Quaker Oats Company
The Quaker Oats Company (/ˈkweɪkər oʊts/), known as Quaker, is an American food conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois. As Quaker Mill Company, the company was founded in 1877 in Ravenna, Ohio. In 1881, Henry Crowell bought the company and launched a national advertising campaign for Quaker Oats.
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food |
| Founded | September 4, 1877 (as Quaker Mill Company) Ravenna, Ohio, United States |
| Founder | Henry Parsons Crowell |
| Headquarters | 555 West Monroe Street, , US |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Robbert Rietbroek (Senior Vice President & General Manager) |
| Products |
|
| Parent | PepsiCo |
| Subsidiaries | Gatorade |
| Website | quakeroats.com |
In 1911, the company acquired the Great Western Cereal Company. The iconic cylindrical package was introduced in 1915. Although Quaker Oats Company claims that the "Quaker man" is not meant to resemble or represent an actual person, the company identified the Quaker man as William Penn in advertising dating back to 1909.
In 1983, Quaker acquired Stokely-Van Camp, Inc., the maker of Van Camp's and Gatorade. In 2001, PepsiCo bought Quaker Oats for $14 billion, primarily to acquire the Gatorade brand.