Fuelling Canadians since the 1900s

Our History

Over a century of quality and innovation

Our story began in 1880 in London, Ontario, when 16 refiners created the Imperial Oil Company. In the 1900’s, Standard Oil of New Jersey started marketing its products under the brand name ‘Esso’, which is the phonetic pronunciation of the initials ‘S’ and ‘O’ in Standard Oil. Application for the Esso trademark was filed in 1923 and the Esso oval was introduced in the 1930’s as a sign of quality and a symbol of service. Learn more about Imperial’s history.

A legacy of Canadian firsts

Throughout our history, we have been pioneers in products, technology and policies that impact the way Canada and the world uses energy. Here are a few of our more famous firsts.

World’s first service station
In 1907, Imperial opened the world’s first service station in Vancouver.
Self-serve gas stations
Imperial introduced the first self-serve retail stations to Canada in 1970, in Montreal and Toronto.
Unleaded gasoline
Imperial first introduced low-lead gasolines at its service centres in 1970 and in 1978 became the first company in Canada to offer premium unleaded gasoline. Today, Imperial offers three levels of unleaded Synergy™ gasoline in most Canadian markets and four in the greater Toronto, Edmonton and Calgary areas.

The Esso brand is synonymous with hockey in Canada

Imperial and the Esso brand have been closely linked to Canada’s favourite sport for over 90 years.

NHL partnership
Esso has long supported the NHL. The three stars were first awarded in the 1936-37 NHL season as a means for Imperial (then Hockey Night in Canada's new principal sponsor) to advertise its Three Star brand of gasoline. Today, as the Official Fuel of the NHL, Esso proudly supports all seven Canadian teams.
Hockey broadcasts
In 1936, Esso sponsored the first national radio broadcast of an NHL game. In 1940, Esso sponsored overseas transmissions of hockey games for Canadians serving in WWII. By 1950, three million Canadians were listening to Esso hockey broadcasts each week. In 1952, Esso expanded its sponsorship to include television broadcasts.
Hockey Canada Partnership
Esso has been a Premier Partner of Hockey Canada for more than 40 years. Working with Hockey Canada, Esso is proud to promote young girls’ and women’s participation in hockey with programs including Esso Fun Days to recruit beginners at no-cost and The Esso Cup, Canada’s U18 Women's National Championship. Formerly the Esso Women’s Nationals, the Esso Cup was founded in 2009 and is hosted in a different community every spring.
Esso Medals™
In 1981, Imperial introduced the Esso Medals and Certificates of Achievement program for minor hockey leagues throughout Canada. To date, Esso and Hockey Canada have awarded over 2 million boys and girls with medals for being Most Dedicated, most Improved and having the Most Team Spirit. Esso Medals have also recognized over 10 million young Canadians with certificates of achievement, celebrating players from coast to coast.

A trip down memory lane

From family road trips to supporting the war effort, Imperial has been fuelling Canadian journeys for more than a century. Here are a few of the more memorable moments we shared along the way.

Supporting the war effort
During World War I, Imperial stations employed female gas attendants. During WWII, Imperial refuelled ships at sea.
Innovation takes flight
During his first solo trans-Atlantic flight in 1928, Charles Lindbergh stopped in Quebec City to refuel with Imperial aviation fuel.
Happy motoring
As early as the 1930’s, ‘motoring’ was becoming ever more popular. In 1935, Imperial produced free road maps for customers and also gave out free colouring books to keep kids entertained on road trips. Today, thousands of Esso customers use our online Fuel Finder to help them on their journeys.
Put a tiger in your tank
The tiger first appeared as a mascot for the Esso brand in Norway around the turn of the 20th century. The tiger surfaced again in the 1950’s, when Esso started using it to represent quality and power. Thanks to the now famous advertising phrase, “Put a tiger in your tank”, the Esso tiger became extremely popular in Canada in the 1960’s and was featured in numerous ads, jingles, and TV commercials. After a 27-year hiatus, the Esso tiger once again earned his stripes in the 1990’s.

Energy to take you further
The helpful services found at Esso™ and Mobil™ stations and Imperial provide the fuels and expertise to help power customers across Canada.
Learn more about energy to take you further
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Investing in the communities we serve
We are committed to investing in the communities where we live and work in an effort to make a positive and lasting contribution to people’s lives.
Learn more about community engagement
Environmental performance
Read about some of the ways we’re working to improve environmental performance while pursuing reliable and affordable energy that is essential to human progress.
Learn more about environmental performance
Careers and workforce
From joining our Canadian head office to being part of our global team, Imperial is a dynamic and exciting place to work.
Learn more about careers
Esso hockey
We are proud to be a part of the past, present and future of Canadian hockey – sponsoring programs from the grassroots level to the global arena.
Learn more about Esso hockey