Pillsbury Flour Comes Home
Monday, February 13, 2006
GENERAL MILLS BAKERIES & FOODSERVICE WELCOMES HOME
PILLSBURY BAKERY FLOUR
Pillsbury Bakery Flour Brands transitioned to General Mills after eight-year licensing agreement with ADM
MINNEAPOLIS (February 13, 2006) — Today General Mills Bakeries & Foodservice will begin the transition of the Pillsbury Bakery Flour (25-pound bags and larger) brands from Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM) to the General Mills Bakery Ingredients segment. In 1998, The Pillsbury Company licensed the Pillsbury brands to ADM for use in the marketing and sale of bakery flour. This agreement was maintained by General Mills after the acquisition of Pillsbury in 2001. As the License Agreement draws to a close, General Mills is opting to integrate the Pillsbury Bakery Flour brands and products into its existing bakery product line. General Mills will now provide sales, distribution and production of Pillsbury Bakery Flour
“General Mills’ long-term commitment to the bakery business is evident as we introduce the Pillsbury Bakery Flour products into our existing Pillsbury product line of mix and frozen bakery products,” said Greg Schlafer, director, General Mills Bakery Ingredients Segment. “In addition to complementing the existing Pillsbury product portfolio, General Mills will now market two of the best-known bakery flour brands in the industry — Pillsbury and Gold Medal.
Bakery customers will benefit from General Mills’ greater brand representation, stronger support, and access to a broader national distribution of Pillsbury Bakery Flour as a result of this transfer. The transition of more than 60 Pillsbury Bakery Flour products will begin on March 1, 2006.
Since 1869, Pillsbury has represented a tradition of heritage and quality products. General Mills also has a long history of manufacturing and marketing expertise in high-gluten flour. General Mills Gold Medal flour, one of only a handful of U.S. products to retain its status as the No. 1 selling branded retail flour after a century of existence, marked its 125th anniversary last year.
General Mills and Pillsbury began as two separate and competing mills on opposite banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. These two flour millers revolutionized the milling industry and created the foundation for the General Mills of today.