Oxo (food) facts for kids
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Types of OXO cube
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| Type | Food |
|---|---|
| Owner | Premier Foods (United Kingdom) Mars, Incorporated (South Africa) Knorr (Canada) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Introduced | Ireland |
Oxo (stylized OXO) is a well-known brand of food products. It's famous for its stock cubes, which are like little blocks of concentrated flavor. People use them to add taste to meals, gravies, or to make a warm broth. Oxo also sells herbs, spices, and dried gravy mixes.
The original Oxo product was a beef stock cube. Today, you can find chicken and other flavors, even ones with Chinese or Indian spices. These cubes are super handy for cooking!
In the United Kingdom, the company Premier Foods owns the OXO brand. In South Africa, Mars, Incorporated makes Oxo products. In Canada, Knorr owns and makes Oxo.
Contents
The Story of Oxo
Around 1840, a scientist named Justus von Liebig created a special concentrated meat extract. A company called Liebig's Extract of Meat Company (Lemco) started selling it in 1866. At first, the product was a thick liquid made mostly of meat extract and salt.
How the Oxo Name Began
In 1899, the company introduced the name "Oxo." No one is quite sure where the name came from, but it probably relates to the word "ox," which is another name for a bull or cow.
The Famous Oxo Cubes
The liquid Oxo was quite expensive, so many families couldn't afford it. The company decided to create a solid version that could be sold cheaply. After a lot of research, Oxo launched its first cubes in 1910. These small, solid cubes quickly became very popular.
During World War I, Oxo cubes were a big help. About 100 million Oxo cubes were given to the British soldiers. Each one was wrapped by hand!
Who Owned Oxo Over Time
Over the years, the Oxo brand changed hands several times. The Vestey Group bought Lemco in 1924. Later, it became part of Unilever in 1984. Then, in 2001, Unilever sold Oxo to the Campbell Soup Company. Finally, in 2006, Premier Foods bought Campbell's UK business, which included the Oxo brand. Today, Oxo cubes are still made at the Worksop factory in the UK.
Marketing and Advertising
Oxo has a long history of interesting marketing.
Early Sponsorships
In 1908, Oxo was one of the sponsors of the London Olympic Games. They even gave Oxo drinks to marathon runners to help them stay strong! For the first half of the 1900s, Oxo promoted itself by sharing recipes, giving out gifts, and sponsoring events.
The Oxo Tower Landmark
In the 1920s, the Liebig's Extract of Meat Company bought a building on the south bank of the River Thames in London. They built a factory there and added a tall tower. This tower has unique windows that seem to spell out 'OXO'. It became a famous landmark known as the Oxo Tower.
Famous TV Adverts
In 1958, Oxo started its longest-running TV advertising campaign called "Life with Katie." Katie was played by Mary Holland, and her husband by Peter Moynihan. These adverts showed their everyday family life and ran until the early 1970s.
Later, in 1983, Oxo launched another very popular advertising campaign in the UK. This one featured a new "Oxo Family." Lynda Bellingham played the mother, and Michael Redfern played the father. The adverts often showed the family enjoying a meal with Oxo gravy. Over the years, viewers watched the family grow older in the commercials. This campaign was very successful and ran until 1999.
As a special tribute, after actress Lynda Bellingham passed away in 2014, a classic 1984 Oxo advert starring her was shown again on Christmas Day. It aired during a commercial break of the TV show Coronation Street.
See also
