Vegemite is an iconic and distinctively Australian food product, released in 1923 when the dark-brown yeast-based spread was released into the market. It was inspired by a shortage of the British based Marmite spread during and immediately following World War One. So food technologist, Cyril Callister, was given a brief to produce a tasty spread for toast and sandwiches based on yeast extract obtained from the waste product of breweries. After considerable experimentation, Callister created a dark, delicious and readily "spreadable" paste that was long-lasting and rich in Vitamin B.
Vegemite hit the shelves in 1923, but the product did not sell well, competing against the long-established "Marmite". So a brand re-launch was tried in 1928 – called "Parwill", with the advertising tag: "If Marmite, then Parwill", but this did not help sales.
A turning point came in 1937 when substantial prizes were offered in a limerick competition. As a result, the product was renamed Vegemite again, and the brand went national. In 1939 when the British Medical Journal endorsed Vegemite as a healthy product, rich in Vitamin B and nutritionally balanced, it was the impetus for marketing it as beneficial. It received a considerable boost during World War Two when the Armed Forces purchased bulk supplies because of its long-lasting and nutritional characteristics.
By the end of the War, Vegemite was established as an Australian food staple, enhanced during the 1950s by a highly effective television marketing campaign showing several children marching, dancing and singing to an infectious jingle called "Happy Little Vegemites". This phrase became part of the Australian idiom, with groups of contented, cheerful people often described as "happy little Vegemites".
