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History of Post cereals

Making breakfast history: a timeline

Post Foods and MOM Brands became one cereal company: Post Consumer Brands.
Key moments that contributed to Post’s impact on the cereal industry:

  • Postum Cereal Company founded in 1895

    1895 C.W. Post Launches Postum Cereal Company with First Batch of Postum

    C.W. Post makes his first batch of Postum, a cereal beverage, in a barn in Battle Creek, starting the Postum Cereal Company.

  • old Grape Nuts cereal launch in 1897

    1897 Postum Cereal Company Introduces Iconic Grape-Nuts Cereal

    The Postum Cereal Company introduces Grape-Nuts, one of the first ready-to-eat cereals, and still a beloved classic.

  • Marjorie Merriweather Post

    1914 Marjorie Merriweather Post Takes the Helm of Postum Cereal Company

    Marjorie Merriweather Post takes over the Postum Cereal company as one of the most influential female business leaders of the early 20th century.

  • Campbell Cereal Company founded in 1919

    1919 John Campbell Invents Malt-O-Meal, Founding Campbell Cereal Company

    John Campbell, a miller in Owatonna, Minn., adds malt flavor to farina wheat, inventing Malt-O-Meal and beginning the Campbell Cereal Company.

  • The Northfield plant viewed across a body of water

    1927 Campbell Cereal Company Moves to Northfield, Continues Expanding Production

    The Campbell Cereal Company moves operations to Northfield, Minn., where we still make more than 300 million pounds of cereal annually.

  • General Foods logo

    1929 Postum Cereal Company Rebrands to General Foods Corporation

    The Postum Cereal Company changed its name to the General Foods Corporation after adding Jell-O gelatin in 1925, Baker’s Chocolate in 1927, Maxwell House Coffee in 1928, and Birdseye in 1929.

  • Campbell Cereal Co. is renamed Malt-O-Meal Co. in 1953

    1953 Campbell Cereal Company Becomes Malt-O-Meal Company, Expands Flavor Offerings

    The Campbell Cereal Company is renamed the Malt-O-Meal Company and expands into new flavors, like chocolate, in 1961.

  • Malt-O-Meal Co. introduces cold bags of cereal in 1966

    1966 Malt-O-Meal Introduces Groundbreaking Bag-Only Packaging for Cereals

    Malt-O-Meal introduces the first-ever ready-to-eat cereal in a new economical packaging: The bag without the box.

  • Morris the cat next to a bowl and bag of 9lives

    1968 Morris the Cat Becomes the 9Lives Spokescat

    Morris, our advo-cat for animals, is discovered and becomes the 9Lives spokescat.

  • Post launches Pebbles cereals in 1971

    1971 Post Debuts Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles, First Cereal with Licensed TV Characters

    Post launches Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles, the first cereal brand that licensed television characters.

  • Barbaras Logo

    1971 17-Year-Old Barbara Jaffe Founds Barbara's Bakery, Future Barbara's Cereal

    Barbara’s Bakery, now Barbara’s Cereal, was founded in Northern California in 1971 by 17-year-old Barbara Jaffe. She sold the brand to the Weetabix Co. in 1986.

  • Kibbles'n Bits logo

    1981 Kibbles 'N Bits Introduces First Dual-Textured Dog Food

    Kibbles ‘N Bits, owned by Quaker Oats at the time, introduces the first dual-textured dog food featuring chewy and crunchy pieces.

  • Post Honey Bunches of Oats cereal is introduced in 1989

    1989 Honey Bunches of Oats Enters the Market, Becomes Best-Selling Breakfast Cereal

    Vernon J. Herzig combines several delicious Post Cereals to make his daughter smile, creating Honey Bunches of Oats, one of our best-selling breakfast cereals.

  • Malt-O-Meal Co. launches resealable cereal bag in 1998

    1998 Malt-O-Meal Introduces Resealable Cereal Bag Zipper for Convenience

    Malt-O-Meal introduces the resealable cereal bag zipper to pursue convenience, freshness, and innovation.

