It's been 100 years since cereal manufacturer Kellogg's first came to the UK.
Started in America after a failed attempt at making granola, Kellogg's founder, William Keith Kellogg, and his brother, Dr John Harvey Kellogg, changed breakfast forever when they accidently flaked wheat berries in the late 1800s. By 1922, the brand had arrived in the UK, with Kellogg’s Corn Flakes and All Bran being the first introduced and imported to the British public.
In the late 1920s we saw Rice Krispies, the "talking cereal" as it was marketed, while the Snap, Crackle and Pop characters first appeared in radio jingles in 1932. Six years later, Kellogg's came to Manchester, where the brand remains today.
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Located at Trafford Park, the largest cereal factory in Europe and Corn Flakes factory in the world opened its doors on May 24, 1938. Costing $2 million to build and covering 130,000 square feet, there have been many conflicting stories as to why this site was chosen.
This year marks a century since the cereal manufacturer first came to the UK, so we've decided to take a look back at its ties to our region. From the war years to inventing Crunchy Nut Cornflakes in Manchester, to tales from workers and more, here's a brief history of Kellogg's in Manchester.
Some say Trafford Park was chosen as the location by an American director who loved Shakespeare and didn’t realise that Stretford and the Bard’s birthplace Stratford were different places. But Kellogg's said that within a 75-mile radius, it had the highest population density in the country.
It was also picked as the most suitable place to build its first factory outside the US as it had a "ready-made customer base and wealth of local talent for its workforce". Not only this, the location boasted great road and rail links with the added bonus of the Manchester Ship Canal which was a cost effective way to transport the bulk raw materials.
A ‘Mrs Millward’ was chosen to officially open the factory after winning a competition to find ‘the UK’s most typical housewife’. As the decades went on, the factory would go on to export corn-based and rice-based products such as Corn Flakes, Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes, Frosties, Rice Krispies, Coco Pops, Ricicles, Wheats and Mini Max to the whole of Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Far East - with the people of Manchester playing a huge role in its success.
By 1940, the name was widely recognised, but when the Second World War took hold, the company created Wheat Flakes as import restrictions meant it was impossible to manufacture Corn Flakes. Staff from the factory also made up their own Kellogg's Unit in the Home Guard to protect the site and an ambulance team was also started as the site was bombed during the Blitz.
The war also meant the cereal could only be distributed in the North West and Midlands. The restrictions meant Rice Krispies were denied to all Londoners but one as the cereal makers had earned Royal approval! Following the war, the first adverts targeting Mancunians were rolled out in 1950.
Showing drawings of commuters on their way to work outside Central Library on Oxford Street and a Kellogg’s delivery van, it was accompanied by the slogan Start Your Day The Kellogg’s Way! Posters and display boxes were also given out to Manchester shops to create eye-catching window displays during the decade.
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By the late 50s and early 60s, Kellogg's was producing Sugar Smacks, Variety Pack, Special K, Coco Krispies (Coco Pops), Sugar Stars and more to the British public. Florence Milward was invited back to the Trafford Park factory for the 25th anniversary in 1963, meeting Prince Phillip.
As the years went on, more well-known faces visited Manchester. Prince Charles visited the Trafford Park factory in 1974, meeting staff and viewing cornflakes rolling off the production lines and, in 1982, Margaret Thatcher headed to the factory, which saw some workers down tools and walk out in protest.
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Later decades at the Trafford Park factory have seen new cereals invented, with Mancunians coming up with Crunchy Nut Cornflakes in 1980. That same decade, Kellogg’s UK Headquarters moved to Talbot Road, Manchester, in 1989, before moving to a new home in MediaCityUK in 2018.
Alan Gibbon, a production manager at the Trafford Park site, said: "I started working at the Kellogg’s factory 39 years ago as a 16-year-old straight from school. I remember being blown away by the size of the factory.
Have you ever worked at Kelloggs in Trafford Park? Let us know in the comments section below.
"In the late 80s we built a whole new six-storey extension to make space to produce our wheat cereals, so the factory became even bigger then. Back when I started there were many more people on the shop floor, particularly in the packing area, before automation was introduced.
"I’ve been lucky to be responsible for the production of all the favourite cereals made here in Manchester over the years, including Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies and Coco Pops. Crunchy Nut is also very special to us as it was invented here by one of our colleagues back in the 1980s."
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Paul Davies, a production manager at Kellogg’s Old Trafford Factory, said: "I joined Kellogg’s 34 years ago – my dad worked here and enjoyed it so I felt lucky to get a job at the Trafford site. I remember being amazed by seeing how the cereal was made and was overwhelmed by the size of the factory.
"One of my best memories was winning a competition to go to the Sydney Olympics with another colleague here at the factory. I’ve worked on the production for all the cereals made here. I’ve been lucky enough to have responsibility for every box of Coco Pops made here in Manchester when I led the production team for this cereal, my favourite Kellogg’s product."
Kellogg’s is celebrating its 100th anniversary of bringing breakfast to Britain this year. The company starting selling Kellogg’s Corn Flakes and All Bran in the UK in 1922 and today seven in ten people have a Kellogg’s product in their kitchen cupboard.
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