The Company started as a brokerage of sorts, buying and selling naval stores, paint, raw materials, and cotton linters in the Pacific Northwest.

In the years to come Univar continued to grow, moving into chemical distribution through the acquisition of multiple companies involved in cleaning and chemical products, food, fertilizers, textiles, tapestry, and agricultural products.

In 1950, Univar forayed into the Canadian market with the acquisition of Vancouver based Industrial Material Ltd.
Concurrently, Univar also expanded on the west coast of the United States, purchasing various distributors of laboratory products. In 1971, the acquired entities combined to form Univar United, which in 1973 was renamed Univar Corporation.

In 1986, Univar Corporation acquired McKesson Chemical Company. The acquisition was a result of a share transfer with Royal Pakhoed, a Dutch company with origins dating back 350 years. This association was further advanced by the formation of Royal Pakhoed Univar Europe in 1991.

Recent business evolution has included the acquisition of Sistemas Ecológicos para el Control de Plagas S.A. de C.V., a provider of pest control products. With this step, Univar achieved its initial foothold in the important Latin-American market. The acquired business was renamed Univar-Mexico PSP.

Univar has continued Latin-America expansion by entering strategic partnerships in Mexico, thereby forming Univar Quimicos de Mexico. This new entity enables Univar to offer the distribution of a wide array of chemicals throughout Mexico. Through a long history of organic growth and numerous acquisitions, Univar has become the world leader in the distribution of chemicals, operating through its three key subsidiaries Univar USA Inc., Univar Canada LTD., and Univar Europe.