1 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:11,479 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Savor production of iHeartRadio. I'm Annie 2 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: Reese and I'm Learn vogel Baum, and today we have 3 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:18,720 Speaker 1: an episode for you about Quaker Oats. Yes, and as always, 4 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 1: not a sponsor, Nope, just a just a brand of interest. 5 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:29,720 Speaker 1: And what an interest it is because you and you 6 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 1: suggested this one. You said history is going to be 7 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 1: a bit twisty, and I was like, eh, I dismissed 8 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: it foolishly. 9 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:42,960 Speaker 2: She says that all the time, it'll be fine, we're professionals. 10 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:48,640 Speaker 1: No. A week later, Oh my gosh, I got so frustrated. 11 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:52,479 Speaker 1: And it's not it's really not the fault of anyone. 12 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: It was just like, give it to me straight man, 13 00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:59,520 Speaker 1: like what is this? And I this is something I 14 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:02,960 Speaker 1: find in deering and very frustrating. But a lot of 15 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:06,280 Speaker 1: times when we do these company ones, they just assume, 16 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:08,760 Speaker 1: you know what and who they're talking about. 17 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:09,560 Speaker 2: Yeah. 18 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:10,959 Speaker 1: Yeah. 19 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 2: They don't feel the need to elaborate. They're just like, oh, yeah, 20 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 2: and then this dude did this thing with this company 21 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 2: at this time, and you're like, who was that and 22 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 2: why was the company and how is it involved? And 23 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 2: there yeah, And I mean like yeah, without a lot 24 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 2: I mean yeah, like you can do the legwork, but 25 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 2: holy heck, it can be frustrating. 26 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:35,759 Speaker 1: Yes, And there was a lot of especially around the 27 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:39,679 Speaker 1: founding of it, where I was like, wait, but I 28 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 1: just read somewhere else these people founded it. And also 29 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: it was seven of these mills and now it's eleven 30 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: of these mills and now it's three. Like what it's 31 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:51,760 Speaker 1: going on? 32 00:01:55,240 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 2: So between mysteries and histories and also write all of 33 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 2: that difficulty of trans translating that into the history into 34 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 2: the into the internet. I'm sorry, I think I don't know. 35 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 2: I think we have a timeline. 36 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:14,639 Speaker 1: I think we do too, and it's it's a very 37 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:18,920 Speaker 1: fascinating one. It goes all over the place. Oh yeah, 38 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:23,480 Speaker 1: it's just I guess disclaimer caveat. It was a lot 39 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:25,440 Speaker 1: to wrangle, and we to wrangle it. 40 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:28,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, take take take this one with a grain of oats. 41 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:34,360 Speaker 1: Yes, which speaking of you can see our oatmeal episode, 42 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:37,799 Speaker 1: which we do cover a lot of the a lot 43 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:40,320 Speaker 1: of things that we talked about in here, because yeah, 44 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 1: Quaker oats a lot of people think of, especially in America, 45 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:49,440 Speaker 1: I would say, uh, think about oatmeal. So yes, yes, 46 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 1: oh it's gonna be fun. Here we go We've got this, 47 00:02:55,040 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 1: we do, we do, all right, So Quaker oats, Yeah, 48 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 1: what is it? Well? 49 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 2: Uh, Quaker is a brand that deals in breakfast cereals, snacks, 50 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 2: and other grain based and mostly oat based products. Historically, 51 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 2: they've owned a bunch of other food and beverage brands 52 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:22,520 Speaker 2: and historically historically like weird other things too, But all 53 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 2: of those food and bev brands, along with Quaker are 54 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 2: now under the larger Pepsi Coo umbrella. All right, and yeah, 55 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:33,239 Speaker 2: Quaker is just like a marketing powerhouse. Always have been 56 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:37,600 Speaker 2: just really good and smart about managing their assets and 57 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:43,200 Speaker 2: their image as this like straightforward, simple, healthy brand of foods, 58 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 2: even when that's been like not entirely the case. 59 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 1: Uh, they are just. 60 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:53,520 Speaker 2: A giant brand that leans on nostalgia and emphasizes convenience. 61 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:58,640 Speaker 2: They're like a they're like if like like old Hollywood 62 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 2: was a food brand, like button down and aspirationally friendly 63 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 2: and like absolutely in your home and front facing perfect, 64 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 2: but there is so much effort behind seeming that honest 65 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:17,280 Speaker 2: and friendly. 66 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:22,840 Speaker 1: Once again, yep, very good. 67 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 2: Okay, all right, So today the Quaker brand mostly sells 68 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 2: dry cereals that are meant to be cooked with water 69 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:37,240 Speaker 2: or milk or another liquid and consumed hot for breakfast. 70 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:43,280 Speaker 2: They sell big cylindrical cardboard canisters of steel cutoats, rolled 71 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:47,920 Speaker 2: oats and quick cooking oats, then boxes and single serving 72 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:54,279 Speaker 2: microwavable bowls and little pouches of instant oatmeal, also oat 73 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:58,440 Speaker 2: brand cereal, which is a ground oat cereal, and then 74 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:03,920 Speaker 2: furthermore banisters, boxes and bowls and packets of white corn 75 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:11,040 Speaker 2: grits in either standard or quick cooking varieties. Yes, the 76 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:15,880 Speaker 2: oatmeal just into and of itself comes in plain or 77 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:19,240 Speaker 2: all kinds of dang flavors and formulations. Flavors include, but 78 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:22,719 Speaker 2: are not limited to, my friends, maple and brown sugar, 79 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:25,600 Speaker 2: brown sugar and cinnamon, apples and cinnamon, apples and cranberries, 80 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 2: blueberries and cranberries, strawberry, banana, banana, maple, raisins and spice, raisin, 81 00:05:29,839 --> 00:05:35,280 Speaker 2: date and walnut, banana, nut, honey and almonds, cinnamon, pecan, cranberry, almond, coconut, caramel, 82 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:38,600 Speaker 2: strawberries and cream, peaches and cream, blueberries and cream, cookies 83 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:42,160 Speaker 2: and cream chocolates, some moors, dinosaur eggs, which are candies, 84 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:46,160 Speaker 2: and fruit fusions which are like tinted in fruit colors 85 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:50,719 Speaker 2: and come in blueberry, BlackBerry, strawberry, peach, and raspberry strawberry. 86 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 1: Wow. 87 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:57,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, I did not get through that in one take. 88 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 2: I had to cough a little bit somewhere around cranberry 89 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:05,680 Speaker 2: almond anyway. Yeah, So to achieve all these flavors, they 90 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 2: may have bits of dried or freeze dried fruit or 91 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:12,479 Speaker 2: nuts or flavor powders involved. They also do have a 92 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:16,280 Speaker 2: slightly fancier and or less processed line of microwaveable bowls 93 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 2: called real med leys. Ooh yeah, what's a real med lady, 94 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:24,679 Speaker 2: I don't know. It's it's got like fruit and nuts 95 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 2: and like a little bit less sweetener. 