Best Foods is an American-origin food brand best known for its mayonnaise, sandwich spreads, salad dressings, sauces, and other condiments. Currently owned by Unilever, the brand is intrinsically linked to its sister brand, Hellmann’s. In various global markets, these two names represent essentially the same family of mayonnaise and condiment products [1].

While globally recognized as a consumer condiment, Best Foods holds particular prominence in Southeast Asia as a professional food-service ingredient. In neighboring Thailand, for example, Unilever Food Solutions positions Best Foods as the leading mayonnaise brand, with a portfolio extending beyond retail jars into professional bakery and food-service applications [2]. This dual identity as both a household staple and a professional culinary tool defines the brand’s modern presence in the region.

Richard Hellmann and the Mayonnaise Business

The history of Best Foods is deeply intertwined with that of Richard Hellmann, a German immigrant who settled in New York City. Operating a delicatessen in Manhattan with his wife Margaret, Hellmann developed a mayonnaise recipe that gained significant popularity among customers in the early 20th century. This demand eventually necessitated commercial production [3].

In 1913, the business began manufacturing mayonnaise commercially under the name Hellmann’s Blue Ribbon Mayonnaise. The iconic blue ribbon became a permanent fixture of the product’s visual identity and remains a recognizable symbol today [4]. This venture achieved immense success, particularly establishing dominance in the eastern United States.

The Emergence of Best Foods

While Hellmann’s secured the eastern U.S. market, a separate mayonnaise business was simultaneously developing on the West Coast under the Best Foods name. This geographic divergence created two powerful regional brands:

• East: Hellmann’s
• West: Best Foods

Rather than eliminating one brand following corporate consolidation, the parent companies chose to preserve both due to their respective strong regional loyalties. This strategic decision explains why Best Foods and Hellmann’s remain closely related yet distinct entities in specific markets today [5]. In 1927, Postum Foods acquired the Hellmann’s brand, and subsequent reorganizations eventually brought both businesses under the broader Best Foods organizational umbrella [6].

It is necessary to distinguish between Best Foods as a historical corporation and Best Foods as a modern consumer brand. The historical Best Foods organization grew into a major packaged-food conglomerate. In 1958, it merged with Corn Products Refining Company, which later renamed itself CPC International in 1969.

In 1997, CPC International officially changed its name to Bestfoods, signaling a strategic focus on packaged foods while spinning off its corn-refining operations. Consequently, the name “Best Foods” has served variously as a mayonnaise brand, a food manufacturing company, a corporate identity, and finally, a modern consumer brand under Unilever ownership.

The most significant recent turning point occurred in 2000, when Unilever acquired Bestfoods. This acquisition integrated Best Foods and its associated brands into Unilever’s global portfolio, where they remain today as part of the multinational’s food division. Best Foods is no longer an independent company but operates entirely as a Unilever-owned brand.

Best Foods and Hellmann’s are effectively two regional identities for the same historic mayonnaise business. Their products, branding, and marketing strategies are deliberately aligned, sharing the same broad positioning and the slogan “Bring out the best.”

The distinction is primarily geographic:

For consumers in the Philippines and the broader Asian region, Best Foods is not a separate entity competing with Hellmann’s; rather, it is the designated regional identity for the same heritage brand family [1]. This historical market segmentation means the brand’s international identity is partly determined by the historical geography of the United States market.

While mayonnaise remains the flagship, Best Foods has diversified its offerings to suit both home cooks and professional kitchens.

Mayonnaise

The core product is Best Foods Real Mayonnaise. In Southeast Asian markets, this product is often formulated with soybean oil and pasteurized egg to create a creamy texture suitable for sauces, dressings, salads, sandwiches, and dips [4]. The U.S. portfolio includes additional variants such as Light Mayonnaise, Plant-Based Mayo Spread & Dressing, Avocado Oil Mayonnaise Dressing, Chipotle Mayonnaise Dressing, and other specialty spreads [5].

Sandwich Spreads and Dressings

Best Foods manufactures spreads specifically designed for sandwiches, burgers, bread, and prepared foods. Mayonnaise also serves as the base for a wide variety of salad dressings and cold sauces, extending the brand’s utility beyond simple condiment use [6].

