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Blaze @discuss.tchncs.de

2d ago

Which brands did you think were from the US when they are actually European and vice versa?

44 comments

Red bull

Hellmann's is owned by Unilever which is British.

Didn't really think about where Jack & Jones is from but definitely didn't think they were danish. Also Ray-Ban is Italian (now) and....until 5 Minutes I've always assumed that was some kind of name instead of it literally meaning "banning of sun rays". Oops

I always thought Milka was from Germany or Switzerland. Originally, it was indeed Swiss, founded in 1901. However, the brand was acquired by Kraft Foods in 1990 and later became part of Mondelez International in 2012, a U.S.-based company.
- Mandolez aquired Freia in Norway a few years back and switched out the chocolate they used. One of the things they ruined was the traditional «kvikklunsj» - was just overall sad :(
- The same with Cadbury (originally founded by English Quakers, now owned by a Putin-fluffing US multinational)
  
  That sale should never have been allowed
- Marabou is also part of Mondelez, to my extreme disappointment.
  At least Fazer is European.
  
  That’s really annoying, because I like Marabou chocolate more than Fazer. But I think I get used to it 🤷
- NooooOooOooo... ... F.
- Yeah that's the one thing I'm really going to miss. Milka has always been my favourite chocolate.
  
  If you liked Milka, you should try Lindt! It's from Switzerland.
- That was a surprise to me.

@Blaze Well, I always thought Milka was swiss, and Poiana and Africana were Romanian. Turns out I was wrong.

Spotify is so ubiquitous that it always felt like it's similar to big US tech companies like YouTube and Instagram. But it's actually swedish.
- Terrible companies can also be European, like Nestle. Fuck nestle.
  Don't support american companies, but also don't support terrible euro companies.
- Just in case you didn't know, be aware that Spotify took part in the funding of Trump's presidential campaign. Many in this community dodge it for this reason.
  
  I dodge it because it sucks.
  
  So, wannabe American tech company
- Even as a Swede I stopped using Spotify a while ago. That company can die tomorrow for all I care

I did not know that puma and adidas are German. I was sure they are all US, but no, they are not.
- Brothers if I remember correctly 😉
  
  Yes Rudolf (Puma) and Adolf 'Adi' Dassler (Adidas)

Not myself, but apparently a lot of people thought Häagen-Dazs ice cream is European.
- I can guarantee you that the population thinking that in Europe is way smaller. Especially Nordics.
  At least in Nordic languages, ä is never next to a.

I thought Lego was American but it’s Danish

I always forget Nivea is German.
I thought Oral-B was German when it's part of Gillette
- I thought Oral-B is also part of Proctor & Gamble
- And Gillette is an American, right?

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Philips is actually Dutch.
- Eh, Most of what's called Philips nowadays isn't really Philips anymore. The real Philips basically only does Healthcare. TVs? TP Vision, Same for Philips lights, that's signify or versuni for appliances, etc. They just bought a license to use the name. Though they are mostly still dutch companies I think.

Nutella is actually Italian.
I want their vegan version so badly here in Canada! (Only available in France, Italy, Germany and Belgium)

It all gets really handwavy with any large publicly (or privately) traded corporations. Anyone anywhere in the world could have stock in any company, and many companies have a large presence around the world.
A company like Google or apple are often considered american, but they're always changing tax avoidance strategies, and funneling money through different countries, so in ways, they could be considered Irish, or Dutch, or part of whatever other tax shelter.
To actually answer your question, budweiser (and all AB-Inbev brands) are Belgian.

It is always difficult to see great British companies on the list:
Walkers
Cadbury's - I went to Uni in Brim and lived on land donated by the family (no bar allowed because they were Quackers), then by the chocolate factory (smelled sooo good) and used Bournville train station (painted in the company colours), so feel some connection to their history
Luckily, I've cut sugar and crisps out of my diet, so I was already boycotting them. Kind of.
- Walkers became popular after they were bought by Americans. Smiths and Golden Wonder/Tayto are the casualties
  
  Been eating Walkers since the 60s. Just happens that my family emigrated from Scotland.
- Kraft buying Cadbury's - a part of every Brit died that day. I bought it once since and will never touch it again. They ruined it.
  
  Check the factory on the packaging. I think some of their UK factories have to retain the original recipe.... Can't remember the details, so not that useful.
  
  The last couple of times I've ordered Crunchies online, the chocolate tasted off. No creaminess at all. It doesn't taste like vegetable oil and wax so I'm not sure if it's American influence.

@Blaze I thought nestle was american
- I'd rather buy American than nestle.. And I don't buy American.
- Fuck nestle though.
  
  Bunch of baby-killing, water-stealing bastards

44 comments