Strauss-Elite
Encyclopedia
Strauss Group Ltd. formerly known as Strauss-Elite , is a food
products manufacturer in Israel
. It is the shared trademark of two companies - Strauss and Elite, that merged in 2004. Strauss focuses mostly on dairy product
s while Elite focuses on chocolate
, coffee
, and dry snack food
s.
Jewish immigrants from Nieder-Olm
who moved to Nahariya
at the time of the British Mandate of Palestine. At first, the milking business wasn't successful enough so they started making cheese, which did become successful. In the 1950s, Strauss grew and began focusing on ice cream products, with about 50 employees in their Nahariya factory.
In 1969, after Groupe Danone
purchased a part of the company's ownership, Strauss expanded from ice cream manufacture and began producing puddings and other individual packaged dairy desserts, the most popular of which was "Dani" and about 15 years later, "Milky". In 1975, Michael Strauss, son of the founders, became the CEO
of the company.
In 1995, the company went into the prepared salads business. The Strauss hummus
brand, "Achla", became very popular in Israel. In 1997, the company purchased 50% of the ownership of the Yotvata
dairy. The same year, Strauss purchased Elite and grew to over 7000 employees and a US$1 billion/year turnover (though the formal merger between the companies occurred only in 2004). In 2001, Ofra Strauss
, Michael's daughter, became the CEO
of the company.
Strauss was labeled by the Israel AntiTrust Authority as a monopoly
in 2004, a status that essentially places the company under government regulation limiting the way it can change the price of its products to protect the consumer and smaller competitors.
, in Riga. In 1933, after the Nazis came to power, Fromenchenko sold Laima and immigrated to Palestine
, bought property in Ramat Gan and opened Elite. Production began in the spring of 1934, with the first product reaching the stores in time for Passover
. The most popular brand was Shokolad Para
(cow chocolate), whose name came from the image of the cow on the packaging. As the company grew, factories were opened in Safed
and Nazareth Illit
. In 1958, Elite launched Israel's first coffee company. Its major competition both for chocolates and coffee was Lieber, which it bought out in March 1970.
The Israeli snack food market had been traditionally divided by Elite in the sweets market and Osem
in the salty market. In 1991, Elite decided to expand by entering the salty snack market by establishing a new factory in Sderot
and specifically producing 'Shush', a copy of the Bamba snack
, the most popular snack in Israel made by Osem. Elite became the local licensee of Frito-Lay
products, producing the best-selling brand 'Tapuchips'. Later, Elite started selling coffee outside of Israel, especially in Europe
and South America
. The initiative, Café 3 Corações, did not reach its objectives, but it signaled Elite's start as an international company.
Similar to Strauss, Elite was also labeled a monopoly by the Israel AntiTrust Authority, in Elite's case the instant coffee
, black coffee
and chocolate
fields. In 2006, Elite paid 5 million NIS to the country without admitting to these allegations.
Strauss Ice Cream is not included in the Strauss Group portfolio and has remained under private ownership, with 51% of the company owned by Unilever
, and 49% owned by the Strauss family. Strauss ice creams are marketed under Unilever
's "Heartbrand" in Israel and North America
(the latter as a concession to the brand's kosher
certification and the substantial observant Jewish market in the US and Canada).
It owns the Max Brenner
chain of chocolate cafes, with stores in Australia
, Israel
, United States
, Philippines
and Singapore
.
In 2005, Strauss-Elite acquired control of the New York
-based Sabra
food producing company.
In December 2005, Strauss-Elite merged its coffee activity with Santa Clara Indústria e Comércio de Alimentos in Brazil
. The merged company, Santa Clara Participações, is the second largest coffee manufacturer in Brazil.
