The global food and beverage (F&B) industry is valued at $9.79t (€8.3 tn). It’s a growing sector that’s expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.75% over the next five years, reaching $11.78 trillion (€10 tn) in 2031, data from Mordor Intelligence shows.
However, being a start-up in today’s climate is a tough ask, with statistics, headlines and anecdotes about failing businesses all too common. Navigating the cost-of-living crisis, macroeconomic issues, supply chain disruptions, a highly fragmented competitive environment and evolving consumer demands in F&B’s highly regulated and industrial landscape is a considerable challenge.
“The food and drink industry is brutally hard,” Vhari Russell, founder of Food Marketing Experts, says. “The margins are tight, the buyers are demanding, the logistics are relentless and the competition never sleeps,” Russell said.
For start-ups and scaling brands, inspiration and strategic ideas can come from those brands that have come before, and have enjoyed longevity. F&B brands that started from the ground up and have gone on to have centuries-long businesses.
So, what does it take to be a successful and long-standing F&B brand in today’s market?
Finding the ‘success’ formula:
Long-term F&B success is down to a mix of consistency, adaptability and emotional connection. “You obviously need a great product—but that alone isn’t enough,” Julie Johnson, president of consumer behaviour company, HealthFocus International, says.
Be passionate about what you do
Enduring brands are often led by people who genuinely love what they do and are driven by both purpose and profit. Many of the oldest global brands started life — and, for many, have remained — family-run businesses.
They care about their products, people, and the impact of their business. “That passion is not a soft asset; it is the single most important ingredient in the long-term recipe,” says Russell.
The brands that last are the ones built by people who believed in something deeply enough to keep believing in it even when it was hard. “The conviction has to come from within,” Russell adds. All the other elements, including the strategy, marketing, distribution, and retailer relationships, are craft skills that can be learned and developed.
Stay true to who you are
“The brands that survive are the ones that evolve without losing their core identity,” said Johnson. Introducing new formats, adjusting ingredients or expanding into new markets while still feeling familiar are opportunities for growth.
Quality, authenticity, and trust are among the core values brands need to adopt. The brands that last decades, or even centuries, tend to be very clear on who they are. They don’t chase every trend. They also don’t completely resist it. Instead, they maintain a balance to remain relevant.
Keep to your brand promises…
Consistency is hugely important for keeping consumers, whether that’s delivered through taste, experience or brand identity. Reliability builds trust over time and turns first-time customers into loyal brand advocates. “The brands that last are the ones people trust and keep coming back to, almost out of habit or nostalgia,” said Johnson.
Understanding your customer and staying culturally relevant are therefore crucial. That might mean leaning into sustainability, transparency, or local sourcing—things modern consumers care about. “Brands that ignore those shifts tend to fall behind,” Johnson added.
…but be ready to adapt
Tastes change, health trends shift, and new competitors pop up all the time, so adaptability is vital. “Every generation of food and drink business owners faces its own version of the same fundamental challenge: the world around them shifts, and they have to decide what to hold onto and what to let go of,” says Russell.
Today’s pressures are particularly acute. Inflation, supply chain fragility, the seismic shift in how consumers discover and choose brands, and the rapid rise and fall of food trends driven by social media are accelerating change. The consequences of getting it wrong are more visible today, too. Brands that stumble publicly now do so in front of a larger audience, potentially millions of people.
Invest in yourself and your brand’s future
“The practical answer to navigating change is to build a business with genuine resilience at its core,” says Russell. Avoiding overreliance on a single retailer, channel or consumer demographic is key. It means companies need to build brand equity, genuine love and loyalty, not just distribution.
Investing in understanding your consumer continuously, not just at launch. “Brand equity is the most valuable asset on the balance sheet of any food business, and it’s the one that gets written down most carelessly in a crisis,” says Russell. Long-standing brands need to have financial discipline to weather difficult periods without making short-term decisions that damage long-term brand health.
Oldest global food and drink brands:
Twinings Tea
Twinings Tea was launched in 1706 in London, UK. It carved out a unique market position by selling tea, an emerging and premium product. By 1717, it had opened one of the first dedicated tea shops, which still trades today. The brand pivoted to selling dry tea for at-home consumption and also secured a Royal Warrant in 1837.
