History
The origins of the Findus brand date back to the founding of Skånska Frukt- vin- & Likörfabriken (Scanian Fruit, Wine and Liqueur Factory) in Bjuv, Sweden, in 1905. In 1941 this company was acquired by the confectionery manufacturer Freja Marabou and was subsequently renamed Findus Canning Factory. In 1945 the first Findus-branded deep-frozen food products went on sale in Sweden, produced in a small factory in Scania. Findus products were exported to an increasing number of European countries in the late 1950s,[4] including the United Kingdom in 1958.[4]
In 1962, Findus Co. was acquired by the Swiss food and beverage company Nestlé.[4] In 1963, The Swiss food and beverage company Nestlé and the Anglo-Dutch consumer goods company Unilever formed a frozen foods joint venture in Italy, which sold products under the Findus name.[5]
In the 1970s, famed film director Orson Welles provided narration for a series of Findus television commercials that aired in the UK. Outtakes from the recordings sessions (in which Welles complained about the quality of the advertising copy, argued with the director, and ultimately stormed out of the recording booth) have become known colloquially as the Frozen Peas recordings.[6] The Findus Flag logo was adopted in 1971.[4]
Unilever acquired Nestle's stake in the joint venture in 1985, giving it full ownership of the Findus brand in Italy.[5] The Findus Lean Cuisine range was launched by Nestlé in 1987.[4]
In 1998, Nestlé announced that it intended to discontinue the Findus brand in the UK in favour of its Crosse & Blackwell name.[7] The plan was dropped when Swedish firm EQT AB purchased the Findus brand in Scandinavia, France, Spain and the UK from Nestlé in 1999.[8][9]
Geir Frantzen, a former senior manager at Findus AB, bought out the UK company in April 2005 from EQT.[10] EQT sold the rest of the Findus business (excluding Italy and Switzerland) to CapVest Limited in January 2006, which subsequently created FoodVest as a holding company for Findus and Young's Seafood. In July 2008 FoodVest, including Findus, was purchased by the British private equity firm, Lion Capital LLP.[11] FoodVest was renamed Findus Group in 2009.[12][13] On 6 January 2009, a fire broke out at the British Findus factory, devastating much of the building.[14] Newcastle Production, owners of the factory, entered in the administration with Zolfo Cooper on 12 January,[15] leading to 359 redundancies.[16]
Unilever later sold Findus Italy to Permira in 2010.
In June 2011 it was announced that Findus Group would take back direct responsibility for sales and marketing of the Findus brand in Spain, which it had previously licensed to Ardo in 2005.[17] In November 2015, Findus in all markets excluding the UK was sold to Nomad Foods, former Nomad Holding,[18] which had already purchased Iglo Group, former Birds Eye, in June that year.[19] Findus' UK operations remained alongside Young's under the ownership of investors led by Lion Capital.[20] In February 2016, Young's confirmed it would discontinue use of the Findus brand in the UK, replacing it with Chef's Classic and Original Pancake Co.[21]
Froneri later sold Findus Switzerland to Nomad Foods Europe for approximately €110 million in 2021, unifying Birds Eye/Iglo/Findus ownership in continental Europe.[22]