96 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:26,760 Speaker 1: Yeah. 97 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:32,839 Speaker 2: The different formulations can include like twice the fiber, twice 98 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:37,440 Speaker 2: the protein, twice the fiber and protein, lower sugar, gluten free, 99 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:40,640 Speaker 2: and organic, which isn't really a formulation, but I kind 100 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:41,960 Speaker 2: of didn't have a better place to put it. 101 00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:43,080 Speaker 1: M m m. 102 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:49,320 Speaker 2: The grits come in a plain or flavors like butter, 103 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:55,479 Speaker 2: cheddar cheese, Jolapano cheddar cheese, lovers, country bacon, and red 104 00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:59,279 Speaker 2: eye gravy and country ham right right. 105 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:00,920 Speaker 1: My mom? Like those right? 106 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 2: They've also got lines after you get over the hot cereals. 107 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 2: They've got lines of manufactured breakfast cereals that are meant 108 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:12,320 Speaker 2: to be eaten cold with milk, including Life Brand, which 109 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:17,520 Speaker 2: is like puffed multi grain squares, Oatmeal squares which are 110 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:20,480 Speaker 2: like like like mini shredded wheat, but made with oats 111 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:26,800 Speaker 2: instead of wheat, Chewy Brand granola cereal, and Quisp which 112 00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:38,600 Speaker 2: is a puffed cornflake type cereal quiz Wisp, Oh goodness, 113 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:42,880 Speaker 2: and another peak behind the curtain, friends, I have someone 114 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:47,040 Speaker 2: trying to construct a shipping crate home just one street 115 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:49,520 Speaker 2: over and it makes the very worst noises on the 116 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 2: whole planet all day, all day. And so if there's 117 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:56,920 Speaker 2: any hammering that we don't cut around or take out, 118 00:07:57,080 --> 00:07:59,720 Speaker 2: I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you're hearing it. I don't 119 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:03,040 Speaker 2: want to hear it either. Here we are back to 120 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:08,400 Speaker 2: Quaker oats. Okay, all right? After cereals, they also have 121 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:12,640 Speaker 2: packaged snacks, including Yes, Chewy brand granola bars, which are 122 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:15,480 Speaker 2: soft and chewy and usually pretty sweet, with flavors including 123 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:19,440 Speaker 2: chocolate chip and peanut butter and like apple or strawberry. 124 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:23,320 Speaker 2: They also have some puffed rice cakes and like crackers 125 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:26,240 Speaker 2: and chips in both sweet and savory flavors from like 126 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:30,600 Speaker 2: caramel corn to white cheddar, to tangy barbecue to sweet barbecue. 127 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:34,040 Speaker 2: I don't know what the difference is. And then they 128 00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:36,440 Speaker 2: also sell cereal grains that are meant to be used 129 00:08:36,520 --> 00:08:41,560 Speaker 2: in in like not necessarily breakfast recipes, like like oat flour, 130 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:46,120 Speaker 2: white or yellow corn meal, tortilla mixes like masaharna or 131 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:52,040 Speaker 2: harina preparata, and barley in both normal or fast cooking varieties. 132 00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:58,079 Speaker 1: So a lot, a lot, yes, mm hmmm mm hmm. 133 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:02,960 Speaker 1: Well what about the nutrition. 134 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:05,000 Speaker 2: Do not eat brands. I've said it before, I'll say 135 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:10,000 Speaker 2: it again, do not eat brands. As for the nutritional 136 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:11,880 Speaker 2: value of all of those things I just rattled off, 137 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:15,719 Speaker 2: I mean, goodness, migracious, It depends. But you know or 138 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:20,800 Speaker 2: read your nutrition labels. You know, everything else other than 139 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:24,320 Speaker 2: what is on the nutrition label itself that is listed 140 00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:29,480 Speaker 2: on the package is marketing. It's marketing, So you know, 141 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:34,760 Speaker 2: read your nutrition labels and pay attention, pay attention to 142 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:36,520 Speaker 2: what it says. Yeah, some of these are very, very 143 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:41,200 Speaker 2: very sugary. I, as a human who tends towards hypoglycemia, 144 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:44,719 Speaker 2: these are definitely too sugary for me to consume in 145 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:49,400 Speaker 2: a lot of cases. But right, yeah, right. 146 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:51,880 Speaker 1: And that's another thing is like, I know that was 147 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:55,280 Speaker 1: a big couple of years ago. Everyone was like, not 148 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:57,720 Speaker 1: only do you look at the nutrition labels, like make 149 00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:00,360 Speaker 1: sure go look at how much you're supposed to having 150 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:04,560 Speaker 1: a day, because sometimes you're like, got twenty doesn't seem bad. No, 151 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:07,440 Speaker 1: it's a lot of Yeah, just. 152 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:08,960 Speaker 2: As we talked about on salt. 153 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:13,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, yes, indeed, uh, we do have some numbers for you. 154 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:18,880 Speaker 2: We do. Okay, So, Quaker's plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa 155 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:22,400 Speaker 2: employs over nine hundred people into and of itself and 156 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:26,480 Speaker 2: produces one hundred and twenty million big round canisters of 157 00:10:26,520 --> 00:10:28,679 Speaker 2: oatmeal every year. Who. 158 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:29,560 Speaker 1: Yeah. 159 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:33,439 Speaker 2: According to one industry estimate that I do not know 160 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:35,320 Speaker 2: if it's correct, but I'm going to report it anyway, 161 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:39,680 Speaker 2: the whole company had over ten thousand employees and was 162 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:42,280 Speaker 2: making three point eight billion dollars a year in revenue 163 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:43,319 Speaker 2: as of twenty twenty two. 164 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:45,120 Speaker 1: Wow. 165 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:50,400 Speaker 2: Yeah. And then that last one might be someone else's fault. 166 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:52,120 Speaker 2: This one might be my fault, because it's a possibility 167 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:54,839 Speaker 2: that I'm using Google wrong, but I'm pretty sure that 168 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 2: I turned up four four hundred and fifty eight patents 169 00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:02,720 Speaker 2: that are currently held by the Quaker company. 170 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:06,719 Speaker 1: Okay, I mean they did do a lot, I could 171 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:07,200 Speaker 1: see it. 172 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:09,319 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, oh yeah, I see it. 173 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:15,079 Speaker 1: They have a long history of being innovators in one 174 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:17,760 Speaker 1: way or another. They heckn do. 175 00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:20,160 Speaker 2: And we are going to get into that history after 176 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:21,880 Speaker 2: we get back from a quick break for word from 177 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:33,360 Speaker 2: our sponsors, and we're back. Thank you sponsor, Yes, thank you. 178 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:39,280 Speaker 1: And yes, as we've kind of mentioned, alluded to a lot, 179 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:42,880 Speaker 1: a lot of the history of Quaker oats, Quaker has 180 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:46,520 Speaker 1: to do with marketing, and again you can see our 181 00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:49,600 Speaker 1: oatmeal episode because we did discuss some of that when 182 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:52,720 Speaker 1: we were going over the history of that food, perhaps 183 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:57,640 Speaker 1: especially in the United States. Quaker was first trademarked in 184 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:01,559 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy seven Quaker Oats. At the time, there was 185 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:05,960 Speaker 1: a lot of competition and infighting in the industry, and 186 00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:10,160 Speaker 1: over the next several decades this resulted in competing oat 187 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:14,000 Speaker 1: milling companies joining to make one single congomerate under the 188 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:17,040 Speaker 1: name Quaker Oats in nineteen oh one. And yes, that's 189 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:21,520 Speaker 1: where a lot of my confusion lies, and the resources 190 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:22,800 Speaker 1: are also confused. 