Oxo cubes
The Oxo cube has been around for over 150 years. Oxo has helped people to overcome starvation and poor nourishment. Oxo is a familiar sight in British kitchens, providing taste for all kinds of meals. Almost 2 million Oxo cubes are used a day in Britain.
Originally called Liebig's Extract, in 1899 the extract underwent a name change. The name of the product was changed to Oxo. But a question remains, why was the extract called Oxo?
This is not really an easy question to answer. In reality nobody has a clear idea of how the name Oxo was created. One story tells it that while a shipment was waiting at a dock, a docker scrawled in chalk the letters O-X-O on crates to distinguish the product from other cargo.
Although no real proof is available, what is known is that Oxo was trade marked in 1899 in Europe and 1900 in Britain. The famous name of Oxo was an inspirational change; it has provided a quick and easy to remember name that could be placed in the minds of the public. Obviously this was a good move as Oxo has been, and still is, a successful product that has spread throughout the world.
From the highest mountains to remote, barren snow covered areas, the Oxo cube has travelled far and wide. Did you ever think the Oxo cube was so widely used across so many countries and so widely consumed? Join the journey to discover more about the humble Oxo cube.
During the 1800's, when many people were starving and poorly nourished, a brilliant German chemist, Baron Justus von Liebig, brought hope to hundreds of thousands of people. Baron Justus von Liebig devised a method of extracting and concentrating the goodness of beef.
In 1847 this beef extract cost a lot of money. Only the rich could afford the dark coloured liquid sold in stone jars. Baron von Liebig wanted to help the sick and hungry. He decided to reveal his formula to a suitably competent person who would follow his high standards.
While George Giebert was in Munich he met Baron von Liebig and learnt more about the extracting process. After producing a satisfactory sample of extract, Baron von Liebig was satisfied enough to let George Giebert produce the extract.
George Giebert returned to South America and purchased land in Fray Bentos (Uruguay). A factory was built and 6000 cattle were purchased to start the extracting process. The finished extract was then shipped back to Antwerp (Holland). Due to the cheap cost of the beef extract, it sold extremely well. In 1865 it became possible for George Giebert to raise enough money to form the Liebig's Extract of Meat Company. In the beginning stages of production George Giebert would send out buyers with saddlebags crammed with gold sovereigns to purchase cattle. As the business grew, George Giebert was able to purchase his own ranches on which to raise cattle rather than buy them from other people.
In Europe the beef extract sold well and was used in hospitals to make reviving drinks for patients. Florence Nightingale described it as "perfectly invaluable" when she was nursing sick and wounded soldiers during the Crimean War in the 1850's. The Duke of Wellington and Henry Stanley, the explorer who found Dr Livingston, also described the beef extract as invaluable.
After the death of the business pioneers, a Mr. C.E Gunter became the chairman of the company when he was only 32 years old. In 1899 the Liebig Extract changed names and became known as Oxo. Mr Gunter worked hard to fight off other competitors trying to sell rival products. He used advertising and poster campaigns to encourage people to use the Oxo product.
But Mr Gunter wanted to boost sales even more; he wanted to sell Oxo cheaper than the current 2oz jars, which a majority of people could not afford to buy. Mr Gunter's aim was to sell Oxo for a penny. Different ideas were tried and tested:
Fluid Oxo was packed in gelatine capsules - this cost too much money to produce.
Oxo was made into tablets - these did not keep very well.
Eventually the Oxo cube was developed and made its debut in 1910. The Oxo cubes were wrapped by hand and packed into small red cartons that cost a penny each. The Oxo cubes were an immediate success even though production was extremely slow.
Half the households in the UK use Oxo cubes.
Over two million Oxo cubes are used every day in Britain.
In Britain one in every six hot meals people consumed at home contain an Oxo cube.
In 1908 runners in the marathon at the London Olympics were supplied with drinks of Oxo.
Oxo cubes first appeared in shops in 1910. They were hand wrapped and cost one penny each.
The Oxo cube has travelled to Mount Everest, the Antarctic and across most of the world.
Florence Nightingale described Liebig's Extract (later Oxo) as "perfectly invaluable" when she was nursing during the Crimean War.
Around 100 million Oxo cubes were used in World War I.
If all the Oxo cubes consumed in a year were piled one on top of another, they would be 1,500 times higher than Mount Everest.
