Postum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Postum

Owner	Post Holdings
Introduced	1895; 130 years ago (1895)

Postum is a powdered drink made from roasted grains. It's a popular choice for people who want a warm drink but don't want to drink coffee. This is because Postum does not have caffeine, which is a stimulant found in coffee.

The drink was created in 1895 by C. W. Post, who also started the Post Cereal Company. He wanted to make a healthier drink than coffee. C. W. Post had learned from John Harvey Kellogg that caffeine might not be good for you. Over time, the Post Cereal Company became part of bigger companies like General Foods and then Kraft Foods. Today, a company called Eliza's Quest Foods owns the special recipe for Postum.

The first Postum drink had to be brewed, like coffee. But in 1912, an "instant" version was made, which was much easier to prepare. Postum is made from roasted wheat bran and molasses. You can find it in its original flavor, and sometimes in coffee-flavored or cocoa-flavored versions too.

The Story of Postum

Postum quickly became very popular, making C. W. Post quite wealthy. The company used a lot of advertising with a famous slogan: "There's a Reason." These ads often warned people about the possible problems of drinking coffee and caffeine. They also talked about how good Postum was for you.

Early Advertising and Growth

Advertisement for Postum from 1910.

When other companies tried to copy Postum, the Post company made a cheaper drink called Monk's Brew. It was exactly like Postum. But they stopped selling it once their competitors left the market. The "Instant Postum" version, which was much quicker to make, came out in 1911. An advertisement for Instant Postum in 1912 was one of the first times the word "instant" was used for a food you could prepare right away.

Even though Postum's ads said it didn't taste like coffee, it became super popular in the United States during World War II. This was because coffee was rationed, meaning people could only buy a small amount. So, many looked for a replacement, and Postum was a great choice.

Mister Coffee Nerves

Postum was also advertised using a cartoon ghost character named Mister Coffee Nerves. This ghost would appear when people were feeling bad, like being grumpy, not sleeping well, or feeling tired, because they drank too much coffee. The cartoons always ended with the people switching to Postum and Mister Coffee Nerves running away! The company also sponsored popular radio shows like Lum and Abner and Father Knows Best.

Postum and Religious Groups

For many years, Postum was very popular with members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is because Mormons choose not to drink coffee. It was also a favorite drink for people following the dietary rules of Seventh-day Adventists.

Postum Today

Kraft, a big food company, stopped making Postum in 2007. But in 2012, Kraft sold the Postum brand and its secret recipe to a company called Eliza's Quest Food. By 2013, Eliza's Quest Food successfully brought Postum back to many grocery stores in the United States and Canada.

Gallery

See also

• Barleycup
• Caro (sold as Pero in the United States)
• Coffee substitute
• Inka
• List of barley-based drinks
• Ovaltine
• Roasted grain drink