191 00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:25,520 Speaker 2: So yeah, yeah, but yeah, we're gonna we're gonna get 192 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:26,120 Speaker 2: through it together. 193 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:28,680 Speaker 1: We are we are, because let's unpack some of that 194 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:32,520 Speaker 1: a bit, starting with some of the big players. One 195 00:12:32,559 --> 00:12:34,960 Speaker 1: of the founders of what would become the Quaker Oats 196 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:37,360 Speaker 1: Company was a man who immigrated from Germany to the 197 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:40,959 Speaker 1: US in eighteen fifty one by the name Ferdinand Schumacher, 198 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:44,559 Speaker 1: and at the time, in Europe people regularly ate porridge 199 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:48,800 Speaker 1: and oats, but upon coming to America, Schoemacher found that 200 00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:54,280 Speaker 1: Americans largely saw oats as food for horses and therefore 201 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:56,720 Speaker 1: not people food, not something that they wanted to eat. 202 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,360 Speaker 1: So to change this mindset, Schumacher got the idea to 203 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:06,920 Speaker 1: essentially change up the packaging. So he sold cubed oats 204 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:09,600 Speaker 1: and glass shars, which feels like something I could see today. 205 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:11,480 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, a like farmer's market. 206 00:13:11,640 --> 00:13:15,960 Speaker 2: Be like ooh ooh, how pretty, how insacremmible, Yeah exactly, 207 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:18,760 Speaker 2: And people enjoyed the convenience of it. 208 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:22,200 Speaker 1: Something furthered when Schumacher found a way to sell faster 209 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:27,280 Speaker 1: cooking rolled oats in the early eighteen fifties in Akron, Ohio. 210 00:13:27,720 --> 00:13:30,280 Speaker 1: Around the same time, the North Star Mills Company was 211 00:13:30,320 --> 00:13:34,160 Speaker 1: founded by Robert Stewart and Canada, and he later opened 212 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:36,880 Speaker 1: a mill in the US after moving there also a 213 00:13:36,880 --> 00:13:41,480 Speaker 1: source of confusion for me. But yes, yes, and this 214 00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:45,360 Speaker 1: sounds like I hope someone's done a real deep dive 215 00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:48,040 Speaker 1: into this in another podcast because I had to cut 216 00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:54,480 Speaker 1: myself off. But drama in fighting. Oh yeah, Schumacher's mill 217 00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:58,360 Speaker 1: was uninsured and when it caught fire in eighteen eighty six, 218 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:02,560 Speaker 1: he lost everything that he does, which was good news 219 00:14:02,679 --> 00:14:07,520 Speaker 1: for some of his competitors, and Schumacher knew that too. 220 00:14:07,559 --> 00:14:10,280 Speaker 1: He knew they were reveling in that this had happened 221 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:12,840 Speaker 1: to him, and over the next few decades he tried 222 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:15,120 Speaker 1: to make a comeback. He tried to overtake them, and 223 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:19,520 Speaker 1: at one point even reluctantly joined them, and then they 224 00:14:19,640 --> 00:14:21,000 Speaker 1: essentially forced him out. 225 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:24,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, more on this in a minute. But no, there's 226 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:26,240 Speaker 2: absolutely oatmeal drama. 227 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:30,360 Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, there's so much drama. Yeah. Well, when 228 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:33,840 Speaker 1: speaking of Okay, as mentioned, the brand name Quaker Oats 229 00:14:33,920 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 1: was established in eighteen seventy seven along with the logo. 230 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:41,760 Speaker 2: Yes, and this was the first trademark for a breakfast cereal. 231 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:44,920 Speaker 2: It was taken out by another competitor in all of this, 232 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:49,520 Speaker 2: one Henry Seymour, who owned the Quaker Mill in Ravina, Ohio. 233 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:52,720 Speaker 1: And let us talk about this logo for a second. 234 00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:57,800 Speaker 1: The Quaker oats Man was first created in eighteen seventy seven, 235 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:00,840 Speaker 1: and over the years he has had a few different looks. 236 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:04,560 Speaker 1: The more iconic close up of just his head that 237 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:07,760 Speaker 1: most of us are familiar with debuted in nineteen fifty six, 238 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:09,800 Speaker 1: and at first it was in black and white, but 239 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:13,760 Speaker 1: a year later there was a color version. The drawing 240 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:18,040 Speaker 1: was the works of Hadden Sumblum, who also designed the 241 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:22,080 Speaker 1: Coca Cola Santa Claus we've discussed before. Over the next 242 00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:24,960 Speaker 1: few decades, the company mixed it up a few times 243 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:27,120 Speaker 1: until two thousand and seven when they landed on the 244 00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:30,040 Speaker 1: design that most of us associate with the company today, 245 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:36,520 Speaker 1: though in twenty twelve they quote took five pounds off him. 246 00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:43,400 Speaker 2: All right, yep, uh huh, Sure that seems judge, but 247 00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:43,920 Speaker 2: that's fine. 248 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:49,360 Speaker 1: Yes. There has also been a lot of conversation and 249 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 1: a surprising amount, at least to me, of disagreement and 250 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:55,960 Speaker 1: theories about who this friendly Quaker Man was or who 251 00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:59,040 Speaker 1: is based on if anyone. For a long time, it 252 00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:01,920 Speaker 1: was widely believed that it was William Penn, the founder 253 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:06,920 Speaker 1: of Pennsylvania who became a Quaker in his early twenties. However, 254 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:11,160 Speaker 1: the FAQ on the company website dismissed that quote. The 255 00:16:11,240 --> 00:16:14,360 Speaker 1: Quaker Man is not an actual person. His image is 256 00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:16,800 Speaker 1: that of a man dressed in the Quaker garb, chosen 257 00:16:16,840 --> 00:16:20,240 Speaker 1: because the Quaker faith projected the values of honesty, integrity, 258 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:25,040 Speaker 1: purity and strength. That being said, some insiders at the 259 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:31,000 Speaker 1: company called him Larry Oh, Larry yeah, Larry hey, Larry yes. 260 00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:37,560 Speaker 1: And this also led many to make this shocking realization 261 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:40,680 Speaker 1: that it seems no Quakers were involved in the founding 262 00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:44,680 Speaker 1: of the company. Two former founders have confirmed that they 263 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:49,760 Speaker 1: chose the Quaker Man this logo for the values associated 264 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:52,160 Speaker 1: with Quakers and not any specific person. 265 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:56,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, not because they were Quakers, not because right, yeah, right, 266 00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:59,000 Speaker 2: And I will say, like, like just very briefly, like 267 00:16:59,120 --> 00:17:04,720 Speaker 2: in the by that time, Quakers being people belonging to 268 00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:07,160 Speaker 2: a set of a Christian like religious and or social 269 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:10,760 Speaker 2: movements known together as Quakerism, which began in the mid 270 00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:13,360 Speaker 2: sixteen hundreds in England as a pushback to the Church 271 00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:16,960 Speaker 2: of England. In the region. By that time, Quakers were 272 00:17:17,080 --> 00:17:20,119 Speaker 2: known as being kind of like educated and socially progressive, 273 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:24,359 Speaker 2: often successful business people or leaders if maybe like a 274 00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:28,520 Speaker 2: bit staunch, but in a positive way, like getting stuff done, 275 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:36,000 Speaker 2: you know. Yeah, anyway, Okay, So the Quaker Mill went 276 00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:42,600 Speaker 2: bankrupt and a third major competitor, Henry Parsons Crowell Crowell anyway, 277 00:17:42,640 --> 00:17:45,199 Speaker 2: he purchased it and the brand name Quaker and the 278 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:49,399 Speaker 2: logo in eighteen eighty one. 279 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:51,119 Speaker 1: And he really advertised the heck out of it, like 280 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:53,680 Speaker 1: that name. He capitalized on it. A lot of people 281 00:17:53,680 --> 00:17:56,119 Speaker 1: have brought up she was like, not the Quaker way, 282 00:17:56,160 --> 00:18:00,240 Speaker 1: but whatever. Anyway. In eighteen eighty two, he launched the 283 00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:03,280 Speaker 1: first national advertising campaign for Breakfast Cereal. 