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 is often used as a coffee substitute. This drink does not have caffeine. It was created in 1895 by C. W. Post, who founded the Post Cereal Company. He wanted to make a healthier drink than coffee. The Post Cereal Company later became part of General Foods. Today, Eliza's Quest Foods owns the Postum brand and its secret recipe.

The first Postum was a drink you had to brew. In 1912, an "instant" version was made. This new version was much easier to prepare. Postum is made from roasted wheat bran and molasses. You can find it in its original flavor. There are also coffee-flavored and cocoa-flavored versions.

A Look Back: Postum's History

Advertisement from 1910

Postum quickly became very popular. This made its creator, C. W. Post, quite wealthy. The company used a lot of advertising. Their slogan was "There's a Reason." These ads often warned people about the supposed dangers of coffee and caffeine. They promoted Postum as a better choice.

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

Why Was Postum Popular?

The Post Cereal Company said Postum did not taste like coffee. They also said it was not a coffee substitute. However, Postum sales grew a lot during World War II in the United States. Coffee was rationed then. People needed a replacement drink.

Postum was sometimes advertised with a cartoon character. This character was a ghost named Mr. Coffee-Nerves. He would appear when people felt bad. For example, they might be irritable or tired. This was always blamed on drinking coffee. The cartoons always ended with people switching to Postum. Then Mr. Coffee-Nerves would run away. The company also sponsored popular radio shows. These included Lum and Abner and Father Knows Best.

Postum was very popular with members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was part of their culture for many years. This is because Mormons do not drink coffee. It was also popular with Seventh-day Adventists. They also follow religious rules about what they eat and drink.

Postum's Journey Through Time

Kraft, a big food company, stopped making Postum in 2007. But in May 2012, Kraft sold the Postum brand. They sold it to a company called Eliza's Quest Food. Since then, Postum has been sold online at Postum.com. By January 2013, Eliza's Quest Food had brought Postum back. You can now find it in many grocery stores across the United States and Canada.

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See also

• Barleycup
• Caro (also called Pero in the U.S.)
• Coffee substitute
• Inka
• List of barley-based drinks
• Ovaltine
• Roasted grain drink