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History of Post Consumer Brands

History of Post Consumer Brands

Making history in breakfast and beyond

In 2015, Post Foods and MOM Brands became one food consumer packaged goods company: Post Consumer Brands®.
Uncover key moments that contributed to Post®’s impact on the cereal and pet food industries.

1895

Postum Cereal Company vehicle in Battle Creek, Michigan

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.

1897

Grape-Nuts cereal ad from 1897

Postum Cereal Company Introduces Iconic Grape-Nuts Cereal

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

1914

Marjorie Merriweather Post

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. She later renamed the company General Foods.

1919

John Campbell sitting at a desk

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

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

1966

Malt-O-Meal puffed rice and puffed wheat cereal bags from 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.

1968

Morris the Cat in 1968 in front of cans of 9Lives cat food

Morris the Cat Becomes the 9Lives Spokescat

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

1971

Original Fruity PEBBLES and Cocoa PEBBLES cereal packaging from 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.

1971

Barbara's Original Multigrain Spoonfuls cereal box and bowl next to glass of milk

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.

1981

Kibbles N Bits Bistro Beef dry dog food

Kibbles ‘N Bits Introduces Dual-Textured Dog Food

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

1989

Honey Bunches of Oats cereal ad from 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.

1998

Malt-O-Meal's first resealable cereal bag from 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.

2007

2007 Post Foods logo

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®.

2015

Honeycomb cereal in a bowl served with fruit and an english muffin

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.

2017

Boxes of Weetabix cereal, Alpen cereal, Uncle Sam cereal and Sweet Home Farm Granola

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.

2019

Malt-O-Meal 100 Year Anniversary Logo

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

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

2020

Post Cereal 125 Year Anniversary Logo

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.

2021

Creamy Peter Pan Peanut Butter next to a glass of milk and peanut butter and jelly sandwich

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.

2021

Pouring milk into a bowl of cinnamon squares cereal

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.

2021

Boxes of Fruity PEBBLES and Cocoa PEBBLES cereal next to a carafe of milk and two cereal bowls

PEBBLES Cereal Marks 50 Years of Fun and Happiness

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

2022

Female explorer Lucy Westlake

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 10 female adventurers.

2023

Nutrish, Nature's Recipe and Kibbles 'n Bits pet foods sitting on a countertop

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®.

2023

Perfection Pet Foods Facility in Visalia, California

Post Holdings Acquires Perfection Pet Foods

Post Holdings acquires Perfection Pet Foods, a leading manufacturer and packager of private-label and co-manufactured pet food and baked treat products. The acquisition includes two manufacturing facilities in Visalia, California.

Post history in the news

Marjorie Merriweather Post

October 3, 2023

Meet Marjorie Merriweather Post, heiress to the Postum Cereal Company

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.

Peter Pan peanut butter next to a PB&J sandwich

June 15, 2023

The Making of Peter Pan Peanut Butter: An Inside Look at the Peanut Butter Journey

Discover how Post Consumer Brands® produces Peter Pan® Peanut Butter, one of the world’s most beloved nut butter brands. Learn about our commitment to quality, sustainability and the fascinating journey from peanut farm to your pantry.

Several mascot logos for Post cereals like Puffins, Fruity PEBBLES and Golden Crisp.

March 17, 2023

A History of Post Cereal Mascots

Learn about a few beloved cereal characters that have appeared on Post® and Malt-O-Meal® packages throughout our 125+ year history.