284 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:05,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, and he really was pretty successful at making the 285 00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:11,080 Speaker 2: Quaker brand, including that logo, a household name, right. 286 00:18:10,960 --> 00:18:13,879 Speaker 1: But there was this was not without challenges because there 287 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:17,280 Speaker 1: were several challenges that came with marketing a product many 288 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:21,920 Speaker 1: Americans weren't familiar with. One was straight up packaging, getting 289 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:25,200 Speaker 1: people to buy it in the first place. But then 290 00:18:25,359 --> 00:18:27,160 Speaker 1: there was the issue of cooking them in a way 291 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:31,679 Speaker 1: people would find tasty so that they would be repeat customers. Again, 292 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:33,840 Speaker 1: Americans didn't have a lot of experience with cooking and 293 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:36,800 Speaker 1: eating oats, and they can be pretty bland and mushy, 294 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:39,560 Speaker 1: not a good texture if you don't know what you're doing. 295 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:44,159 Speaker 2: The Quaker brand may have been printing cooking instructions on 296 00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:48,040 Speaker 2: its packaging, like back before Crowell bought it. So for 297 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:50,240 Speaker 2: a hot minute, right and. 298 00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:52,159 Speaker 1: Stepping back a bit, This was around the time of 299 00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:54,720 Speaker 1: the Civil War and the military needed cheap ways to 300 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:58,000 Speaker 1: feed a lot of soldiers. The idea of eating oats 301 00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:01,680 Speaker 1: the same that their horses ate was introduced and adapted, 302 00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:04,480 Speaker 1: so that helped with acceptance of this product as well. 303 00:19:06,240 --> 00:19:08,719 Speaker 1: Crowd did something else that seems pretty common now but 304 00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:12,399 Speaker 1: at the time was sort of revolutionary, begetting in eighteen 305 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:15,760 Speaker 1: ninety one, he printed recipes on the canisters. 306 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:19,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, a recipe for oatmeal bread was the first. Their 307 00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:24,399 Speaker 2: first on box oatmeal cookie recipe came in nineteen oh eight, and. 308 00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:27,080 Speaker 1: That wasn't their only innovation. The company also introduced the 309 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:30,800 Speaker 1: trial size for people to try, placed in every mailbox 310 00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:35,000 Speaker 1: in Portland, Oregon. The story goes and prizes in the box. 311 00:19:35,600 --> 00:19:38,400 Speaker 1: One of the early prizes was a piece of China dishware, 312 00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:39,040 Speaker 1: and that. 313 00:19:39,680 --> 00:19:42,600 Speaker 2: Blows our mind, right, I mean, I guess very different. 314 00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:47,240 Speaker 2: I guess oats would be a good packing material. They 315 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:49,960 Speaker 2: later on did mail in prizes, you know, where you 316 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:52,280 Speaker 2: like clip the logo and send it in with maybe 317 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:55,520 Speaker 2: some money and then they'd send you back whatever. One 318 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:58,160 Speaker 2: of them in the nineteen twenties was a working crystal 319 00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:01,080 Speaker 2: type radio that you could build in to an oatmeal canister. 320 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:09,240 Speaker 2: What it was like a build your own radio science 321 00:20:09,359 --> 00:20:12,360 Speaker 2: kit that you could build into an empty oatmeal canister. 322 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:17,119 Speaker 1: I mean that sounds really cool, right, I'm having trouble 323 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:19,680 Speaker 1: visualizing it, but it's yeah. 324 00:20:19,359 --> 00:20:22,680 Speaker 2: It's like an oatmeal canister with like little electronic or 325 00:20:22,760 --> 00:20:25,320 Speaker 2: not electronic, but yeah, like like like little radio bits 326 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:26,200 Speaker 2: sticking out of the top. 327 00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:31,719 Speaker 1: Okay, listeners, Oh my goodness, Oh yeah about this? Please? 328 00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:34,560 Speaker 2: And there's seven museums. I'll try to remember to link 329 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:36,320 Speaker 2: on social please. 330 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:42,600 Speaker 1: And then the American Zero Company formed in eighteen eighty eight. 331 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:45,120 Speaker 1: I guess our timeline is kind of jumping all over 332 00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:47,200 Speaker 1: the place, but yes, formed in eighteen eighty eight after 333 00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:51,800 Speaker 1: seven of the largest American oat millers consolidated. As I said, 334 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:55,720 Speaker 1: that number kind of varies, but I think that's around it. Sure, yeah, 335 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:58,840 Speaker 1: it's there. In nineteen oh one, they changed their name 336 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:00,959 Speaker 1: to the Quick Oats Company. 337 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:06,000 Speaker 2: Yes, and as Annie mentioned earlier, there was so much 338 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:09,720 Speaker 2: infighting amongst these three major players leading up to this, 339 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:15,359 Speaker 2: like Schumacher forced Stewart and Crowell out of the consolidated organization, 340 00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:18,720 Speaker 2: but then they teamed up and bought up enough shares 341 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:20,760 Speaker 2: to take control back from Schumacher. 342 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:27,119 Speaker 1: Oat drama, you know so much. I found this whole 343 00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:31,600 Speaker 1: timeline where you could like expand every bullet point and 344 00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:33,320 Speaker 1: my brain was like, no, I can't do this. 345 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:36,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, I can't do too much oat drama. 346 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:37,280 Speaker 1: Wow. 347 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:40,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it was a big business and of course, 348 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:42,679 Speaker 2: so of course there was infighting, like it was a 349 00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:46,560 Speaker 2: very as we've talked about many many times on the show, 350 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:51,119 Speaker 2: the serial business was really really, really going at this time. 351 00:21:51,320 --> 00:21:54,400 Speaker 1: So hmm Okay. 352 00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:59,119 Speaker 2: Then in nineteen eleven, another acquisition gave Quaker control of 353 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:03,199 Speaker 2: over half of all milling east of the Rockies. The 354 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:06,520 Speaker 2: government actually filed the antitrust suit to try to prevent it, 355 00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:07,679 Speaker 2: but they eventually dropped it. 356 00:22:08,359 --> 00:22:12,280 Speaker 1: In nineteen fifteen, Quaker launched the colorful round containers that 357 00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:14,879 Speaker 1: are still in use today, which was a design that 358 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:17,199 Speaker 1: was unique in very eye catching at the time, and 359 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:18,520 Speaker 1: it is still iconic. 360 00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:22,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, I wanted to mention one more said thing. In 361 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:26,040 Speaker 2: nineteen sixteen, there was a tragic industrial accident at a 362 00:22:26,119 --> 00:22:30,040 Speaker 2: Quaker Oats plant in Ontario. Like it was wartime, crews 363 00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:32,200 Speaker 2: were working twenty four hours a day to help fill 364 00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:37,640 Speaker 2: UK Canadian military contracts, and out dust piled up and 365 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:41,080 Speaker 2: a spark set off a deadly explosion. And this sort 366 00:22:41,119 --> 00:22:44,480 Speaker 2: of thing was sadly not uncommon in mills at the time. 367 00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:49,359 Speaker 2: We already talked about one that happened in Quaker's history. 