“Worlds oldest unchanged logo”

Saturday
I do still enjoy some Golden Syrup on my porridge, which we have several mornings a week for breakfast, topped with some fresh fruit and a few nuts, and we are lucky to be able to buy it at our regular supermarket. However, I learned something new about the logo today which I hadn’t realized before, despite having looked at it for years! I could have told you there was a lion on it, but I had never realized it was in fact a dead lion, with bees swarming around it, and is a biblical reference. Underneath there is a slogan, Out of the strong came forth sweetness. Golden Syrup was first produced by Abram Lyle and Sons in 1881. The company’s founder, Abram Lyle was an elder of St. Michael’s Presbyterian church in Greenock, and was a pious man and strict teetotaler, and it was he that chose the logo inspired by the story of Samson, who in the Old Testament, kills a lion with his bare hands only to later discover that honeybees have formed a honeycomb in the carcass. In the biblical tale in the Book of Judges, Samson eats honey from inside the lion, gives some to his parents and then presents 30 wedding guests with a riddle alluding to the encounter “Out of the eater came something to eat; out of the strong came something sweet”. We discovered this today by listening to what Roger refers to as the “silly news program”, otherwise known as the News Quiz. It was featured, because apparently the current American owners have announced that they are changing this worlds oldest logo, and replacing it with a more abstracted appearance. The redesign has met with mixed reactions, but notably opposition from the church, because of the biblical connection.
I’ve since read in an article that they will maintain the original logo on the traditional tins/cans, but the plastic bottles will bear the new logo! In the quiz program, they asked the audience how many had noticed the detail of the old logo, and they reckoned it was about 50/50 - so I guess I’m not alone in my lack of observation!