Rosella (brand)
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The Rosella brand was founded in Australia in 1895 as the Rosella Preserving & Manufacturing Co.. Rosella has had a number of owners including a 40-year period where it was owned by Unilever. The current owner is Sabrands Australia which acquired the brand in April 2013.
Origins
TJ Press was the founding Managing Director and his partner was HJ MacCracken Carlton, Victoria and they began manufacturing in a Carlton backyard.[1] Shortly after being founded the company moved to Little Collins Street behind the Herald-Sun building and as it grew new,larger premises were sought. Land at Richmond Park near Melbourne High School was found and purchased and a new factory was established there. A new Board was formed under the chairmanship of Mr.F.J.Cato of Moran and Cato, the grocery chain store proprietors which had a large number of retail shops around Australia and acted as the main distributors for the growing range of Rosella products. Thomas James Press took a keen interest in overseas developments in canning and visited many Alaskan (salmon), American (jams and relishes) and English canning factories to find out the latest techniques. Rosella opened an Adelaide canning facility about 1900 and a Sydney canning factory in Alexandria in 1913. The name derived from the first jam that Press and MacCracken made which was Rosella jam from the rosella berries.
Heyday
Rosella soon gained a reputation for their tomato sauce, 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.[2][3] The company grew from its initial staff of six, and by 1963 had over 1000 employees spread across six factories.[3]
Takeover history
In 1963 Rosella was taken over by Unilever, and it remained under their ownership for most of the next four decades. However, in 2002 the company returned to Australian ownership under Stuart Alexander & Co Pty Ltd, who purchased the brand under a deal with Unilever.[3] 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.[3][4] Stuart Alexander retained ownership of Rosella until 2006, when the Rosella brand was sold once more.[5]
Receivership and revival
In December 2012, the then current owner of Rosella, Gourmet Food Holdings and Waterwheel, was placed into receivership.[6] 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.[7]
In April 2013,[8] Sabrands Australia, a private family company and the company behind Sunraysia fruit juice, purchased the Rosella brand and is manufacturing sauces, soups, chutneys and relishes in Victoria.[1][8]
References
- ^ a b Collier, Karen (14 August 2013). "Rosella tomato sauce back on shelves after Sabrands buys the historic Aussie brand". Herald Sun. News Ltd. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Symons, Michael, (2007). One Continuous Picnic: A Gastronomic History of Australian Eating, Melbourne University Publishing. ISBN 9780522853230. pp 116–117.
- ^ a b c d Hudson, Phillip; Douez, Sophie. (16 August 2012). "Rosella returns to its source", The Age, Melbourne, Australia. p5. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
- ^ Dickins, Jim. (16 August 2002). "Rosella brand boomerangs back to Australian hands". The Courier-Mail, Brisbane, Australia. p3.
- ^ "History", Stuart Alexander & Co Pty Ltd. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
- ^ Rintoul, Stuart; Speedy, Blair. (4 December 2012). "Red alert on Aussie icons as Rosella flies into trouble". The Australian. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
- ^ "Iconic brand Rosella closes down", Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
- ^ a b Khadem, Nassim (27 September 2013). "Food groups must work to win shelf space from Coles and Woolies' private label brands, says Sabrands boss Dan Presser". BRW. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 10 March 2014.