368 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:53,360 Speaker 2: Today it has gotten better thanks to safety regulations here 369 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:55,840 Speaker 2: in the States. An explosion that happened at General Mills 370 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:59,119 Speaker 2: led to some really meaningful change, but right can totally 371 00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:05,840 Speaker 2: still be an issue if you don't watch out. Quaker 372 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:08,800 Speaker 2: introduced quick oats that cook in one minute in nineteen 373 00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:14,080 Speaker 2: twenty two. This was their first foray into real convenience products. 374 00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:20,520 Speaker 2: That same year, they organized a corporate division for their 375 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:24,320 Speaker 2: overseas subsidiaries that ran milling operations, which they had been 376 00:23:24,359 --> 00:23:26,479 Speaker 2: involved in for a minute, but this is when they 377 00:23:26,520 --> 00:23:31,439 Speaker 2: really really got serious about it. The nineteen twenties is 378 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:36,600 Speaker 2: also when Quaker started mass producing agricultural byproducts from their 379 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:39,440 Speaker 2: oats and other grains like they opened a whole chemical 380 00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:42,720 Speaker 2: division to work with stuff. One of the products they 381 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:47,960 Speaker 2: created was furferral, which is a chemical solvent. Quaker chemists 382 00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:50,639 Speaker 2: learned that it could be used to like clarify lubricating 383 00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:54,560 Speaker 2: oils and to help manufacture bake light products, so they 384 00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:58,800 Speaker 2: went into commercial production of it. Their Cedar rapids plant 385 00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:02,000 Speaker 2: was in fact the only commercial plant for this substance 386 00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:05,680 Speaker 2: when in nineteen forty two researchers figured out that it 387 00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:09,919 Speaker 2: could help manufacture synthetic rubber, which became very important to 388 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:14,640 Speaker 2: the World War II effort. So that was going on. Meanwhile, 389 00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:18,760 Speaker 2: during the war, Quaker also operated a bomb assembly plant 390 00:24:19,359 --> 00:24:24,159 Speaker 2: staffed mostly by women in Nebraskada. And I want to 391 00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:28,280 Speaker 2: quote a newspiece from the time. Each worker secretly but 392 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:31,800 Speaker 2: sincerely believes the bomb she helps create are destined for 393 00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:33,200 Speaker 2: either Hitler or hiro. 394 00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:37,119 Speaker 1: Hero whoa. 395 00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:41,919 Speaker 2: Goes all over the place indeed never know, never know 396 00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:43,600 Speaker 2: where it's going to take you. 397 00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:46,360 Speaker 1: Nope, we're speaking of also related to World War two. 398 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:50,440 Speaker 1: That time. We did talk about this in our Oatmeal episode. 399 00:24:50,480 --> 00:24:53,040 Speaker 1: It was the original reason a listener requested us to 400 00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:57,560 Speaker 1: talk about it, but quickly because it is so wild. 401 00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:01,720 Speaker 1: In nineteen forty six, does of boys at Ferneled State 402 00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:05,320 Speaker 1: School joined the Science Club, and the main reason many 403 00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:07,800 Speaker 1: of them joined had more to do with all the 404 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:12,719 Speaker 1: perks advertised to them. Tickets to baseball games, trips, toys, 405 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:17,000 Speaker 1: and a lot of free food. Yes, and now, this 406 00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:20,720 Speaker 1: school was for mentally disabled children and for children who 407 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:24,639 Speaker 1: had been abandoned by their parents their guardians. The children 408 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:27,960 Speaker 1: were abused and often deprived of food and used for 409 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:31,240 Speaker 1: manual labor. So these perks were huge for them. I mean, 410 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:34,399 Speaker 1: any kid would be very excited about it. For these 411 00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:39,840 Speaker 1: kids especially, it was very exciting. On top of that, 412 00:25:40,359 --> 00:25:43,000 Speaker 1: one of the boys later said he'd hoped by joining 413 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:45,240 Speaker 1: the scientists would see the abuse that they were suffering 414 00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:50,359 Speaker 1: at the school and put an end to it. But 415 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:53,280 Speaker 1: the truth came out decades later that part of the 416 00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:56,280 Speaker 1: free food being fed to them was Quaker oats, oatmeal 417 00:25:56,359 --> 00:26:00,760 Speaker 1: and milk laced with radioactive iron and calcium. As part 418 00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:06,600 Speaker 1: of an experiment, other boys were directly injected with radioactive calcium. 419 00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:09,800 Speaker 1: This was not the only experiment like this going on 420 00:26:09,880 --> 00:26:12,760 Speaker 1: at the time, either, and in nineteen ninety four there 421 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:16,000 Speaker 1: was a federal investigation into the whole thing. Thirty former 422 00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:18,879 Speaker 1: students ended up suing MIT, which was the institution that 423 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:21,680 Speaker 1: ran the experiment in Quaker oats in nineteen ninety five. 424 00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:24,080 Speaker 1: And it's actually a whole fascinating thing that's like outside 425 00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:25,280 Speaker 1: the scope of this podcast. 426 00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:30,000 Speaker 2: But oh yeah, yeah, yeah, super interesting, very sad and 427 00:26:30,119 --> 00:26:33,040 Speaker 2: right like this was this was really unfortunately kind of 428 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:37,160 Speaker 2: the forefront of nutritional science at the time, was right 429 00:26:37,359 --> 00:26:39,680 Speaker 2: like like making a particle radioactive so that you could 430 00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:44,320 Speaker 2: trace it going through someone's system, and just right like 431 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:49,399 Speaker 2: at that point they already dang knew that that was 432 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:53,359 Speaker 2: bad to do to someone's body, you know, the Radium 433 00:26:53,359 --> 00:26:55,960 Speaker 2: girls had happened decades earlier, and so. 434 00:26:57,800 --> 00:27:02,439 Speaker 1: Not great, not great, No, it really wasn't. Nope. But 435 00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:06,720 Speaker 1: all of that being said, Quaker oats did experience a 436 00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:09,600 Speaker 1: boost after World War II, when a lot of health 437 00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:13,359 Speaker 1: guidelines were being put into place. The Department of Agriculture 438 00:27:13,359 --> 00:27:16,439 Speaker 1: released their first dietary guidelines in nineteen forty three, and 439 00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:21,520 Speaker 1: in these guidelines, oats were recommended whole grain. The first 440 00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:25,240 Speaker 1: television commercials produced in the fifties leaned into this nutrition 441 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:29,400 Speaker 1: aspect real hard and in apart because of this their 442 00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:34,520 Speaker 1: sales reached two hundred and seventy seven million dollars. However, 443 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:39,920 Speaker 1: when research suggested that competitor cream of Wheat was better nutritionally, 444 00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:44,240 Speaker 1: Quaker Oats set about doing their own research to disprove this, 445 00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:50,880 Speaker 1: and the aforementioned study, horrific study is one of them. Yeah, 446 00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:54,840 Speaker 1: to prove like, no, we're the healthier product. They donated 447 00:27:54,840 --> 00:28:02,800 Speaker 1: the oats for that experiment. Yeah, yep, yep. And moving on, 448 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:08,119 Speaker 1: instant oats hit grocery shelves in the nineteen sixties. 449 00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:12,760 Speaker 2: Uh huh sixty six, I think, and then the first flavor, 450 00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:19,480 Speaker 2: maple and brown sugar hit in nineteen seventy. Meanwhile, Quaker 451 00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:24,320 Speaker 2: had started expanding into like a lot of different food products, 452 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:26,480 Speaker 2: starting back in the nineteen twenties when they bought the 453 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:30,919 Speaker 2: Anchemima pancake mix brand, and they really ramped up in 454 00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:36,880 Speaker 2: the fifties through the nineties with pet food, the Fisher 455 00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:43,920 Speaker 2: Price toy company, drinks like Gatorayes and Snapple, retailing specialists 456 00:28:44,080 --> 00:28:50,400 Speaker 2: like Joss Bank, Clotheiers and Brookstone, and of course other 457 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:55,120 Speaker 2: breakfast cereals like Life and cap'n Crunch. And because I 458 00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:58,720 Speaker 2: was so delighted by Quisp I wanted to quote real 459 00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:03,320 Speaker 2: quick from Quaker's website. In nineteen sixty five, Quisp landed 460 00:29:03,320 --> 00:29:10,640 Speaker 2: on Earth with his Quazy cereal. Yeah it's uh, it's 461 00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:14,280 Speaker 2: sort of saucer shaped like that. The mascot is an alien. 