Dalda facts for kids
Dalda is a popular brand of vegetable oil used for cooking. It's a special kind of vegetable oil that has been made solid, similar to butter. This type of oil is very common in countries like India and Pakistan.
History of Dalda
Dalda started as the name of a Dutch company. This company brought a type of cooking fat called vanaspati ghee to India in the 1930s. It was meant to be a cheaper choice than traditional desi ghee, which is clarified butter. Back then, desi ghee was quite expensive for many families in British India. People used it only a little bit. So, there was a need for a more affordable option.
In 1931, a company called Hindustan Vanaspati Manufacturing Company was formed. Their goal was to make this new type of cooking fat. Before the 1930s, most of this processed vegetable oil came from other countries. Hussein Dada was one of the people who imported it. His product was called Dada Vanaspati.
Later, Lever Brothers (now part of Hindustan Unilever Limited) wanted to start making this oil in India. They asked Hussein Dada if they could add the letter 'L' from Lever Brothers to his brand name. This created the new name, Dalda. He agreed to this change. Dalda was first introduced in 1937. It quickly became one of the oldest and most famous brands in India and Pakistan.
In 1939, a special advertisement called "The Dalda film" was made. This was India's first big advertising campaign that used many different types of media. The Dalda product became so famous that the name "Dalda" was often used to mean any type of processed vegetable oil. In 2003, Unilever decided to sell the Dalda brand in both India and Pakistan.
Dalda in India
In 2003, a company called Bunge Limited bought the Dalda brand from Hindustan Unilever Limited. They reportedly paid less than 100 crore Indian Rupees for it. After buying Dalda, Bunge made it a "master brand." This means they started selling many different kinds of refined oils under the Dalda name. These included oils like soybean, sunflower, and palm oil. The type of oil sold often depended on the region in India.
Dalda in Pakistan
On March 30, 2004, Unilever Pakistan agreed to sell its Dalda brand. They sold it for 133 crore Pakistani Rupees. The buyer was a new company called Dalda Foods (Pvt.) Limited. This was a unique deal in Pakistan. A group of six senior managers from Unilever formed their own company. They successfully bought the Dalda business from Unilever Pakistan. They did this with help from banks and a large oil importer called Westbury Group. In 2017, Dalda Foods was preparing to list its shares on the Pakistan Stock Exchange.
See also
In Spanish: Vanaspati (aceite) para niños
- Harvey Duncan Dalda film
- Margarine
