General Foods

General Foods Corporation

Company type	Public
Industry	Food industry
Predecessor	Postum Cereal Company
Founded	1929 in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States
Founder	Marjorie Merriweather Post (renamed from Postum Cereal Company)
Defunct	1995
Fate	Merged into Kraft Foods; brand phased out
Successor	Kraft Foods
Headquarters	Battle Creek, Michigan; later Westchester County, New York , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Marjorie Merriweather Post (leader), Charles William Post (founder of predecessor)
Products	Breakfast cereals, frozen foods, coffee substitute, Maxwell House, Oscar Mayer, Stove Top stuffing, Jell-O, Kool-Aid, Entenmann's, Oroweat
Owner	Philip Morris Companies (1985–1995)
Parent	Philip Morris Companies (1985–1995)

General Foods Corporation originated as the Postum Cereal Company, established in 1895 by entrepreneur Charles William (C. W.) Post in Battle Creek, Michigan. Drawing inspiration from the dietary regimen at Battle Creek Sanitarium, Post launched his venture with a modest $78 investment, introducing Postum, a cereal-based coffee substitute. The company broadened its offerings with cereals such as Grape-Nuts (1897) and Post Toasties (initially called Elijah's Manna, 1904).

After acquiring several businesses, Marjorie Merriweather Post renamed the firm General Foods in 1929 upon inheriting it from her father. Under her leadership, General Foods evolved into a prominent food industry competitor, managing brands like Maxwell House, Oscar Mayer, and Stove Top stuffing.

In November 1985, Philip Morris Companies (currently Altria) purchased General Foods for $5.6 billion, marking one of the largest non-petroleum acquisitions at that period. This move aligned with Philip Morris's strategy to diversify into packaged food products. Subsequently, in December 1988, Philip Morris expanded further by acquiring Kraft Foods Inc., merging both companies in 1990 to create Kraft General Foods. The General Foods brand was phased out in 1995 when the company reverted to Kraft Foods; however, some product lines such as Maxwell House International maintained the General Foods name until 2010.

Origins

General Foods' beginnings lie with C. W. Post’s Postum Cereal Company, a trailblazer in the food industry founded in 1895. Post’s initial product was Postum, followed by popular cereals including Grape-Nuts and Post Toasties. Despite facing early legal challenges related to advertising claims, the company secured a strong foothold in the market under Post’s direction.

Through strategic acquisitions and brand enhancement led by Marjorie Merriweather Post, the company established itself as a formidable presence within the food sector, eventually attracting acquisition interest from large corporations such as Philip Morris.

Development of General Foods

Following C.W. Post’s death in 1914, his daughter Marjorie Merriweather Post assumed control of the business. Under her guidance, Postum Cereals expanded by acquiring notable brands including Jell-O (1925), Walter Baker & Company (1927), and Maxwell House (1928).

A landmark moment came in 1929 with the purchase of "General Seafood Corporation," a frozen-food company founded by Clarence Birdseye, who had invented a patented quick-freezing technique that transformed the frozen food sector. This led to the establishment of General Seafoods Company based in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Marjorie Merriweather Post played a key role in this acquisition by persuading Postum management to acquire a 51% stake for $10.75 million while Goldman Sachs took the remaining 49%. Subsequently, Postum, Inc. was renamed General Foods Corporation.

Recognizing that frozen products required specialized freezer units for retail display early on, General Foods introduced a freezer cabinet in 1934 designed to preserve frozen items effectively. This innovation spurred growth in frozen food sales and influenced supermarket design.

In 1932, to promote its range of products to American homemakers, General Foods released the General Foods Cook Book.

The company continued its expansion through various acquisitions: Perkins Product Company (producers of Kool-Aid, 1953), Burger Chef (1968), Oscar Mayer (1981), Entenmann's (1982), Oroweat (1984), and Freihofer baking company (1987). Burger Chef was divested to Imasco in 1981.

Philip Morris Companies (now Altria) acquired General Foods in 1985. After purchasing Kraft Foods Inc. in 1987, Philip Morris merged it with General Foods in 1989 to form Kraft General Foods. In 1993, Nabisco cereal brands were incorporated into the portfolio. The company reverted to Kraft Foods as its name in 1995. In 2007, Kraft announced plans to spin off Post Cereals and merge it with Ralcorp Holdings; this transaction was completed in 2008 under the name Post Foods, LLC. Kraft Foods later divided into grocery and snack divisions in 2012—the grocery segment retained the Kraft brand name. In 2015, Kraft merged with Heinz to establish Kraft Heinz.

See also

• 800 Westchester Avenue (previous corporate headquarters)