Findus
Encyclopedia
Findus is a company that produces and retails frozen food
. Its products include Crispy Pancakes, which were invented in the early 1970s.
. The name came from Fruit Industries. In 1941, the factory was bought by Marabou
, a Swedish confectionery company. In 1945 Findus launched the first deep frozen food products in Sweden. In 1962, this Findus brand was sold to Nestlé
. In January 2000, it was bought by EQT, a Swedish firm.
Geir Frantzen, a former senior manager at Findus AB, bought out the UK company in April 2005 from EQT. The UK business is now managed by Frantzen and Vidar Engen.
The rest of the Findus business (excluding Italy
and Switzerland
) was bought from EQT in January 2006.
In Italy, the brand is owned by Unilever
which markets a different line of frozen foods common to the Iglo
and Birds Eye
brands in other countries.
In Spain and Portugal the brand has been owned by Ardo, Europe's largest frozen vegetables company, since 2006.
is based on Benton Lane near Longbenton
in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE12 8EF. The A188/189 roundabout is known as the Findus Roundabout, and Findus currently sponsors the town according to several local signs. The company has some notoriety for a famous blooper reel of voice recordings made by Orson Welles
, known as the Frozen Peas
reel.
A cat, delivered in a frozen peas box, is named Findus in a children's books series by Sven Nordqvist
.
Findus were previously sponsors of the former 2nd tier of British ice hockey the British National League
. They also sponsored English football club Grimsby Town
between 1979 and 1984.
Foodvest, listed in the Top Track 100
List of biggest private UK companies, now owns the Findus brand in Europe, notably France, Sweden and Norway, along with the Young's Seafood brand. However, the Findus UK brand was licensed out to a separate firm. Foodvest is now known as the Findus Group, having changed its name on June 8, 2009.
with Zolfo Cooper, who are attempting to sell the business and safeguard the 420 jobs. Foodvest since re-acquired the company.
the Findus brands belongs to Permira
, who acquired it from Unilever, and has its HQ in Cisterna di Latina (south of Rome
), even if the name is Findus the logo and the products are the same as Birds Eye
. A particular range is called "4 Salti in Padella Findus" (literally "four jumps in a pan", Italian for "stir frying
") a very famous microwavable or easy cooking version of classical Italian dishes such as Carbonara, Amatriciana, Bolognese etc.
s coated with breadcrumbs with either minced beef, three cheeses, chicken/bacon/sweetcorn, or chicken curry fillings. Past fillings include cheddar cheese, chicken and bacon (no sweetcorn) and chicken and mushroom (these were phasing out in November 2001 and finally discontinued in 2002).Crispy pancakes, packaged in Britain, are sold in the United Kingdom
, Ireland
, and Italy
. In Italy, they are known as Sofficini and are filled with tomato and mozzarella, mozzarella, spinach and cheese and ham.
Approximately 450,000 Crispy Pancakes were destroyed in a fire at Findus' plant in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK on 6 January 2009.
Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall re-created Findus Crispy Pancakes on his TV show, River Cottage (26 November 2009), although the original recipe was developed by Andrew Othen. Hugh stated in a Times article in 2009 that he loved Findus Crispy Pancakes as a child.
Frozen food
Freezing food preserves it from the time it is prepared to the time it is eaten. Since early times, farmers, fishermen, and trappers have preserved their game and produce in unheated buildings during the winter season. Freezing food slows down decomposition by turning water to ice, making it...
. Its products include Crispy Pancakes, which were invented in the early 1970s.
Origins
A small factory first made the Findus brand in Skåne in SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The name came from Fruit Industries. In 1941, the factory was bought by Marabou
Marabou (chocolate)
Marabou is a Swedish chocolate brand, which has been the most successful ever since it was launched in 1916. The distinctive brand was founded by the Norwegian chocolatier Johan Throne Holst who already had launched the same chocolate recipe in Norway under the name Freia with great...
, a Swedish confectionery company. In 1945 Findus launched the first deep frozen food products in Sweden. In 1962, this Findus brand was sold to Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
. In January 2000, it was bought by EQT, a Swedish firm.
Geir Frantzen, a former senior manager at Findus AB, bought out the UK company in April 2005 from EQT. The UK business is now managed by Frantzen and Vidar Engen.
The rest of the Findus business (excluding Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
) was bought from EQT in January 2006.
In Italy, the brand is owned by Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
which markets a different line of frozen foods common to the Iglo
Iglo
Iglo is one of the Umbrella Brands of the frozen-foods business of Unilever, used mainly in Europe. In the UK, it is known as Birds Eye , and in Italy as Findus....
and Birds Eye
Birds Eye
__FORCETOC__Birds Eye is an international brand of frozen foods owned by Pinnacle Foods in North America and by private equity group Permira in Europe....
brands in other countries.
