Harper West
Breakfast cereal is a food category consisting of processed cereal grains, eaten as part of breakfast or as a snack, predominantly in Western societies. The first-ever breakfast cereal was invented in 1863 by James Caleb Jackson, a religiously conservative vegetarian who ran a health spa in New York. Jackson created a cereal from graham flour dough that was dried and broken into shapes so hard they needed to be soaked in milk overnight. He called it Granula. While Granula was not a commercial success, it inspired John Harvey Kellogg, a surgeon who ran a health spa in Michigan, to create a similar product called Granola.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 1863 |
| Name | Granula |
| Inventor | James Caleb Jackson |
| Occupation | Health reformer, doctor, and health spa proprietor |
| Location | New York |
| Ingredients | Graham flour |
| Preparation | Baked into brittle cakes, crumbled, and baked again; required soaking in milk overnight |
| Popularity | Not initially popular due to inconvenient preparation |
| Subsequent Versions | Granola (John Harvey Kellogg), Grape-Nuts (C.W. Post) |
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What You'll Learn
- The first cold breakfast cereal was Granula, created in 1863 by James Caleb Jackson
- Ferdinand Schumacher started the cereals revolution in 1854 with a hand oats grinder
- John Harvey Kellogg created Granola, a version of Jackson's Granula
- In 1895, Charles W. Post crafted Postum, his first batch of cereal beverage
- The first ready-to-eat breakfast cereal in the UK was Force Wheat Flakes in 1902
The first cold breakfast cereal was Granula, created in 1863 by James Caleb Jackson
Breakfast cereal has a long and fascinating history. The first cold breakfast cereal was Granula, created in 1863 by James Caleb Jackson, a doctor, health reformer, and religious conservative vegetarian. Jackson ran a medical sanitarium in western New York, where he experimented with cold cereal as a cure for illness. He baked graham flour into brittle cakes, which he then crumbled and baked again. This process resulted in hard bran and graham nuggets that needed to be soaked in milk overnight before they could be eaten.
Granula was not an immediate success, and it never became popular due to the inconvenience of having to soak the cereal before eating. However, the idea of a cold breakfast cereal sparked the interest of John Harvey Kellogg, a surgeon who ran a health spa in Michigan. Kellogg created his own version of Granula, which he named Granola. He also invented the cereal flake, which he mass-marketed as Corn Flakes with his brother, Will Keith Kellogg. The Kellogg brothers' Corn Flakes included sugar, and they included the first in-box prize, starting a trend of marketing breakfast cereals to children.
The late 19th century saw the advent of branded and ready-to-eat cold cereals, often served with dairy products like cow's milk. These modern cereals could also be paired with yogurt or plant-based milk and sometimes included added fruit or nuts. The first ready-to-eat breakfast cereal introduced in the United Kingdom was Force wheat flakes in 1902. The character Sunny Jim promoted this cereal, and it achieved wide success in Britain.
The early 20th century saw the rise of big breakfast cereal companies like Quaker Oats and General Mills, which entered the market in 1924 with Wheaties. After World War II, these companies increasingly targeted children in their marketing, adding sugar and creating colourful mascots like the Rice Krispies elves, Tony the Tiger, and the Trix Rabbit. While cereal consumption has declined in recent years due to its perception as an unhealthy, sugary treat, it remains a significant part of breakfast culture, particularly in Western societies.
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Ferdinand Schumacher started the cereals revolution in 1854 with a hand oats grinder
Breakfast cereal has a long history, with warm, cooked cereals like oatmeal, maize grits, and wheat farina traditionally being consumed as breakfast foods. However, the revolution in the breakfast cereal industry began in 1854 with Ferdinand Schumacher, a German immigrant who started producing cereals using a hand oats grinder in the back room of his small store in Akron, Ohio.
Schumacher's innovation marked the beginning of the cereals revolution and led to the establishment of the German Mills American Oatmeal Company, the nation's first commercial oatmeal manufacturer. By marketing his product as a substitute for breakfast pork, Schumacher tapped into the growing 19th-century movement advocating for reduced meat consumption and exploring vegetarian alternatives. This religious and health-conscious sentiment was also reflected in the work of Seventh-day Adventists in Michigan, who promoted non-meat breakfasts in their sanitariums.
Schumacher's company quickly gained traction due to improved production technology and the influx of German and Irish immigrants, solidifying his role as a pioneer in the cereals industry. In 1877, he adopted the Quaker symbol as the first registered trademark for a breakfast cereal, further enhancing his brand recognition and influence in the market. The success of Schumacher's venture encouraged other entrepreneurs, such as Henry Parsons Crowell and John Robert Stuart, to enter the industry and contribute to its growth.
The late 19th century witnessed the emergence of branded and ready-to-eat cold cereals, adding convenience to breakfast routines. James Caleb Jackson created the first cold breakfast cereal, "Granula," in 1863, although it failed to gain widespread popularity due to the overnight soaking required to make it edible. Subsequently, George H. Hoyt's "Wheatena" cereals, sold in boxes rather than by the pound, offered consumers a more sanitary and convenient option.
The evolution of the cereals industry continued with the introduction of packaged breakfast cereals, clever marketing strategies, and the advent of big cereal companies like General Mills and Kellogg's, which began targeting children as a key demographic. The post-World War II era brought about significant changes in the types of cereals offered, with refined flour and added sugar transforming the nutritional profile of these breakfast staples.
