Postum Coffee Substitute
Created in the 1890s by Post Cereal founder C.W. Post, Postum was a coffee substitute made from grains. It was popular with Mormons, Seventh-Day Adventists and other people concerned with the negative health effects of caffeinated beverages. Does this Spark an idea?
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Origins
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In 1895, C.W. Post was a patient at Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan when it was still owned by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and run by Harvey Kellogg. According to James Nix, the director of Adventist Church co-founder Ellen White's estate, Post was sneaking around the Sanitarium's kitchen when he discovered Kellogg's recipe for a coffee substitute made from wheat, wheat bran, corn sugar and molasses. Kellogg apparently let Post have the recipe free of charge to help promote his health message without considering how profitable it might become.
Early Success
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Post advertised Postum with a cartoon character named "Mister Coffee Nerves" who chastised coffee drinkers for their nervous and irritable behavior. It became popular with Seventh-Day Adventists and others concerned with caffeine's negative effects.
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Famous Ties
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The code of conduct for members of the Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known as the Mormons, prohibits the consumption of caffeinated tea and coffee so many Mormons started drinking Postum as a substitute. It became such a staple of Mormon culture that many Mormon families refer to the "Postum table" instead of the "coffee table".
Decline
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According to Kraft Food's Renee Zahery, in spite of Postum's loyal fan base, sales of the beverage declined in recent years and it was discontinued in 2007. Remaining bottles have shot up in value. According to Adventist News Network, a product that once sold for $3.50 a jar is now sold on Ebay for $70.00 a three pack.
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References
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Comments
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kraft, there are thousands of people who want and miss postum. when are you going to listen to the consumers?
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interesting...