462 00:29:15,360 --> 00:29:19,040 Speaker 2: They continue bring Quisp to your house and home planet today. 463 00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:21,760 Speaker 2: The crispy flavor is out of this world. 464 00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:27,880 Speaker 1: I'm gonna have to look into Cuisp. I have to 465 00:29:27,920 --> 00:29:31,080 Speaker 1: look into it. I just want to know more. That's 466 00:29:31,120 --> 00:29:34,440 Speaker 1: all the thing is. 467 00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:37,200 Speaker 2: I don't know if answers are out there. But hey again, 468 00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:39,040 Speaker 2: right in Oh my goodness. 469 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:43,360 Speaker 1: The X Files, I knock off. We need Chris. The 470 00:29:43,440 --> 00:29:45,120 Speaker 1: answer might not be out there. 471 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:49,400 Speaker 2: Get Scully and Molder on the case, yes, or quais 472 00:29:49,640 --> 00:29:54,160 Speaker 2: as I suppose the case baby, Oh my goodness. Okay, anyway, yeah, 473 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:57,040 Speaker 2: all of this to say, like Quaker was like aggressive 474 00:29:57,120 --> 00:30:01,520 Speaker 2: and had a large portfolio, but like the day, by 475 00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:04,600 Speaker 2: the nineteen nineties, like mid nineties, they decided to focus 476 00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:07,040 Speaker 2: on consumer food products. 477 00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:11,480 Speaker 1: Yes, but before that, before then yeah yeah, yes, let's 478 00:30:11,480 --> 00:30:14,920 Speaker 1: go back to that Fisher pricing. Ok yes, okay, all right, 479 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:17,440 Speaker 1: So I know we've mentioned this in another podcast, but 480 00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:19,080 Speaker 1: every time it blows my mind. So I bring it 481 00:30:19,120 --> 00:30:19,640 Speaker 1: up again, and. 482 00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:22,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, because we've done an episode on Willy Wonka. 483 00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:28,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, so yes, Quaker Oats financed the nineteen seventy 484 00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:31,760 Speaker 1: one film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as a 485 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:35,320 Speaker 1: marketing opportunity for their planned Willy Wonka line of products. 486 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:37,920 Speaker 1: And that is why it is called Willy Wonka and 487 00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:40,400 Speaker 1: the Chocolate Factory and not Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 488 00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:41,200 Speaker 1: like the book. 489 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:43,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, because they wanted to make a line of chocolates 490 00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:45,680 Speaker 2: and brand them Wonka and there you go. 491 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:50,040 Speaker 1: Yep, basically a film linked ad for their candies that 492 00:30:50,080 --> 00:30:53,840 Speaker 1: they were designing just for the release, and it was 493 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:55,560 Speaker 1: for them like, oh, it was getting released by a 494 00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:59,240 Speaker 1: major studio. This is a big deal. However, there were 495 00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:02,280 Speaker 1: a handful of problems, as we did discuss in that episode, 496 00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:05,959 Speaker 1: including and nailing down the Wonka bar recipe, which they 497 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:08,960 Speaker 1: did not manage before the movie came out. And in 498 00:31:09,080 --> 00:31:12,280 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty eight they sold this part of the company 499 00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:16,720 Speaker 1: to Nessley and that also is a really fascinating I'm 500 00:31:16,760 --> 00:31:19,080 Speaker 1: convincing it, but there's a fascinating history out there too. 501 00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:21,960 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, oh yeah, I think how I think we 502 00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:25,000 Speaker 2: talked about that in the Wonka episode. 503 00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:28,120 Speaker 1: I think we might have also talked about it in 504 00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:30,960 Speaker 1: the Oatmeal episode. Okay, I think it's come up a 505 00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:34,880 Speaker 1: couple times, but anyway, Yeah, very interesting. And then speaking 506 00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:38,760 Speaker 1: of the infamous Life Cereal, which, as you said, it's 507 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:41,640 Speaker 1: the Quaker Oats product introduced in the early sixties, they 508 00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:45,400 Speaker 1: had this commercial Mikey I think he likes it, and 509 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:48,040 Speaker 1: it debuted in nineteen seventy two, and it was it 510 00:31:48,080 --> 00:31:50,760 Speaker 1: was just such a huge cultural moment. It had such 511 00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:53,760 Speaker 1: a huge impact. People still quote it not even knowing 512 00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:54,600 Speaker 1: where it came from. 513 00:31:54,600 --> 00:31:57,040 Speaker 2: Sure, Yeah, Mikey likes it. Yeah, is just a thing 514 00:31:57,080 --> 00:31:58,960 Speaker 2: that you can hear from people who have never seen 515 00:31:58,960 --> 00:32:00,040 Speaker 2: this commercial. 516 00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:03,360 Speaker 1: Have no idea where it's from. And as discussed in 517 00:32:03,360 --> 00:32:07,239 Speaker 1: a previous episode which I can't remember which one, but 518 00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:08,920 Speaker 1: we did talk about, we talked about the actor who 519 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:13,400 Speaker 1: played Mikey, whose name John Gilchrist, who long rumored to 520 00:32:13,480 --> 00:32:16,640 Speaker 1: have died but is still alive, perplexed by the whole 521 00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:20,920 Speaker 1: thing and still eats live cereal. Yeah, we went into 522 00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:21,640 Speaker 1: like the whole. 523 00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:23,120 Speaker 2: Pop rox I think it was Pop Rocks. 524 00:32:23,400 --> 00:32:25,240 Speaker 1: It might have been because we were talking about kind 525 00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:28,280 Speaker 1: of that like urban legend of yeah, mento's and coke 526 00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:32,680 Speaker 1: and your stomach will do something. Yeah, So why did 527 00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:37,440 Speaker 1: this catch on? It's really fascinating that kind of Oh yeah, yeah, 528 00:32:37,520 --> 00:32:43,880 Speaker 1: mental urban Yeah, something else I didn't know, okay. The 529 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:47,880 Speaker 1: company also dabbled in video games and had a video 530 00:32:47,920 --> 00:32:51,600 Speaker 1: game division called US Games. In the nineteen eighties. Huh. 531 00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:55,600 Speaker 1: They developed fourteen games for the old Atari twenty six 532 00:32:55,680 --> 00:33:00,600 Speaker 1: hundred system. Apparently, and perhaps not surprisingly, they they were 533 00:33:00,640 --> 00:33:04,760 Speaker 1: reportedly terrible, like shockingly bad. There's one that some people 534 00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:08,560 Speaker 1: are like. This one's kind of okay. One was a 535 00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:12,840 Speaker 1: hide and seek game called Sneak and Peak, which people 536 00:33:12,840 --> 00:33:15,360 Speaker 1: were like, have you ever wanted to play hide and Seek? 537 00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:23,440 Speaker 1: Not just done? Yeah, that's fair. I don't know. I'm 538 00:33:23,480 --> 00:33:28,880 Speaker 1: fascinated by the whole thing though. Yeah. Something else we've 539 00:33:28,920 --> 00:33:32,120 Speaker 1: mentioned before and in this episode, and an effort to 540 00:33:32,160 --> 00:33:34,040 Speaker 1: get more kids to eat oatmeal. In the nineties, the 541 00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:40,040 Speaker 1: company introduced dinosaur egg oatmeal. The eggs would hatch into 542 00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:43,200 Speaker 1: pieces of candy. They were a hit and are still 543 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:45,960 Speaker 1: around today. There were a couple of other like Pirates 544 00:33:46,320 --> 00:33:49,680 Speaker 1: Treasure version that they are around, but this one has less. Yeah. 545 00:33:49,840 --> 00:33:52,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, little pieces that are that are meant to like 546 00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:54,960 Speaker 2: to like to like melt basically or dissolve in hot 547 00:33:55,000 --> 00:34:00,400 Speaker 2: milk and reveal more other candy. And I'm like, all right, yeah, I. 548 00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:04,600 Speaker 1: Would have been into that as a kid. In nineteen 549 00:34:04,680 --> 00:34:08,760 Speaker 1: ninety four, Quaker purchased Snapple. Chess is a line of drinks. 550 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:12,360 Speaker 1: This is a very like nineties. This is a big Seinfeld. 551 00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:14,280 Speaker 1: Every time I think a sample, I think it's snymeld. 