Vegemite celebrates its 100th anniversary of production. Image credit: Roman Kalyakin, Flickr.
The iconic Australian spread, Vegemite, celebrates its 100th anniversary with a new collectable item.
The brand is releasing 1,000 mini silver replicas of Vegemite toast to the public, which is expected to become a popular piece for collectors.
The one-ounce toast is made from fine silver and features the Vegemite logo and the dates 1923–2023 imprinted on the front.
The item pays homage to the lasting success of the spread that claims to “taste like Australia”.
In 1923, food technologist and chemist Dr Cyril P. Callister was brought in by businessman Fred Walker to create an imitation of Britain’s Marmite.
Dr Callister’s grandson, Jamie Callister, set out to learn more about his story and wrote a biography that was published in May.
“Over the course of the year, through trial and error, he came up with what we know as Vegemite,” said Jamie Callister.
“Today marks the 100-year anniversary of the first jar of his creation coming off the production line.”
While there was a lot of anticipation for the product’s launch, it failed to meet expectations and was a “complete dud”.
Jamie Callister said this was a testament to his grandfather’s personality and his refusal to give up.
“They (Callister and Walker) had incredible perseverance and integrity and were an incredible partnership.”
Dr Callister began experimenting with cheese throughout the 1920s to 30s, which was an “absolute runaway success” according to Jamie.
“Fred had a stroke of genius and said, ‘if we can’t sell Vegemite, let’s give away a small jar with every block of cheese’ and the people just loved it.”
The rest of the family are just as proud of Dr Cyril Callister’s legacy.
“This isn’t our story, it’s Australia’s story,” said the Vegemite grandchildren.
The collectable item will be released on the Vegemite online store at 9:00am AEDT on 26 October for $199.95 each.
