Osem

Osem is one of the largest food companies in Israel, founded in 1942 and headquartered in Shoham, Israel. It produces a wide range of food products including pasta, sauces, snacks, and beverages. Osem was acquired by Nestlé in 2016 and became a subsidiary.

Osem was founded in 1942 as a food producer serving the local market in Mandatory Palestine. The company emerged during a period when food manufacturing and distribution were becoming increasingly important to the region's growing urban population. Its early activities established the basis for a business focused on packaged staples and convenient foods rather than only on fresh or locally prepared products. After the establishment of Israel in 1948, Osem expanded alongside the country's population and consumer economy. The company broadened its manufacturing and distribution activities and developed products for routine household use. Pasta, soups, sauces, snacks, crackers and other shelf-stable foods enabled Osem to build a presence across the grocery basket. This category breadth distinguished it from a narrowly focused snack company and helped establish the Osem name as a familiar household brand. Bamba became the company's signature product. The peanut snack was developed as an extruded savory snack and became highly popular in Israel. Its distinctive flavor, texture and local availability made it one of the country's most recognizable packaged foods. Osem also built recognition through Bisli and through a large range of cooking and pantry products. These brands supported the company's position in both impulse categories and regular household shopping. During the late twentieth century, Osem expanded its industrial base and corporate portfolio. It developed or acquired interests in several food categories, including baked products, snacks, prepared foods and vegetarian foods. The wider business became associated with Tivall, a major Israeli producer of vegetarian and plant-based products. Osem's operations consequently covered both consumer-facing grocery brands and specialized food manufacturing activities. Nestlé entered into a strategic relationship with Osem in the 1990s and became an important shareholder and international partner. The relationship gave Osem access to multinational expertise, technology, research capabilities and international distribution while Osem provided Nestlé with a major platform in Israel. Osem remained a separately recognized Israeli food company and continued to market products adapted to local tastes and kosher requirements. Nestlé gradually increased its ownership. In 2016 it acquired the remaining shares held by public investors, completing a transaction that removed Osem from the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and converted it into a wholly owned Nestlé subsidiary. The change ended Osem's period as a publicly traded Israeli company but did not eliminate the Osem identity from the market. Instead, the brand continued operating as a local business within a global corporate group. In the years following the acquisition, Osem has continued to focus on packaged foods for Israel and on selected exports. Its activities combine local production, national distribution and brand management with the resources of Nestlé. The company remains associated with familiar Israeli staples and snacks, particularly Bamba, while also competing in the broader packaged-food market through pasta, soups, sauces, crackers, cereals, convenience foods and related categories.

1. 2016Osem becomes wholly owned by Nestlé

   Nestlé completes the acquisition of the remaining Osem shares, and Osem ceases to be publicly traded as an independent listed company.

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2. 1990Nestlé becomes a strategic partner

   Nestlé establishes a strategic relationship and acquires a significant stake in Osem, linking the Israeli company to the multinational food group.

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3. 1964Bamba is introduced

   Osem introduces Bamba, which becomes one of Israel's most recognizable snack products.

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4. 1948Expansion during the formation of Israel

   Following the establishment of Israel, Osem develops alongside the country's expanding population, food industry and packaged-goods market.

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5. 1942Osem is established

   Osem is founded as a food producer serving the local market in Mandatory Palestine.

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Mass-market food brand in Israel and internationally.

• BambaSavory snack1964

  Bamba is an extruded peanut-flavored snack and Osem's most internationally recognizable product. It has a light, airy texture and a pronounced peanut taste. The product is strongly associated with Israeli childhood and popular culture, and it is sold in multiple package formats. Variants and formulations have appeared over time, including products designed for different age groups and dietary or allergen considerations.

• BisliSavory snack

  Bisli is a line of crunchy, seasoned savory snacks made in distinctive shapes and sold in several flavors. It occupies the salty-snack segment alongside Bamba and is widely recognized in Israel. The line is designed for individual snacking, sharing and convenience retail, with flavor and format variations introduced over time.

• Osem soupsSoup and cooking products

  Osem's soup portfolio includes instant soups, soup mixes and related cooking products. These products are intended to provide quick preparation and consistent flavor for household meals. The range has historically included several vegetable, chicken-style and other savory profiles, with products adapted to local kosher and consumer preferences.

• Osem pasta and noodlesPasta and noodles

  Osem markets dry pasta, noodles and convenience-oriented noodle products for home cooking and quick meals. The category extends the brand beyond snacks into routine grocery purchases and provides formats suitable for family meals, side dishes and prepared recipes.

• Osem sauces and ketchupCondiments and sauces

  The sauces portfolio includes ketchup and tomato-based or cooking sauces used as condiments and recipe ingredients. These products reinforce Osem's role as an everyday pantry brand and are distributed through mainstream grocery channels in Israel.

• Osem crackers and baked snacksCrackers and baked goods

  Osem's crackers and baked-snack products cover additional savory and light-meal occasions. They are sold as packaged grocery and snack products, with formats intended for eating alone, serving with spreads or incorporating into household meals.

• TivallVegetarian and plant-based foods

  Tivall is a vegetarian and plant-based food business historically associated with the wider Osem portfolio. Its products have included meat alternatives and prepared vegetarian foods for retail and food-service use. Brand ownership, operating arrangements and product availability may vary by market and period.

• 2016Nestlé completes the acquisition of OsemM&A

  Nestlé had been a strategic partner and major shareholder in Osem before moving to acquire the remaining publicly held shares.

  What changed. Nestlé completed the purchase of the outstanding shares and took Osem private, integrating it as a wholly owned subsidiary.

  Aftermath. Osem remained an active Israeli food business, but it was no longer an independently listed company. The transaction strengthened its connection to Nestlé's global resources while preserving the Osem consumer identity.

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• 2016Nestlé increases its ownership of Osem

  Nestlé completed the acquisition of the remaining publicly held shares of Osem, taking the Israeli food company private within the Nestlé group.

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1. Osem
2. Bamba (snack)
3. Nestlé completes acquisition of Osem