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Since the 1930s Edible Oil Industries (EOI) has not only been one of Australia’s leading baking margarine and shortening suppliers, but also one of the industry’s staunchest supporters.

Edible Oil Industries (EOI) was first established by Unilever in Sydney in the 1930s as a manufacturer of edible oil products for baking, foodservice and industrial purposes. Since then, the company has continued to grow and evolve and to effectively meet the demands of its customers.

Initially based out of Balmain in inner Sydney, EOI soon garnered a strong reputation for producing high quality tallow-based bakery products.

EOI National Business Manager – Bakery Peter Le Sueur said as EOI was part of the Unilever world, there were learnings from the European business that were able to be mirrored in Australia as far as the bakery margarines and shortenings portfolio of products.

However, there was one main distinction that made EOI stand out from its parent company – the use of tallow in its product range.

It was a logical choice made due to Australia’s growing sheep and cattle industries.

“Tallow was a raw material that was readily available here in Australia, because our beef and sheep industries were growing, so EOI bakery margarines were a predominantly tallow-based range,” Peter said.

“Europe was not so much into tallow. European products at the time were commonly made using fish oil and/or lard.”

Staff in the EOI factory

However, over the years consumer demand began to move away from predominantly tallow-based products. In response EOI returned to the drawing board and began to develop a separate a range of vegetable-based products that were first released in the 1970s.

This range included high performance products such as Flex, Perfex, Pride and Vantage.

Although EOI had led the industry for many decades due to its high quality products, it also began to stand out from the pack when it came to its manufacturing capabilities.

Due to local residential pressure, the decision was made to relocate EOI from Balmain to a new site out at Marrickville in the 1980s. Peter said EOI also took this as an opportunity to really focus on its manufacturing capabilities.

“The site and all the plant equipment was acquired at that time. During the 1980s Unilever started to improve its manufacturing processing from the European experiences, particularly in the areas of plant and equipment but also in technology and engineering of ranges of tallow-based and vegetable-based products,” Peter said.

“The methods of processing pastry margarines in particular was, in Unilever’s mind, outdated and needed to modernise, which we did. It took us a number of years to install the equipment and commission it.

“By the early 1990s we were able to provide the highest and most consistent quality products in the industry.”

Peter said the company was the only one in the region that had the particular type of manufacturing facility and equipment. And, when the Marrickville site was closed down in 2005 following Peerless Foods’ acquisition of EOI, all the plant and equipment was transferred to the new site at Braybrook in Melbourne

Beyond being a mainstay producer and manufacturer within the baking industry, EOI is also well-known for its continuous support of the industry at all levels.

Peter said it was a stance that had been instilled in EOI as a company from the very beginning, and is something it took great pride in.

“This goes back to the birth rights of Unilever, who globally present themselves as a very strong corporate citizen. That DNA has stayed with EOI since then and right through the acquisition by Peerless,” Peter said.

“Our slogan is ‘EOI is the brand you know and trust’. You can’t have that claim if you don’t support it [the industry]. Apprentices become the customers of tomorrow and then they’ll shape the next apprentices or they’ll be future owners of independent retail bakeries.

EOI currently supports two National apprentice competitions, namely Bakeskills Australia held at Fine Foods trade show, and Baking in Excellence held at the Baking Association of Australia Industry trade show.

EOI is also the main Event partner of the Australian Society of Baking Scholarship awards, Major sponsor  of The Official Great Aussie Pie Competition, as well as sponsors of the  Great Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph and many other trade shows, TAFE awards and events.

“You need to support all levels of business, and to do so you need to walk your talk – and we do that,” Peter said.

“We are committed to doing that in the strongest possible terms.”

Peter Le Sueur

Peter Le Sueur

Since 1980 Peter Le Sueur has been a face at EOI that many within the baking industry have come to know and regard.

In his more than 40 years with EOI, Peter has witnessed many of the evolutions of the company.

Beginning as the Victoria and Tasmanian Sales Manager for the bakery, food service, and bulk oil division, Peter progressed through the company first moving into a national role in the bulk oil division and then relocating from Melbourne to Sydney to take up a national role of bakery and industrial.

“In the 1990s, after Unilever sold off the industrial oils division, I retained bakery and then took foodservice under my wing,” he said.

“As Unilever was restructuring throughout that time, not only in Australia but globally, in 2000 the foodservice division was passed over to a food service broker and I retained the national bakery role.”