In 1923, Fred Walker and a young chemist named Dr Cyril Callister created the brainchild, Vegemite. They didn’t know it at the time, but their humble creation was the start of what would a beloved Australian product for generations to come.
In its lifetime, Vegemite was the first product scanned at an Australian supermarket, and has become a symbol synonymous with Australia, featuring in songs, movies and patriotic pyjamas and apparel alike.
celebrating the big day.
The spread has been made in Port Melbourne since 1923, and in 2017, Bega Cheese purchased the Vegemite brand, returning it to Australian ownership for the first time in over 90 years. The brand was previously owned by Mondelez International (formerly Kraft Foods Inc).
Bega Group chair, Barry Irvin said 100 years was a milestone that could not be reached alone.
“The sense of pride when Vegemite returned to Aussie hands in 2017 was immense. The response from the country to bringing the brand home was fantastic, and Bega Group was incredibly proud to have achieved that.
“It takes a fair bit for a brand to be around for 100 years,” said Irvin.
Tennis star and Vegemite brand ambassador Ash Barty said the humble spread had been with her since childhood.
“Vegemite has been with me through so many of my important milestones and has served as a reminder of home while I’ve been travelling – and I’ve even got my own Bartymite jar,” said Barty.
In the lead up to the big day, the brand released a remake of its 1956 Happy Little Vegemites advertisement, Woolworths and the Royal Australian Mint created a limited edition range of $2 Vegemite themed coins, three limited-edition vintage jar designs rolled off the production line in Port Melbourne, and to top it all off, Bega released a fine silver keepsake collectable, shaped into a piece of toast.
On the morning of its centenary, Vegemite penned a love letter to Australia, cementing that while the country has been ever-changing over this time, one thing has remained the same – its unwavering love for Vegemite – and vice versa.
