Longevity Brand

Longevity Brand (Vietnamese: Sữa Ông Thọ, lit. translated as "Old man's milk") is a brand of canned condensed milk, registered by FrieslandCampina and distributed by Sun Hing Foods, Inc. in the United States and Canada. It is a popular ingredient in Vietnamese iced coffee with milk (cà phê sữa đá) drinks, and in various other Vietnamese desserts.

Exterior of a can of Sữa Ông Thọ

History

Sữa Ông Thọ was mass produced in the Saigon–Biên Hòa area and widely consumed in the Republic of Vietnam, produced by Friesland Foods (now FrieslandCampina) prior 1975. It was used in coffee, mixed with hot water to produce hot milk for babies and young children to drink (since fresh milk had to be imported and was thus expensive), and used for dipping French bread (bánh mì) and in other dessert applications.[1]

Name

The name Ông Thọ is the Vietnamese reference to the personified astrology deity of Longevity (Shou), representing long life, one of three astrology deities in the traditional Chinese Taoist concept of Phước Lộc Thọ (Fu Lu Shou). The other deities are Good Fortune (Fu), Prosperity (Lu).

Nationalisation

After the 1975 Fall of Saigon, the factories manufacturing Sữa Ông Thọ, along with all other commercial and private properties, were collectivized by the communists, and the facilities came under the state company Vinamilk, who continued to produce Sữa Ông Thọ condensed milk under the same name used domestically and elsewhere in Indochina.[2][3]

Friesland Foods continued production of Sữa Ông Thọ - Longevity Brand after 1975 in the U.S. and Canada for the North American market, especially catering to Overseas Vietnamese consumers, and increasingly to Western consumers as the popularity of Vietnamese coffee and cuisine in general, increases. In North America, Longevity Brand - Sữa Ông Thọ is widely available in Asian supermarkets, and increasingly in conventional supermarkets. Friesland sued Vinamilk for use of the brand in the US in 2002.[4][5] Sun Hing Foods, Inc., in Northern California, is the sole distributor for Longevity Brand in Canada and the United States.

  • Appearance of typical condensed milk
  • Cà phê sữa đá

See also

References
  1. Vietnam Courier 1975 Page 21 "What do those Honda-drivers rush about for ? A great many of them to inquire about the prices of goods or look for customers — to do business. In fact it is a race." He points to a car with painted posters advertising Ong Tho (Longevity) milk, ..."
  2. Đình Giao Ngô Công nghiệp ché̂ bié̂n thực phả̂m ở Việt Nam 1998 "... nhà máy sữa Thống Nhất sản xuất như sữa Ông Thọ, Ngôi Sao, Phương Nam trắng, Phương Nam vàng, sữa đặc ca cao, sữa đặc cà phê; các loại sữa bột như sữa bột Dielac, Sữa bột Maltro dartrin, sữa Ridielac ngọt nhãn Xanh, Ridielac ..."
  3. L'expansion management review -2001 Numéros 100 à 103 "Ong Tho a été la première à fabriquer du yaourt et des glaces. Au moment de l'ouverture économique, en 1992, le groupe a décidé de faire porter à l'ensemble de ses produits la signature « Vina-milk ». Sur le plan sémantique, Vinamilk ..."
  4. New York Law Journal 2002 "(U.S. — SDNY, Gorenstein, J., 10-1 7) Plaintiff owner of the U.S. trademark "Longevity," used on plaintiff's labels for condensed milk, sued the Vietnamese manufacturer of a condensed milk product sold in 14-ounce cans, which co-defendant "
  5. West's federal supplement. 2003 Second series, Volume 228, Page 402 "Below the man in block letters are written the Vietnamese words "SUA ONG THO." The trademark registration asserts that the Chinese characters translate to "longevity sweetened condensed milk." See Knull Dec, Ex. B. Friesland contends that the Vietnamese word "Sua" means milk and "Ong Tho" means "longevity." Knull Dec, Ex. H at 18. Friesland also claims that the old man is an "extremely popular" Chinese god of Longevity who is ......" p413 "Friesland has not put forth evidence that would allow a reasonable trier of fact to conclude that the Longevity mark is "famous" under the FTDA. The Longevity mark is hardly a household name and even Friesland's own survey expert has"
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