Fred Walker

Fred Walker (5 January 1884 – 21 July 1935) was an Australian businessman and founder of Fred Walker & Co. (two incarnations, the first in Hong Kong, the second in Melbourne) and the Fred Walker Company in Melbourne. He also set up Kraft Walker Cheese Co. in partnership with American businessman James L. Kraft in 1926, in order to market Kraft's patented method of processing cheese.

Fred Walker & Co. is best known for creating Vegemite, a yeast extract-based food spread and Australian cultural icon. Kraft Walker Cheese Co. first manufactured a cheese known as Red Coon around 1931, which later became known as Coon cheese.

Early life and education Walker was born on 5 January 1884 in Hawthorn, a suburb of Melbourne,

Career Early career and army service He worked in the food import and export industry, first for J. Bartram & Sons. He went to China at the age of 19, when American goods were being boycotted there,

However, the post-war economic situation led to great financial losses, With the cooperation of his creditors and the bank, he formed a new company, named Fred Walker & Co. (same as his earlier Hong Kong company), with himself as managing director, and two other directors representing his creditors. Vegemite was created, and first sold in 1923 after Walker's daughter Sheilah selected the winning entry from a public competition to name the product. After poor sales performance, Walker changed the product's name to Parwill (a joking reference to Marmite: "Ma might, but Pa will") before returning to Vegemite. (In 1935, customers were given a free jar of Vegemite with every Fred Walker & Co. product purchased, and the popularity of the spread grew steadily after this promotion. Vegemite became an Australian cultural icon. )

Cheese and Kraft Walker learnt of Chicago businessman James L. Kraft's method of halting the maturation of cheese by processing it in a certain way, which he had patented in the US in 1916, so he went to the United States to meet him and acquire the Australian rights to use this method. He began a partnership with Kraft to manufacture this "processed cheese" in 1925, and in May 1926 the Kraft Walker Cheese Co. was registered, a separate company from Fred Walker & Co. but managed by the same staff,

Kraft Walker began manufacturing "Red Coon" (later COON) cheese around July 1931.

Employee welfare Walker was successful at attracting staff by offering workers a social club, allowing for morning tea breaks from manufacturing, providing first aid and canteen facilities, and modern work systems that increased employee productivity. He was initiated at Austral Temple Lodge No. 110 on 9 July 1919.

In later life he served as the president of the Melbourne Rotary Club (1933–34), and he was also a director of the local YMCA. He died of heart disease on 21 July 1935.

Kraft Foods Inc. later split into Mondelez International Inc and Kraft Foods Group, with the latter undergoing a merger with Heinz to become Kraft Heinz in March, 2015.