Our history
The way people eat has changed. So has the company that feeds them.
From a flour mill to a global food company
Since 1866, what started as a flour business on the Mississippi has grown into more than 100 brands sold in over 100 countries. Along the way, the focus has remained on making food people rely on, with care for the communities connected to how it’s made.
General Mills began with flour.
In 1866, Cadwallader Washburn built a mill on the west bank of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, founding the Washburn-Crosby Company. It was the largest flour mill west of Buffalo, New York. The location was deliberate: St. Anthony Falls provided the water power that made large-scale milling possible.
Grain moved in. Flour moved out. It was a business shaped by geography, timing and demand, turning wheat into something people could use every day.
Then, in 1878, an explosion destroyed the mill and claimed 18 lives. Washburn personally made sure the families who lost loved ones were taken care of.
What followed set the tone for everything that came next. The facility was rebuilt with new safety systems and dust ventilation that became a model for the industry — and the technology was shared freely.
By 1880, the flour coming out of Minneapolis was earning international recognition. That product was Gold Medal Flour, still on shelves today.
Loading component...
Loading component...
Beyond food
As the company grew, so did its curiosity about what else it could shape beyond the kitchen. Not all of these ventures remain part of the business today, but they illustrate a spirit of experimentation that shaped how the company evolved.
In the mid-20th century, General Mills supported advanced engineering and scientific research, including work on Alvin, a deep-sea research submersible that went on to play a role in ocean exploration.
It also found new ways to connect with families through play. In the late 1960s, the company moved into toys, by bringing brands like Kenner and Parker Brothers into its portfolio. Products such as the Easy-Bake Oven, Spirograph and Star Wars action figures became part of childhood for generations.
In the 1970s and 1980s, General Mills also moved into the restaurant business, including Red Lobster and later the creation of Olive Garden. Those businesses reflected another way food could fit into everyday life, outside the home.
Loading component...
What hasn’t changed
More than 150 years in, the fundamentals are still the same. Grain becomes food. Food reaches people. People return to it throughout the day.
Everything around that keeps shifting. Tastes change, kitchens evolve and expectations keep rising, ready-to-eat cereal to natural and organic foods to how people think about pet nutrition. Innovation has been part of how General Mills has responded, and we’ll keep adapting as those changes continue.
The next chapter brings new ingredients, new ways of growing food and new questions about what a food company owes the land and the people connected to it. Work like advancing regenerative agriculture is part of that shift, alongside efforts to reduce emissions, rethink packaging and strengthen the systems behind how food is made. So is figuring out what comes next.
It all connects back to the instinct that rebuilt a flour mill along the Mississippi in 1878: when something needs to change, change it.
History at a glance
Key moments that shaped how General Mills grew over time
- 1866: Cadwallader C. Washburn builds a flour mill in Minneapolis
- 1878: A mill explosion leads to new safety practices
- 1880: Superlative Flour gains international recognition and becomes Gold Medal Flour
- 1928: General Mills is formed through a merger of milling companies
- 1920s–1940s: Shift from ingredients to consumer foods as iconic brands Betty Crocker, Wheaties, Bisquick and Cheerios are introduced
- 1976: Launch of Nature Valley granola bars
- 1996: Box Tops for Education launches, generating nearly $1 billion for schools over time
- 1999: Cascadian Farm acquired, an early move into natural and organic foods
- 2001: Acquisition of Pillsbury expands the company’s portfolio across meals, baking and refrigerated foods
- 2018: Blue Buffalo joins General Mills, adding pet food to the portfolio
- Today: More than 100 brands sold in over 100 countries