[Note from Mr. Cat: The United States Food and Drug Administration has long since banned the import of Oxo beef cubes into the U.S.A., but not Oxo chicken cubes. Can you spell “beef lobby�]
=^..^=
The Oxo cube has been around for over 150 years. Oxo has helped people to overcome starvation and poor nourishment. Oxo is a familiar sight in British kitchens, providing taste for all kinds of meals. Almost 2 million Oxo cubes are used a day in Britain.
Originally called Liebig's Extract, in 1899 the extract underwent a name change. The name of the product was changed to Oxo. But a question remains, why was the extract called Oxo?
This is not really an easy question to answer. In reality nobody has a clear idea of how the name Oxo was created. One story tells it that while a shipment was waiting at a dock, a docker scrawled in chalk the letters O-X-O on crates to distinguish the product from other cargo.
Although no real proof is available, what is known is that Oxo was trade marked in 1899 in Europe and 1900 in Britain. The famous name of Oxo was an inspirational change; it has provided a quick and easy to remember name that could be placed in the minds of the public. Obviously this was a good move as Oxo has been, and still is, a successful product that has spread throughout the world.
From the highest mountains to remote, barren snow covered areas, the Oxo cube has travelled far and wide. Did you ever think the Oxo cube was so widely used across so many countries and so widely consumed? Join the journey to discover more about the humble Oxo cube.
During the 1800's, when many people were starving and poorly nourished, a brilliant German chemist, Baron Justus von Liebig, brought hope to hundreds of thousands of people. Baron Justus von Liebig devised a method of extracting and concentrating the goodness of beef.
In 1847 this beef extract cost a lot of money. Only the rich could afford the dark coloured liquid sold in stone jars. Baron von Liebig wanted to help the sick and hungry. He decided to reveal his formula to a suitably competent person who would follow his high standards.
While George Giebert was in Munich he met Baron von Liebig and learnt more about the extracting process. After producing a satisfactory sample of extract, Baron von Liebig was satisfied enough to let George Giebert produce the extract.
George Giebert returned to South America and purchased land in Fray Bentos (Uruguay). A factory was built and 6000 cattle were purchased to start the extracting process. The finished extract was then shipped back to Antwerp (Holland). Due to the cheap cost of the beef extract, it sold extremely well. In 1865 it became possible for George Giebert to raise enough money to form the Liebig's Extract of Meat Company. In the beginning stages of production George Giebert would send out buyers with saddlebags crammed with gold sovereigns to purchase cattle. As the business grew, George Giebert was able to purchase his own ranches on which to raise cattle rather than buy them from other people.
In Europe the beef extract sold well and was used in hospitals to make reviving drinks for patients. Florence Nightingale described it as "perfectly invaluable" when she was nursing sick and wounded soldiers during the Crimean War in the 1850's. The Duke of Wellington and Henry Stanley, the explorer who found Dr Livingston, also described the beef extract as invaluable.
After the death of the business pioneers, a Mr. C.E Gunter became the chairman of the company when he was only 32 years old. In 1899 the Liebig Extract changed names and became known as Oxo. Mr Gunter worked hard to fight off other competitors trying to sell rival products. He used advertising and poster campaigns to encourage people to use the Oxo product.
But Mr Gunter wanted to boost sales even more; he wanted to sell Oxo cheaper than the current 2oz jars, which a majority of people could not afford to buy. Mr Gunter's aim was to sell Oxo for a penny. Different ideas were tried and tested:
Fluid Oxo was packed in gelatine capsules - this cost too much money to produce.
Oxo was made into tablets - these did not keep very well.
Eventually the Oxo cube was developed and made its debut in 1910. The Oxo cubes were wrapped by hand and packed into small red cartons that cost a penny each. The Oxo cubes were an immediate success even though production was extremely slow.
Half the households in the UK use Oxo cubes.
Over two million Oxo cubes are used every day in Britain.
In Britain one in every six hot meals people consumed at home contain an Oxo cube.
In 1908 runners in the marathon at the London Olympics were supplied with drinks of Oxo.
Oxo cubes first appeared in shops in 1910. They were hand wrapped and cost one penny each.
The Oxo cube has travelled to Mount Everest, the Antarctic and across most of the world.
Florence Nightingale described Liebig's Extract (later Oxo) as "perfectly invaluable" when she was nursing during the Crimean War.
Around 100 million Oxo cubes were used in World War I.
If all the Oxo cubes consumed in a year were piled one on top of another, they would be 1,500 times higher than Mount Everest.
[Note from Mr. Cat: The United States Food and Drug Administration has long since banned the import of Oxo beef cubes into the U.S.A., but not Oxo chicken cubes. Can you spell “beef lobby�]
=^..^=
