developed with YouTube

Postum

Related content

Postum

Postum was a powdered roasted grain beverage sold by the Kraft Foods company as a coffee substitute. The caffeine-free beverage mix was created by Postum Cereal Company founder C. W. Post in 1895 and marketed as a healthful alternative to coffee. (The Postum Cereal Company eventually became General Foods, which was bought by Kraft Foods.) Post was a student of John Harvey Kellogg, who believed caffeine to be unhealthy. Postum was made from wheat bran, wheat, molasses, and maltodextrin from corn. It was discontinued in 2007.

The drink quickly became popular, making Post very wealthy. Its aggressive advertising, with the mysterious slogan "There's a Reason", warned against coffee and caffeine's alleged dangers, and promoted the benefits of Postum. When imitations appeared the company introduced a cheaper drink, Monk's Brew, that was identical to Postum, then discontinued it after competitors left the market. Instant Postum appeared in 1911.

Although the Postum Cereal Company explicitly stated in its advertising that Postum did not taste like coffee and was not a coffee substitute, the drink enjoyed an enormous rise in sales and popularity in the US during World War II when coffee was rationed and people sought a replacement.

View More