Twinings expanded through global exports, created enduring tea blends like English Breakfast and introduced tea bags. These cemented Twinings as a heritage brand with blending expertise and mass-premium positioning. Acquired by Associated British Foods in 1964, it continued to focus on scaling its global presence.
Today, Twinings is moving beyond tea to become a wellbeing drinks brand that combines heritage and modern wellness. Its “Sourced with Care” message reflects its ethical supply chain and environmental priorities, including worker livelihoods, transparency and reducing its footprint. Twinings is expanding its portfolio into herbal, fruit and functional infusions that centre on “superblends” and benefits such as immunity and relaxation.
Lee Kum Kee
Lee Kum Kee began in 1888 in southern China. Its founder, restaurateur Lee Kum Sheung, was making an oyster soup and accidentally over-reduced it, stumbling upon a rich, savoury sauce that became oyster sauce. The family-run business was built around that single product. By the 1930s, the brand was leveraging US export opportunities and relocated to Hong Kong to expand into global distribution.
Industrialisation and a factory build-out in the mid-20th century saw Lee Kum Kee move from artisanal creations to scalable production, expanding into China, Malaysia and the US. Lee Kum Kee has grown its portfolio to 300-plus sauces, including convenience sauces and cross-cuisine products, and extended its distribution to 100-plus countries and regions.
Today, Lee Kum Kee remains a family-owned brand. Underpinned by its mission to “promote Chinese culinary culture worldwide”, it’s shifting from a condiment producer to a global “Chinese flavour platform”. The brand seeks to capture authenticity, scalability and contemporary food trends.
As part of its growth, it’s making industrial and sustainability investments in large-scale, modern production facilities. The brand’s production base in Xinhui, China, which houses its green soy sauce fermentation project, has received the LEED Platinum Certification.
Vegemite
Vegemite was launched in 1923 by chemist Cyril Callister in Melbourne, Australia. Using the brewer’s yeast by-product and after months of laboratory tests, Callister discovered and labelled the product, ‘Pure Vegetable Extract’.
After a public naming competition, “Vegemite” was born. Marketed to families and children, it was positioned as a nutritious and vitamin B-rich spread. The brand fell into the second spot behind popular, imported Marmite.
After extensive promotions, including competitions, a partnership with Kraft cheese and an official product endorsement from the British Medical Association, Vegemite’s promotional push worked. Its cultural significance continued in post-war households, with new jingles such as “Happy Little Vegemites”, a subsequent TV campaign and nostalgic positioning.
Rather than global domination, Vegemite’s future strategy is to tap into curiosity markets and deepen its message through its “tastes like Australia” identity and heritage storytelling. The brand is expanding its usage occasions beyond toast to include new recipes and cooking ingredients. Vegemite is growing its product portfolio to include eat-at-home varieties, reduced-salt options and kids’ versions, along with complementary products like snacks and cheese pairings.
Kikkoman
Kikkoman, famed for its soy sauce, launched in Noda, Japan, in 1917. Though its roots date back to the 17th century, when families began brewing soy sauce naturally from soy, wheat, water, and salt. Kikkoman’s official name was adopted in 1940.
The Japanese brand first entered Europe in the 1800s, and its international presence grew after World War II, when exports resumed and expanded. In 1957, Kikkoman opened its first overseas sales and marketing company in San Francisco, marking its US entry. Between the 1970s and 2000s, Kikkoman accelerated its global expansion, including in Europe and Asia, by opening local production facilities and establishing subsidiaries. Today, Kikkoman’s soy sauce is present in over 100 countries.
Kikkoman’s Global Vision 2030 identifies its key strategic direction, under the theme: “striving with passion to create new values”. By 2030, Kikkoman hopes to have achieved the global number one position in soy sauce and oriental food wholesale. South America is a key growth market for future development. Kikkoman also aims to strengthen its position in new product areas, including soy milk, and to utilise biotechnology to develop fermentation and brewing processes.
