He called his health drink Postum. In 1897 Post marketed a breakfast cereal called Grape-Nuts, and in 1904 these was followed with corn based cereal Post Toasties.
During the 1920s, Postum went on buying spree, acquiring such companies as Baker’s chocolate and Jell-O. Maxwell House was added in 1928.
Company management concluded that because the Postum was closely associated with cereal, the company need another name to encompass these new subsidiary. Thus, the General Foods Corporation was launched in 1929.
For most of the 20th century, the General Foods Company was recognizable national brand along with General Mills and General Electric.
General Foods Corporation was acquired by Phillip Morris Companies, the tobacco giant in 1985 for $5.6 billion. It was the largest non-oil acquisition in US history. In 1988 Philip Morris buys Kraft, Inc for $12.9 billion.
Four years later, General Foods was merged with Kraft, to create Kraft General Foods. In 1995, the name was shortened to Kraft Food Inc.
In 2000 Phillip Morris continued to expand with the acquisition of Nabisco, which became part of Kraft.
General Foods Corporation
