooperation between governments, industry and the community to provide a safe and wholesome food supply.… Read More
1990 Tiny Teddy biscuits launched
Arnott’s Tiny Teddy biscuits hit the market, becoming the most successful product launch in the company’s history. More than five… Read More
1990s More pre-packaged meals
In the 1990s, individually packaged, ready-made meals and snacks appeared in increasing numbers in the supermarket. Microwave pasteurisation techniques extended… Read More
1986/87 Peters and Pauls have widest ice cream range
Peters and Pauls were brands of QUF (formerly Queensland United Foods). The range of ice cream products included : Drumstick,… Read More
Mid 80s The term ‘functional foods’ emerges
The term functional foods was first used in Japan to refer to foods with added ingredients that claim to provide… Read More
1982 Yoplait Yogurt launched
Prior to 1982, yoghurt was consumed mainly by recent immigrants and health fanatics. It was largely sold by health food… Read More
1980 Kraft goes gourmet
By the 1980s, tastes were changing. Kraft launched feta cheese, a satay sauce range and olives, as well as a… Read More
1980s Low fat a high priority
The first branded, fat-reduced milks arrive, along with low fat salad dressings and cholesterol-free mayonnaise. In 1982, the Australian Nutrition… Read More
1976 First muesli bar in Australia
Australia's first muesli bar was the Uncle Tobys Toasted Muesli Crunchola Bar, launched in 1976. It was a jolly good… Read More
1976 Kraft Singles launched
The best thing since sliced bread was sliced cheese. Kraft Singles, individually wrapped slices of processed cheddar were launched in… Read More
1975 “You oughta be congratulated”
The famous “you oughta be congratulated” advertising campaign was designed to assure mums that Meadow Lea Margarine would not only… Read More
1975 Leggo’s turns Italian
With a campaign featuring Gina Lollobrigida, Leggo’s changed its heritage from Cornish (Leggo is a Cornish name) to Italian. Abandoning… Read More
1971 Space Food Sticks launched in Australia
Space Food Sticks were developed by Pillsbury in the USA. The company worked in conjunction with NASA to develop a… Read More
1967 Australian Institute of Food Science & Technology
Founded in 1967, the Australian Institute of Food Science & Technology is an industry body that aims to advance Australia's… Read More
1963 Tim Tams launched
In 1963, Arnott’s launched Tim Tams , a new chocolate-covered biscuit based on a British product called Penguin. They were… Read More
1963 Bertie Beetle launched by Hoadley’s
The chocolate Bertie Beetle was launched by Hoadley's in 1963 and is generally supposed to have been created as a… Read More
1962 Deb Instant Mashed Potato
The potato has long been Australia's favourite vegetable. In early colonial days, stews relied on the starchy tuber to bulk… Read More
1962 Scotts TV dinners advertised
The term "TV dinners" emerged as a brand name in the USA in 1955, although frozen ready-to-eat meals had been… Read More
1961 Unilever acquires Sennitt’s Ice Cream
The Sennitt's Ice Cream brand was discontinued when Unilever acquired Sennitt's and the company was merged with Streets. The famous… Read More
1959 Streets Gaytime launched
The first Streets Gaytime was not golden. It was a combination of icecream, chocolate and strawberry shortcake. The famous Golden version,… Read More
1958 Barney Banana ice cream launched
Peters Barney Banana, a banana ice cream on a stick, was launched in 1958. It was promoted as containing real… Read More
1958 Tinplate first made in Australia
Tinplate has a long history. Before its use for food packaging, it was used to make various domestic goods including… Read More
1958 Vittoria Coffee begins roasting
Vittoria Coffee has its origins in a company started by the Cantarella brothers, Orazio and Carmelo, who began importing European… Read More
1957 “Nibble Nobby’s Nuts” trademarked
It's a line that has provoked a chortle since 1957. "Nibble Nobby's Nuts" is ambiguous enough to be printable but… Read More