Professional Bakery Ingredients

A distinctive feature of the Best Foods portfolio in Southeast Asia is its range of professional bakery ingredients. These include specialized bakery mayonnaise, sandwich spreads, fillings, toppings, and other components intended for commercial bakeries [2]. Products like Sweet Bakery Mayonnaise are formulated with local tastes in mind, offering a sweeter, milder flavor profile suited to Asian bakery applications such as decorating and filling baked goods [7]. This adaptation highlights how the global brand modifies its offerings to align with local culinary habits, where mayonnaise is frequently used in snacks, fusion foods, and baked goods rather than just Western-style savory dishes.

Best Foods classic mayonnaise adheres to the traditional emulsion concept of oil, egg, acid, and seasoning. For instance, the Best Foods Real Mayonnaise 1 kg product available in the region lists soybean oil, egg, sugar, distilled vinegar, iodized salt, permitted food additives, and natural flavor among its ingredients [4].

Unilever describes the product as delivering a balanced taste and creamy texture with stability useful for binding, coating, and sauce preparation [10]. However, formulations are not identical globally; recipes vary according to local regulations, consumer preferences, and specific product specifications. In Thailand and potentially other ASEAN markets, certain Best Foods products have received Halal certification from relevant Islamic councils, ensuring suitability for Muslim consumers [13][14][16].

In Southeast Asia, Best Foods maintains a strong B2B and food-service identity through Unilever Food Solutions. The brand is marketed directly to professional chefs, bakers, and food operators with messaging emphasizing consistency, texture, ease of application, product stability, food safety, cost-effectiveness, and professional results.

This professional line includes large-format packaging, such as 1 kg mayonnaise jars and bulk dressings, designed for high-volume use in restaurants, cafés, catering businesses, and food manufacturing [4][12]. Specialized products like bakery mayonnaise are engineered to maintain shape and appearance even during high-temperature processing [11]. Consequently, Best Foods operates effectively at two levels: as a consumer condiment brand and as a professional ingredient brand.

Best Foods’ identity centers on the proposition of making ordinary food taste better. Its positioning emphasizes quality, creamy texture, versatility, food enjoyment, and cooking creativity, encapsulated in the long-standing slogan “Bring out the best.”

Visually, the brand shares DNA with Hellmann’s, including the famous blue-ribbon motif originating from the early 20th-century Hellmann’s business [9]. Modern packaging typically features a blue-and-white color scheme and imagery of creamy white mayonnaise. In 2014, the brand introduced the squeeze-bottle format to facilitate easier dispensing and portion control, aligning with global convenience trends.

As a Unilever brand, Best Foods incorporates broader sustainability commitments under the “Taste Good. Do Good.” positioning, focusing on sustainable ingredient sourcing, packaging, and environmental impact [8]. Strategically, mayonnaise and sauces are high-frequency products that drive household familiarity, repeat purchasing, and cross-market recognition.

Best Foods benefits from Unilever’s global distribution and food-service infrastructure. Within the corporate structure, it functions as a key brand within the food and condiment portfolio rather than a standalone publicly traded entity. As of 2026, the brand continues to expand beyond traditional mayonnaise, offering plant-based and specialty variants in Western markets while maintaining its strong professional food-service presence across Asia [15].

1. Hellmann’s and Best Foods
2. วัตถุดิบเบเกอรี่ คุณภาพดี ราคาพิเศษ
3. Our Story | Best Foods US
4. BEST FOODS Real Mayonnaise 1 kg
5. Mayonnaise, Dressings & Spreads | Best Foods US
6. Our Products | Best Foods
7. BEST FOODS Sweet Bakery Mayonnaise 870 g
8. Best Foods, Real Mayonnaise – SmartLabel™
9. Tiu de Hellmann kaj Plejbon-Manĝaĵoj – Wikipedia’s Hellmann’s and Best Foods as translated by GramTrans
10. BEST FOODS Real Mayonnaise 1 kg
11. BEST FOODS SE Bakery Mayonnaise 910 g
12. BEST FOODS Sandwich Spread 1 kg
13. Real Mayonnaise | The Central Islamic Council of Thailand
14. Best Foods Real Mayonnaise | The Central Islamic Council of Thailand
15. Unilever Food Products
16. Best Foods Real Mayonnaise | The Central Islamic Council of Thailand