Barilla
Barilla was founded in 1877 in Parma, Italy, by Pietro Barilla, who opened a small bread and pasta shop. The brand’s first factory opened in 1910, complete with a “continuous baking” oven that enabled it to produce eight tonnes of pasta and two tonnes of bread a day.
The brand upgraded its pasta production methods between the 1930s and 1960s, introducing six continuous presses, combining mixing, kneading and pressing. The brand explored innovative techniques for packaging, marketing and mass distribution. It continued to modernise, expand its product range and develop new production plants to grow its global presence.
Today, Barilla remains a family-owned business. Barilla’s current generation is expanding its product lines, which include gluten-free and 3D pasta. Its mission is “the joy of good food for a better life”, leaning on its values of quality and sustainability from field to fork. Barilla is focusing on responsible supply chains, improved nutritional profiles and ongoing investments in technology and sustainable practices.
Oscar Mayer
Oscar Mayer began in 1883, when its founder, German Oscar F. Mayer, brought his small butcher and sausage-making shop to Chicago with his brothers. The shop made $59 (€50) on its first day.
The brand expanded through the early 20th century with branded meats, and became an early adopter of packaged meats, taking its distribution beyond Chicago. In the 1960s, Oscar Mayer developed a radio jingle and launched its first TV commercial. A new fleet of six 23-foot-long Wienermobiles was introduced in the US in 1988 to spread the brand’s message.
Oscar Mayer has been owned by multiple multinational companies, including General Foods and, currently, Kraft Heinz. The brand has since become synonymous with iconic products such as hot dogs, bacon and cold cuts. From selling its single traditional German sausage, Oscar Mayer has become a widely recognised American processed meat brand.
Kraft Heinz is undergoing a strategic split into two publicly traded companies, which is expected to be completed in 2026. Oscar Mayer will be positioned within the North American Grocery Company, focused on grocery and refrigerated food.
Part of Oscar Mayer’s focus will be on product innovation, including moving into plant-based alternatives like Oscar Mayer NotHotDogs and NotSausages development with TheNotCompany. Sustainable chilled meals, transparency in governance, and showcasing its valued workforce are also key parts of its commitments.
Del Monte
Del Monte became a US consumer canned fruit brand in 1892, with its line of canned peaches. Joining California’s emerging, fast-growing canning industry, Del Monte’s history dates back to the merger of West Coast canners in the late 19th century. Together, they created a vertically integrated food-processing model and scaled it to new markets, including Hawaii and the Philippines.
Del Monte’s “quality seal” branding has endured for 130-plus years, making it synonymous with quality, freshness and reliability. In 1996, it introduced its new extra-sweet pineapple product, marking the first new pineapple variety in more than 15 years. Del Monte has invested in ripening and fresh-cut facilities in markets such as Dubai and France to expand the brand’s production.
In 2015, the brand received sustainably grown certifications for its banana farms in Guatemala and Costa Rica, pineapple farms in Costa Rica, and canning operations in Kenya. As part of its future focus, Del Monte will continue to incorporate sustainability credentials, such as certified farms and supply chain control.
The brand’s future focus will also shift towards fresh, value-added, and convenience formats, such as fresh-cut and ready-to-eat juices, rather than commoditised canned goods. Vertical integration will remain a mainstay of the brand’s identity.
Cadbury
Cadbury began in 1824 in Birmingham, UK, when founder John Cadbury opened a grocer’s shop selling products, including cocoa and drinking chocolate, that he prepared with a pestle and mortar. The next Cadbury generation industrialised the business.
First in 1866, creating purer cocoa butter and launching its Cocoa Essence product. Mass-market milk chocolate followed, with the launch of Cadbury’s first Easter egg in 1875, Dairy Milk in 1905, Milk Tray in 1915 and the Flake in 1920.
Modern day Cadbury has engaged in viral ‘moments’, driving scale and popularity. Notable examples include its iconic 2007 Gorilla TV ad, becoming the 2012 London Olympics’ official confectionery and ice cream sponsor, and teaming up with the Premier League to launch Cadbury FC in 2017. In 1990, Cadbury’s World opened its doors, a hands-on experience for fans to discover more about the brand. Today, Cadbury has a presence in over 50 markets.