1956 Birds Eye Fish Fingers make their Australian debut.
Birds Eye Fish Fingers, produced by the quick freezing process developed by the eponymous Clarence Birdseye, were introduced in 1956… Read More
1955 Rocklea Road developed by Darrell Lea
Rocklea Road, a combination of chocolate, marshmallow, coconut and peanuts, was developed by Harry Lea as a gift for his… Read More
Mid 1950s Sliced and packaged bread
Sliced and packaged bread was introduced in America as early as 1928 but the widespread adoption of the sliced loaf… Read More
1954 (?) Choo Choo Bar
The Choo-Choo Bar was originally made by Plaistowe in Western Australia. Hearsay suggests it arrived in the early 1950s –… Read More
1954 Savoury Shapes biscuits launched
Savoury Shapes were launched in Victoria by the Brockhoff Biscuit Company in 1954. The small savoury biscuits came in five… Read More
1954 Mrs Mac’s Pie Company founded
Originally, the pies weren't Mrs Mac's. The bakery business Ken Macgregor started in Perth in 1954 used the brand name,… Read More
1954 Happy Little Vegemites jingle
The Happy Little Vegemites song, used to advertise Australia's iconic Vegemite spread, was written by Alan Weekes of advertising agency… Read More
1953 Capilano Honey founded
It may seem odd that Capilano Honey is named after a river in Canada. The Capilano River flows through Vancouver… Read More
1953 Colvan Chips
Although there is a story that margarine-manufacturer Ted Mayes founded the Colvan business with his winnings from the 1942 Melbourne Cup,… Read More
1952 Salada biscuits launched
Salada biscuits are among Australia's favourite crackers or, as we used to call them in my youth, dry biscuits. Originally… Read More
1952 The Esky ® invented
No doubt to the annoyance of the brand’s owners, the term ‘Esky’ is widely used in Australia as a generic… Read More
1951 Chiko Roll developed
Frank McEnroe was a boilermaker from Bendigo who developed the iconic deep fried Chinese-style roll to sell while catering at… Read More
1951 Maggi dried soups launched in Australia
Dried soups became an essential part of store-cupboard cookery in the 1950s. Unilever’s Continental brand was Maggi’s principle competitor. Their… Read More
1950 Betty King debuts as ‘leading home economist’
Betty King, Home Economist, of World Brands Pty Ltd was one of the leading ladies of Australian cookery…the Margaret Fulton… Read More
1950 Twisties invented
Twisties were one of the first “extruded snack foods”. The brand was originally developed by Melbourne businessman Isodor Magid who… Read More
1948 FruChocs first produced
FruChocs, now made by Menz Confectionery are unique to South Australia. Originally produced by W. Menz & Co., biscuit and confectionery… Read More
1947 DON® Smallgoods founded
When it comes to the history of Don Smallgoods, it's another case of "don't let the facts spoil a good… Read More
1947 Raleigh Preserving Co. registers Biddy’s trademark
Raleigh Preserving Company is among Australia's forgotten food companies. Once a popular brand, the company manufactured a range of canned… Read More
1947 Wizz Fizz sherbet confection launched
This childhood favourite was originally a paper sachet of sherbet with a liquorice straw. The Wizz Fizz is still made… Read More
1947 Golden Circle cannery opens
By the mid-1940s, the pineapple industry was well established in Queensland. To provide marketing and financial stability, a cooperative was… Read More
1947 – Four ‘n Twenty Pie introduced
The iconic Four 'n Twenty Pie was invented in Bendigo, Victoria by L.T. McClure in 1947. He started selling them at the… Read More
1944 Frozen vegetables first processed in Australia
Amidst the food rationing of the war years, imported quick frozen vegetables became available in Australia. The first Australian plant… Read More
1939 Beginnings of San Remo pasta
Some accounts suggest that the founder of San Remo pasta, Luigi Crotti, arrived from Italy in 1936 and immediately began… Read More
1938 Nescafé instant coffee invented in Switzerland.
While not the first instant coffee to be marketed, Nescafé was the first to be made by a spray drying process… Read More
1938 Brockhoff launches Savoy Crackers
The supermarket shelves offer a plethora of round, crinkly-edged crackers. Three of them are under the Arnott's brand: Jatz, Savoy… Read More
1937 Narooma fish cannery opens
The Narooma Fish Cannery was opened at the suggestion of Theodore Cleveland Roughley, an economic zoologist from the Technological Museum,… Read More
