Fray Bentos is a food brand associated with tinned processed meat products, originally corned beef and later meat pies. The brand has been sold in the United Kingdom, other European countries, and Australia. Created in the second half of the 19th century, the name is derived from the port of Fray Bentos in Uruguay where all of the company's products were processed and packaged until the 1960s. The brand in the UK is now owned by Baxters, which manufactures the product range in Scotland. The Campbell Soup Company manufactures and sells Fray Bentos branded steak and kidney pies in Australia.
Current position
The Fray Bentos brand is known for the manufacture and sale in the United Kingdom of a range of tinned meat pies such as steak and kidney and minced beef and onion.[1][2] Since 2011, the brand in the UK has been owned by Baxters, who manufacture Fray Bentos products at their site at Fochabers in Scotland.[3] In addition to meat pies, the range includes tinned meat puddings and tinned meatballs as well as microwaveable meat-based pasta and rice dishes.[4]
The sales of Fray Bentos products, once a staple in the UK and some European countries,[1] have declined in recent decades and, in 2011, it was reported that sales had been flat at around £30 million per year for the previous ten years.[5]
History
Liebig: 1873–1924
In 1865, Liebig's Extract of Meat Company was founded in Britain by German chemist Justus von Liebig. The company established a factory in Uruguay to manufacture a beef extract product that would later be sold under the name Oxo.[9] In 1873, the factory began manufacturing tinned corned beef, which was sold in Britain under the name Fray Bentos, the town in Uruguay where the factory was located.[9]
Fray Bentos was trademarked by Liebig in 1881 for the purpose of marketing glue and "extract of meat", although, in practice, it was used principally for marketing corned beef.[10] In fact, Fray Bentos became synonymous with corned beef.[10]
External links
References
- Uruguay serves up slice of history BBC News, 28 October 2008^
- Fray Bentos acquired by Baxters BBC News, 18 November 2011^
- Fray Bentos production starts at Baxters site FoodManufacture.co.uk, 3 April 2013^