In Spain and Portugal the brand has been owned by Ardo, Europe's largest frozen vegetables company, since 2006.
Findus UK
The Findus brand in the UKUnited 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...
is based on Benton Lane near Longbenton
Longbenton
Longbenton is a district of North Tyneside, England. It is largely occupied by an extensive estate originally built as municipal housing by Newcastle City Council in the 1950s and 1960s. It is served by the Tyne and Wear Metro stations Longbenton Metro station and Four Lane Ends Metro Station...
in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE12 8EF. The A188/189 roundabout is known as the Findus Roundabout, and Findus currently sponsors the town according to several local signs. The company has some notoriety for a famous blooper reel of voice recordings made by Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
, known as the Frozen Peas
Frozen Peas
Frozen Peas is the colloquial term for a blooper audio clip wherein American filmmaker Orson Welles performs narration for a series of British television advertisements for Findus...
reel.
A cat, delivered in a frozen peas box, is named Findus in a children's books series by Sven Nordqvist
Sven Nordqvist
Sven Nordqvist is a Swedish writer and illustrator of children's books. He is best known for his series Pettson and Findus, about an old farmer, Pettson, and his talented cat, Findus.- Background :...
.
Findus were previously sponsors of the former 2nd tier of British ice hockey the British National League
British National League
The British National League is a defunct second-level professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the...
. They also sponsored English football club Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
between 1979 and 1984.
Foodvest, listed in the Top Track 100
Top Track 100
The Top Track 100 is a list published by British newspaper The Sunday Times each year ranking Britain's top 100 private companies by their turnover over the previous year, from published accounts....
List of biggest private UK companies, now owns the Findus brand in Europe, notably France, Sweden and Norway, along with the Young's Seafood brand. However, the Findus UK brand was licensed out to a separate firm. Foodvest is now known as the Findus Group, having changed its name on June 8, 2009.
Rebrand to Crosse & Blackwell
In 1998, the owners of the Findus brand in the UK, Nestlé, announced they were kill off its Findus brand in the UK and bring the range under the Crosse & Blackwell name. This plan was reversed, however, when Swedish firm EQT ulimately purchased the brand from Nestlé in 1999.2009 fire and administration
On 6 January 2009, a fire broke out at the factory, devastating much of the building. On January 9 Newcastle Production, who run the factory, said that they were having major cash flow problems. The company entered administrationAdministration (insolvency)
As a legal concept, administration is a procedure under the insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions. It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent entities and allows them to carry on running their business. The process – an alternative to liquidation – is often known as going...
with Zolfo Cooper, who are attempting to sell the business and safeguard the 420 jobs. Foodvest since re-acquired the company.
Findus Italy
In ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
the Findus brands belongs to Permira
Permira
Permira is a United Kingdom-based private equity firm with global reach. The firm advises funds with a total committed capital of approximately €20 billion....
, who acquired it from Unilever, and has its HQ in Cisterna di Latina (south of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
), even if the name is Findus the logo and the products are the same as Birds Eye
Birds Eye
__FORCETOC__Birds Eye is an international brand of frozen foods owned by Pinnacle Foods in North America and by private equity group Permira in Europe....
. A particular range is called "4 Salti in Padella Findus" (literally "four jumps in a pan", Italian for "stir frying
Stir frying
Stir frying is an umbrella term used to describe two Chinese cooking techniques for preparing food in a wok: chǎo and bào . The term stir-fry was introduced into the English language by Buwei Yang Chao, in her book How to Cook and Eat in Chinese, to describe the chǎo technique...
") a very famous microwavable or easy cooking version of classical Italian dishes such as Carbonara, Amatriciana, Bolognese etc.
Crispy Pancakes
Crispy Pancakes is the name of a brand of frozen savoury pancakePancake
A pancake is a thin, flat, round cake prepared from a batter, and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. Most pancakes are quick breads; some use a yeast-raised or fermented batter. Most pancakes are cooked one side on a griddle and flipped partway through to cook the other side...
s coated with breadcrumbs with either minced beef, three cheeses, chicken/bacon/sweetcorn, or chicken curry fillings. Past fillings include cheddar cheese, chicken and bacon (no sweetcorn) and chicken and mushroom (these were phasing out in November 2001 and finally discontinued in 2002).Crispy pancakes, packaged in Britain, are sold in the United Kingdom
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...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. In Italy, they are known as Sofficini and are filled with tomato and mozzarella, mozzarella, spinach and cheese and ham.
Approximately 450,000 Crispy Pancakes were destroyed in a fire at Findus' plant in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK on 6 January 2009.
Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall re-created Findus Crispy Pancakes on his TV show, River Cottage (26 November 2009), although the original recipe was developed by Andrew Othen. Hugh stated in a Times article in 2009 that he loved Findus Crispy Pancakes as a child.