Blue Band is owned by KKR (the United States, NYSE: KKR) through its subsidiary Upfield, which acquired the brand on 2 July 2018 from Unilever.[1][1] Before KKR, Blue Band was owned by Unilever from 1923 to 2018.[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Blue Band is a margarine brand launched in the Netherlands in 1923 and now sold heavily across Africa and Southeast Asia, where it is fortified with vitamins and positioned as an affordable source of nutrients for children.
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
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Unilever sold its spreads business to KKR, which established it as a standalone company named Upfield. Unilever had been trying to exit margarine for years as consumption declined, and the sale followed its rejection of a takeover approach from Kraft Heinz that had prompted a strategic review.
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The parent company of Blue Band is KKR, a private-equity firm headquartered in the United States. Blue Band sits under KKR's subsidiary Upfield.
Blue Band originated in the Netherlands in 1923, but it is owned today by KKR, which is headquartered in the United States. So Blue Band is a Dutch-origin brand under American ownership.
KKR completed its acquisition of Blue Band on 2 July 2018, after announcing the deal on 15 December 2017.
Before KKR, Blue Band was owned by Unilever from 1923 until 2018.
Yes. As of 6 September 2026, Blue Band is still owned by KKR. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
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