Unilever

History

Year	Detail
1860	Unilever was started by the Jurgens family and started selling butter.
1870	The Van den Berghs, a family of butter merchants, have also built up a thriving butter trade in the Dutch town of Oss. By 1870, the business had expanded and began exporting to England, the biggest market for Dutch butter.
1871	The Jurgens family acquired the patent for making margarine from its inventor, Mege Mouries.
1884	William Lever and Lever & Co. launch the first branded soap.
1887	William Lever starts to build Port Sunlight, With 450 tons of Sunlight soap being made a week.
1890	Lever Brothers became a limited company. The business starts expanding into Europe, America, and the British colonies with factories, export businesses, and plantations.
1894	Lever Brothers created a new product called Lifebuoy Soap.
1898	Van den Bergh adds Vitello to the growing margarine market.
1904	Lever Brothers launched Vim, one of the very first scouring powders. It is the first specially formulated product of its kind to be marketed in Britain.
1908	Jurgens and Van den Bergh join forces to combat a weak margarine market.
1911	Lever Brothers' first purpose-built research laboratory is constructed at Port Sunlight.
1917	Lever Brothers Ltd acquired Pears Soap, a company said to have been established as far back as 1789 by Andrew Pears. Jurgens and Van den Bergh bring margarine manufacturing to England.
1922	Lever Brothers Ltd buy Wall's, a famous sausage company.
1929	Margarine Unie and Lever Brothers signed an agreement to create Unilever.
1943	Unilever ventures into frozen products and acquires Batchelors.
1946	Its subsidiary, Birds Eye, launches the first frozen peas in the UK.
1950	Unilever established Port Sunlight Research, a research division responsible for both UK and Dutch laboratories.
1954	Unilever launches Sunsilk shampoo.
1955	Its subsidiary Birds Eye launches Fish Fingers in the UK, and Dove launches its first soap bar in the US.
1960	Becel is launched as a 'health' margarine in response to medical support.
1965	Unilever forms its own specialist packaging business, the 4P Group, turning into an internal service provider, and Cif scouring cream is launched in France.
1971	Lipton International was acquired, and Mentadent was launched in Austria as a revolutionary gum health brand.
1973	Unilever's subsidiary, the United Africa Company, became UAC International, and Frigo ice cream was acquired in Spain.
1978	Unilever acquires National Starch and increases its presence in the US.
1982	Unique Viennetta ice cream gateau launches.
1984	Unilever acquires PG Tips, the UK's biggest-selling tea brand.
1986	Chesebrough-Pond's is acquired, a strategic move to build a stake in the US market and a presence in the skincare market.
1989	Unilever acquired the Calvin Klein Cosmetics Company and, with it, the Calvin Klein brand. It offers a complete range of beauty products in addition to its core fragrance business. Magnum Ice Cream is launched in Germany.
1992	Unilever entered the Czech Republic and Hungary and established UniRus in Russia.
1993	Unilever acquired Breyers ice cream in the U.S., and Organics shampoo was first launched in Thailand.
1997	Unilever acquires Kibon in Brazil.
2000	Unilever acquires Bestfoods; Knorr joins the Unilever family as part of the Bestfoods acquisition.
2003	the Unilever Health Institute - a center of excellence in nutrition, health, and vitality - opens regional centers in Bangkok, Thailand, and Accra, Ghana.
2007	Unilever acquired the Buavita vitality drinks brand in Indonesia and Inmarko, the leading ice cream business in Russia.
2010	Acquired Alberto Culver, bringing personal care brands such as TRESemmé, Alberto VO5, Nexxus, St. Ives, and Simple into the Unilever portfolio.
2013	The company re-enters the Myanmar market with the launch of full business operations, including a new manufacturing facility and new headquarters in Yangon.
2014	A number of strategic acquisitions are made throughout 2014, including the Talenti super-premium ice cream business in North America and the Qinyuan water purification business in China.
2017	Unilever's personal care brand Simple arrives in Brazil.
2018	Unilever launched its newest personal care brands, Love Beauty and Planet.