Pillsbury
|
|
Pillsbury is a brand name used by The J. M. Smucker Company and Minneapolis-based General Mills. Historically, however, Pillsbury was also a Minneapolis-based company and was one of the world's largest producers of grain and other foodstuffs until its acquisition by General Mills. Antitrust regulations required General Mills to sell off some of the products. General Mills kept the rights to refrigerated and frozen Pillsbury products, while dry baking products and frosting are now are sold by Smucker under license. The Pillsbury brand might have disappeared if not for the iconic Pillsbury Doughboy.
C.A. Pillsbury and Company was founded in 1872 by Charles Alfred Pillsbury and his uncle John Sargent Pillsbury. The company was the first in the United States to use steam rollers for processing grain. The finished product required transportation, so the Pillsburys assisted in funding railroad development in Minnesota.
Pillsbury once claimed to have the largest grain mill in the world at the Pillsbury A Mill overlooking Saint Anthony Falls on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. The building had two of the most powerful direct-drive waterwheels ever built, each putting out 1200 horsepower (895 kW). The building still sees use, but plans are in place to convert it into a loft-style apartment building.
Products
- Pillsbury-branded products sold by General Mills include:
- Frozen breads
- Frozen pizza
- Refrigerated breads
- Refrigerated cookie dough
- Refrigerated pie crusts
- Pillsbury-branded products sold by The J. M. Smucker Company include:
- Bread mixes
- Brownie mixes
- Cake mixes
- Cookie mixes
- Flour
- Frosting
- Muffin mixes
- Roll mixes
External links
- Pillsbury (http://www.pillsbury.com/)
- Pillsbury Baking (http://www.pillsburybaking.com)
References
- N.S. Gill. Charles Alfred Pillsbury. (http://minneapolis.about.com/od/peoplelifestyleinterests/p/Pillsbury.htm) Minneapolis.about.com