His brother Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (1852-1943) invented the first flaked cereal in 1894.
John Harvey and Will Kellogg continued their experiment; before long they end up with their first flakes cereal: Granose Flakes. Granose was frost marketed in 1895, and by year’s end more than 50 tons of Granose had been manufactured and sold.
In 1898 Kellogg establishing the Sanitas Food Company, with Will Kellogg installed as president and manager.
Will Kellogg recognized the potential of corn flakes as mainstream breakfast food. Constant experimenting with various recipes led to the invention in 1902 of a cereal based on flakes of corn and flavored with barley malt. The infamous Corn Flakes were born.
In February 1906 Will Kellogg set up the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flakes Company and the following month the company officially acquired the rights to Toasted Corn Flakes.
Under his leadership, the company posted profits, even when other consumer product companies suffered bad times or failed.
As a head of the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flakes Company, Will Kellogg competed against forty-two cereal companies in Battle Creek and roared to the head of the pack with his innovative marketing ideas.
During the Great Depression of the 1930’s, his company helped reduce unemployment in the Battle Creek area by instituting six-hour factory shifts, thereby creating additional jobs for community residents.
Kellogg was incorporated in 1922 as the successor to Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flakes Company.
Will Kellogg served as president of the renamed Kellogg Company until 1929. By then, the company had sold more than 50 million boxes of Corn Flakes. The company continued to produce new cereals, such as Rice Krispies, Frosted Flakes Gold, and Special K.
Kellogg Company