1937 Sunshine powdered milk launched in Australia.
Sunshine Powdered Milk became a staple during the war years. It was often used to make up bottles for babies… Read More
1935 Heinz starts manufacturing in Richmond
Products made by the US-owned Heinz company had been imported and sold in Australia since the late 19th century. The… Read More
1934 MILO introduced
First marketed as Nestlé’s Tonic Food, Milo powder was developed at Abbotsford in Sydney and launched at the Royal Easter… Read More
1932 Yo-Yo biscuits launched
Yo-Yo biscuits, now made by Arnott's, are a uniquely South Australian product. They were first produced by W. Menz and… Read More
1932 First Meadow Lea margarine released
Margarine was developed in the mid-1800s in France. Meadow Lea was one of the first margarines marketed in Australia. The… Read More
1932 Vita-Weat first made in Australia
Vita-Weat crispbreads were first produced by Peek Frean in the UK and were the foundation product when the biscuit company… Read More
1932 Nuttelex vegetable margarine introduced
Unlike many early margarines which were made from or included animal fats, Nuttelex has always been a purely vegetarian spread.… Read More
1931 Smith’s Potato Chips arrive in Australia
Smith’s Chips (then called Smith's Crisps) were first sold in the UK by Mr. Frank Smith. The potato chips he… Read More
1931 Sweetacres make Jaffas
Jaffas, with their chocolate core and orange-flavoured shell, were made by James Stedman-Henderson’s Sweets Ltd of Sydney under the brand… Read More
1930 Freddo Frog introduced
Freddo Frog was introduced by MacRobertson's in 1930. The original plan was to launch a mouse-shaped chocolate bar, but a… Read More
1930 Fantales introduced
For decades, going to the movies involved either a pack of Jaffas or a a box of Fantales. The chocolate-covered… Read More
1930? Queensland bans peanut butter
It seems the dairy industry objected to the word “butter” being used for anything other than the dairy product. In… Read More
1930 Personality Chocolates in Sydney
Personality Chocolates was a boutique chocolate maker with a factory in Bayswater Road, King's Cross. The company began in 1930… Read More
1930 Perfect Cheese founded by Natale Italiano
Natale Italiano was born in Scido in Calabria, near the toe of Italy's boot. He emigrated to Australia in 1922… Read More
1930s Procera becomes Australia’s first franchise
The Procera bread baking process involved enriching the flour with gluten, thus boosting its protein content, decreasing starch and improving… Read More
1928 Scorched Peanut Bar introduced
The Mastercraft Scorched Peanut Bar began life as the White Signet Scorched Peanut Bar, first advertised in 1928. White Signet… Read More
1928 Maxam Cheese launched in Queensland
In 1928, a 23-year-old entrepreneur named Oliver Kenneth McAnulty opened a processed cheese factory in Brisbane. His Maxam Cheese operation… Read More
1928 Sliced bread introduced in USA
In the town of Chillicothe in Missouri, the eponymous Chillicothe Baking Company was the first company to use a slicing… Read More
1927 MacRobertson’s Max-Mints Alphabet Book
MacPherson Robertson began making sweets in 1880 and by the late 1920s had 17 factories employing 2600 people. The Max-Mints… Read More
1927 Darrell Lea founded in Sydney
The confectionery company Darrell Lea was founded in Sydney by an English immigrant, Harry Levy, in 1927, and named after… Read More
1927 Aeroplane Jelly launched
The inventor of Aeroplane Jelly was a tram driver. Bert Appleroth first made jelly crystals at home in his bathtub… Read More
1926 Edgell begins canning asparagus
Gordon Edgell and Sons of Bathurst launched their canned asparagus in 1926 after 18 years of experimentation in growing the… Read More
1926 Business which became MasterFoods founded
Although no longer Australian-owned, MasterFoods (variously Master Foods and Masterfoods) is an Australian brand that traces its history back to… Read More
1925 Fred Walker gains Australian rights to Kraft Cheddar
The Melbourne entrepreneur, Fred Walker, had been experimenting with the processing of cheese. Learning about the process that had been developed and… Read More
1924 Newman’s Chocolates founded
When I was growing up in the 1950s, there were certain Easter traditions my family observed. Good Friday meant hot… Read More
1924 Cherry Ripe Bar
The Cherry Ripe bar was introduced in 1924 by MacRobertson Chocolates (later to be taken over by Cadbury in 1967)… Read More
