Grey Poupon
Product type | Mustard |
---|---|
Owner | Kraft Heinz (World) Associated British Foods (UK) |
Produced by | Kraft Foods |
Country | Dijon, France |
Introduced | 1866 |
Markets | Worldwide |
Previous owners | List
|
Website | greypouponmustard.co.uk |
Grey Poupon is a brand of Dijon mustard which originated in Dijon, France.[1]
The U.S. rights to the brand were acquired by the
Like other Dijon mustards, Grey Poupon contains a small amount of white wine. The American version is made with brown mustard seed grown in Canada.[2]
History
Maurice Grey (b. Urcy, France, 1816; d. 1897),[3] was awarded a Royal Appointment in 1860 for developing a machine that dramatically increased the speed of production of mustard. However, needing financing, which he obtained in 1866 from Auguste Poupon, another Dijon mustard manufacturer, the Grey–Poupon partnership produced their first mustard around 1866 in Dijon, France.[4]
In 1946, the Heublein Company bought the American rights from the original company.[5]
In 1970, the directors of Grey Poupon and of another Dijon mustard firm, André Ricard, having earlier bought the popular Maille-label, formed a conglomerate called S.E.G.M.A. Maille. Soon afterwards, the new company decided to phase out the Grey Poupon label in France.
In America, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company acquired Heublein in 1982[6] and merged it with Nabisco in 1985 to form RJR Nabisco. In 1999, Kraft Foods acquired Nabisco, including the Grey Poupon brand.
In 2000, Amora-Maille was acquired by Unilever and UK trademark rights to Grey Poupon were assumed by it until 2005 when the rights were sold to G Costa & Company Limited, a subsidiary of Associated British Foods. In 2008, Associated British Foods folded G Costa into AB World Foods.[7]
Grey Poupon Dijon and wholegrain mustard are still produced in France for the European markets.[8] Production of Grey Poupon for the American market moved to Holland, Michigan, from Pennsylvania following Kraft Heinz's expansion of its 120-year-old Holland production facility.[9]
Marketing
Advertising
Heublein increased the visibility and name recognition of their mustard brand with a 1980s commercial pointing out that "one can enjoy the finer things of life with white wine mustard without paying high prices", in which a
The commercial spawned a number of variations, often comedic; a 1991 version features
The advertising campaign helped solidify Grey Poupon's status as a product associated with the wealthy; in 1992, Grey Poupon had the strongest correlation between a person's income and whether or not they used the product.[14]
In 2013, Grey Poupon created a new advertisement, playing upon the 1980s commercial, displaying a duel between the driver who took the Grey Poupon jar (played by British actor Frazer Douglas) being chased down by the mustard's original owner (played by American actor Rod McCary).[15] The spot was nominated for an Emmy for best commercial.[16]
Brand extensions
In 2007, Kraft introduced three new specialty mustards under the Grey Poupon brand: a coarse-ground mustard with whole mustard seeds, a spicy brown mustard with diced yellow onions, and a honey mustard with clover honey and spices. Only the coarse ground version remains in production.
In popular culture
The "Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?" commercials have been parodied in many films and TV shows, including
In her semi-autobiographical 1983 novel Heartburn, Nora Ephron's protagonist describes the recipe for an ideal vinaigrette as "mix two tablespoons of Grey Poupon mustard with two tablespoons good redwine vinegar. Then, whisking constantly with a fork, slowly add six tablespoons olive oil, until the vinaigrette is thick and creamy; this makes a very strong vinaigrette that is perfect for salad greens like arugula and watercress and endive."[17]
The Grey Poupon name has appeared frequently in hip-hop and rap lyrics since 1992, when
See also
References
- ISBN 9781892123404.
- ISBN 978-0812976410.
- ^ "-1816 ● Naissance de Maurice Grey, moutardier". Académie des sciences (in French). Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ISBN 9781455609178.
- ^ "Grey Poupon". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). (advertisement). September 28, 1956. p. 4.
- ^ "R.J. REYNOLDS WINS HEUBLEIN". The New York Times. 1982-07-30. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
- ^ "Search for a trade mark - Intellectual Property Office". trademarks.ipo.gov.uk. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
- ^ "Grey Poupon - Brand of Premium French Dijon and Wholegrain Mustard". Grey Poupon UK. Archived from the original on 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
- ^ "Pardon me: Grey Poupon's move to Mich. will add jobs". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2016-05-20.
- ^ Grey Poupon - Train (1984, USA). The Hall of Advertising (Commercial). November 16, 2015. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
- ^ Zuccarello, Francis (2018). Grey Poupon "Son Of Rolls" :30. Vimeo (Commercial). Retrieved August 16, 2019.
- ISBN 978-1-84876-184-1.
- ^ Grey Poupon Squeeze. Smart Advertising (Commercial). January 8, 2009. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
- ^ Ihnat, Gwen (July 12, 2018). "Study: If you favor Jif peanut butter over Skippy, you're probably a conservative". The Takeout. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
- ABC news. February 20, 2013. Archivedfrom the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
- ^ "Ads Up For Emmy For Best Commercial - Business Insider". Business Insider. 18 July 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-84408-517-0.
- ^ Viktor Vaughn – Raedawn, retrieved 2021-01-28
- ^ Campbell, Graeme (13 October 2016). "Here's Why Rappers Love Rhyming About Grey Poupon Mustard". Highsnobiety. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
- ^ KendrickLamarVEVO (30 March 2017), Kendrick Lamar - HUMBLE., archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 31 March 2017
- ^ Caswell, Estelle; Frostenson, Sarah (12 October 2016). "How Grey Poupon became hip-hop's favorite condiment". Vox Media. Retrieved 9 July 2021.