General Mills Celebrates 150th Anniversary

General Mills plans to celebrate its 150th birthday today with 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. Through 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," say company officials. 

"Ours is a rich history," says 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 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, and we're going to continue to work to make our communities and the world a better place," Powell adds.

General Mills traces its roots to 1866, when Cadwallader C. Washburn built single mill on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. 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:

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.

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.

Beginning with Gold Medal Flour, General Mills created many of the world's most recognizable and beloved food brands. Its 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 brand characters, including the Pillsbury Doughboy, Betty Crocker, the Green Giant, BuzzBee, the Trix Rabbit and Lucky the Leprechaun.

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.                   

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.

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' 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."