1924 Kellogg’s starts making corn flakes in Sydney
Seventh Day Adventist Dr John Harvey Kellogg filed a patent for flaked cereal process in 1895 when he and his… Read More
1923 Golden North ice cream in South Australia
The Bowker family moved to Laura, 240km north of Adelaide, in 1870 and in 1880 began selling the milk and… Read More
1923 Vegemite launched
Vegemite was developed by food technologist Cyril P. Callister for the Australian company Fred Walker & Co. in 1922 and,… Read More
1923 Weet-Bix developed
A company called Grain Products Limited added small amounts of sugar and malt to flaked cereal biscuits and launched Weet-Bix… Read More
1922 Minties invented by Sweetacres
Minties were invented in 1922 by James Noble Stedman and marketed under the Sweetacres brand. They were patented in 1926.… Read More
1922 Cadbury factory opens in Hobart
Australia had been the first export market for the British chocolate giant, Cadbury. In 1922, a consortium of the British… Read More
1922 Eskimo Pie arrives in Australia
The Eskimo Pie – a foil-wrapped ice cream bar covered in chocolate – was invented by Christian Kent Nelson in… Read More
1922 Life Savers arrive in Australia
In 1921, in Sydney, a group of businessmen, reportedly Americans, formed a company "To acquire by agreement from Mint Products… Read More
1921 Violet Crumble first advertised
Some accounts would have it that the Violet Crumble dates back to 1913, while the manufacturers say 1923. The true… Read More
1919 Three Threes Condiments founded
The founder of Three Threes Condiments may not be as famous as one of his workmates, Bert Appleroth who founded… Read More
1918 SPC (Shepparton Fruit Preserving Company) founded
In 1917 a group of fruit growers in Victoria's Goulburn Valley decided to form a cooperative which they named the… Read More
1916 Copha trade mark registered
The Copha trade mark was applied to a shortening made from coconut oil and was registered by Lever Brothers, the… Read More
1916 Kraft cheese process patented
James L Kraft was an American cheese merchant who wanted to produce a cheese with better keeping qualities. His pasteurised,… Read More
1915 Haigh’s Chocolates founded in Adelaide
Alfred Earnest Haigh opened for business in Adelaide's Beehive Building on 1 May 1915. Haigh's Chocolates became an Adelaide icon,… Read More
1914 Letona founded as Leeton State Cannery
Letona is another of Australia's forgotten brands. Despite growing to be one of the largest fruit-canning operations in the country,… Read More
1914 Earnest Hillier makes first Australian chocolates
After running what he claimed to be Australia's first soda fountain at Sydney's Imperial Skating Rink, Earnest Hillier opened his… Read More
1914 Barker’s Paper Patty Pans introduced
The cupcake craze of the early 21st century could not have taken off without paper patty pans. These fluted waxed… Read More
1913 Arnott’s Teddy Bear Biscuits
Arnott's Teddy Bear Biscuits were not a world first, or even an Australian first. There were Teddy Bear Cookies in… Read More
1910 Bulla Dairy Foods founded
Bulla Dairy Foods was first established by Thomas Sloan as the Bulla Cream Company in Moonee Ponds, Melbourne. Thomas had… Read More
1908 Australian branch of Nestlé opens
Founded in 1867 in Switzerland by Henri Nestlé, the company merged with the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Co. in 1905. By 1906,… Read More
1907 Peters Ice Cream founded
Peters Ice Cream was founded in Sydney by American migrant Fred Peters. His first Peters Ice Cream family bricks, reputed to… Read More
1906 SAO biscuits introduced
SAO biscuits are up there with Lamingtons among the "iconic" Aussie foods. They are still made by Arnott's. There are… Read More
c1905 Camp Pie canned in Australia
Although camp pie in various guises had been around for many decades, it appears that Foggitt Jones of Queensland were… Read More
1904 Foggitt Jones Co. founded in Brisbane
Foggitt Jones & Co. set up their business in 1904, buying an existing bacon factory at Oxley, south west of… Read More
1904 Peck’s Pastes arrive in Australia
While the General Mills website claims Peck's Pastes were introduced to Australia in 1904, the brand advertised 60th birthday specials… Read More
1904 Sennitt’s Ice Cream
John Sennitt was an English-born engineer who, in 1899, acquired his employers' firm Victorian Cold Accumulator Proprietary Company Ltd. The… Read More
1900 Robur Tea Company founded
