Cenovis is a product based on yeast extract

Yeast extract

Yeast extract is the common name for various forms of processed yeast products made by extracting the cell contents ; they are used as food additives or flavourings, or as nutrients for bacterial culture media. They are often used to create savory flavors and umami taste sensations. Monosodium...

 similar to Marmite

Marmite

Marmite is the name given to two similar food spreads: the original British version, first produced in the United Kingdom and later South Africa, and a version produced in New Zealand...

 and Vegemite

Vegemite

Vegemite is a dark brown Australian food paste made from yeast extract. It is a spread for sandwiches, toast, crumpets and cracker biscuits, and filling for pastries...

, rich in vitamin B₁

Thiamine

Thiamine or thiamin or vitamin B1 , named as the "thio-vitamine" is a water-soluble vitamin of the B complex. First named aneurin for the detrimental neurological effects if not present in the diet, it was eventually assigned the generic descriptor name vitamin B1. Its phosphate derivatives are...

. In the form of a dark brown food paste, it is used to flavour soups, sausages, and salads. The most popular way to consume Cenovis is however to spread it on a slice of buttered bread, as stated on the product's packaging.

Cenovis is popular in Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, (particularly Romandy). It was developed in Rheinfelden

Rheinfelden

Rheinfelden is a municipality in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland, seat of the district of Rheinfelden. It is located 15 kilometres east of Basel. The name means the fields of the Rhine, as the town is located on the Hochrhein. It is home to Feldschlösschen, the most popular beer in...

 in 1931, on the initiative of a master brewer called Alex Villinger, and was subsequently produced by the company Cenovis SA.

In 1999, a trio of entrepreneurs from Geneva

Geneva

Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

, Michel Yagchi, Didier Fischer and Frank Guemara purchased the brand and relaunched it applying modern marketing methods.

On 29 February 2008, the three entrepreneurs transferred the brand, acquired in 1999, to the Gustav Gerig AG, an Aargau

Aargau

Aargau is one of the more northerly cantons of Switzerland. It comprises the lower course of the river Aare, which is why the canton is called Aar-gau .-History:...

 company, and the product thereby returned to its canton of origin.

People are said to usually have a very strong feeling for Cenovis when they taste some for the first time, either loving or hating it.
It is usually cited as an acquired taste

Acquired taste

An acquired taste often refers to an appreciation for a food or beverage that is unlikely to be enjoyed by a person who has not had substantial exposure to it, usually because of some unfamiliar aspect of the food or beverage, including a strong or strange odor An acquired taste often refers to an...

, being a product which one has to grow up with to appreciate.

The company presents the following story behind Cenovis:

In 1931, a brewer recycled the yeast used for the fermentation of beer: vegetal substances very rich in vitamin B₁. After several tests, the product was perfected and a group of Swiss brewers launched Cenovis; the product was an immediate success and the famous spread was so good that from 1955 it was included in the rations for Swiss soldiers... Healthy and strong soldiers!

External links

• Cenovis SA. The makers of Cenovis.
• Marmite, Vegemite, and...Cenovis? A tale of salty yeast spreads