552 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:16,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, like tea and juice based things. 553 00:34:17,120 --> 00:34:21,640 Speaker 1: Right. However, this partnership only lasted twenty seven months, and 554 00:34:21,680 --> 00:34:26,000 Speaker 1: the La Times labeled it one of the worst flops 555 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:30,959 Speaker 1: in corporate merger history because apparently they invested one point 556 00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:35,480 Speaker 1: seven billion dollars to buy Snapple and then they sold 557 00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:41,520 Speaker 1: it for three hundred million dollars. Ouch. Wow, I know 558 00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:45,520 Speaker 1: it's not good. That's not good that I can fathom it. 559 00:34:45,560 --> 00:34:50,040 Speaker 1: I can get it's bad, but it's right. And then 560 00:34:50,560 --> 00:34:53,439 Speaker 1: I know this is also a Quaker has had their 561 00:34:53,480 --> 00:34:55,680 Speaker 1: hands and so many things. We've talked about this before. 562 00:34:57,120 --> 00:35:00,600 Speaker 1: They requested that the FDA allow them to advertise that 563 00:35:00,640 --> 00:35:03,400 Speaker 1: their product could help lower the risk of heart disease. 564 00:35:04,280 --> 00:35:07,840 Speaker 1: Before nineteen ninety seven, companies couldn't make specific health claims 565 00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:12,440 Speaker 1: about their products. So this was new May. Yeah, the 566 00:35:12,520 --> 00:35:16,640 Speaker 1: FDA agreed, and it completely changed the food advertising landscape. 567 00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:20,880 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, and the language you might have clocked it 568 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:24,000 Speaker 2: or something like it. On packaging at some point it 569 00:35:24,160 --> 00:35:27,239 Speaker 2: goes soluble fiber from oatmeal as part of a low 570 00:35:27,360 --> 00:35:31,160 Speaker 2: saturated fat, low cholesterol diet may reduce the risk of 571 00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:31,840 Speaker 2: heart disease. 572 00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:38,440 Speaker 1: And several groups and organizations protested this whole thing, but 573 00:35:38,520 --> 00:35:41,280 Speaker 1: by nineteen ninety nine, Quaker was raking in the benefits 574 00:35:41,320 --> 00:35:43,040 Speaker 1: with reported record sales. 575 00:35:43,239 --> 00:35:47,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, in two thousand and seven, they stepped back on 576 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:50,879 Speaker 2: some of their claims like this on packaging after being 577 00:35:50,960 --> 00:35:53,560 Speaker 2: threatened with a lawsuit by the Center for Science and 578 00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:58,600 Speaker 2: the Public Interest, which I think is great. I think 579 00:35:58,680 --> 00:36:02,120 Speaker 2: that's great because yeah, like all of those again, like 580 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:05,600 Speaker 2: I said, like read the nutrition facts. Everything else is marketing. 581 00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:12,120 Speaker 2: It might be scientifically solvent marketing, but like in what way, 582 00:36:12,440 --> 00:36:14,960 Speaker 2: like we say all the time, like human bodies are complicated, 583 00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:21,280 Speaker 2: and like when you have so many modifiers to your sentence, 584 00:36:21,440 --> 00:36:24,840 Speaker 2: to that sentence that I just said above, like it's yeah, 585 00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:28,239 Speaker 2: you're like, well how much and when and why and 586 00:36:28,239 --> 00:36:31,200 Speaker 2: in whom and where did you find this information, I 587 00:36:31,239 --> 00:36:32,840 Speaker 2: would like to know. I would like to subscribe to 588 00:36:32,880 --> 00:36:35,320 Speaker 2: your newsletter, not because I find it interesting, because I want. 589 00:36:35,160 --> 00:36:35,920 Speaker 1: To check your facts. 590 00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:46,240 Speaker 2: Around this time, like like the early like the nineties 591 00:36:46,280 --> 00:36:49,319 Speaker 2: to the early two thousands, the breakfast scene was in 592 00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:52,120 Speaker 2: the midst of some changes. For about like a decade, 593 00:36:52,239 --> 00:36:56,160 Speaker 2: consumers had been switching from sit down breakfasts to two 594 00:36:56,200 --> 00:36:59,960 Speaker 2: more on the go options, and so Quaker began pretty 595 00:37:00,080 --> 00:37:04,520 Speaker 2: snack bars. As of the year two thousand, their snack 596 00:37:04,560 --> 00:37:06,799 Speaker 2: division was growing at a rate of four percent year 597 00:37:06,840 --> 00:37:09,800 Speaker 2: over year, which was more than twice what their overall 598 00:37:09,800 --> 00:37:16,879 Speaker 2: food division was doing. Then, in two thousand and one, 599 00:37:17,960 --> 00:37:22,840 Speaker 2: PepsiCo acquired Quaker Oats for some thirteen point four billion 600 00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:29,520 Speaker 2: dollars in stock. This was partially because Quaker owned Gatorade 601 00:37:30,360 --> 00:37:32,400 Speaker 2: among a bunch of other brands like Rice a Roni 602 00:37:32,560 --> 00:37:35,839 Speaker 2: and and Jemima and cap'n Crunch, and they also had 603 00:37:35,880 --> 00:37:39,239 Speaker 2: these like really streamlined, streamlined distribution systems for all of 604 00:37:39,280 --> 00:37:43,239 Speaker 2: these products. There was a bit of drama to the acquisition, 605 00:37:43,719 --> 00:37:47,880 Speaker 2: including Quaker rejecting an initial bid from Pepsi, and then 606 00:37:48,120 --> 00:37:52,640 Speaker 2: Coca Cola like their board like like blocked them from 607 00:37:52,719 --> 00:37:57,600 Speaker 2: putting forth a bid, possibly because Coca Cola already owned 608 00:37:57,760 --> 00:38:00,520 Speaker 2: Power Aid and the FTC would not have let them 609 00:38:00,600 --> 00:38:07,200 Speaker 2: keep both anyway. The merger made PepsiCo the fifth largest 610 00:38:07,239 --> 00:38:12,040 Speaker 2: food and beverage company in the world by revenue. Quaker 611 00:38:12,080 --> 00:38:15,080 Speaker 2: and Gatorade as brands were each doing over a billion 612 00:38:15,160 --> 00:38:22,880 Speaker 2: dollars in retail sales every year at the time. Wow, yeah, yep, oatmeal. 613 00:38:23,800 --> 00:38:26,960 Speaker 2: In two thousand and three, Quaker helped the University of 614 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:31,000 Speaker 2: Iowa start on a project to reduce and eventually eliminate 615 00:38:31,239 --> 00:38:36,000 Speaker 2: coal based energy on campus. They began with using oathuls 616 00:38:36,040 --> 00:38:39,440 Speaker 2: as biomass fuel, along with a bunch of other programs. 617 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:42,399 Speaker 2: University of Iowa hopes to be coal free by twenty 618 00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:47,640 Speaker 2: twenty five. Okay, yeah, you may have just heard a 619 00:38:47,719 --> 00:38:51,319 Speaker 2: cameo from my cat during that last bullet point. He 620 00:38:51,440 --> 00:38:55,800 Speaker 2: is now out of the room and doing whatever he wants. 621 00:38:55,880 --> 00:39:02,400 Speaker 2: That is out of the room, all right, Okay, here 622 00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:06,160 Speaker 2: we go, Here we go, uh Quaker in twenty twelve, 623 00:39:06,239 --> 00:39:08,640 Speaker 2: I'm so sorry that this one is so baddy. I 624 00:39:08,680 --> 00:39:11,640 Speaker 2: hope that you're having just a fine time following along 625 00:39:11,640 --> 00:39:13,880 Speaker 2: with us being a little bit baddy, all right. In 626 00:39:13,920 --> 00:39:18,520 Speaker 2: twenty twelve, Quaker launched their Quaker Oats Center of Excellence, 627 00:39:19,920 --> 00:39:23,400 Speaker 2: which is a research and development center meant to further 628 00:39:23,960 --> 00:39:29,640 Speaker 2: develop scientific research into oats nutritional impact and agricultural practices 629 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:35,400 Speaker 2: and sustainability practices and product development. It does have a 630 00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:38,120 Speaker 2: scientific advisory board to help keep them all, you know, 631 00:39:38,160 --> 00:39:39,840 Speaker 2: on the up and up. But of course it is 632 00:39:39,880 --> 00:39:44,640 Speaker 2: hard to say whether sponsored research is unbiased. But of course, 633 00:39:44,640 --> 00:39:47,480 Speaker 2: where does the money for research come from without corporate sponsorship? 634 00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:48,759 Speaker 3: M hm. 635 00:39:50,280 --> 00:39:52,200 Speaker 1: So all the things we have to keep in mind. 636 00:39:52,080 --> 00:39:57,319 Speaker 2: Yep, yep, yep. In twenty eighteen, there was a wave 637 00:39:57,360 --> 00:40:01,600 Speaker 2: of concern about food safety after residues of glyphosphate, the 638 00:40:01,719 --> 00:40:05,360 Speaker 2: active ingredient and roundup weed killer was found in every 639 00:40:05,440 --> 00:40:09,680 Speaker 2: sample of Quaker and General Mills out based products. They 640 00:40:09,680 --> 00:40:13,799 Speaker 2: were like, well, those are within the legal standards, but 641 00:40:14,680 --> 00:40:18,440 Speaker 2: the industry kind of pushed back and was like, maybe 642 00:40:18,440 --> 00:40:24,160 Speaker 2: they're not like best practice safety standards because glyphosphate is 643 00:40:24,200 --> 00:40:29,759 Speaker 2: potentially cancer causing. So yeah, it's complicated and more research. 644 00:40:29,480 --> 00:40:32,520 Speaker 1: Is necessary indeed indeed. 645 00:40:33,680 --> 00:40:35,720 Speaker 2: And then twenty twenty two was there one hundred and 646 00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:36,960 Speaker 2: forty fifth anniversary. 647 00:40:37,520 --> 00:40:45,640 Speaker 3: Yeah, wow, and what an and what a one hundred 648 00:40:45,680 --> 00:40:53,440 Speaker 3: and forty five years. It has been Yeah, full of intrigue, oh, intrigue, 649 00:40:54,440 --> 00:40:55,520 Speaker 3: all kinds of things. 650 00:40:55,520 --> 00:41:00,160 Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, this one. Yeah, it was a it 651 00:41:00,239 --> 00:41:03,760 Speaker 1: was a push of the mind of this podcaster too. Yeah, 652 00:41:04,640 --> 00:41:07,040 Speaker 1: get my head around it. But very fascinating. 653 00:41:07,600 --> 00:41:09,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, no, I love it. 654 00:41:09,760 --> 00:41:11,640 Speaker 1: I really yeah. 655 00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:13,360 Speaker 2: Like, like we've mentioned him a bunch of times, but 656 00:41:13,400 --> 00:41:16,160 Speaker 2: I guess I hadn't put it all together in my brain. 