It was C. W Post, the founder of Post Cereals who first clearly comprehend that convenience and flavor were more forceful and more widely appreciated advantages than were the healthfulness and vegetable origin previously relied upon as selling points by producers of these foods.
C.W Post makes his first batch of Postum, a cereal beverage, in a barn in battle Creek, Michigan and starts the Postum cereal Company. The first cereal, Grape-Nuts, was developed in 1897 followed by Elijah's Manna in 1904 which was renamed Post Toasties in 1908. In January 1906, Post Cereals introduced a new version of the corn flakes.
In 1911, Post introduced a refinement of his original product, POSTUM Instant Cereal Beverage. Post used marketing techniques that are now considered industry standards, but which were innovative for their time.
The Postum Cereals company, after acquiring Jell-O gelatin in 1925, Baker's Chocolate in 1927, Maxwell House coffee in 1928, and other food brands, changed its name to General Foods Corporation in 1929.
Through the years, the management at General Foods refined and improved its product line in part through acquisitions and divestitures and, in part, through research and development. Internally-developed products included JELL-O Pudding and Pie Fillings (1936), MAXWELL HOUSE Instant Coffee (1945), TANG Flavour Crystals (1957), DREAM WHIP Topping Mix (1957) and COOL WHIP Whipped Topping (1966).
C.W Post's daughter bought out Birdseye, changed the name to General Foods Corporation. General Foods was acquired by Philip Morris Companies in 1985.
History of Post Cereals Company
