Purina Mills
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Farm animal feeds |
| Founded | 1894 |
| Founder | William H. Danforth |
| Headquarters | St. Louis, Missouri , United States |
| Parent | Land O'Lakes |
Purina Mills, LLC operates as the division of Land O'Lakes specializing in farm animal feeds. Its roots trace back to Ralston Purina, prior to the divestiture of the U.S. animal feed operations in 1986.
History
Established in 1894 by William H. Danforth in St. Louis, Missouri, Purina Mills manufactured feed for a variety of farm animals under the "Chow" brand names such as "Purina Horse Chow" and "Purina Dog Chow." In 1902, Danforth joined forces with university professor Webster Edgerly, the founder of Ralstonism and producer of breakfast cereals, resulting in the creation of the "Ralston Purina Company."
In 1986, Ralston Purina divested its U.S. animal feed segment, Purina Mills, selling it to British Petroleum while maintaining control over its pet food and international feed divisions. A leveraged buyout led by The Sterling Group took place in 1993. Subsequently, Koch Industries acquired Purina Mills in 1998; however, a bankruptcy court later rescinded Koch’s ownership stake to safeguard the company’s sustainability. In 2001, Land O'Lakes acquired Purina Mills.
Licensing rights
Within the United States and its territories (including Puerto Rico), Purina Mills holds licensing agreements for the Purina and Chow brands from Nestlé Purina PetCare, which succeeded Ralston Purina and owns these trademarks.
For markets outside the U.S., Nestlé Purina PetCare grants licenses for these animal feed brands to Cargill.
Logo
Ralston Purina became widely recognized for its distinctive "checkerboard" trademark, inspired by founder William Danforth’s childhood recollection of his family wearing clothing with a checkerboard pattern. Introduced in 1904 as a means to differentiate their burlap feed sacks from those of competitors, this pattern became a hallmark of the brand identity. The company’s headquarters was famously called Checkerboard Square. Additionally, Ralston Purina held partial ownership of the St. Louis Blues NHL team, during which time their arena earned the nickname "Checkerdome."
The checkerboard design also served as the foundation for a personal growth model outlined by Danforth in his book I Dare You, focusing on achieving harmony among four aspects of life: "Physical," "Mental," "Social," and "Religious." This concept was reflected in the company’s product innovation in 1921 when it introduced cube-shaped feed pieces known as "checkers."