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
products manufacturer in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. It is the shared trademark of two companies - Strauss and Elite, that merged in 2004. Strauss focuses mostly on dairy product
Dairy product
Dairy products are generally defined as foods produced from cow's or domestic buffalo's milk. They are usually high-energy-yielding food products. A production plant for such processing is called a dairy or a dairy factory. Raw milk for processing comes mainly from cows, and, to a lesser extent,...
s while Elite focuses on chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
, coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, and dry snack food
Snack food
A snack is a portion of food oftentimes smaller than that of a regular meal, that is generally eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged and processed foods and items made from fresh ingredients at home....
s.
History of Strauss
Strauss was founded in the 1930's as a commercial dairy by Richard and Hilda Strauss, GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Jewish immigrants from Nieder-Olm
Nieder-Olm
Nieder-Olm is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Until 5 November 2006 it was an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – but it was raised to town the next day...
who moved to Nahariya
Nahariya
Nahariya is the northernmost coastal city in Israel, with an estimated population of 51,200.-History:Nahariya was founded by German Jewish immigrants from the Fifth Aliyah in the 1930s...
at the time of the British Mandate of Palestine. At first, the milking business wasn't successful enough so they started making cheese, which did become successful. In the 1950s, Strauss grew and began focusing on ice cream products, with about 50 employees in their Nahariya factory.
In 1969, after Groupe Danone
Groupe Danone
Groupe Danone is a French food-products multinational corporation based in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. It claims world leadership in fresh dairy products, marketed under the corporate name, and also in bottled water...
purchased a part of the company's ownership, Strauss expanded from ice cream manufacture and began producing puddings and other individual packaged dairy desserts, the most popular of which was "Dani" and about 15 years later, "Milky". In 1975, Michael Strauss, son of the founders, became the CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of the company.
In 1995, the company went into the prepared salads business. The Strauss hummus
Hummus
Hummus is high in iron and vitamin C and also has significant amounts of folate and vitamin B6. The chickpeas make it a good source of protein and dietary fiber; the tahini consists mostly of sesame seeds, which are an excellent source of the amino acid methionine, complementing the proteins in the...
brand, "Achla", became very popular in Israel. In 1997, the company purchased 50% of the ownership of the Yotvata
Yotvata
-External links:*...
dairy. The same year, Strauss purchased Elite and grew to over 7000 employees and a US$1 billion/year turnover (though the formal merger between the companies occurred only in 2004). In 2001, Ofra Strauss
Ofra Strauss
Ofra Strauss is an Israeli businesswoman. She is the Chairwoman of the Management Board of The Strauss Group, Israel's second largest food producer....
, Michael's daughter, became the CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of the company.
Strauss was labeled by the Israel AntiTrust Authority as a monopoly
Monopolization
The term monopolization refers to an offense under Section 2 of the American Sherman Antitrust Act, passed in 1890. Section 2 states that any person "who shall monopolize . ....
in 2004, a status that essentially places the company under government regulation limiting the way it can change the price of its products to protect the consumer and smaller competitors.
History of Elite
Eliyahu Fromenchenko (also spelled Fromchenko), a Russian Jew, with his family launched a candy business in 1918 after preparing confections in his home kitchen. Fleeing the economic and political chaos that followed the rise of Communism in the Soviet Union, he moved to Latvia and founded a new company, LaimaLaima (confectioner)
Laima is the largest producer of confectionery in Latvia. Its headquarters are in Riga. It is named for Laima, the feminine deity of fate in Latvian mythology.- Company history :...
, in Riga. In 1933, after the Nazis came to power, Fromenchenko sold Laima and immigrated to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, bought property in Ramat Gan and opened Elite. Production began in the spring of 1934, with the first product reaching the stores in time for Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
. The most popular brand was Shokolad Para
Shokolad Para
Cow Chocolate is an Israeli brand of chocolate products produced by the Israeli candy and coffee products manufacturer Elite.The product was initially produced in 1934 during the British Mandate for Palestine under the name "Shamnunit"...