  • Kraft launches Post Cereals and merges it with Ralcorp Holdings in 2007

    2007 Post Cereal Brands Spun Off as Separate Company, Post Foods

    After General Foods merged with Kraft Foods in 1989, Post cereal brands were later spun off into a new company, Post Foods.

  • Post Consumer Brands logo

    2015 Post Holdings Acquires Mom Brands, Merges with Post Foods to Form Post Consumer Brands

    Post Holdings purchases Mom Brands (renamed from the Malt-O-Meal Company in 2012) and merges it with Post Foods to create Post Consumer Brands, a leading cereal manufacturer.

  • Post Consumer Brands acquires Weetabix cereals in 2017

    2017 Post Consumer Brands Expands Organic Offerings with Weetabix U.S. Acquisition

    Post Consumer Brands acquires the Weetabix U.S. portfolio of cereals, including Puffins, Alpen, and Barbara’s cereal, greatly expanding our organic cereal offerings.

  • Malt O Meal 100 Logo

    2019 Malt-O-Meal Celebrates a Century of Value and Innovation

    The Malt-O-Meal cereal brand marks 100 years of value and innovation.

  • Post 125 Logo

    2020 Post Cereal Brand Commemorates 125 Years of Family-Favorite Cereals

    The Post cereal brand celebrates 125 years of iconic brands and cereals that families love.

  • A peanut butter and jelly sandwich next to a glass of milk, container of jelly and container of Peter Pan peanut butter

    2021 Post Consumer Brands Diversifies with Peter Pan Peanut Butter Acquisition

    Post Consumer Brands acquires the beloved Peter Pan peanut butter, starting our growth beyond breakfast cereal.

  • Bowls of cinnamon squares. Milk is being poured into the closest bowl

    2021 Post Consumer Brands Becomes Private-Label Breakfast Cereal Leader with TreeHouse Foods Ready-To-Eat Cereal Business Acquisition

    Post Consumer Brands acquires TreeHouse Foods’ ready-to-eat breakfast cereal business, becoming the leader in private-label breakfast cereal.

  • Bowls and boxes of Fruity PEBBLES cereal and Cocoa PEBBLES cereal

    2021 PEBBLES Cereal Marks 50 Years of Fun and Happiness

    PEBBLES cereal celebrates 50 years of bringing kids and kids-at-heart fun and happiness.

  • Adventurer Lucy Westlake stands with a Grape-Nuts sign

    2022 Grape-Nuts Celebrates 125 Years with $125,000 Donation to Female Adventurers

    Grape-Nuts cereal celebrates 125 years of fueling adventures—from Sir Admiral Byrd’s 1933 Antarctica expedition to Edmund Hillary’s 1953 Mount Everest climb—by donating $125,000 to ten female adventurers.

  • Packages of pet food products sit on a counter.

    2023 Post Consumer Brands Acquires Iconic Pet Food Brands from J.M. Smucker Company

    Post Consumer Brands acquires several iconic pet food brands from the J.M. Smucker Company, including Rachael Ray Nutrish, Kibbles ‘N Bits, and 9Lives.

  • 1895
  • 1897
  • 1914
  • 1919
  • 1927
  • 1929
  • 1953
  • 1966
  • 1968
  • 1971
  • 1971
  • 1981
  • 1989
  • 1998
  • 2007
  • 2015
  • 2017
  • 2019
  • 2020
  • 2021
  • 2021
  • 2021
  • 2022
  • 2023

Building on our legacy for a better tomorrow

For more than a century, Post and Malt-O-Meal have been bringing new cereals to breakfast tables across North America. Learn how we’re continuing the tradition.

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Post cereal history in the making

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The Pioneering Legacy of Post Consumer Brands Founder Marjorie Merriweather Post

Marjorie Merriweather Post transformed the Postum Cereal Company into one of America’s largest food corporations in the early 1900s. Read about her pioneering business achievements.

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Malt-O-Meal innovates with “Steamboat Bill” radio promotion

John Campbell, founder of Malt-O-Meal, became an early pioneer of radio, using his ingenuity to raise awareness of his new cereal.

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Honey Bunches of Oats®. The cereal that started with a smile.

Our top-selling cereal brand exists today thanks to a long-time employee’s idea.

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