“It puts a rose in every cheek.”
-Vegemite jingle, 1954.
1832: Cascade brewery opened. Cascade is the oldest continually operating brewery in Australia.
1923: Vegemite is produced as a by-product from the yeast breweries were discarding. Fred Walker & Co. host a nationwide competition with a prize of £50 (2010:$3,527) to find a name for their new spread. The name “Vegemite” was selected out of a hat by Fred Walker's daughter, Sheilah.
1984: an 115-gram jar of Vegemite became the first product in Australia to be electronically scanned at a checkout.
1987: Cascade adopt an image of the extinct Tasmanian tiger for their label from Gould's, The Mammals of Australia.
1990's: Vegemite is banned from Victorian prisons to prevent inmates from brewing alcohol using the paste's high yeast content.
2008: The billionth jar of Vegemite was produced.
2011: Multi-national company SABMiller acquire popular Australian beer brands, including Cascade, in a $12.3 billion bid.
2012: Vegemite is acquired by multi-national company Mondelez
2013: Mondelez total assets: $72.56 billion.
My Great Grandad Met an Indigenous Fella Once (The Origin of Water) explores the Tasmanian landscape through two cultural icons, Vegemite & Cascade Lager. I'm interested in the universal connection between all things: land, water, food, drink, day, night, national pride, multi-billion dollar companies, etc.