History and Curiosities

Canned proteins

The formula which gave origin to the meat extract was created in 1847 by German chemist Justus Von Liebig, considered the father of organic chemistry. The extract reduces 32 kilos of meat to one kilo without destroying the meat proteins.

Cattle, meadows and the deep harbor

The enormous abundance of livestock and natural grasslands, as well as direct access from overseas to a deep-water port made this region of the Lower Rio Uruguay the ideal enclave for worldwide food industry. Even today Uruguay is one of the largest producers of meat in the world, and the most cattle-raising country by number of cattle per inhabitant.

OXO cubes

In 1908, OXO meat extract was created: an individual cubed portion more accessible to families. That new product, which remains in the market to this day, was an attempt to satisfy the strong European demand for meat extract.

From the Earth to the moon

Jules Verne used the meat extract manufactured in Rio Negro to feed the imaginary travelers of his novel From the Earth to the Moon . The French writer includes what he calls "pressed meat" as one of the foods carried by the astronauts for its concentration of nutrients and because it was supposed to last a year without going bad.

Corned Beef in the cinema

The Corned Beef Fray Bentos appears in the film "Gallípoli" by Peter Weir (1981), starring Mel Gibson and set in the battle of the First World War for control of the Dardanelles Strait, (Turkey). It also appears in the award-winning "The English Patient" by Anthony Minghella (1996), starring Ralph Fiennes and set in World War II.

Out of competition at exhibitions

Thanks to the excellence of its products, the company LEMCO swept the first prizes of all the international exhibitions in which it was presented. From 1885 onwards, the universal exhibitions only accepted it "out of competition".

Explorers' food

The extract of meat was also used by the great expeditionaries to Africa, India, Antarctica, Greenland, the North Pole, etc. Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930) took it to his expedition to the North Pole between 1893 and 1896.

Oxo Trench Kit

During the First World War, LEMCO produced a kit called Oxo Trench which contained, in addition to the soluble cubes of extract, a special support for the kettle and special coal to heat it without emitting smoke. Thus, the soldiers could prepare hot broth in the trenches without risking the disclosure of their position.

Fray Bentos tanks

During the First World War, two British tanks of war carried the nickname Fray Bentos because their crew felt inside like “Corned Beef Fray Bentos” canned meat.

Official sponsor of the 1908 Olympic Games

For the global launch of OXO cubes, its manufacturer became the official sponsor of the 1908 London Olympics. OXO fortifying brew was also given to the marathon runners.

Unpatented formula

Justus Von Liebig never protected the meat extract formula with a patent because he wanted it to be accessible to anyone who desired to develop it on an industrial scale. His formula was not the first, but the most successful one. He had to wait almost 20 years to see it successfully applied, thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit of his compatriot Eng. George Giebert.

The first electric lamp in Uruguay

The first electric lamp in Uruguay was switched on at the LEMCO on August 10, 1883. 75 light points illuminated the slaughtering yard, the extract production area, the halls of the school and the social club. Montevideo had to wait three more years for its first electric lamps to be lit. By then, one-third of the LEMCO factory already had electricity.