Cenovis

Cenovis is a dark brown food paste from Switzerland consisting of yeast extract, onions, carrots and spices. Sold internationally under the brand Sonaris, it is similar to English Marmite, Brazilian Cenovit, and Australian Vegemite. It is rich in vitamin B1. It is used to flavour soups, sausages, and salads. The most popular way to consume Cenovis, however, is to spread it on a slice of buttered bread, as stated on the product's packaging (it can also be blended directly into butter, and then spread on bread, or used as a filling in croissants and buns).

The company does not disclose whether the Swiss Cenovis was a licensed product from the older German one. In contrast to comparable yeast extracts, the Swiss Cenovis, similar to Thomy mustard, was sold in tubes early on and is somewhat lighter and more liquid.

Protein versus vitamin
Since the beginning of the 20th century many attempts to turn brewer's yeast into food have been made. The main reason being its availability and nutritional physiology. The English Marmite (1902) and the Australian Vegemite (1922) became successful as products. 1912 Casimir Funk discovered an active ingredient against deficiency diseases which he called vitamin. The high thiamine content (vitamin B1) then became the quality of nutritional yeast that was more effective in advertising than its protein content, which had been known for a long time.

Origins in Germany
In 1915, Cenovis Nahrungsmittelwerke GmbH was founded in Munich as a brewer's yeast and malt factory, which also produced by-products of these products and other foods such as oatmeal and baking powder, making it one of Maggi's main competitors. The German Cenovis vitamin extract was available from around 1920 in jars labeled "unbegrenzt haltbar" (unlimited shelf life).

The image of the Cenovis products was associated with the life reform movement (from which the Reformhäuser emerged). It was reported in 1921 that the Cenovis yeast extract consisted of cleaned and de-bittered brewer's yeast and had a honey-like consistency. It has a "similar, only finer taste than Liebig's meat extract". The founder and main shareholder of Cenovis, Julius Schülein, a son of the brewery owner Joseph Schülein, reports in his book from 1938 (the year when his Munich company was expropriated by Aryanization and he emigrated to the USA) about an Cenovis vitamin yeast produced in Switzerland. In the same year, the Australian trademark Cenovis was established.

Swiss manufacturing
Cenovis is popular in Switzerland (particularly Romandie). It was developed in Rheinfelden in 1931, on the initiative of a master brewer named Alex Villinger. Since 1935, they have been producing Cenovis extract alongside brewer's yeast and other by-products. In 1955, Cenovis became part of the Swiss Army's survival ration. In 1965, Vitamin-Hefe AG acquired all of the word marks and manufacturing processes from Cenovis-Werke GmbH in Munich. The foreign trademark rights were sold to the Hügli Group in Steinach SG. The Heirler Cenovis GmbH that emerged from it has a similar range of products as the Munich Cenovis of the time.

Revival
Cenovis yeast extract is a product from times of economic crisis and the discussion about healthier eating habits. It was intended to replace meat products such as sausages, is economical to use and can be stored for a long time without refrigeration. As a result, Vegemite has been able to last longer in harsh environments like the Australian outback than the comparable Cenovis in Switzerland, where sales have been declining. In German-speaking Switzerland, it is mainly still familiar to the older generation, in French-speaking Switzerland it became known after the Swiss banker Michel Yagchi purchased the brand in 1999, and along with Didier Fischer and Frank Guemara relaunched it applying modern marketing methods.

On 29 February 2008, Michel Yagchi transferred the brand, acquired in 1999, to Gustav Gerig AG, an Aargau company, and the product thereby returned to its canton of origin.

Cenovis has been manufactured by Sonaris AG in Arisdorf BL since 2008. Sonaris AG was founded in Rheinfelden AG in 1997 as the successor company to Leiber Vitamin-Hefe AG. From then on, the production rights for the production of the Cenovis extract were held by the company Sonaris AG, which relocated its headquarters from Rheinfelden to Arisdorf in 2003. In 2008, Cenovis' Swiss trademark rights were bought back by Sonaris AG. International distribution, notably in France, uses the Sonaris brand instead. In 2013, the two companies Cenovis AG and Sonaris AG merged to form today's Cenovis AG, based in Arisdorf.

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!"