Hellmann's is owned by Unilever (the United Kingdom, LSE: ULVR), which acquired the brand on 4 October 2000 from Bestfoods.[1][2][3] Before Unilever, Hellmann's was owned by Bestfoods to 2000.[3]
Hellmann's mayonnaise was first sold from Richard Hellmann's New York delicatessen in 1913. West of the Rocky Mountains the same product is sold as Best Foods. The brand came to Unilever through the 2000 acquisition of Bestfoods.
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Unilever acquired Bestfoods, the American food group behind Knorr and Hellmann's, in what was then the largest cash acquisition in the food industry. The European Commission cleared the deal in Phase I subject to divestiture commitments.
The European Commission cleared Unilever's acquisition of Bestfoods in Phase I on 28 September 2000 under Article 6(1)(b) with conditions and obligations, after the parties offered divestitures. The case was notified on 16 August 2000 under the then-applicable Council Regulation 4064/89.
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The parent company of Hellmann's is Unilever, a publicly listed company headquartered in the United Kingdom.
Hellmann's originated in the United States in 1913, but it is owned today by Unilever, which is headquartered in the United Kingdom. So Hellmann's is an American-origin brand under British ownership.
Unilever completed its acquisition of Hellmann's on 4 October 2000, after announcing the deal on 6 June 2000.
Before Unilever, Hellmann's was owned by Bestfoods until 2000.
Yes. As of 6 September 2026, Hellmann's is still owned by Unilever. 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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