The Cyril Callister Foundation was established in 2019 to celebrate the life, work and scientific legacy of Australian chemist and food scientist Cyril Callister, the man who invented Vegemite. When the salty black paste first rolled off the production line in 1923, Australians hated it.
Chemist CP Callister invented Vegemite in Melbourne in 1923 when Australian food manufacturer Fred Walker asked him to create a spread similar to British Marmite.
Acquisition by Bega Cheese
The Vegemite brand was owned by Mondelez International (formerly Kraft Foods Inc.
This dark brown, yeast-based spread was developed in Australia in 1923 as a local product when Marmite, imported from England, was in short supply. Vegemite was made in New Zealand for a time, and although New Zealanders eat less of it than Australians, the spread is very popular.
Vegemite started out as a response to a wartime shortage of Marmite. It's now a symbol of Australia that's spread onto toast, added to curries and even churned into ice-cream.
Vegemite maker Kraft spokeswoman Joanna Scott reportedly said: "The Food and Drug Administration doesn't allow the import of Vegemite simply because the recipe does have the addition of folic acid."
This year marks a century of VEGEMITE and we are excited to celebrate this milestone on October 25 (and all year…) with all of our MITEY fans.
VEGEMITE continues to be Australia's most popular yeast spread* with more than 22 million jars of VEGEMITE manufactured every year. Australians spread about 1.2 billion serves of VEGEMITE on toast, bread or biscuits every year. If this was all placed end to end, it would go around the world three times.
You can buy vegemite online right here at the Australian Food Shop. We sell and deliver vegemite to the USA, UK, and to the rest of the world.
Vegemite is from Australia (though it is also available in the U.K.) and is also a thick, black yeast extract spread. The difference is that vegemite has added flavors—like vegetables and spices—as well as coloring and other additives.
Proudly Australian
Bega Cheese is a truly Australian company, employing over 500 staff in the Bega Valley. Around 20% of overall production is exported to over 50 countries around the world.
The Discovery. The VEGEMITE brand has a history spanning over 99 years and is proudly owned by the great Australian food company – Bega Cheese Limited. Bega Cheese Limited purchased the VEGEMITE brand in 2017, returning VEGEMITE to Australian ownership for the first time in over 90 years.
We are the Bega Group and we are proudly Australian owned. Collectively, for more than a century we have dedicated ourselves to being leading makers and innovators of great Australian food and drink brands for all Australians to enjoy.
Vegemite will be Australian-owned once again after Bega Cheese agreed to buy the iconic spread and other well-known brands for $460 million. Bega said today it will acquire Vegemite, ZoOSh mayonnaise and Bonox under the deal to buy most of Mondelez International's Australia and New Zealand grocery and cheese business.
Both are classified as spreads and are typically spread with a knife on bread or crackers. They may be regarded as cousins and are both derived from yeast. Marmite, though discovered by a German, is a product of the British Isles. Vegemite comes from Britain's erstwhile colony, Australia.
Produced since the early 1920s, Vegemite is created from leftover brewers' yeast extract, a byproduct of beer manufacturing. Producers add various vegetable flavors and spices. The final product is a dark brown spread similar in texture to peanut butter.
Most commenters said Vegemite can't go off unless it's contaminated by an outside source. “As long as you don't put butter in jar it will be fine (until) eternity,” one person said. Another agreed: “Yeah vegemite lasts for years unless you have kids that add butter and breadcrumbs to the jar when they use it!”
One of Australia's favourite sandwich spreads, Kraft Vegemite Yeast Extract is as popular in Britain as it is Down Under. It can be simply spread on toast, added to meaty sandwiches or even mixed with hot water to make a deliciously savoury drink.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Next to kangaroos and more dangerous animals, perhaps nothing else evokes Australian stereotypes like Vegemite. The yeasty spread, beloved there and virtually nowhere else, is considered such a national nosh that some people say it is a must-eat on Australia Day.
Roast lamb rules as Australia's national dish.
Dogs can eat Vegemite, but you should only allow this high-value treat occasionally in small amounts (in the same way you would with other treat foods like cheese). This is because Vegemite contains some ingredients that can cause problems if your pups consume them in high quantities.
Rationed in Australia during World War II, Vegemite was included in Australian Army rations and by the late 1940s was used in nine out of ten Australian homes. It was seen as a healthy snack for babies to suck on when teething on a piece of toast.
Umami flavor: Vegemite has a savory, umami flavor that comes from the yeast extract used to make it. This flavor is often described as meaty or brothy, and it can be very satisfying to the taste buds. Salt content: Vegemite is high in salt, which can make it more addictive to some people.
Not to mention the high salt content in Vegemite which is potentially dangerous for a baby's kidneys. We advise against feeding any Vegemite at all to babies under the age of 12 months, even just a scrape on toast, so we definitely wouldn't want to see parents smearing their child's gums with it.