Post Foods: We were here first!
While Battle Creek might be synonymous with Kellogg Co, C.W. Post set up shop there almost decade before W.K. Kellogg arrived in 1906, and was employing almost 500 people making everything from Grape-Nuts to Postum (a grain based hot drink) before the first batch of Kellogg's Toasted Corn Flakes rolled off the production line.
In the years that followed, Postum Cereals changed its name to General Foods Corporation, acquired Birdseye, was taken over by Philip Morris, merged with Kraft, and then spun off and merged with Ralcorp, before being spun off again and finally operating as a separate company in 2012, says Post Foods plant manager Keith Martens (pictured).
“Since I started working here, I’ve had a paycheck from General Foods, Philip Morris, Altria, Ralcorp, you name it.”
$30m investment, 95 new jobs
Today, Post Foods - which has its corporate HQ in St Louis and makes cereal brands from Great Grains, Pebbles, and Honey Bunches of Oats to Grape-Nuts - operates plants in Battle Creek, MI; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Niagara Falls, Ontario; and Modesto, California.
The Modesto plant is closing, with production transferring to the SQF-certified Battle Creek site in two phases (Raisin Bran and Great Grains starting in November 2013 and Grape Nuts in August 2014), prompting a $30m investment and creating 95 new jobs, says Martens.
“We’re making about 275million pounds of cereal here, but it’s been a tough time for ready-to-eat cereals and like everyone else, we’ve seen some volume declines. However, taking on the Modesto production is obviously going to make a big difference.”
