Butterkist
Encyclopedia
Butterkist is the United Kingdom
's best selling brand of popcorn
, with around 40% of the £90 million market.
, United States
under the brand of Butter-Kist. As their business developed, vendors began buying popcorn machines and the brand began to spread. In 1938 Butter-Kist machines made their way to the UK via an unknown route, developing the brand as in the United States through sales to cinema
audiences. During World War II
, the brand developed quickly, thanks to the many United States Army
personnel stationed in the UK ready for the invasion of Europe.
After WW2, Craven Keiller developed a factory in York
to sell Butterkist branded popcorn direct to cinema chains. As many items were rationed in the UK post WW2, but the basic ingredients of Butterkist were not, the brand developed into the UK's lead selling popcorn brand. The sales of the brand then followed the development and decline in cinema audiences, so that after the boom of the 1950s and 1980s, by 1998 sales were on another downturn and Craven Keiller sold the brand to Cadbury Trebor Bassett, which in 2000 merged the brand into its Monkhill Confectionery subsidiary and moved production to Pontefract
, West Yorkshire
.
As part of its development strategy selling off non-core brands, from April 2006 Cadbury Schweppes
put Monkhill into a group of non-core brands it would review putting up for sale, and from June 2007 appointed investment bankers Investec to review the sale of Monkhill Confectionery, and its best selling brand Butterkist.
Butterkist, along with other Monkhill brands, was sold to Tangerine Confectionery
in February 2008
Having for many years used the chant
logo "Butterkist, Butterkist, Ra ra ra!" the brand is currently marketed under a comedic
slant of "Butterkist: the fun's never done..." and tying up with cartoon family The Simpsons
from mid-2006.
Presently, approximately 5,000 tonnes of Butterkist are produced each year. The red Butterkist bag is sold exclusively in the UK, and is available to buy in cinemas as well as supermarkets and independent retailers. The Butterkist range includes 25g, 50g, 100g, and 200g (the most popular item in the range), individual bags, a 350g plastic tub, and a 6 x 30g multipack for the toffee variant, and 120g Bags and 250g Tubs for the Cinema sweet and 80g Salted bag. Butterkist Toffee popcorn is suitable for vegetarians (but not vegans), while Butterkist Cinema sweet popcorn and Salted popcorn is suitable for both vegetarians and vegans. Butterkist is also available as a take home, microwave packs in Salted, sweet and butter variants.
According to The Grocer Magazine, Chocolate popcorn will be launched sometime in September 2010, and will be launched by Palmer & Harvey's Sweetdirect van sales division.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's best selling brand of popcorn
Popcorn
Popcorn, or popping corn, is corn which expands from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Corn is able to pop because, like sorghum, quinoa and millet, its kernels have a hard moisture-sealed hull and a dense starchy interior. This allows pressure to build inside the kernel until an explosive...
, with around 40% of the £90 million market.
History
In 1914, Fred Hoke and James Holcomb begin to sell popcorn machines in KentuckyKentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
under the brand of Butter-Kist. As their business developed, vendors began buying popcorn machines and the brand began to spread. In 1938 Butter-Kist machines made their way to the UK via an unknown route, developing the brand as in the United States through sales to cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
audiences. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the brand developed quickly, thanks to the many United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
personnel stationed in the UK ready for the invasion of Europe.
After WW2, Craven Keiller developed a factory in York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
to sell Butterkist branded popcorn direct to cinema chains. As many items were rationed in the UK post WW2, but the basic ingredients of Butterkist were not, the brand developed into the UK's lead selling popcorn brand. The sales of the brand then followed the development and decline in cinema audiences, so that after the boom of the 1950s and 1980s, by 1998 sales were on another downturn and Craven Keiller sold the brand to Cadbury Trebor Bassett, which in 2000 merged the brand into its Monkhill Confectionery subsidiary and moved production to Pontefract
Pontefract
Pontefract is an historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Traditionally in the West Riding, near the A1 , the M62 motorway and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
.
As part of its development strategy selling off non-core brands, from April 2006 Cadbury Schweppes
Cadbury Schweppes
Cadbury is a confectionery company owned by Kraft Foods and is the industry's second-largest globally after Mars, Incorporated. Headquartered in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom, the company operates in more than 50 countries worldwide....
put Monkhill into a group of non-core brands it would review putting up for sale, and from June 2007 appointed investment bankers Investec to review the sale of Monkhill Confectionery, and its best selling brand Butterkist.
Butterkist, along with other Monkhill brands, was sold to Tangerine Confectionery
Tangerine Confectionery
Tangerine Confectionery is a British confectionery company with its headquarters in Blackpool, Lancashire.It has grown, since 2006, through acquisitions into one of the largest independent confectionery companies in Europe and the fourth largest sweet maker in the United Kingdom.-History:In January...
in February 2008
Marketing
After being dropped by various cinema brands in the 1990s, the brand was realigned to the growing home cinema market, with a 350g family sized tub launched with a link to family cinema review site popcorn.co.uk in 2000 in a program run by advertising agency Market Tiers 4DC, before the brand was completely relaunched in 2005, using a heart logo to (quote) "symbolise Britain's love of the Butterkist brand."Having for many years used the chant
Chant
Chant is the rhythmic speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes to highly complex musical structures Chant (from French chanter) is the rhythmic speaking or singing...
logo "Butterkist, Butterkist, Ra ra ra!" the brand is currently marketed under a comedic
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
slant of "Butterkist: the fun's never done..." and tying up with cartoon family The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
from mid-2006.
Presently, approximately 5,000 tonnes of Butterkist are produced each year. The red Butterkist bag is sold exclusively in the UK, and is available to buy in cinemas as well as supermarkets and independent retailers. The Butterkist range includes 25g, 50g, 100g, and 200g (the most popular item in the range), individual bags, a 350g plastic tub, and a 6 x 30g multipack for the toffee variant, and 120g Bags and 250g Tubs for the Cinema sweet and 80g Salted bag. Butterkist Toffee popcorn is suitable for vegetarians (but not vegans), while Butterkist Cinema sweet popcorn and Salted popcorn is suitable for both vegetarians and vegans. Butterkist is also available as a take home, microwave packs in Salted, sweet and butter variants.
According to The Grocer Magazine, Chocolate popcorn will be launched sometime in September 2010, and will be launched by Palmer & Harvey's Sweetdirect van sales division.