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Oh, to be entranced, enhanced by this magical substance. Marigold Swiss Vegetable Bouillon has been around for over 45 years rescuing many meals such as soups, stews and casseroles from blandness and mediocrity.

The original recipe was created by Isaak Mansk, aka Lucien Berg, a passionate vegetarian, food writer and novelist. His vision was for an instant non-meat alternative. He discovered a manufacturer in Switzerland who designed an aromatic golden powder which they called “Bouillon” (not a common term in this country in those days and often confused with that other precious stuff).

Having found this treasure, Isaak had to find a way of getting the bouillon to the masses. From a garage in Hampstead, he sent out a dozen lines to health food stores in southern England, packing the bouillon powder on the kitchen table.

Building upon the success of the bouillon range, Marigold expands its offer to include Braised Tofu, a traditionally-made vegan delicacy from the Far East.

Marigold’s distribution business thrives as the team, warehouse, product range and list of customers grow.  Marigold establishes itself as the leading UK wholesaler of vegetarian and vegan natural foods to the independent health food trade.

Responding to the ever-increasing demand for nutritious and tasty vegan food, Marigold Engevita® Nutritional Yeast Flakes are launched – adding a flavour boost to the vegan diet.

On its distribution side, Marigold supports brand after independent brand to launch into the growing UK natural and organic food market. The product offer and retail customer lists happily expand.

Things changed radically when in 2003 a well-known cook called Delia proclaimed in her book, “The Winter Collection,” that a pot of Marigold Bouillon Powder was an essential for every store cupboard. It was then that the supermarkets came knocking and suddenly Marigold became available on nearly every high street. Many other celebrity chefs known only by their first names (think Nigella) have since endorsed it.

The original recipe in the green tub is still the star of the family. The label shows a relatively high content of sea salt (44%) in the dry product but when correctly diluted this reduces to about 2% of the liquid. 'Reduced Salt’ variants have been developed; the grey-labelled organic and the purple-labelled non-organic.

Following the success of the original Engevita® Nutritional Yeast Flakes, Marigold launches the B12 version with the same great taste but fortified with this essential vitamin often lacking in the vegan diet. To accompany the ever-popular bouillon, Marigold Organic Gravy Powder hits the shop shelves and kitchen counters. Roast dinners have never tasted so good…

Marigold products can be found in independent health food shops such as Whole Foods Market and Planet Organic and quality convenience stores. Various versions of the bouillon are found in Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Ocado, Booths and some Marks & Spencer stores.

A popular feature of the bouillon powder is its “spoonability” compared to a cube. It is so easy to add to taste. As well as being the secret weapon of the kitchen, true to its altruistic roots, Marigold bouillon has supported many projects both in the developing world and at home. It’s simply a loving spoonful.

Over forty years, Marigold has grown from 3 people to a team of over 120 people. As well as selling our own brand, Marigold became a leading distributor of over 4,000 lines of natural and organic vegetarian foods, supplying over 500 shops every week.

At the end of September 2019, a fire destroyed our north London home (warehouse and offices). The wider distribution of other lines primarily stops as a much smaller team focuses on the Marigold brand.

Bouillon and gravy fly off the shelves: Marigold is fortunate to be able to meet the increase in demand for home cooking ingredients during the Covid-19 lockdown periods.

Veganism continues to grow as people become more aware of the positive impact on the environment, animal welfare and a healthier diet. After supplying Engevita® Nutritional Yeast Flakes for over 30 years, Marigold experiences unprecedented demand for this staple of the vegan diet.

Due to a strong desire to become more sustainable, Marigold moves its production to the UK. The move allows for recipe improvement.  Great effort is made to maintain the original taste profiles but Marigold can now be declared a completely vegan company. Palm oil is removed from the bouillon and cube range with gravy to follow.