Until around 1880, most of the tea consumed in Australia came from China. However, from this time tea from Empire… Read More
1899 Introduction of Granose, predecessor to Weet-Bix
Granose flaked wheat biscuits were first made by Kellogg in the USA in the mid 1890s. In May 1899, the… Read More
1898 Sanitarium peanut butter
Australia’s first commercially available peanut butter was made by the Sanitarium Health Food Company and introduced in 1898. It was… Read More
1898 White Wings founded
In Australia, when you say cake mix, the first name that springs to mind is likely to be White Wings.… Read More
1895 Rosella Preserving Company founded
Partners H.R. McCracken (a commission agent) and T.J. Press (a grocer) converted their backyard jam and fruit preserving operation into… Read More
1895 Norco founded in Byron Bay
Norco is Australia's last 100 per cent farmer-owned dairy cooperative, with a $651 million turnover as of 2023. It was… Read More
1894 Founding of Leggo’s
Think Leggo’s is Italian? Nope. Their heritage is Cornish. Henry Madren Leggo was the son of Cornish immigrants who arrived… Read More
1893 Uncle Toby’s Oats trademarked
The Uncle Toby's company of today has a number of parents which perhaps accounts for the rather confusing history of… Read More
1892 Saunders Malt Extract first produced
My interest in Saunders Malt Extract began when I received a note from a reader who remembered being fed the… Read More
1891 Hargreaves cannery in Brisbane
John Hargreaves was Yorkshire born, emigrating to Melbourne in 1872. He moved to Brisbane in 1886 and set up a… Read More
1891 Allen’s confectionery founded
Alfred Weaver Allen began making his own confectionery in 1891 in a shed behind his Fitzroy shop. The founder of… Read More
1891 Sargents Pies first made
Sargents Pies were first produced by George and Charlotte Sargent at their shop in Paddington. The small pies sold for… Read More
1891 Henry Jones IXL jam company founded
Henry Jones had worked from the age of 12 for Hobart jam manufacturer George Peacock, rising to become foreman. When… Read More
1890 Origins of Plaistowe Confectionery
The forerunner to Plaistowe Confectionery was the Silver Pan Confectionery Company, founded by John Hobbs and Edward Merton in 1890.… Read More
1890s Frozen rabbit industry takes off
The introduction of refrigerated railway cars made it viable to ship frozen meat, including frozen rabbit, to major cities and… Read More
1889 Hoadley’s Preserving Works established
At the age of 21, Abel Hoadley migrated from England to Australia, arriving in 1865. By the early 1880s he… Read More
1886 Junket goes commercial
What is junket? Essentially, it's a dessert made from milk set with rennet, an enzyme naturally produced in the stomachs… Read More
1882 Brockhoff’s Biscuits founded
Adolph Brockhoff established his flour mill and bakery in North Melbourne in 1882. His son Frederick took over the company… Read More
1880 MacRobertson confectionery founded
MacRobertson confectionery had humble beginnings in the Fitzroy, Victoria, home of Macpherson Robertson. Born on the Victorian goldfields in 1859,… Read More
1879 Fritz sausages in Melbourne
Fritz sausage or, as it's often called, bung fritz is a manufactured luncheon meat more or less unique to South… Read More
1876 Barnes Honey founded
Barnes Honey is possibly the oldest honey brand in the Australian market. The brand had its origins in a small… Read More
1875 Origin of Sweetacres
In 1875, James Stedman bought the confectionery business where he had been working for the past 21 years. The shop,… Read More
1875 New South Wales Fresh Food & Ice Co. formed
Although not the first Australian to develop a commercial ice-making plant, Sydney businessman Thomas Mort saw the advantages of freezing… Read More
1875 Arnott’s first factory opens
In 1865, William Arnott opened a bakery in Newcastle supplying goods to local people and visiting ships. Among his products… Read More
1872 Skinner’s Preserved Delicacies
In 1872, English immigrant Brainard Skinner established a small cannery in O’Connell Town, now the inner city Brisbane suburb of… Read More
1870 “Colonial goose” canned in Melbourne
"Colonial goose" had nothing to do with poultry. It was a joint of mutton, boned, stuffed and rolled, to be… Read More
1866 Keen’s Curry Powder wins prizes
You thought Keen's Curry Powder was invented by the Keen's Mustard people, right? Wrong. The curry powder is an all-Australian… Read More