Swiss Review / February 2022 / No.1 11 while painter Pablo Picasso immortalised the iconicMaggi stock cube in his 1912 “Paysage aux affiches” (Landscape with posters). Indeed, the stock cube also became a worldwide hit after being launched in 1908. Largest Swiss landowner Julius Maggi not only had tomake his instant food appeal to consumers, he also had to win over farmers who would supply himwith his raw ingredients. “He found it difficult to find enough vegetables for his products in the vicinity,” Tam-Seifert explains. The farmers first had to be convinced of the benefits of new, mechanised growing methods. They were also sceptical of the food industry. In the end, Maggi decided to grow the ingredients himself. He bought out smallholders, whom he often then appointed towork at his rapidly growing factory in Kemptthal. With over 400 hectares of fields, Maggi went on to ownmore land than any other private individual in Switzerland at the beginning of the 20th century. His company, meanwhile, developed independent factories and distribution networks in Germany, Austria, Italy and France. JuliusMaggi died in 1912 aged 66, after which his firm was transformed into a holding company with branches in various countries. During the Second World War, the German subsidiary was the biggest food producer in the Third Reich and a major supplier to Hitler’s armies. Regarded as a “model National Socialist operation”, the factory in Singen also used forced labour. Maggi has belonged to food group Nestlé since 1947, and Maggi liquid seasoning is now exported to 21 countries around the world. The company also has production plants in China, Poland, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Mexico. selbst die Kinderlein: MitWürzewird die Suppe fein. Darum holt das Gretchen munter, die Maggi-Flasche runter – which loosely translates as, “children know seasoning improves the soup, so Gretchen goes to fetch theMaggi bottle”. But the young bard quit the job after eight months because, as he wrote in a letter to his mother, he felt exploited. The collected original manuscripts of Wedekind’s ad copy are now kept at the Aargau Cantonal Library. Maggi was already influencing tastes back then. The liquid seasoning was soon to be found in cooking recipes, including the reference works of the iconic German cookbook author HenrietteDavidis. However, the exact recipe for making Maggi remains a well-guarded company secret to this day. Its basic ingredients are vegetable protein, water, salt, and sugar. Flavourings and yeast extract are also used. No lovage is included, despite many people associating its tastewith Maggi. This is why German speakers often refer to the herb as “Maggi-Kraut”. Maggi has also been known to inspire artists. Joseph Beuys used a bottle of it for his 1972 artwork “Ich kenne kein Weekend” (I know no weekend), Recommended reading (in German): – Annatina Seifert: Dosenmilch und Pulversuppen. Die Anfänge der Schweizer Lebensmittelindustrie. Verlag Hier und Jetzt, 2008. – Alex Capus: Patriarchen. Über Bally, Lindt, Nestlé und andere Pioniere. Verlag dtv, 2007. Julius Maggi, circa 1890. Photo: Archives Historiques Nestlé, Vevey On the left: Factory workers wrapping Maggi bottles in white paper before delivery. On the right: Farm workers planting vegetables near Kemptthal. Julius Maggi was one of the largest landowners of his time Photos: Archives Historiques Nestlé, Vevey
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