The company is tapping into premium options, including new flavours, collaborations, and R&D investment in innovation centres, to maintain its “Cadbury taste” and relevance in the evolving snacks market. Part of this will centre around lower-sugar and High Fat, Salt, and Sugar (HFSS)-compliant products.
Maille
Maille emerged in 1747, when the brand began selling mustard and vinegars in its first La Maison Maile boutique in Paris, France. Soon, the brand became an official supplier to European royalty, and by the 18th century, Maille had 101 vinegars and 84 mustards.
Over the 19th and 20th centuries, Maille built its reputation for quality condiments made with craftsmanship, opened boutiques and developed its signature products. The brand’s identity strengthened when it adopted its famous slogan “Il n’y a que Maille qui m’aille” (“Maille alone suits me”) in 1931.
Maille celebrated its 250th anniversary with the opening of a new boutique in Paris in 1996. In 2000, the brand became part of Unilever’s food and condiment portfolio. Maille launched its online boutique in 2007, expanding its direct-to-consumer sales.
Today, Maille is known globally for its premium Dijon mustards, flavoured vinegars, oils and condiments. Maille’s marketing centres on its heritage, craftsmanship and French culinary tradition. Under Unilever’s condiment strategy, Maille is positioned as a premium, delicatessen-style brand. Its growth potential is linked to its heritage, gourmet nature, product innovation and strong market presence, particularly in North America and across digital channels.
La Serenisima
La Serenisima is the trading name of Mastellone Hermanos, an Argentinian dairy company founded in 1929 by husband and wife, Antonino Mastellone and Teresa Aiello. The brand began as a small producer of mozzarella and ricotta in the Buenos Aires Province, with the duo selling products by hand and train.
The purchase of its first delivery truck in 1935 enabled La Serenisima to expand operations. It moved into pasteurised milk, packaged pasteurised milk, and yoghurt in the 1960s, and built microbiological and quality-assurance laboratories. Caramel sauce, powdered milk and butter production soon followed.
The brand pioneered fortified and functional dairy products in Argentina, including lactose-reduced milk and iron-fortified products, and created its Selected Milk category. It adopted a quality seal in 1982. La Serenisima entered into a strategic agreement with French Group Danone in 1996 for yoghurt and dessert lines.
Looking ahead, La Serenisima will continue to integrate sustainable practices across its operations, including energy efficiency, renewable energy sourcing and environmental stewardship. Recent product innovations have centred on new packaging formats and expanded flavour offerings, as well as educational/health initiatives and opening in new markets such as Bolivia.
In March 2026, Danone and Arcor announced they would form a joint venture to create additional dairy opportunities in Argentina.
Keeping brands in business
“Change your channels, your formats, your communications, but never change your truth”
Defining success isn’t as straightforward as focusing solely on sales and revenue. “Sometimes people think you can just look at point of sale data and identify some skew that makes something successful,” Lu Ann Williams, co-founder and Global SVP of Research at Innova Market Insights, says. Along with a product’s formulation and packaging, it is brand execution that creates success. Launching at the right time and in the right place matters.
It can be hard to land on what gives a product the ‘it’ factor. Is it its ingredients? Its texture? Its packaging? Its flavour? The brand’s advertising? Distribution? Timing? All may be relevant. “Defining and figuring out what makes something successful is very difficult, for every product, it’s different,” adds Williams. Yet, if profit isn’t the only indicator of success, what else is? Does the product still resonate with consumers? Does that retailer want to keep it on the shelf?
“Success has become this very messy topic because first you have to define exactly what you’re measuring and what you mean by success,” says Williams. A brand’s identity and its evolution over time become key. Ultimately, how a brand and its products meet a consumer’s needs is crucial. “It’s about a product connecting with the consumer, delivering what it promises,” Williams adds.
The oldest global brands have navigated world wars, recessions, category disruption and generational consumer shifts. They have remained by understanding that their consumers don’t need them to be different. They need them to be consistently, reliably, brilliantly themselves, showing up in the right places and the right ways for each new generation.