Cornflakes is celebrating its 130th year anniversary! It was actually on this day back in 1894 that Dr. John Harvey Kellogg created a breakfast cereal made by toasting flakes of corn (maize). It was a food that Kellogg thought would be healthy for the patients of the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan where he was superintendent. The diet he imposed consisted entirely of bland foods and was vegetarian-based. The breakfast cereal proved popular among the patients and the Kellogg Company (Kellogg’s) was set up by Dr. John’s brother, Will Kellogg, to produce cornflakes for the wider public audience. A patent for making the cereal was granted in 1896. A ton of help in getting the cereal out to the public is credited to one of Kellogg’s friends named Sylvester Graham, the man cited as the inspiration behind “graham crackers” and graham bread.
Will Kellogg dropped out of school and started selling brooms with his father, but shortly thereafter, he went to work for his brother at the local sanitarium. Will pioneered the process of making flaked cereal by accident one afternoon while at work. Both brothers were vegetarians, and Will was on a strict budget with limited money, so he often had to get creative. Once they discovered the process, Will saw real commercial potential. In fact, Will wanted it kept a secret. However, John allowed anyone in the sanitarium to observe the flaking process. Interestingly, one sanitarium guest was named C. W. Post, who later copied the process and started his own company. That company became known as Post Cereals and later General Foods. Mr. Post went on to make millions. Prior to this, Post worked as a salesman and manufacturer of agricultural machinery. During this career, Post invented and patented several farm implements, including the plow, a harrow, and the hay-stacking machine. On May 9, 1914, despondent over his ongoing illness, Post took his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot. His 27-year-old daughter, Marjorie Merriweather Post, inherited his company along with most of his vast fortune, which was one of the largest of the early 20th century. Not that this has any relevance to the story, but Marjorie Merriweather Post later married a man by the name of E. F. Hutton. Crazy!
Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company was officially founded in 1906 when Will Kellogg, who was then 46 years old, had enough of his brother John giving away the process they had discovered together and paid him very little money. Will’s first move was to experiment and add sugar to the flakes to make them more palatable to a mass audience. Kellogg continued to experiment and various ingredients were added and different grains were used. In fact, in 1928, Kellogg started to manufacture Rice Krispies, which became another massively successful breakfast cereal. Kellogg has also created many other successful products by experimenting with additional ingredients. The rest is really history…
Will Kellogg went on to start the “Kellogg Foundation” in 1934 and started by donating $66 million to the cause, which is a donation that would be worth over a billion dollars in today’s economy. Kellogg continued to be a major philanthropist throughout his life and the company has been a symbol of the American dream! Today, the company sells more than 50 different cereals in over 100 countries. I encourage you to watch a short documentary about Will Kellogg HERE!
