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Unilever PLC is a British multinational fast-moving consumer goods company founded on 2 September 1929 following the merger of British soap maker Lever Brothers and Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie. It is headquartered in London .
- 1900 - What Happened in The 1900s?
- 1902 - Lever Brothers Begin to Source Their Own Supply of Raw Materials
- 1904 - Lever Brothers Launch Vim - An Innovation in Homecare
- 1908 - Jurgens and Van Den Bergh Join Forces to Combat A Weak Margarine Market
- 1910 - What Happened in The 1910s?
- 1911 -The First Research Lab Is Built at Port Sunlight
- 1914 - Lever Brothers Support Employees and Their Families During Wartime
- 1917 - Lever Brothers Acquire Long-Established Pears Soap
- 1917 - Jurgens and Van Den Bergh Bring Margarine Manufacturing to England
- 1920 - What Happened in The 1920s?
With supplies of oils and fats struggling to meet the demand created by fast-growing soap and margarine production - and in an increasingly competitive market - Jurgens, Van den Bergh and Lever Brothers focus on securing stable sources of raw materials.
By now, Lever Brothers have a thriving export trade and factories in South Africa, Europe, Canada, Australia and the US. In response to the problem of sourcing raw materials need to make soap, they seek to create their own sources for supply, Lever Pacific Plantations was formed in 1902 and Huileries du Congo Belge in 1911.
In 1904, Lever Brothers launch Vim, one of the very first scouring powders. It is the first specially formulated product of its kind to be marketed in Britain. Originally, the principal abrasive ingredient of Vim is silica, which comes by rail and road from quarries in North Wales.
Between 1906 and 1907 the Dutch margarine industry sees its competitive strength weaken as increased supply of butter lowers the value of margarine. On 13 February 1908, a 'secret' pooling agreement is reached whereby the Jurgens and Van den Bergh businesses agree to pool their profits. At the same time, the two companies set up a joint palm-planti...
As the First World War is set to make a big impact, soap and margarine are in huge demand as vital wartime supplies, and the oil and fats industry is placed under the control of the British and German governments. Lever Brothers, Jurgens and Van den Bergh increase their interests in the production of raw materials to supply the booming demand.
In 1911, Lever Brothers' first purpose-built research laboratory is constructed at Port Sunlight. Research work includes laboratory analysis, testing raw materials and the finished soap, the recovery of waste heat from the condensers, boiling down of caustic liquors in steam boilers and the development of the glycerine department.
In the year that war breaks out, companies controlled by Lever Brothers are making about 135 000 tons of soap a year. For employees drafted to war, Lever Brothers agreed to re-employ them on their return and give allowances to their dependants whilst they were away.
In 1917, Lever Brothers Ltd acquire Pears Soap, a company said to have been established as far back as 1789 by Andrew Pears. Pears wanted to develop a pure soap that would be gentler on the skin than many of the harsh products of the time. By 1807 he had succeeded in developing a method of producing a high-quality amber-coloured, delicately perfume...
In 1917, Jurgens and Van den Bergh establish factories in England, with one in Purfleet, Essex, which is still manufacturing margarine today. The factory is extended in 1957 and again in 1971, and by 1959 there are 1,000 workers employed there. They make Stork Margarine, processed cheese and soft drinks. In more recent years, the Purfleet factory h...
The post-war boom is in decline and during the 1920s the margarine market suffers as butter becomes more affordable. By the end of the 1920s, Jurgens owns margarine factories in Scotland, Ireland and England and Lever Brothers controls 60% of the output of UK soap manufacturing. Before the decade is out, alliances reach their ultimate conclusion an...
Our story begins back in the late 19th century and tells of small family businesses who - through partnerships, brand innovation and industry firsts - grow into the purpose-led company that is Unilever today. 1860 - Introducing the Jurgens family.
May 9, 2024 · The modern Unilever is descended chiefly from three companies founded in the 19th century. In the Netherlands the Jurgens family had been in the dairy business for some 50 years when in 1854 two brothers, Anton and Johannes, formed a partnership, Gebroeders Jurgens, at Oss and began concentrating on butter export, chiefly to Britain .
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
William Hesketh Lever, later Lord Leverhulme, was born in Bolton, England, in 1851. The founder of Lever Brothers, Lever had a personality that combined 'the rationality of the business man with the restless ambitions of the explorer,' according to Unilever historian Charles Wilson.
People also ask
Where did Unilever come from?
When did Unilever become a company?
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Who led Unilever through the 1930s?
What’s the story. In 1930 Margarine Unie and UK-based Lever Brothers came together to form Unilever. This was big business, we were making history. Our founding companies looked to the future with imagination and purpose. They understood the advantages of joining forces, of sharing resources to grow and develop.
The Lever-half of the Unilever name has its roots with one of the founding fathers, William Hesketh Lever. He was one of the great pioneers of modern consumerism. He understood the need for innovation, diversification, and adding value through marketing.
