Dick Smith Foods
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Dick Smith Foods is a brand created by Australian entrepreneur Dick Smith to provide Australian owned and produced alternatives to products from foreign-owned food companies.
It was formed in 1999 largely in response to the high market share of those companies, and the increasingly frequent take over of previously Australian-owned companies like Arnott's and Pauls. In particular, Smith was concerned that many companies which were no longer Australian owned still marketed as "Aussie products".
Generally the brand focuses on producing local alternatives to products with large market shares like Kraft peanut butter and Vegemite. The company donates a portion of profits to Australian charities and, on occasion, individuals and families.
Infamously, Smith also created "Dickheads" matches (a play on the name "Redheads"), as "a protest over the loss of Australia's manufacturing skills to overseas companies"[1]. While many thought the matches nothing more than a publicity stunt, the brand gained considerable popularity and is now managed by an independent company.
In October 2004, Dick Smith offered to purchase Vegemite from Kraft, but was unsuccessful.
Due to minimal support from Australian consumers, sales of Dick Smith Food products are sharply declining by about 20% a year. If this continues it may not be viable for continued operations.
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