Willie Kellogg was born the seventh of sixteen kids on April 7, 1860 in Battle Creek, Michigan. A poor student, Will dropped out after sixth grade and went to work as a broom salesman for his father’s broom company. After eight years, he took a three-month business course and got a job working for his brother John at this famous Battle Creek Sanitarium. The sanitarium incorporated the philosophy of the brothers’ Seventh Day Adventist upbringing. Patients were cured using hydrotherapy, lots of exercise, and a strict vegetarian diet. In 1877, they invented granola. They developed peanut butter. In 1894, a batch of cooked wheat was left out overnight. Will decided to run it through the rollers and it came out as flakes. He convinced John to serve them with milk. In 1898, he developed corn flakes. They proved so popular that Will formed the Battle Creek Toasted Flake Company in 1903. It later was renamed Kellogg’s. Will was a genius at marketing. The company put up large billboards. The boxes were colorful with wonderful designs, including by famous artists like Norman Rockwell. He invented the “cereal box toy”. The first was “The Funny Jungleland Moving Pictures Book.” His company built brand recognition with stunts like “Wink Day” where if you winked at the grocer, he gave you a free box of cereal. Kellogg’s life was marred by family dysfunction. He had a falling out with his brother partly over his treatment like an underling. John paid him $87 a month when Will was a key part of the sanitarium. Will had to shine John’s shoes and shave him. The break came in 1906. Much later, John sent a conciliatory letter, which Will left unopened until after his brother’s death. Will also broke with his son after he left his wife. The son had been a core part of the company, but he was fired. Will then groomed his grandson to run the company, but demoted him for incompetence. His grandson committed suicide. In spite of his family problems, Kellogg proved to be a real humanitarian. He donated millions to charity through the Kellogg Foundation, which was originally created to provide medical care for children. During the Depression, he ran four 6-hour shifts to provide more jobs.
https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/economics-magazines/kellogg-will-keith
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Keith_Kellogg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cereal_box_prize
Will Kellogg became the leading breeder of Arabian horses in America
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