100 Entrepreneurs Who Changed The World
31. Will Keith Kellogg 1860-1951
“We were in debt, but we bought a reputation for keeping our promises.”
Will Keith Kellogg, better known and WK Kellogg, was an American businessman and food manufacturing pioneer. W.K., along with his brother John, pioneered the process of making flaked cereal. Will recognized the commercial potential and wanted to keep the process secret. His brother, however, showed just about anyone who wanted to see. One person he showed was C.W. Post, who would copy the process to start his own company. Post Cereals, later to become General Mills. Post made a fortune off flaked cereal, causing W.K. to split from his brother. He founded the Kellogg Company, which today manufacturers a bunch of popular breakfast cereals. Kellogg’s has diverged into other areas of process foods, including meal bars and snacks. A major philanthropist, Kellogg founded the Kellogg Foundation with an initial donation that today would equal over $1 billion.