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John Harvey Kellogg created Granola, a version of Jackson's Granula
Breakfast cereal can be traced back to the ancient Greeks, who ate gruel. However, the first breakfast cereal is thought to have been created in 1854 by German immigrant Ferdinand Schumacher, who began selling oatmeal from a store in Akron, Ohio. This was a warm, cooked cereal, and it was not until the late 19th century that branded, ready-to-eat cold cereals appeared.
The first cold breakfast cereal was invented in 1863 by James Caleb Jackson, a religiously conservative vegetarian who ran a medical sanitarium in western New York. He created a breakfast cereal from graham flour dough that was dried and broken into shapes so hard they needed to be soaked in milk overnight. He called it Granula.
John Harvey Kellogg, a surgeon who ran a health spa in Michigan, later made a version of Jackson's Granula and named it Granola. Kellogg changed the name of his product to avoid legal problems with Jackson. It was composed of sweetened whole-grain products that were crumbled and then baked until crisp. This was similar to an oversized form of Grape-Nuts.
Granola was revived in the 1960s, with fruits and nuts added to it, and it became popular with the health and nature-oriented hippie movement. It was promoted by Layton Gentry, who was profiled in Time as "Johnny Granola-Seed". In 1964, Gentry sold the rights to a granola recipe using oats, wheat germ, and sesame seeds to Sovex Natural Foods. The first mass-market granola, Heartland Natural Cereal, was introduced in 1972, and today, granola is fully mainstream.
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In 1895, Charles W. Post crafted Postum, his first batch of cereal beverage
Breakfast cereals have a long and fascinating history. The first cold breakfast cereal, Granula, was invented in the United States in 1863 by James Caleb Jackson, a religiously conservative vegetarian who ran a medical sanitarium in western New York. However, it was in 1895 that Charles W. Post crafted Postum, his first batch of cereal beverage, marking a significant innovation in the world of breakfast options.
Charles William Post, commonly known as C. W. Post, was an American innovator, breakfast cereal and foods manufacturer, and a pioneer in the prepared-food industry. He founded what became Post Consumer Brands and played a pivotal role in shaping the breakfast landscape. Post's journey into the world of breakfast cereals began with Postum, a unique offering that stood out from the traditional warm, cooked cereals that dominated the scene.
Postum, introduced in 1895, was not a conventional breakfast cereal but a roasted, cereal-based beverage. Post, who had developed an aversion to coffee during his time in a sanitarium, positioned Postum as a healthy alternative. Its main ingredients were naturally caffeine-free wheat grain, bran, and molasses. Postum was initially brewed like coffee, but in 1911, Post introduced a powdered, instant formulation, making it even more convenient for consumers.
Post's approach to his product extended beyond its unique characteristics. He recognized the importance of advertising and aggressive marketing, coining the slogan "There's a Reason" for Postum. Within a decade, his Postum Cereal Company had amassed over $10 million in capital and was investing significantly in advertising. Post's business acumen and understanding of the market contributed to the success of his ventures.
Postum served as a stepping stone for Post, who went on to introduce his first dry cereal, Grape Nuts, in 1897. This crunchy blend of wheat and barley was followed by a corn flake product, Elijah's Manna, in 1904, which was later renamed Post Toasties due to consumer resistance to the biblical reference. Post's innovations and contributions to the breakfast cereal industry left a lasting impact, and his legacy continued under the leadership of his daughter, Marjorie Merriweather Post, who became one of the most influential female business leaders of the early 20th century.
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The first ready-to-eat breakfast cereal in the UK was Force Wheat Flakes in 1902
Breakfast cereals have a long history, with warm, cooked cereals like oatmeal, maize grits, and wheat farina traditionally eaten for breakfast. In the 19th century, there were calls to cut back on meat consumption, and food reformers explored vegetarian alternatives. This led to the creation of new breakfast cereals.
The first cold breakfast cereal, Granula, was invented in the US in 1863 by James Caleb Jackson, made from graham flour dough that needed to be soaked in milk overnight. However, it was not popular due to the inconvenience of preparation. The first ready-to-eat breakfast cereal in the UK was Force Wheat Flakes, introduced in 1902.
Force Wheat Flakes were first produced in 1901 by the Force Food Company in Buffalo, New York, and were the first commercially successful wheat flake cereal. They were cheap to produce and had a long shelf life. The product was initially not well-targeted to a specific market and did not sell well. However, in late 1901, a jingle writer created the character Jimmy Dumps, who transformed into the rosy-cheeked Sunny Jim after eating the cereal. This advertising campaign was a huge success, and by 1904, the company had expanded to three additional mills, producing 360,000 packages per day.
Force Wheat Flakes were imported to the UK by A. C. Fincken, a former employee of the Force Food Company, who set up an agency in 1910 to bring American cereals to Britain. The Sunny Jim character, with his jingles, caught the fancy of British consumers, and Force Wheat Flakes achieved wide success, with sales of 12.5 million packages in 1930. The brand was later acquired by Nestlé and was manufactured in the UK until 2013 when production ceased due to poor sales.
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Frequently asked questions
The first manufactured breakfast cereal was called Granula, created in 1863 by James Caleb Jackson. It was made from graham flour dough, dried and broken into shapes, and had to be soaked in milk overnight.
No, Granula never became popular due to the inconvenience of having to soak the heavy bran and graham nuggets in milk overnight before eating.
The first popular breakfast cereal was Granula's successor, Granola, created by John Harvey Kellogg.
