Historic Oxo cube crosses the Atlantic

�by Steve Cunningham

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OXO, the stock cube forever part of the traditional British Sunday roast, is to fall into American hands as part of a billion-dollar sale by Unilever.

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The gravy business is to be bought by Campbell Soup Company, of New Jersey, the world's largest soup manufacturer.

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Oxo's famous stock recipe dates from the late 19th century and was a variation of an extract first formulated by the German scientist Baron Justus von Liebig in the 1840s.

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Liebig noted that beef extract was expensive to produce in Europe, because of high beef costs. But he knew that vast numbers of cattle were slaughtered in South America for hides and beef, and that the carcasses were just left to rot.

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This was a ready supply of beef for the extract, and he said his recipe would be available to anyone who could produce it to his strict standards.

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The offer was taken up by George Giebert in 1861 and a factory was built at Fray Bentos on the Uruguay River. The extract became popular�- and was aimed at poorer families that needed chief nourishment.

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It also received testimonials from such celebrities as Florence Nightingale, Captain Scott of the Antarctic and aviators Alcock and Brown. A jar of extract was even taken on Stanley's famous expedition to find Dr Livingstone in Africa.

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An Antwerp merchant company Corneille David marketed the product in the UK until 1914 when Oxo Ltd was formed to take over marketing.

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The story behind the name is unclear, but one theory is that a docker chalked OXO on a crate on the extract to distinguish it from other created goods. Oxo was registered as a trademark in 1899.

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The extract was still expensive, so the company wanted to develop it in a form that could be sold for a penny. And so, in 1910, the Oxo cube was born. It was an immediate success, and its price remained the same - until 1952.

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The first Oxo television advertisement appeared in 1955 and featured Katie and her family from 1958 to 1999.

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The first Oxo cube varieties came in 1965, with the launch of the Golden Oxo cube. Curry Oxo was introduced in 1964, followed by Onion Oxo cubes.

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Owners include Brooke Bond, the tea maker which, in turn, was acquired by Unilever in 1984. Batchelors was founded in 1899 and joined the Unilever portfolio in 1943. Batchelors' Cup a Soup is 28 years old, while its other main product, SuperNoodles, was launched in 1979.