Amora Maille Societe Industrielle, also written as Amora-Maille, is a French company and brand that manufactures

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to enhance the Flavoring, flavour, to complement the dish or to impart a specific flavor. Such specific flavors generally add sweetness or pungency, or sharp or piquant ...

s. The company is a subsidiary of

Unilever Unilever PLC () is a British multinational consumer packaged goods company headquartered in London, England. It was founded on 2 September 1929 following the merger of Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie with British soap maker Lever B ...

and the leading condiment maker in France. The company operates two major brands, Amora and Maille.

History

Amora Maille was formerly headquartered in Dijon, France. In 1999, the company had around 1,000 employees and operated plants in the communes of

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

, Chevigny, Appoigny, Carvin and Vitrolles. The company also had a sales operation in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

at the time. A mustard museum was located at the Amora Maille plant in Dijon. In 1999, Amora Maille was acquired by the multinational consumer goods company

. Unilever paid $739.3 million for the company, equivalent to 460 million pounds or 716.5 million euros. The company was sold by a division of the French banking group Paribas SA, the Paribas Affaires Industrielles LBO Fund, and several other investors. The acquisition was estimated to increase Unilever's share of the European culinary market from 9% to 12%. The site now produces all the Amora and Maille mustard sold in France and around the world. The gherkins sold under the Amora and Maille brands, which have always been harvested in Yonne, have come from China or India since the year 2000. In 2008, Amora Maille announced that it was closing three of its plants in Dijon, laying off more than half of their workers, and concentrating their operations in Chevigny. The Dijon plant closed in 2009, some production was exported to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, and as of 2018 part of the company's production takes place in Chevigny-Saint-Sauveur.

Products

Dijon mustard, 220px, thumb The company operates two major brands, Amora and Maille. The Amora brand sells mustard, ketchup, bouillon, salad dressing, and seasonings. The Maille brand sells mustard, sauces, olive oil, and vinegar. Its mustard is considered a strong and pungent one, compared to other Dijon mustards.

Controversies

In August 2018, foodwatch (a European

advocacy group Advocacy groups, also known as lobby groups, interest groups, special interest groups, pressure groups, or public associations, use various forms of advocacy or lobbying to influence public opinion and ultimately public policy. They play an impor ...

focused on

consumer rights Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent businesse ...

), accused Amora of false advertising for its "Mustard Vinaigrette" salad dressing product, which was found to contain only 0.7% mustard and mustard seeds not sourced from Dijon.

References

Food and drink companies of France French brands Mustard brands Unilever brands Brand name condiments Condiment companies Companies based in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté {{condiment-stub

History

Products

Controversies

See also

References