1856

Ferdinand Schumacher starts to sell oatmeal as a food item in his grocery  store in Akron, New York.

1860

Schumacher starts his own mill in Akron to process oatmeal.

1870's

Scottish and Irish peasants immigrate to the U.S. and include oatmeal in  their diets. Retailers discover the benefits of the folding carton for  packaging foods.

1870

First advertisement promoting oatmeal as a breakfast cereal appears in the  Akron Beacon of Akron, New York.

1881

Henry Parsons Cromwell purchases Quaker Mill in Ravenna, Ohio which later  becomes the home of Quaker Oats.

1883

Schumacher purchases a second mill to accommodate the demand for  oatmeal.

1888

American Cereal Co. forms, consisting of Cromwell, Schumacher and a few  others who held the monopoly on oatmeal milling and sales.

1896

The Fruen Process of milling oats begins.

1906

Cromwell ousts Schumacher, and Quaker Oats becomes the oatmeal monopoly in  the U.S.

1900

Grandfather Roberts creates his own oatmeal.

1988

Christine and Rob's is founded.

1990

Arnold Schwarzenegger places his first order with Christine & Rob's.