The Quaker Oats legacy: 150 years of innovation, nutrition and trust

Whether it’s breakfast time, dinner time or snack time, Quaker has been a household favorite and kitchen pantry staple for almost 150 years. With its friendly and familiar “Quaker Man” logo, the iconic brand has continued to provide delicious and nutritious foods that meet evolving tastes.

It was 1877 when the Quaker Oats name was trademarked as a breakfast cereal, the first such product to be registered with the U.S. Patent Office. Its former owners were said to have chosen the Quaker name because it evoked good quality and honest value.¹ In 1881, the brand name and the Quaker Mill Company were bought by Henry Parsons Crowell, who believed the circumstances of life should not be a barrier to good nutrition. It was Crowell who also launched the first national magazine advertising campaign for a breakfast cereal.

After seven of the largest American oat millers united in 1888 to become the American Cereal Company, the innovative ideas continued with the introduction of the first “trial-size” samples and the first brand to feature a recipe (for Quaker oatmeal bread) on its box.² In 1901, American Cereal Company took its flagship brand as its namesake, changing its name to the Quaker Oats Company.³ The still-familiar round canister of Quaker Oats debuted in 1915, and a few years later the brand introduced Quaker Quick Oats, one of the first convenience food products.⁴

Throughout the 20th century, Quaker grew into a national brand and continued to innovate — adding puffed rice cereal to its food lineup in the early 1900s⁵, and later introducing Life Cereal in 1961 and Quaker Instant Oatmeal in 1966. It would be another four years before the first flavored instant oatmeal, Maple & Brown Sugar, was introduced.⁶ Quaker Chewy granola bars followed in 1981.

In the 1990s, as consumer preferences evolved and Americans looked to labels detailing ingredients and nutrition facts,⁷ Quaker introduced the first food-specific FDA-authorized health claim for its oatmeal. The claim, which stated that “soluble fiber from oatmeal as part of a low saturated fat, low cholesterol diet, may reduce the risk of heart disease,” began appearing on qualifying Quaker products in 1997.⁸

Over the years, The Quaker Oats Company expanded beyond oatmeal, building a portfolio that included ready-to-eat cereals, granola bars, pancake mix and syrup, sports drinks, pasta and rice products, and rice snacks. In August 2001, PepsiCo completed its merger with The Quaker Oats Company,⁹ bringing those popular brands into the PepsiCo family.

The Quaker Oats Company’s story spans a century and a half: 2027 will mark 150 years since the Quaker trademark was first registered. Throughout the years, Quaker quickly became a brand of firsts — from innovative marketing tactics to creating new foods, the trusted Quaker Man has watched it all unfold with his trademark smile.

¹ EBSCO. (n.d.). Quaker Oats Company. EBSCO Research Starters. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/business-and-management/quaker-oats-company

² Quaker Oats. (n.d.). Quaker history. https://www.quakeroats.com/about-quaker-oats/quaker-history

³ PepsiCo. (n.d.). When was the Quaker Oats Company founded? https://contact.pepsico.com/quaker/article/when-was-the-quaker-oats-company-founded

⁴ Quakers Oats.. (n.d.). Quaker history. https://www.quakeroats.com/about-quaker-oats/quaker-history

⁵ USA Rice. (2019, July 19). Puffed rice breakfast cereal started out with a big bang. https://www.usarice.com/news-and-events/publications/usa-rice-daily/article/usa-rice-daily/2019/07/19/puffed-rice-breakfast-cereal-started-out-with-a-big-bang

⁶ Quaker Oats. (n.d.). Quaker history. https://www.quakeroats.com/about-quaker-oats/quaker-history

⁷ Northwell Health. (n.d.). How U.S. dietary recommendations have changed over the last 50 years. https://www.northwell.edu/news/the-latest/us-dietary-recommendations-changes-last-50-years

⁸ Quaker Oats. (n.d.). Quaker history. https://www.quakeroats.com/about-quaker-oats/quaker-history

⁹ U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. (2001). PepsiCo completes merger with the Quaker Oats Company. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/77476/000007747601500073/qkrclose.htm