Ambrosia (food brand)

Ambrosia is a brand of food products in the United Kingdom. Its original product was a dried milk powder for infants, but it is now mostly known for its custard and rice pudding. The brand plays on the fact that it is made in Devon, England, (at a factory in Lifton), with their original punning strapline "Devon knows how they make it so creamy".[1]

Ambrosia
Product typeFood
OwnerPremier Foods
CountryUnited Kingdom
Introduced1917
MarketsUK and Ireland
Previous ownersColman's
Tagline"Devon knows it's unbelievably good"
"Devon knows how they make it so creamy" (former)
Websitewww.ambrosia.co.uk

History

The Ambrosia Creamery was founded in 1917 by Alfred Morris, in his home village Lifton in Devon, to make rich food for infants. He took milk from local farms, where most of the cows were the Red Ruby breed, and dried it with roller dryers.

The product soon came to the attention of the British armed forces, who took significant quantities for its soldiers, still fighting in the First World War.

Just prior to the Second World War, the Ambrosia creamery was the first company to start making creamed rice pudding ready in a tin. Following the outbreak of war, the vast majority of production was placed in Red Cross food parcels.

After the end of hostilities, Ambrosia relaunched the product, along with a creamed macaroni pudding.

In 1957, following increasing demand, the creamery opened a new factory near to the original production facility.

In 1990 the entire company was acquired by Colman's Ltd., a famous brand of mustard. This, in turn, was bought out by Unilever in 2001. Unilever sold the brand on in 2004, to Premier Foods, where it is still a core brand, alongside others such as Bisto, Oxo and Sharwood's.

In November 2018, Premier Foods announced that they were investigating the sale of the Ambrosia factory and brand in a move to focus on its growing brands, such as Batchelors and Mr Kipling, and to accelerate the rate at which it pays down its £510m debt.[2] This sale offer was later withdrawn.

Marketing

In the late 1990s, there were commercials on the Ambrosia flavoured custards which featured custard splatting into the face of a man who licks it off and replies "Mmmm; strawberry/banana/chocolate flavour" and finally, the end of the theme from Roobarb can be heard.

In 1999, Ambrosia launched Ambrosia Splat! Custard, aimed at young children. As part of their marketing, they sponsored a popular Saturday-morning kids' TV show SMTV Live (coincidentally its presenters Ant and Dec were the narrators of the adverts), and, in 2002, Panto.ie's annual pantomime in Dublin.[3]

As of the release of Ambrosia Rice pots in 2012, the slogan was changed to "Devon knows it's unbelievably good".

References
  1. "Remembering Mike Hurley". BBC. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  2. Monaghan, Angela (13 November 2018). "Mr Kipling maker in talks to sell Ambrosia rice pudding brand". Business. Guardian. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  3. Colgan, Gerry (30 December 2002). "Review". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
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