Memories that Last a Lifetime

Time to turn up the nostalgia as we dive into the last 150 years or so of cereal to commemorate one of the world’s most famous foods!

For the last couple of years, POP ROC has taken National Cereal Day cerealsly. In 2020, there was cosplay day and in 2021 POP ROC had a pop up mashup with other restauranteurs from Rochester NY and Buffalo NY. This year, National Cereal Day falls on a Monday and POP ROC is currently open on Wednesdays. So, we’ve put together some fun reading to enjoy while you enjoy your bowl wherever you are celebrating.

What do Star Wars, Trix Rabbit and Pillsbury Doughboy have in common?

They’re iconic for one. 

Second, they remind me of Saturday mornings from my childhood. The aroma of hot fresh baked Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits coming from the kitchen. Mom would slather them with butter and jam. The bowl of Trix cereal with the spoons that changed color when you put it in the milk. After breakfast we’d go watch cartoons and play with our toys.

Third, all are owned by General Mills. General Mills has one of the most fascinating stories I’ve read. I discovered the story while doing a deep dive on the history of cereal to write this article in time for March 7, 2022, also known as National Cereal Day.

Let’s go back to 1866. We are at St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where a man named Cadwallader Washburn would start something that would change the face of food forever, a flour mill. Little did he know at the time that he would become such a powerful influencer in households all over the world. 

There’s a lot to celebrate for National Cereal Day. To celebrate is more than to consume your favorite breakfast (or dinner) treat, but to recognize the evolution it has gone through since the 1850s. 

Hot Cereal Comes to America

In 1850, Ferdinand Schumacher founded German Mills American Cereal Company in Akron, OH. During the same period, John Stuart established the North Star Mills Company in Canada. Back in Germany, Schumacher was a successful miller who used medieval period milling techniques to manufacture oatmeal on a mass scale. While Schumacher’s largest mill, the Jumbo Mill, sold  over 360,000 pounds of oatmeal a day, several other oat mills popped up. A fire destroyed the Jumbo Mill and therefore Schumacher joined the Oatmeal Millers Association. In 1901, the Quaker Oats Company was formed by the consolidation of many of the other mills.

The Quaker Oats company would venture into different industries. They dabbled in the movie industry where they financed the 1970’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory film and formed US Games in 1982, which created video games for the Atari game system. In 2001, Quaker Oats was acquired by PepsiCo.

Cold Cereal is Discovered

Cold cereal was first developed in 1863  by a doctor and health reformer named James Caleb Jackson. This was done by baking graham flour into brittle cakes, crumbled and baked again. It was only edible when soaked in milk overnight. 

Jackson struggled with poor health and spent the second half of his life dedicated to health reform. In 1847, he opened a hydropathic institute at Glen Haven on Skaneateles Lake in New York. Roughly ten years later, he took over the 'Our Home Hygienic Institute' in Dansville, New York. The spa grew and was referred by as the Jackson Sanatorium by 1890, also known as the Jackson Health Resort.

Jackson also believed in the power of a healthy diet and was a vegetarian himself. He tested out new ways to treat patients and in 1863 created what is considered the first cold cereal, “Granula”.

James Caleb Jackson died in 1895 and is buried in Dansville, NY, just a short drive from Rochester, NY.

The Competition Begins

There was another health nut named Dr. John Harvey Kellogg who ran a sanitarium of his own. He was also working at helping the digestive track and began promoting cold cereal. In the late 1870s and early 1880s, Kellogg served a version of his own “Granula” made from a mixture of wheat flour, oatmeal and cornmeal. Jackson then sued Kellogg and so “Granola” was born.

Fast forward to 1894, Corn Flakes were discovered by an accident. John Kellogg was working with his brother Will on a new kind of wheat meal for patients at the sanitarium. “Rolling out wheat dough that had been forgotten overnight, the brothers discovered that instead of loaves of bread they got thin flakes. Kellogg's patients liked the new food, and he sold over 100,000 pounds of the cereal in the first year.”

Then another player enters the cereal arena, C.W. Post. Charles William Post, also known as C.W., after having multiple breakdowns, decided to seek help from a doctor. At this time, he became one of John Kellogg's patients at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan “At the sanitarium Post was fed a grain-intensive vegetarian diet featuring a variety of products formulated by Kellogg himself.”

Early in 1895 Post began the manufacture of Postum, a grain product intended as a coffee substitute, similar to one of Kellogg's concoctions. The manufacture of Grape-Nuts, based on another Kellogg item, began the following year.

