A1 Steak Sauce
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A.1. is a steak sauce and condiment for use with meat or game dishes.
A1 was introduced to the US by G.F. Heublein & Brothers, and was officially registered as a trademark in North America in 1895.
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[edit] History and ownership
The original steak sauce upon which A1 is based was created in 1824 by Henderson William Brand, chef to King George IV of the United Kingdom. It went into commercial production under the Brand & Co. label in 1831, and continued in production under this label after bankruptcy forced ownership of Brand & Co. to be transferred to W.H. Withall in 1850. It was renamed A1 in 1873, after a trademark dispute between creator Henderson William Brand and Dence and Mason, who had since purchased Brand & Co. from Withall. It was then introduced to the United States under the ownership of G.F. Heublein & Brothers.
Ownership of A1 passed to R. J. Reynolds in 1982, after it merged with Heublein & Brothers, and then in 1985 to Kraft Foods, after it merged with the Reynolds company.[1]
Kraft was purchased by Philip Morris in 2000 who retains ownership, and US manufacturing of the product is currently being done by Kraft Foods, part of Philip Morris's holdings. Canadian manufacturing is carried out by Renée's Gourmet Foods Inc.
[edit] Variations
A1 has undergone a number of revisions since its initial inception, the most recent of which was the removal of anchovies from the recipe during the 1990s, and the subsequent introduction of corn syrup.
Six variations are currently in production. These include A1 Original, A1 Zesty, which contains onions, mustard, green peppers and jalapeño peppers and Teriyaki Steak sauce.
[edit] Legal Action
A1 was the subject of a trademark dispute between then owners Kraft and “Arnie’s Deli”, which was producing its own recipe condiment under the name “A2 Sauce”. In 1991, Connecticut District Court found in favor of Kraft. (see below)
