Unilever NV (UN) manufactures, markets, and sells a broad portfolio of consumer products across the globe in developed, developing, and emerging markets. The Netherlands-based (Rotterdam) company operates in Europe, North America, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. On January 1, 2001, Unilever adopted the euro as its principal reporting currency. Management's financial ambition is to be in the top third of its peers in terms of Total Shareholder Return.

Since January 2001, Unilever has organized its businesses into two global divisions: (1) Foods and (2) Home and Personal Care (HPC). The Foods division, which accounts for 54% of revenues and 53% of operating profits (in 2006), operates through three business units: savory, dressings and spreads ice cream and beverages and culinary and frozen foods. Savory, dressings and spreads include margarine, cheese products, and cooking oils, with leading brands, such as Knorr, Hellmann's, Country Crock, Becel, and Bertolli Olive Oil. The company s premium ice cream brands are Breyers, Magnum, Ben & Jerry's, and Wall's. Unilever is also the largest seller of packet tea, with leading brands like Lipton and Brooke Bond. The company owns tea plantations in India, Kenya, and Tanzania.

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