Upfield (company) facts for kids
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| Besloten vennootschap | |
| Industry | Consumer goods |
| Predecessors |
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| Founded | 2018 (by spin-off) |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters |
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Netherlands
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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David Haines, CEO |
| Products | Margarines, spreads |
| Owner | Kohlberg Kravis Roberts |
| Parent | Kohlberg Kravis Roberts |
Upfield Holdings B.V. is a big food company from the Netherlands. They make many popular brands of margarine, food spreads, and plant-based foods. Some of their well-known brands include Flora and Blue Band. Upfield says it's the largest company in the world that makes plant-based packaged foods. They sell their products in 95 different countries.
Upfield was created in 2018 when it separated from a larger company called Unilever. An investment company named Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) bought Upfield for about $8.04 billion.
Contents
Upfield's Story: How It Started
From Margarine to a Big Food Company
The story of Upfield's products goes way back. Margarine was one of the very first items sold by a company that later joined to form Unilever. In 1871, a man named Antoon Jurgens from the Netherlands bought the special recipe for making margarine. He got it from the person who invented it, Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès.
Over time, Jurgens' company grew and joined with others. In 1927, it became a company called Margarine Unie. Then, in 1929, Margarine Unie merged with another company to create Unilever. Since then, Unilever added even more margarine and food spread brands to its collection.
Why Upfield Became Its Own Company
Even though Unilever's food spread business made good money, people started buying less margarine. Many consumers began choosing butter instead. For example, between 2009 and 2014, margarine sales went down by 6%, while butter sales went up by 7%.
In 2017, after another company tried to buy Unilever, the CEO, Paul Polman, promised investors he would improve the company's profits. So, in April 2017, Unilever decided to sell its margarine and spreads business. They planned to give the money from the sale back to their shareholders.
Several investment companies wanted to buy this part of Unilever. In December 2017, Unilever agreed to sell it to KKR for about €6.8 billion. This deal was one of the biggest buyouts in Europe that year. The sale was completed in July 2018, and that's how Upfield became a separate company. The brands sold to Upfield made up about 7% of Unilever's worldwide business.
Growing with Plant-Based Foods
In January 2020, Upfield bought Violife, which is a brand that makes plant-based cheese.
Since 2020, Upfield has focused more on "plant-based" foods. They also talk about how their products are good for the planet. The company announced it would spend €50 million to build a new research center. This center, which opened in late 2021, helps them create new plant-based products.
Who Leads Upfield?
David Haines, who used to be a director at a tobacco company, became the CEO of Upfield in July 2018. The company's website lists all the current leaders on its Executive Committee.
Upfield's Products and Where They Operate
Upfield makes many different food brands. Here are some of their most well-known products:
- Flora: A popular margarine brand.
- Violife: A range of vegan products, including plant-based cheese.
- Country Crock: Margarines and spreads, especially popular in the US.
- Rama: A margarine and cooking cream brand, sold in Germany.
- Blue Band: Margarines, cheese spreads, and vegetable fat spreads.
- I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!: A spread made from vegetable oil.
- Becel: Plant-based margarines.
- ProActiv: A special sub-brand of Becel.
- Lätta: A margarine brand sold in Sweden and Germany.
- Bertolli: Upfield makes a Bertolli olive oil spread range. The Bertolli brand itself is owned by another company.
- Elmlea: Cream alternatives made from buttermilk and vegetable oils.
- Fruit d'Or: A margarine brand.
- Planta Fin: Another margarine brand.
- Stork (margarine): A well-known margarine.
- Delma: A margarine brand.
- Minyak Samin Cap Onta: Sold only in Indonesia.
- Frytol: A solid vegetable oil, also sold only in Indonesia.
In some parts of southern Africa, a company called Siqalo Foods (owned by Remgro) has the rights to sell some of these brands, not Upfield.
Changes in Factories
After Upfield separated from Unilever in 2018, a factory in Purfleet-on-Thames, UK, was closed. This meant about 200 employees lost their jobs. The factory was closed because it wasn't performing well and cost too much to run.
In June 2020, Upfield announced that its factory in Helsingborg, Sweden, would also close. About 80 employees were told their jobs would end. The company planned to move the making of its cheese and dairy products to a factory in Kleve, Germany, by February 2021.
In 2020, buttermilk was added to Flora Buttery products in the UK. This meant they were no longer vegan.
In March 2021, Upfield said that its factory in Rotterdam, Netherlands, would close in mid-2022.
In November 2021, Upfield bought Unilever's production factory in Cali, Colombia. This factory makes Rama, Violife, and Blue Band products.
Images for kids
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Upfield's company logo