657 00:41:16,920 --> 00:41:19,120 Speaker 2: And there were also little pockets that I didn't realize, 658 00:41:19,160 --> 00:41:24,400 Speaker 2: like Fisher Price, pardon like what yes, like okay, yes, huh. 659 00:41:24,800 --> 00:41:27,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, there was plenty that we just didn't have time 660 00:41:27,040 --> 00:41:27,359 Speaker 1: to cover. 661 00:41:27,520 --> 00:41:30,920 Speaker 2: So yeah, if you have a favorite Quaker fact that 662 00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:32,960 Speaker 2: we did not cover, let us. 663 00:41:32,840 --> 00:41:35,720 Speaker 1: Know, yes, please, oh my goodness. 664 00:41:36,040 --> 00:41:39,160 Speaker 2: Uh and we do already have some listener mail for you. 665 00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:41,680 Speaker 1: We do, but first we have one more quick break 666 00:41:41,680 --> 00:41:51,839 Speaker 1: for a word from our sponsor. They we're back, Thank 667 00:41:51,840 --> 00:41:58,600 Speaker 1: you sponsor, Yes, thank you, and we're back with school. Well, 668 00:42:04,880 --> 00:42:10,400 Speaker 1: my mom used to make a really good oatmeal Laura, okay, okay, 669 00:42:10,440 --> 00:42:13,680 Speaker 1: but it made this specific sound because she made it 670 00:42:13,719 --> 00:42:18,160 Speaker 1: in the crock pot. Okay, of the like the condensation, 671 00:42:18,320 --> 00:42:20,440 Speaker 1: the heat, and it would like make this popping sound, 672 00:42:21,360 --> 00:42:23,480 Speaker 1: and I just I loved it so much. I loved 673 00:42:23,520 --> 00:42:25,760 Speaker 1: it when she made it because it was like much 674 00:42:25,880 --> 00:42:28,919 Speaker 1: better than just kind of the instance. Oh sure, yeah, 675 00:42:29,040 --> 00:42:31,880 Speaker 1: that sound. I just when I hear that sound, I 676 00:42:31,920 --> 00:42:37,400 Speaker 1: think of oatmeal. I know that's very specific in you. No, no, 677 00:42:37,480 --> 00:42:38,120 Speaker 1: I love it. 678 00:42:38,560 --> 00:42:40,279 Speaker 2: I was I was assuming it was some kind of 679 00:42:40,320 --> 00:42:41,600 Speaker 2: conglomerate noise. 680 00:42:42,360 --> 00:42:44,719 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean it was coming together and then like 681 00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:48,920 Speaker 1: a funneling. But yeah, yeah, you know it works on 682 00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:50,280 Speaker 1: many levels, a little. 683 00:42:50,040 --> 00:42:51,520 Speaker 2: Bit of gelatinization. I don't know. 684 00:42:52,080 --> 00:42:58,719 Speaker 1: M h, That's definitely what I intended. Kelsey wrote. I 685 00:42:58,840 --> 00:43:02,840 Speaker 1: very much enjoyed hearing your recent BlackBerry episode, Lauren. Your poetic, 686 00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:06,400 Speaker 1: creative and evocative food descriptions never fail to delight me. 687 00:43:07,520 --> 00:43:10,160 Speaker 1: We have a volunteer BlackBerry bush, and I can confirm 688 00:43:10,560 --> 00:43:16,520 Speaker 1: tenacious is an accurate and kind descriptor. Insidious to irritatingly 689 00:43:16,600 --> 00:43:19,520 Speaker 1: persistent is another way to put it. I am forever 690 00:43:19,600 --> 00:43:23,320 Speaker 1: pulling suckers from my other garden buds. Anyway, we love it, 691 00:43:23,440 --> 00:43:27,600 Speaker 1: sweet tangy fruit babies, so stained from laying waste to 692 00:43:27,680 --> 00:43:30,520 Speaker 1: our BlackBerry patch. I like to say we ranch it, 693 00:43:30,680 --> 00:43:33,040 Speaker 1: but all we do is hack it. Back twice a year, 694 00:43:33,520 --> 00:43:36,760 Speaker 1: then it surges back every summer, producing so much fruit. 695 00:43:36,800 --> 00:43:40,160 Speaker 1: I am still making smoothies from last season's berries as 696 00:43:40,200 --> 00:43:44,120 Speaker 1: we approach another harvest time. Woh I have attached to 697 00:43:44,120 --> 00:43:48,320 Speaker 1: a photo of this thorny friend to my email, also 698 00:43:48,400 --> 00:43:51,480 Speaker 1: attached as an image of my own food thief. It 699 00:43:51,520 --> 00:43:54,239 Speaker 1: made me chuckle and think swiper, no swiping when I 700 00:43:54,280 --> 00:43:57,800 Speaker 1: heard another listener's story of their muffin stealing cat. Swiper, 701 00:43:58,520 --> 00:44:02,920 Speaker 1: my cat, Jack, unlike Laurren's respectful gray Cat, shows no 702 00:44:03,120 --> 00:44:07,799 Speaker 1: self restraint. Frustratingly, Jack tends to steal food choumpet only 703 00:44:07,920 --> 00:44:12,760 Speaker 1: enough to contaminate it leaves their s behind. He also 704 00:44:12,840 --> 00:44:16,240 Speaker 1: frequently tries to incriminate our dog, Hazel by leaving chewed 705 00:44:16,360 --> 00:44:21,799 Speaker 1: roomnants in the vicinity of her bowl or crate. Cats. Wow, 706 00:44:22,280 --> 00:44:26,040 Speaker 1: I mean you gotta appreciate it on someone. I mean, right, 707 00:44:26,440 --> 00:44:31,960 Speaker 1: that's that's Shenanigan's Yeah, and I'm thinking of framing someone. 708 00:44:32,520 --> 00:44:38,520 Speaker 2: I mean that's advanced. Yeah, yeah, I wouldn't. I'm gonna 709 00:44:38,680 --> 00:44:44,560 Speaker 2: I'm gonna offer another alternative that saying that gray Cat 710 00:44:44,680 --> 00:44:53,879 Speaker 2: is respectful is kind, I also tenacious. He is also persistent. Yes, 711 00:44:54,840 --> 00:44:58,879 Speaker 2: he is perhaps irritatingly persistent, as as you might hear 712 00:44:58,920 --> 00:45:01,560 Speaker 2: now that I've put him out of my studio, him 713 00:45:01,680 --> 00:45:03,960 Speaker 2: clawing at the door and screaming at me because it 714 00:45:04,040 --> 00:45:07,000 Speaker 2: is close enough to wet food o'clock that, Oh, that's 715 00:45:07,040 --> 00:45:07,720 Speaker 2: just what's happening. 716 00:45:08,360 --> 00:45:10,960 Speaker 1: Well, we can forgive that, though I should. 717 00:45:12,000 --> 00:45:14,000 Speaker 2: I mean, no, absolutely fair. If I didn't have a 718 00:45:14,040 --> 00:45:15,600 Speaker 2: posable thumb, I would scream a lot too. 719 00:45:17,880 --> 00:45:21,480 Speaker 1: Also, yes, I'm very jealous of your I appreciate the 720 00:45:21,520 --> 00:45:25,080 Speaker 1: effort to maintain it from overtaking everything. But I'm jealous 721 00:45:25,120 --> 00:45:27,759 Speaker 1: of your BlackBerry smoothies and fresh blackberries. 722 00:45:28,040 --> 00:45:34,160 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, oh that sounds so delightful, Kate wrote, I'm 723 00:45:34,160 --> 00:45:37,680 Speaker 2: in Portland, Oregon, where the wild blackberries are everywhere. Many 724 00:45:37,719 --> 00:45:41,200 Speaker 2: say invasive. Did you know that goats like to eat 725 00:45:41,239 --> 00:45:44,920 Speaker 2: thorny BlackBerry bushes. Their prehensile tongues are well suited for 726 00:45:44,960 --> 00:45:48,480 Speaker 2: eating shrubs, spines, and leaves. It'll take eight to twelve 727 00:45:48,520 --> 00:45:51,320 Speaker 2: goats about two weeks to clear an acre of bushes. 728 00:45:51,600 --> 00:45:54,359 Speaker 2: People will rent out goats to clear your land. They 729 00:45:54,400 --> 00:45:56,719 Speaker 2: eat the branches and then make it easier to dig 730 00:45:56,760 --> 00:46:00,120 Speaker 2: out the roots without getting constantly stuck. I thought you 731 00:46:00,160 --> 00:46:04,480 Speaker 2: might be interested in this. You thought it correctly, Yeah, ay, 732 00:46:04,680 --> 00:46:06,040 Speaker 2: we always want to hear about goats. 733 00:46:06,840 --> 00:46:10,960 Speaker 1: Yes, I have heard of this. I haven't heard of 734 00:46:11,000 --> 00:46:15,960 Speaker 1: this specifically. Yeah. We have a mutual friend who was 735 00:46:16,000 --> 00:46:18,839 Speaker 1: looking into renting goats, yeah, in their backyard, and I 736 00:46:18,880 --> 00:46:20,879 Speaker 1: was like, is that a thing? And they're like, oh, yeah, 737 00:46:20,920 --> 00:46:22,120 Speaker 1: oh that's definitely a thing. 738 00:46:22,680 --> 00:46:25,799 Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, No, I had I had a neighbor a 739 00:46:25,840 --> 00:46:29,719 Speaker 2: while back who rented goats to clear their yard and 740 00:46:30,080 --> 00:46:33,279 Speaker 2: they were they were very noisy, but very delightful for 741 00:46:33,320 --> 00:46:34,799 Speaker 2: the time that they had them. 742 00:46:35,160 --> 00:46:38,200 Speaker 1: That's funny. I love It's like one of the strangest 743 00:46:38,239 --> 00:46:41,760 Speaker 1: sentences I've ever written in an email. When I responded 744 00:46:41,800 --> 00:46:45,320 Speaker 1: to Kate, was like, yeah, I rented out those goats 745 00:46:45,320 --> 00:46:50,480 Speaker 1: and they had time. Yeah. 746 00:46:51,520 --> 00:46:53,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, it was really It was actually really cool because 747 00:46:53,520 --> 00:46:56,040 Speaker 2: whenever I would go out to my car, like like, 748 00:46:56,040 --> 00:46:58,480 Speaker 2: there would just be like a scream that would happen, 749 00:46:59,000 --> 00:47:00,480 Speaker 2: and it would take me a secon and to be 750 00:47:00,640 --> 00:47:04,760 Speaker 2: like child human, No goat, Okay, there we go Yep, Nope, 751 00:47:04,880 --> 00:47:07,839 Speaker 2: just a goat. Depending on my mood, sometimes I would 752 00:47:07,880 --> 00:47:10,320 Speaker 2: screen back. I you know, we would get into shouting matches. 753 00:47:10,480 --> 00:47:11,839 Speaker 2: It was I'm sure the neighbors loved it. 754 00:47:12,480 --> 00:47:15,439 Speaker 1: Oh, I'm sure they did. Sure they did. I mean, 755 00:47:15,880 --> 00:47:18,440 Speaker 1: the Goat's gonna let things out too communicate. 756 00:47:18,600 --> 00:47:21,680 Speaker 2: Absolutely got got its goat thoughts. 757 00:47:22,680 --> 00:47:25,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, you eat so many blackberries you got to 758 00:47:25,600 --> 00:47:26,239 Speaker 1: tell people about it. 759 00:47:26,320 --> 00:47:27,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, you got opinions. 760 00:47:28,000 --> 00:47:32,719 Speaker 1: It's true, it's true. Well, thank you to vote that 761 00:47:32,760 --> 00:47:35,480 Speaker 1: these listeners who shared their opinions and thoughts with us. 762 00:47:36,200 --> 00:47:38,000 Speaker 1: If you would like to share with us, you can 763 00:47:38,200 --> 00:47:40,360 Speaker 1: or email us hello at savorpod dot com. 764 00:47:40,719 --> 00:47:42,600 Speaker 2: We are also on social media. You can find us 765 00:47:42,640 --> 00:47:45,960 Speaker 2: on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at savor pod, and we 766 00:47:46,000 --> 00:47:49,160 Speaker 2: do hope to hear from you. Savor is production of iHeartRadio. 767 00:47:49,320 --> 00:47:51,439 Speaker 2: For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, you can visit 768 00:47:51,480 --> 00:47:54,800 Speaker 2: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 769 00:47:54,880 --> 00:47:58,280 Speaker 2: your favorite shows. Thanks as always to our superproducers Dylan 770 00:47:58,320 --> 00:48:00,719 Speaker 2: Fagan and Andrew Howard. Thanks to you for listening, and 771 00:48:00,760 --> 00:48:02,759 Speaker 2: we hope that lots more good things are coming your way.