Weet-Bix

File:Weet-Bix-Logo.jpg

Weet-Bix logo.

Weet-Bix is a high-fiber and low sugar breakfast cereal biscuit manufactured in Australia and New Zealand by the Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Company, and in South Africa by Bokomo.

History

Weet-Bix in a bowl.

Weet-Bix, the breakfast cereal, was developed by Bennison Osborne in Victoria, Australia, in the mid-1920s. Osborne set out to make a product more palatable than "Granose," a biscuit that was marketed by the Sanitarium Health Food Company at that time. He tried his new product on his nieces and nephews until he had it perfected, and on August 19, 1926, he lodged an application for registration of the trademark Weetbix, a name which he had devised. Production began at 659 Parramatta Road, Leichhardt, under the management of Osborne and with the financial backing of Arthur Shannon who created the company “Grain Products” to manufacture the cereal. Osborne's friend Malcolm Ian Macfarlane from New Zealand joined him to take on a marketing role. The product was so successful that in October 1928, Shannon sold the rights in the product to the Australasian Conference Association Limited (Sanitarium Health Food Company). Macfarlane suggested that they ship the product to New Zealand, where it proved so successful that it became difficult to adequately supply the market from Australia. Osborne and MacFarlane went to N.Z. and factories were established in Auckland and Christchurch. However, once again, Shannon sold out to the Australasian Conference Association Limited.

Osborne and Macfarlane then exported the product to South Africa and with Shannon's financial backing, went to that country and a factory was installed in Cape Town, with Osborne managing sales. This enterprise was also subsequently sold, this time to Bokomo.

While in South Africa, Osborne and Macfarlane sought to obtain more satisfactory financial backing to secure Osborne’s product. A group was formed, Osborne refined the product and he and Macfarlane went to England to form the British & African Cereal Company, Ltd., which they registered in London in 1932, as a Private Company, with the proprietor shown as Weetabix Limited of Weetabix Mills, Burton Latimer, Kettering. All shares in the Company were specified to be under the control of the Directors, the first of whom were Bennison Osborne, Malcolm Ian Macfarlane, Alfred Richard Upton and Arthur Stanley Scrutton. For the purpose of differentiating the product from that sold in Australia, N.Z. and South Africa, the product was named "Weetabix". Osborne and Macfarlane became the joint managing directors with Osborne controlling production and Macfarlane controlling marketing. Thirty-three potential sites for the factory were examined, with Burton Latimer in Northamptonshire eventually being chosen, due in part to the offer of a disused flour mill by a Mr. George, who requested shares in the Company and who was subsequently offered a seat on the existing Board of Directors. A fleet of cars was purchased, salesmen were employed throughout England, staff was increased and the Company went from strength to strength. In 1933, Macfarlane left the Company to pursue other business interests, leaving Osborne as the sole managing director. George eventually became Chairman of the Board.

Osborne sold his shareholding to the directors in July, 1936, at which time the Company was renamed “Weetabix Limited.” Osborne proceeded at that time to the United States, establishing a weetabix factory in Clinton, Massachusetts. However, the venture was unsuccessful. Weetabix eventually entered the U.S. market from Canada via Clinton, Massachusetts, the site of the original U.S. factory.

Brand popularity

Weet-Bix is seen in both Australia and New Zealand as an iconic national foodstuff. An online poll of 16,000 people in 2006 identified it as Australia's favourite trademark. The product has been marketed in Australia since 1985 with the catchphrase "Aussie Kids are Weet-Bix kids". Based on its success in Australia, a similar catchphrase was adopted six months later in New Zealand: "Kiwi Kids are Weet-Bix kids".

Weet-Bix sponsors a number of Australian sports teams, including the AFL, national cricket, soccer, and rugby union teams, members of whom have appeared in some television advertising campaigns. It is also the main sponsor for the Sanitarium Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon events in both Australia and New Zealand.

Weet-Bix cards

Sanitarium started to issue collectors' cards in their boxes of Weet-Bix in 1942. The following is a list of Australian card releases.

