Colman's Mustard goes up for sale as owners Unilever look to unload 212-year-old British brand

Get your news delivered straight to you by 7am - sign up to our new Morning Mail newsletter for FREESee more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 09:27 EDT, 27 August 2026 | Updated: 09:32 EDT, 27 August 2026 Unilever has put Colman's Mustard up for sale as the firm looks to offload the 212-year-old British brand. The move is part of a landmark decision made by the firm to sell its food operations to McCormick Inc for $15.7bn (£11.6bn). Unilever and the US food firm have directed bankers to find a buyer for Colman's amid concerns of existing competition in McCormick's portfolio, Sky News reported.The American food giant owns French's Mustard - one of the biggest brands in the world, sources told the news outlet. Investment bank Rothschild is said to have begun reaching out to prospective buyers to gauge who may want to buy the quintessentially British brand. It is not yet known the exact amount Colman's will be sold for; however, sources described its value as 'not material' when compared to the wider deal as a whole.The quintessentially British mustard was first founded in 1814 by former flour miller Jeremiah Colman.The product was initially sold as a powder for people to mix into a paste, with his nephew later joining the firm in 1823 when it was rebranded as J. and J. Colman. Seven years later, Mr Colman's son, Jeremiah James, joined the family firm at the age of 17 in 1830, and would go on to take over its mustard manufacturing in 1854 following the deaths of his father and great-uncle.Two decades later, he moved the business to a larger factory in Carrow, Norwich, due to its better access to train links and the river for exports. Unilever has put Colman's Mustard up for sale as the firm looks to offload the 212-year-old British brand (stock image) The move is part of a landmark decision made by the firm to sell its food operations to McCormick Inc for $15.7bn (£11.6bn) (Pictured: An old advert for the mustard) And in the 1880s, the popularity of the condiment went from strength to strength as it began to offer different types of containers in which it was housed.But despite continued commercial success, Colman's could not avoid the fallout of World War II and was hit with an air raid which damaged several departments. Meanwhile, mustard escaped rationing during the war and was also used as a way of making bland wartime recipes seem more interesting.In 1995, Colman's Mustard was purchased from Reckitt and Colman PLC and became a part of Unilever, who are now looking to sell the brand.Previously, Lesley Owen-Edwards, who was an archivist at Unilever, described the mustard as a 'quintessentially British brand' which had been a staple in the UK for 200 years.A Unilever spokesperson said: 'A decision has been taken to market the Colman's brand and assets to potential buyers in order to proactively seek to address potential competition concerns from the planned combination of Unilever Foods and McCormick.''Discussions are ongoing and the operations continue as usual.'