Millions of people eat Kellogg’s Corn Flakes for breakfast, often with “ice cold milk”, as the famous commercial advises.
The product is extremely simple and is seen as a healthier option compared to the sugar-heavy breakfast cereals of modern times.
However, what many people might not know is that their favorite cereal had a very curious beginning based more on religious beliefs than trying to give a nutritious breakfast.
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“Curbing sexual desires”
One of the founders of the company was John Harvey Kellogg.
He was a physician who was seen as being ahead of his time in terms of his understanding of nutrition.
However, he was also a devout Seventh-day Adventist. This meant he believed eating rich food would increase a person’s sexual desire.
He saw this as damaging to the mind. His beliefs were so strong he slept in a separate room to his wife and never consummated the marriage.
This led to the couple adopting all their children.
Kellogg believed the best way to stop the craven desires of Americans was to ensure they were fed a bland, boring diet.He believed this which would enable them to focus on higher matters.
And that’s how Corn Flakes were created.
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A marketing success
Will Kellogg, John’s brother, was the one to spot an opportunity as a result of his brother’s bizarre beliefs.
He spotted that if you added a bit of sugar to the humble flakes and put some money into advertising them, they became an endlessly popular breakfast cereal. The sad thing was that the brothers had a troubled relationship, with John viewing his younger brother as “dim-witted.”
However, it was Will Kellogg who started the company we know today.
He showed the business acumen to recruit talented marketers to promote it.
John Kellogg attempted to set up his own cereal company, also bearing the Kellogg name. This led to a bitter row, which eventually ended up in Michigan Supreme Court.
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Will Kellogg’s promotional skills paid off as he won the case, with the judge saying:
“Look at all these ads – millions and millions of dollars of ads.
“Millions of Americans read these ads or hear about it on the radio. And when you hear the name Kellogg, you think of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes.”
More of the story is told in Howard Markel’s book “The Kelloggs: The Battling Brothers of Battle Creek“.