(cow chocolate), whose name came from the image of the cow on the packaging. As the company grew, factories were opened in Safed
Safed
Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...
and Nazareth Illit
Nazareth Illit
Nazareth Illit is a city in the North District of Israel. At the end of 2007 it had a population of 40,800.Nazareth Illit was founded in the 1950s. Foundations were laid in 1954 and first residents moved in two years later...
. In 1958, Elite launched Israel's first coffee company. Its major competition both for chocolates and coffee was Lieber, which it bought out in March 1970.
The Israeli snack food market had been traditionally divided by Elite in the sweets market and Osem
Osem (company)
Osem Investments Ltd. is one of the largest food manufacturers and distributors in Israel.The group is majority owned by Nestlé S.A...
in the salty market. In 1991, Elite decided to expand by entering the salty snack market by establishing a new factory in Sderot
Sderot
Sderot is a western Negev city in the Southern District of Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 20,700. The city has been an ongoing target of Qassam rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip...
and specifically producing 'Shush', a copy of the Bamba snack
Bamba snack
Bamba is a peanut butter-flavored snack manufactured by the Osem corporation in Holon, IsraelBamba is one of the leading snack foods produced and sold in Israel. It has been marketed since 1963 with no decline in sales. Bamba makes up 25% of the Israeli snack market...
, the most popular snack in Israel made by Osem. Elite became the local licensee of Frito-Lay
Frito-Lay
Frito-Lay North America is the division of PepsiCo that manufactures, markets and sells corn chips, potato chips and other snack foods. The primary snack food brands produced under the Frito-Lay name include Fritos corn chips, Cheetos cheese-flavored snacks, Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips,...
products, producing the best-selling brand 'Tapuchips'. Later, Elite started selling coffee outside of Israel, especially in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. The initiative, Café 3 Corações, did not reach its objectives, but it signaled Elite's start as an international company.
Similar to Strauss, Elite was also labeled a monopoly by the Israel AntiTrust Authority, in Elite's case the instant coffee
Instant coffee
Instant coffee, also called soluble coffee and coffee powder, is a beverage derived from brewed coffee beans. Instant coffee is commercially prepared by either freeze-drying or spray drying, after which it can be rehydrated...
, black coffee
Black Coffee
Black coffee may refer to:* Coffee, served as a beverage without cream or milk-Music:* "Black Coffee" , written by Sonny Burke, the lyrics by Paul Francis Webster* Black Coffee , 1956...
and chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
fields. In 2006, Elite paid 5 million NIS to the country without admitting to these allegations.
History since merger
Strauss and Elite merged in 2004 under the name "Strauss-Elite". In 2007, they renamed the entire company to Strauss.Strauss Ice Cream is not included in the Strauss Group portfolio and has remained under private ownership, with 51% of the company 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....
, and 49% owned by the Strauss family. Strauss ice creams are marketed under 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....
's "Heartbrand" in Israel and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
(the latter as a concession to the brand's kosher
Kashrut
Kashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér , meaning "fit" Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus) is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed...
certification and the substantial observant Jewish market in the US and Canada).
International activity
Strauss-Elite is the largest coffee company in Central and Eastern Europe.It owns the Max Brenner
Max Brenner
Max Brenner is an Israeli chocolate shop chain. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Strauss Group, Israel’s second-largest food and beverage company. Max Brenner chocolates are marketed as "Chocolate by the Bald Man."-History:...
chain of chocolate cafes, with stores in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
In 2005, Strauss-Elite acquired control of the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
-based Sabra
Sabra (company)
Sabra Dipping Company, LLC is a U.S.-based company which produces Middle Eastern Style-style food products, including hummus, eggplant dip, baba ghanoush, and Mediterranean salsa. All Sabra products are certified kosher and vegetarian, and are available throughout the U.S. and Canada...
food producing company.
In December 2005, Strauss-Elite merged its coffee activity with Santa Clara Indústria e Comércio de Alimentos in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. The merged company, Santa Clara Participações, is the second largest coffee manufacturer in Brazil.