MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- General Mills
announces its 150th birthday today with plans for a
year-long celebration. To celebrate its impact on a century and a
half of food around the world, General Mills will share and
highlight nostalgic food memorabilia from its historical archives.
And honoring its journey of developing leading brands,
life-changing inventions and cultural icons, General Mills is
pledging "a future of continued innovation – and striving
to help make its communities and the world a better
place."
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"Ours is a rich history," said Ken
Powell, chairman and chief executive of General Mills.
"Morning, noon and night, for 150 years, General Mills has served
the world by making food people love. Today we proudly bring
quality foods and leading brands to people in 130 countries around
the world – and we're especially excited about all we will do in
our next 150 years."
"General Mills is a part of Americana," says Tom Forsythe, chief communications officer for
General Mills. "We invented the Nerf ball, built the 'Black Box,'
and along the way we've touched people's lives with our iconic
brands."
General Mills will not only celebrate its past, but will also be
looking ahead to the future throughout the year. "We're going to
continue meeting consumers' changing needs through innovation and
determination," Powell explains, "and we're going to continue to
work to make our communities and the world a better place."
Our History
General Mills traces its roots to 1866,
when Cadwallader C. Washburn built
single mill on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Through hard work and
determination, Washburn's mill grew into a multi-billion dollar
company and one of the largest food companies in the world.
Over its 150 years, General Mills has woven part of the fabric
of American culture, including:
- Life-changing innovations and inventions –
- Dr. Howard Bauman, a Pillsbury
food scientist, developed the Hazard Analysis Critical Control
Point (HACCP) system that remains the gold standard of ensuring
food safety in processing facilities around the world.
- General Mills' mechanical division teamed with University of Minnesota professor James Ryan to create the Ryan flight recorder,
also known as the "Black Box." The invention changed the face of
aviation, and a version of the Ryan recorder flies today in every
global commercial aircraft. General Mills also created and built
the small deep-dive submarine ALVIN, that made the first-ever dives
to the Titanic.
- Advertising "Firsts" – General Mills created what is
believed to be the first singing radio commercial for Wheaties in
1926, and sponsored the first televised commercial sports broadcast
in 1939. Bisquick created and sponsored one of the first
radio "soap opera," Betty and Bob. General Mills also owned
or sponsored popular shows like The Lone Ranger, Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy and
The Bullwinkle Show.
- Leading Brands – Beginning with Gold Medal Flour,
General Mills created many of the world's most recognizable and
beloved food brands. Its iconic brands include Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Cheerios, Wheaties,
Yoplait, Nature Valley, Old El Paso and more. Its international
brands include Häagen-Dazs, Wanchai
Ferry, Yoki, Green Giant, Latina, and Frescarini, among
others. General Mills also created many iconic brand characters,
including the Pillsbury Doughboy, Betty
Crocker, the Green Giant, BuzzBee, the Trix Rabbit and Lucky
the Leprechaun.
- Call to Service – During World War I, the company
supported relief missions, providing food to war-ravaged
Europe. In World War II, General
Mills built precision targeting technologies, including the
jitterbug torpedo, as well as producing foods for the Army's K
rations and C rations. In the 1960s, Pillsbury provided NASA
astronauts with space foods, leading to the launch of Space Food
Sticks. In 1954, the company created the General Mills Foundation,
through which it fueled more than $2 billion dollars in
support to nonprofit
organizations.
- Beyond Food – General Mills was also a leading
manufacturer of toys, with Kenner, Parker
Brothers, Play-Doh and Lionel Trains. It invented the Nerf
ball, Care Bears and Paint-by-Number; marketed Spirograph,
Monopoly, Risk, Clue and Stretch Armstrong; and gave the world the
Betty Crocker Easy Bake Oven. Beyond toys, the company developed
O-Cel-O Sponges; operated clothing brands such as Eddie Bauer, Foot-Joy, Talbots, Izod and
Lacoste; and made furniture such as Dunbar and Pennsylvania House.
It was also a major restaurateur with Olive Garden, Red Lobster,
Burger King and more.
- Natural and Organic – General Mills entered the natural
and organic market in 2000, acquiring Small Planet Foods which
included Cascadian Farm and Muir Glen. It also added LÄRABAR,
Liberté, Mountain High, Food Should Taste Good, Immaculate Baking
and most recently, Annie's.
General Mills
Today
General Mills is one of the world's top ten
food companies. Dedicated to putting consumers first, General Mills
continues to innovate around the world to meet changing consumer
needs. In the U.S., General Mills is removing artificial flavors
and colors from artificial sources from all of its Big G
cereals.
It is also a leader in sustainable business practices, with
industry-leading commitments on climate change, and a pledge to
sustainably source 100 percent of its top 10 ingredients by the
year 2020.
The Future
General Mills' strategies for "the next big
thing" include partnering with emerging food brands and
entrepreneurs to create new and on-trend breakthrough foods through
the company's new business development and venturing unit, 301
Inc., providing knowledge, expertise and access to capital.
"What's exciting is all that we will do in the future," Powell
adds. "The past is prologue. The future is what we're about. We're
going to continue our strong focus on sustainability and advocate
for food security, because food is essential to life."
About General Mills
One of the world's leading food
companies, General Mills operates in more than 100 countries around
the world. Its brands include Cheerios, Fiber One, Häagen-Dazs,
Nature Valley, Yoplait, Betty
Crocker, Pillsbury, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more. Headquartered in
Minneapolis, Minn., USA, General
Mills had fiscal 2015 worldwide sales of US $18.8 billion.
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SOURCE General Mills