Unilever is a global fast-moving consumer goods giant. It was formed in 1929 when the British soap maker Lever Brothers merged with the Dutch margarine manufacturer Unie. Lever brothers became a limited company in 1890 after successfully migrating from their grocery business to become a manufacturer of soap in the north of England. Their success was built upon the manufacturing and marketing of their earliest brand Sunlight soap. They were soon exporting globally from their Liverpool factory.

Around the same time, two Dutch families found success in the manufacturing and marketing of margarine. In 1871 the Jurgen family purchased the patent for the manufacture of Margarine from its inventor Merge Mouries. Once acquired Jan Jurgens took the product to Simon Van den Bergh who had a business in the same town. The early steps taken by the Jurgens and Van Den Berg families eventually lead to the creation of the Margarine Union Limited. This was a vehicle established to formally bring together a large group of European firms who were all involved in the manufacture of goods whose raw materials were oils and fats.

By the mid-1920s Lever Brothers were responsible for 60% of the soap manufactured in the UK. At the same time, Jurgens and van Den Burg had manufacturing plants in Ireland, Scotland, and England. The post-war saw a drop in margarine consumption as cheaper butter impacted the market. These developments led to alliances being formed between Lever Brothers and the Dutch entities. These came to a conclusion with the Margarine Union and Lever Brothers formally merging on September 2nd, 1929.