The World Falls on Hard Times

The one thing all of these founders had in common was that they wanted to address the health and well-being of people. Although the competition was fierce, the innovation and evolution of cereal redefined the concept of breakfast and propelled the industry. 

History has shown that in times of difficulty innovation often flourishes. When times are tough, businesses have to get creative to stay in business. Sometimes they have to pivot. 

During the Great Depression and World War II, Kelloggs and General Mills served more than cereal. It’s interesting how global catastrophes drive competitors to focus on their community rather than their profits. 

• Kelloggs produced K-Rations for the US armed forces during World War II

• General Mills pivoted and became a manufacturer of torpedoes and other equipment and technology

After World War 2, the 1950s began booming with advertisements highlighting the convenience of cereals, the sugar in cereals, mascots were introduced, and companies continued to push boundaries. For example, Kelloggs was on Apollo 11 and General Mills was inside the Titanic.

The stories are fascinating and there is a lot to learn from them. The history is rich with passion, innovation, corruption, discovery, deceit, significant highs and significant lows. 

One thing remains constant, legacy.

Hello Cereal Bars!

Did you know that there are restaurants geared specifically to serving cereal!? They are called “Cereal Bars” and have been growing in popularity over recent years. We’re not talking about cereal bars like the Nature’s Valley Cereal Bar, which is owned by General Mills, and was the official cereal snack bar for the 2012 UK Olympics. Check out some of the cereal bars that have come and gone over the years.

1. Cereal Killers opened UK’s first cereal bar in 2014 and closes in 2020

2. KITH Treats opens NYC’s first cereal bar in 2015 and expanded into nine locations

3. Kelloggs opened another NYC cereal bar in 2016 and closes in 2019

4. POP ROC opened Rochester NY’s first cereal bar in 2018

5. Morgan’s Cereal Bar opened across the street from POP ROC in Rochester NY in 2019

6. The Cereal Spot, another cereal bar, opened in Buffalo NY in 2020

Fun Facts!

1. The word cereal is derived from Ceres, the Roman goddess of harvest and agriculture.

2. Mr. T Cereal debuted in the 1980s

3. General Mills acquired the makers of Play-Doh modeling compound, then Kenner products, which eventually put Star Wars figures in seemingly everyone's galaxy, and then Parker Brothers – known for the board game Monopoly.

4. During WWII General Mills not only developed weapons, they continued to feed people. In 1941, Cheerioats, which became Cheerios, was launched for American homes. In Rochester, NY, employees packaged dehydrated eggs for the military and in Buffalo, employees were turning out lens coatings and precision instruments.

5. In 1971, Post released the first cereal brand based on characters from a TV series or movie, Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles, featuring characters from “The Flintstones”.

6. 1952 Tony the Tiger was introduced along with Sugar Frosted Flakes

7. Kellogg's Corn Flakes were eaten by astronauts aboard Apollo 11 which made the first landing on the Moon. The cereal was mixed with fruit and pressed into cubes to make them easier to eat in the conditions of zero gravity.

8. Puffed cereal is made in pressure cookers. The first pressure cooker for this purpose was made from a converted cannon that was used in the Spanish-American war.

9. The full name of “Cap'n Crunch” mascot is Horatio Magellan Crunch. His place of birth is Crunch Island in the Sea of Milk.

10. Kellogg's, General Mills, Post, and Quaker Oats are the four greatest manufacturers of breakfast cereals.

How to Celebrate National Cereal Day

There is a day that is dedicated to celebrating cereal. So what are some ways you can celebrate this year?

1. Buy your favorite cereal, eat it and don’t forget to slurp the milk 

2. Make your favorite POP ROC cereal combo at home

   1. To make the infamous POP ROC cereal combo, you need milk, Rice Krispi cereal, Fruity Pebbles Cereal, Marshmallows, and Pop Rocks, a bowl, and spoon.

   2. First things first, put the rice krispies in, then fruity pebbles. Top it with the marshmallows, sprinkle pop rocks over top. Last, pour in your milk and watch it “Snap, Crackle, POP ROC!”

3. Eat it for lunch or dinner

4. Try something completely different than what you’re used to

5. Learn about cereal

6. Create your own recipe

7. Design a cereal mascot or cereal box

8. Make sure to tag what you’re doing for this day on POP ROC’s Instagram and Facebook pages

So no matter what way you pay homage to cereal, there are a ton of ways and places where you can enjoy this special day.