Prigat facts for kids
Prigat (pronounced PREE-gat) is a popular company in Israel that makes yummy juices and syrups. It was originally called Gat. Prigat is owned by two companies, Gat Foods and Israel Beer Breweries. Prigat's main offices are in two small communities called kibbutzim, Givat Haim (Meuhad) and Givat Haim (Ichud), which are close to Hadera. Prigat is actually the second biggest juice maker in Israel! In 2006, about 280 people worked there.
The Story of Prigat
Prigat started way back in 1940. Leaders from the Givat Chaim kibbutz decided to build a factory. They wanted to make canned fruit and vegetable products.
In 1941, the factory was named "Gat." Soon, it began selling its first products. These included jams, tomato puree, and applesauce.
In 1943, the British Army in Palestine placed a big order. They wanted 775,000 bottles of syrup! This order was worth 55,000 Palestinian pounds, which was a lot of money back then.
Starting in 1947, the company began using machines to get juice from citrus fruits. This made making juice much faster!
In 1957, Prigat started selling sweetcorn seeds in tin cans.
In 1958, Golda Meir was Israel's foreign minister. She approved a special name, "Jaffa Champion," for products sold outside of Israel.
In 1959, the company opened a factory just for peanuts. Later, this peanut factory became a separate business. It is not part of Prigat's juice company today.
In 1962, Prigat added a new department. This part of the company made frozen juice and vegetables.
In 1972, Gat won an award for being the best exporter in 1971. This meant they sold a lot of products to other countries.
In 1976, they built a plastic factory. This factory made small plastic boxes for their frozen juice and vegetables.
The name "Prigat" was first used in 1977. It referred to the company's frozen food section.
In 1982, Prigat started making juice in small bags. This was a new and easy way to drink juice!
In 1987, Prigat began making juice in cardboard cartons.
In 1993, Prigat started selling its products in Romania.
In 1995, Prigat added a new production line for freshly squeezed juice.
In 2003, Prigat officially joined with Israel Beer Breweries. Also, if you flew with El Al airlines, you could enjoy Prigat drinks on your flight!
Prigat Around the World
Prigat mostly sells its products in Israel. But it also sells or exports to 15 other countries! These include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Ethiopia, France, Ghana, Hungary, Kenya, North Macedonia, Romania, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the US.
In 2006, Prigat earned about US$65.5 million from selling products overseas. This was a big part of their total earnings!
In 2003, Prigat was very popular in Romania. About 37% of all non-fizzy soft drinks sold there were Prigat products.
Helping the Environment
Prigat has also worked with the Jewish National Fund. This is a non-profit group that helps Israel.
As of 2006, Prigat spent about ₪3 million NIS on planting trees. They helped plant orchards (areas with fruit trees) covering 2 million square meters in the Negev desert.
After the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, many rockets called Katyushas fell in the Birya forest. Prigat sent its employees to help restore and fix the forest.
See also
- Israeli cuisine
- Squash (drink)
- Limonana