1942/3 Advance Australia – a Pageant of the Years	1970 Cook' s Voyage of Discovery	1987 Aussie Kids in the Year 2000
1944 Transfers	1970 Australia's Wonderful Wildlife	1988 Aussie and Proud of it
1945 Treasury of New Zealand	1970 Collecting Australian Gemstones	1988 Kings of the Road
1945 The Children’s Australian Encyclopaedia Series (volume 1)	1970 Night Shiners	1989 Survive!
1946 Marvels of the Great Barrier Reef	1971 The Super Cars	1989 Australian Energy
1949 Australia Yesterday and Today	1971 The Great Barrier Reef	1990 Wild, Weird and Wonderful
1950 Aboriginal Tribes and Customs	1971 Car Transfers	1990 Australia's Greatest Motor Race
1951 Wonder Book of General Knowledge	1972 Our Asian Neighbours	1990 Earth Quest
1952 The Children’s Australian Encyclopaedia Series (volume 2)	1972 Hottest Hotrods	1991 The Cars That Made Australia
1954/5 Story of the Pacific	1972 Great Australian Explorers	1992 The Wonderful World of Sea World
1955/6 The Age of Speed	1973 People of the Pacific	1992 Australia's Most Amazing Birds
1957 This Fascinating World	1973 Australia's Booming Industries	1992 The Weet-Bix Peanuts Swap Cards
1958 Book of Amazing Wonders	1973 Spectacular Sports	1993 Colgate Smile for Miles (printed backs)
1958 Scouting and Guiding	1974 African Safari	1993 Colgate Smile for Miles (plain backs)
1959 Destination Moon	1974 Timeless Japan	1994 Our Great Australian Adventure
1960 Cavalcade of Cars	1975 Cars of the 70s	1994 The Wonderful World of Disney
1961 Papua New Guinea	1975 The World of Jets	1994 Australian Test Cricketers
1961 Birds and Animals of Australia	1975 Discover Indonesia	1995 Threatened Wildlife WWF
1962 Wildflowers of Australia	1975 Discover Indonesia (with overprint)	1996 High Action Sports
1962 Young Motorists Book of Cars	1976 Wildlife of Australia	1996 The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1963 True to Life (stereo cards)	1976 Cavalcade of Cars	1996 The Bradman Collection
1963 Australian Bird Life	1976 Australia's Own Birds and Wildflowers	1997 World Ball Skill Cards
1963 Zoo Babies (stereo cards)	1977 Brazil '77	1997 Sir Donald Bradman Greatest Hits
1963 Famous Dog Breeds (stereo cards)	1977 Fast Wheels	1998 Babe and Friends
1963 General Series (stereo cards)	1978 The World of Vintage and Veteran Cars	1999 Take it to the Next Level (stickers)
1963 Canberra the Capital (stereo cards)	1978 The World of Vintage and Veteran Cars (USA export plain backs)	1999 Healthy Life Recipe Cards
1963 Australia on Parade (stereo cards)	1978 Journey Around Australia	2000 The Lee Brothers Eat Fast Claim Fast
1964 Wildlife of the World (stereo cards)	1979 Rally Champs	2000 Extremely Board
1964 Picture Cards of Famous Ships	1979 Vanishing Wildlife	2000 Get Real, Get Weet-Bix
1964 Australia's Underwater World	1980 Great Steam Trains	2001 Cricket Champions Past and Present
1964 See Australia with TAA (stereo cards)	1980 Wonders of the World	2001 Breakfast of World Champions
1965 The Mysterious East (stereo cards)	1981 Backyard Wildlife	2002 Wallaby Gold
1965 Dеер Sea Wonders	1981 Australia's Wings	2002 Australian Natural Wonders
1965 Qantas New York’s World Fair	1981 Australia’s National Parks	2002 АСВ Gold
1965 Picture and History Vintage and Veteran Cars 1896-1966	1981 Veteran and Vintage Cars (stickers – not issued under Weet-Bix name)	2003 Champions Work Harder
1965 African Safari	1982 Big Rigs	2005 V8 Super Cars
1966 Australian Wildflowers	1982 Weet-Bix Stickers	2005 Kids Try-athlon
1966 Veteran and Vintage Cars (stereo cards)	1982 BMX Downunder	2006 Wiggles stickers (series one)
1966 Picture and History Cards of the Story of Flight from 1783-1966	1983 The Great Barrier Reef	2006 Socceroos (postcard)
1966 Picture and History Cards of Aeroplanes	1983 Get into Training	2006 Aussie Legends Ashes Series 2006-07
1966 National Costumes of the World	1984 Spectacular Sports	2007 Wiggles stickers (series two)
1966 Snow Holiday	1984 Exploring Our Solar System	2007 Wiggles stickers (series three)
1967 Alice in Wonderland	1984 Cook 'n Eat Bix Recipes	2007 Socceroos
1967 Grand Prix	1985 Surf Sports	2008 Stat Attack
1968 Secrets of Space	1985 Antarctic Adventure	2008 Socceroos Memorable Moments
1968 This World of Speed	1986 Collector Cars	2009 Wiggles stickers (series four)
1968 The Iron Horses	1986 Two Wheel Classics	2009 Cricket Town (series one)
1969 The World of the Aborigine	1986 Aussie Kids Pet Gazette	2009 Cricket Town (series two)
1969 Traditional Uniforms of the World	1987 The Weet-Bix Gazette World of Wheels
1969 Australia Leaps Ahead	1987 Australia's First 200 Years

See also

• Weetabix - the UK variant that is now exported to around 80 countries.
• Shredded Wheat - another wheat-based biscuit cereal.

External links

• Weet-Bix Australia
• Weet-Bix New Zealand
• Weet-Bix South Africa