Nuttelex is an Australian manufacturer of

margarine Margarine (, also , ) is a spread used for flavoring, baking, and cooking. It is most often used as a substitute for butter. Although originally made from animal fats, most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil. The spread was orig ...

. First manufactured in 1932, its namesake brand is the oldest brand of margarine in Australia.

History

The Nuttelex company was founded in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in 1932 by Hugh Halpin. In 1941, Gordon McNally and Ted Mayes formed a partnership and acquired the Nuttelex business. However, after a disagreement in 1947, the partnership dissolved, and Mayes left to start the

Meadow Lea Meadow Lea is one of Australia's leading brands of polyunsaturated margarine spreads, founded in Sydney in 1932 and owned since 1986 by the Australasian food company Goodman Fielder. In 1995 it had a 25% share of margarine sales, and was the top- ...

margarine brand. In early times, the biggest obstacle for Nuttelex was the clout of Australia's dairy industry, which had enormous political persuasion. The ''1893 Margarine Act'' of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

prohibited margarine from having a similar colour to

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment ...

. In 1936, a law was introduced mandating that margarine be saffron colour to distinguish it from butter. Quotas were introduced in the 1930s to limit the amount of margarine that could be produced, in order to protect the butter industry. Gordon McNally was known to visit politicians to lobby for an increase in the margarine quotas. However, he only managed to get the quotas increased marginally. It wasn't until 1990 that the last margarine quota was abolished in Victoria. In the early 1990s, Gordon McNally caused a stir after taking out newspaper advertisements complaining that the supermarket chains Coles and

Safeway Safeway is an American supermarket chain founded by Marion Barton Skaggs in April 1915 in American Falls, Idaho. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and features a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, d ...

had increased the retail price of Nuttelex when the wholesale price had not changed. The advertisements directed customers to buy their Nuttelex at Franklins or Jewel instead (which had not raised their prices). The management of Coles and Safeway quickly dropped the price, but were said to be furious at McNally's public rebuke. After Gordon McNally's death in 1996, aged 91, his son Ian G. McNally took over the company. By 2006, Nuttelex was manufacturing 3500 tonnes of margarine every year, and held 8% of the Australian margarine market. It also exports to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

Products

Nuttelex makes margarines for the niche requirements of the health conscious, those with

allergies Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic derma ...

, religious dietary requirements,

vegetarians Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism ma ...

and

vegans Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. D ...

. Its margarines are made without

animal product An animal product is any material derived from the body of an animal. Examples are fat, flesh, blood, milk, eggs, and lesser known products, such as isinglass and rennet. Animal by-products, as defined by the USDA, are products harvested or m ...

s or

genetically modified Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of Genetic engineering techniques, technologies used to change the gene ...

ingredients. The original Nuttelex used to contain nuts, and the packaging carried a logo featuring a

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...

. However, nuts are no longer used in the product, and the squirrel logo has been phased out.

References

{{reflist Margarine brands Food and drink companies established in 1932 Food and drink companies based in Melbourne Manufacturing companies based in Melbourne 1932 establishments in Australia Butter Brand name dairy products Dairy products companies of Australia Australian brands Australian condiments Brand name condiments