15/07/2025
Some interesting facts
The Story of Bovril🦉
Bovril began in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War, when Napoleon III needed a million cans of beef to feed his troops. The task was given to John Lawson Johnston, a Scottish butcher living in Canada. Since transporting fresh beef was impractical, Johnston created a concentrated beef extract called “Johnston’s Fluid Beef.” This was the origin of what would become Bovril.
The name Bovril comes from combining bos (Latin for ox) with vril, a fictional life force from Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s 1871 novel The Coming Race. The product quickly gained popularity in Britain. By 1888, it was being sold in more than 3000 pubs, grocers, and chemists. The Bovril Company was officially formed in 1889.
Bovril was widely used during World War I, both by soldiers in the trenches and in field hospitals. In the book Not So Quiet… Stepdaughters of War, Bovril is described being prepared for the wounded during the Battle of Mons, even while under shellfire.
In civilian life, Bovril became associated with British football. For decades, it has been served as a hot beef drink at stadiums to keep fans warm during winter matches. It also featured on Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance expedition to Antarctica, where it was one of the few hot drinks available while the crew was stranded on Elephant Island.
When John Lawson Johnston died, his son George Lawson Johnston took over the business. In 1929, George was made Baron Luke of Pavenham.
Bovril continued to expand its product line, releasing an instant beef stock in 1966 and the “King of Beef” range in 1971. That same year, it was bought by Cavenham Foods, and eventually became part of the Unilever portfolio.
One of Bovril’s most memorable early advertisements featured Pope Leo XIII holding a mug of the drink. The slogan boldly claimed:
“The Two Infallible Powers – The Pope & Bovril.”
Bovril has a long and unusual history, but personally, I don’t like it. Same goes for Marmite.
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