Rosella is a brand of

tomato soup Tomato soup is a soup with tomatoes as the primary ingredient. It can be served hot or cold, and may be made in a variety of ways. It may be smooth in texture, and there are also recipes that include chunks of tomato, cream, chicken or vegetabl ...

tomato sauce Tomato sauce (also known as ''salsa roja'' in Spanish or ''salsa di pomodoro'' in Italian) can refer to many different sauces made primarily from tomatoes, usually to be served as part of a dish, rather than as a condiment. Tomato sauces are c ...

s, pickled vegetables, and

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to impart a specific flavor, to enhance the flavor, or to complement the dish. A table condiment or table sauce is more specifically a condiment that is served separat ...

s, founded in Australia in 1895 as the Rosella Preserving & Manufacturing Co. Rosella has had a number of owners since, including a 40-year period where it was owned by

Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy dri ...

. The current owner is Sabrands Australia, which acquired the brand in April 2013. It is named for the Australian parrot of the same name, which forms part of its logo.

History

The Rosella brand began in 1895 when founders H.R. McCracken (a commission agent) and T.J. Press (a grocer) started making jams and preserving fruits in a backyard in

Carlton, Victoria Carlton is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km north of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. Carlton recorded a population of 16,055 at the 2021 census. Im ...

. With the financial backing of Frederick John Cato (of grocery chain Moran & Cato) the company opened a small factory in Flinders Street, Melbourne before the Rosella Preserving Company opened its Richmond, Victoria, factory in 1905. Rosella soon gained a reputation for their

, which was first produced in 1899 and which has since become one of Australia's best known food brands, although the company also produces soup and tomato

chutney A chutney is a spread in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Chutneys are made in a wide variety of forms, such as a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish, yogurt or curd, cucumber, spicy coconut, spicy onion or mint dipping sa ...

.Symons, Michael, (2007). '' One Continuous Picnic: A Gastronomic History of Australian Eating'', Melbourne University Publishing. . pp 116–117.Hudson, Phillip; Douez, Sophie. (16 August 2012).
Rosella returns to its source
, ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...

'', Melbourne, Australia. p5. Retrieved 4 December 2012. The company grew from its initial staff of six and by 1931 had over 1000 employees spread across six factories.

Ownership history

In 1963 Rosella was taken over by Lever & Kitchen, later to be known as Unilever and it remained under their ownership for most of the next four decades. In 2002 the company returned to Australian ownership under Stuart Alexander & Co Pty Ltd, who purchased the brand under a deal with Unilever. Under the agreement, Unilever would retain ownership of the Rosella factory for five years, and during that period would continue to produce the Rosella products under contract to Stuart Alexander. Stuart Alexander retained ownership of Rosella until 2006, when the Rosella brand was sold once more. In December 2012, the then current owner of Rosella, Gourmet Food Holdings (who also owned Waterwheel & Pitango), was placed into

receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver—a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights"—especially in c ...

. After unsuccessful attempts to sell the company it was announced in early March 2013 that the company would be closed down and that the receivers were looking at selling the Rosella brand to a new owner. In April 2013, Sabrands Australia, a private family company and the company behind Sunraysia fruit juice, purchased the Rosella brand and is manufacturing its soups, chutneys and relishes in Adelaide, South Australia and its condiments in

Silvan, Victoria Silvan is a town in Victoria, Australia, located 40 km east of Melbourne, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Silvan recorded a population of 1,323 at the 2021 census. Silvan marks the halfway point between B ...

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://rosella.com.au/ Australian brands Australian condiments Brand name condiments Manufacturing companies based in Melbourne Food and drink companies of Australia Australian companies established in 1895 Food and drink companies established in 1895 Condiment companies Ketchup Tomato sauces

History

Ownership history

See also

References

External links