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 A bowl of Weetabix | |
| Product type | Breakfast cereal |
|---|---|
| Owner | Post Holdings |
| Produced by | Weetabix Limited |
| Country | UK |
| Introduced | 1932; 93 years ago (1932) |
| Markets | UK |
| Website | weetabix.co.uk |
Weetabix is abreakfast cereal produced byWeetabix Limited in theUnited Kingdom. It comes in the form of palm-sized (approx. 9.5 cm × 5.0 cm or 4" × 2") wheatbiscuits. Variants includeorganic and Weetabix Crispy Minis (bite-sized) versions.[1][2] The UK cereal is manufactured inBurton Latimer,Northamptonshire, and exported to over 80 countries.[3] Weetabix for Canada and the United States is manufactured inCobourg,Ontario, in both organic and conventional versions.
Weetabix is made fromwhole-grainwheat. UK Weetabix has 3.8g offibre in a 37.5g serving (2 biscuits) (10.1% by weight).[4] The product sold inCanada and theU.S. has 4g of fibre in a 35g serving (11.4% by weight).[5]
Produced in the UK since 1932, Weetabix is the British version of the original AustralianWeet-Bix. Both Weet-Bix and Weetabix were invented by Bennison Osborne, an Australian. Weet-Bix was introduced in Australia by the company "Grain Products Limited" in the mid-1920s, with funding from businessman Arthur Shannon and marketing assistance from Osborne's New Zealand friend Malcolm Macfarlane.
To both Osborne's and Macfarlane's disappointment, Grain Products sold both its Australian company (in 1928) and its New Zealand company (in 1930), to theSanitarium Health Foods Company. Osborne and Macfarlane then went to South Africa where Arthur Shannon, the owner of Grain Products, funded another Weet-Bix factory. Osborne modified his Weet-Bix recipe and, with Macfarlane, obtained private funding and began the development of a new company, The British and African Cereal Company Limited. He named the new company's product Weetabix. The company commenced business in England in 1932 in an unusedgristmill atBurton Latimer, nearKettering.[6] In 1936, the name of the company was changed to Weetabix Limited.
Weet-Bix is currently marketed inAustralasia by Sanitarium and in South Africa by Bokomo. Imported Weetabix is rechristened "Whole Wheat Biscuits" in Australia,[7] probably to avoid confusion with Weet-Bix. The product was introduced to Canada in 1967, when Weetabix Limited began exporting the product toCanada, and to theUnited States in 1968.[8]
On 3 May 2012,Bright Food announced it was taking a 60% stake in Weetabix in a deal that valued the company at £1.2bn.[9]Baring Private Equity Asia acquired the remaining 40% from Lion Capital in 2015. On 18 April 2017, it was announced that the American companyPost Holdings would buy the company from Bright Food.[10]
In British advertising in the 1980s, Weetabixanthropomorphized the biscuits, representing a group of "street-wise" young teens, beginning as "skinheads". Their appearances on the packaging and associated publicity featured various catchphrases. The lead Weetabix known officially as "Dunk" was voiced byBob Hoskins.[11]
During the 1990s, the brand was advertised with the slogan "Have you had your Weetabix?", based on the idea that someone who had eaten Weetabix would be filled with unbeatable strength and energy, causing those who oppose them to flee out of self-preservation. This was used to humorous effect in a variety of adverts re-imagining the outcome of fairy tales and historic events. In 2017, the campaign was reintroduced, with a reference to the English fairy taleJack and the Beanstalk with actors Isaac Benn portraying Jack, and Christopher Brand, the Giant. The giant states: "Fee fi fo fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman", with Jack responding: "Fee fi fo fix, I’ve just had my Weetabix", resulting in the giant quickly leaving the room.[12]
Weetabix was the title sponsor of theWomen's British Open golf tournament for two decades, from 1987 until2006. It became a women'smajor golf championship in2001.
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Weetabix Crispy Minis are a sweeter "bite-size" version of the standard Weetabix biscuits, with various additions depending upon the variety. As of 2020, the varieties available in the UK are "chocolate", "banana" and "fruit &nut".[1]
The bitesize versions of Weetabix have been renamed several times since their original launch. Previously, they were known as "Frutibix",[13] "Bananabix"[13] and "Chocobix" (depending upon the additions), later as "Minibix", then as "Weetabix Minis".[14]
Organic versions of Weetabix are sold in various countries.
Weetabix launched a chocolate-powder infused version of the original Weetabix in the UK in July 2010 in a 24 pack size.
A smaller-sized Weetabix biscuit with cocoa and chocolate chips.
A sweeter form of the Weetabix biscuit which is baked withgolden syrup.
A banana-flavoured version of Weetabix.
A version with added wheatgluten protein granules was introduced in the UK in April 2016, available in three forms, the standard biscuit shapes, as well as regular and chocolate flavour "Crunch" pipe shapes.
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Oatibix is abreakfast cereal that was introduced in theUnited Kingdom in August 2006. It was invented byWeetabix Limited. It is similar to Weetabix, but is based on whole grain oats instead of wheat.
Available in three delicious flavours [..] Chocolate Chip [..] Fruit and Nut [..] Banana
there's now an even bigger range of Weetabix cereals for you to try, including Weetabix, Weetabix Gold, Weetabix Minis and Weetabix Organic.
Weetabix [..] is extending its product range with the pounds 10m launch of banana-flavoured cereal Bananabix. The new brand is the first for Weetabix since it introduced Frutibix in 1997.
Cereals in the Range [..] Weetabix Minis Chocolate Crisp, Weetabix Minis Fruit & Nut Crisp, Weetabix Minis Honey & Nut Crisp
| Post Consumer Brands |  | |
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| Weetabix Ltd. | ||
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