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Ralston Purina

May 04, 2023

For the Ralston portion of the now defunct Ralston Purina Company, see Ralcorp.

Ralston Purina Company was a St. Louis, Missouri,–based American conglomerate with substantial holdings in animal feed, food, pet food, consumer products, and entertainment. On December 12, 2001, it merged with Swiss food-giant Nestlé's Friskies division to form Nestlé Purina PetCare Company.[1]

Ralston Purina Company
IndustryFood, pet food, animal feeds
FoundedJanuary 8, 1894; 129 years ago (1894-01-08) (as Purina Mills)
FounderWilliam H. Danforth
DefunctDecember 12, 2001 (2001-12-12)
FateAcquired by Nestlé; merged into Nestlé's pet food business
SuccessorNestlé Purina PetCare
Headquarters
St. Louis, Missouri
,
USA
ProductsDog food, cat food, animal health products, breakfast cereal, crisp bread

History

Ralston Purina (originally Ralston-Purina) traces its roots to 1894, when founder William H. Danforth established the animal feed company Purina Mills. Danforth formed a partnership with George Robinson; William Andrews entered the business of feeding farm animals by founding the Robinson-Danforth Commission Company. Its predominant brand for each animal was generally referred to as "Chow"; hence "Purina Horse Chow", "Purina Dog Chow", "Purina Cat Chow", "Purina Rabbit Chow", "Purina Pig Chow", and "Purina Monkey Chow".

Later, the company began producing cereal, which received endorsement by Webster Edgerly, founder of Ralstonism, to market Ralston breakfast cereals. Edgerly was at the time promoting the consumption of whole-grain cereal. These cereals became so successful that the name of the enterprise was changed in 1902 to the Ralston-Purina Company.[2][3]

In 1986, Ralston Purina sold Purina Mills, its US animal feed business, to British Petroleum. Purina Mills is now owned by Land O'Lakes. In 1994, the Ralston "human food" operations of the Ralston Purina Company were spun off into a new company called Ralcorp Holdings. In 1998, Ralston Purina spun off its international animal feed business as Agribrands, which was acquired by Cargill in 2001.[4] The animal feed businesses continue to use the Purina and Chow brands, which Purina Mills and Cargill license for use in the US and internationally, respectively.

Merger with Nestlé

Ralston Purina became the subject of an acquisition bid by Swiss-based Nestlé, whose Friskies brand was the other leading US brand of pet food. Nestlé S.A. and Ralston Purina announced in January 2001 a definitive merger agreement.[5] Under the agreement, Nestlé acquired all of Ralston Purina's (NYSE: RAL) outstanding shares for US$33.50 per share in cash. The offer represented a premium of 36% over the closing price on Friday, January 12, 2001. The transaction had an enterprise value of US$10.3 billion ($10.0 billion equity plus $1.2 billion of net debt, minus $0.9 billion of financial investments).

Several brands of pet food (e.g., "Meow Mix") had to be divested separately to meet antitrust concerns. Purina brands are now made and marketed by a division of Nestlé (Nestlé Purina PetCare) which is still headquartered in St. Louis.

While primarily a pet-food company, Ralston Purina also made some other pet-related products, such as Tidy Cats brand and Yesterday's News cat litter, which is made from recycled newspaper, purchased from Edward Lowe Industries in 1990. Also, Purina has honoured several Canadian animals every year since 1968 in their Animal Hall of Fame. The latest inductees included a police service dog which "rushed and subdued an armed robber".

Acquisitions and diversifications

In 1974, Ralston Purina purchased and further developed the Keystone Resort in Colorado. "Checkerboard Flats" for kids and beginners at Keystone[6] still bears their logo. In 1993, Ralston Purina also bought Breckenridge ski area for an undisclosed amount, from Victoria U.S.A. Inc, a Japanese sporting goods retailer.[7] However, both ski resorts were sold in 1997 to Vail Resorts for $331 million.[8]

In 1977, Ralston Purina acquired Missouri Arena Corporation and the St. Louis Blues National Hockey League franchise. During the company's ownership of the team, they changed the name of the St. Louis Arena to the Checkerdome, reflecting the Ralston Purina logo. The franchise was sold to Harry Ornest on July 27, 1983.

Ralston Purina purchased the Eveready Battery Company in 1986,[9] owner of the Eveready and Energizer brands. The company was spun off in 2000.

Ralston Purina purchased Continental Baking Company, makers of Wonder bread and Hostess cakes, from ITT in 1984. Ralston spun off Continental Baking Company, subsequently bought by Irving, Texas–based Interstate Brands Corporation (IBC).

Ralston Purina opened test market pizza stores called Checkerboard Pizza in 1986. The format was similar to Domino's and Little Caesars. They opened the stores in markets such as Moorhead, Minnesota, to test how the Midwestern market would accept the concept. They did well, but Ralston Purina decided not to enter the pizza franchise business and closed all pilots by late 1987.

Ralston Purina also owned Jack in the Box fast food restaurants from 1968 to 1985,[10] along with several high-end restaurants.[11][12]

Ralston Purina owned Van Camp Sea Food Company from 1963 to 1988, a tuna cannery with Chicken of the Sea as its main product.[13]

Ralston Purina owned an animal pharmaceutical company in the 1970s and 1980s.

Ralston Purina's "checkerboard" trademark was introduced in 1902.[14][15][16] It was inspired by William Danforth's childhood memory of a family dressed in clothing made from the same bolt of checkerboard cloth.[17] The company's headquarters was called Checkerboard Square. Danforth used the design as the visualization of a concept put forth in his book I Dare You, in which he proposed that four key components in life ("Physical", "Mental", "Social", and "Religious") need to be in balance, and one area was not to develop at the expense of the others.[18] In 1921, the design inspired the design of feed that was pressed in cubes, called "checkers".[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Purina: Nutritious Dog and Cat Food for Your Pet". www.purina.com.
  2. ^ Carman, Tim (2009-04-16), "Food History Potpourri: Ralston Purina's D.C. Roots", Washington City Paper, retrieved 2009-10-19
  3. ^ "History of Ralston Purina". Purina. 7 September 2016.
  4. ^ History at Cargill.com
  5. ^ Ackman, Dan (2001-01-16). "Nestle Seals Ralston Deal". Forbes. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  6. ^ "Skiing for Non-experts". LA Times. 13 November 1988.
  7. ^ "Ralston Purina Announces Purchase of Ski Resort". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  8. ^ "Rebirth of a mega-resort". www.bizjournals.com. Feb 23, 1997. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  9. ^ "Ralston Purina Buys Carbide Unit". New York Times. July 1, 1986. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  10. ^ "Jack In The Box Inc. - Our Company".
  11. ^ "Ralston Purina Agrees to Sell Fast-Food Unit : Management Will Buy Jack in the Box's Parent". Los Angeles Times. 1985-05-01.
  12. ^ "Ralston Agrees to Sell Jack in the Box Unit". Los Angeles Times. 1985-09-21.
  13. ^ "St. Louis-based Ralston Purina Co. said it..." Los Angeles Times. 1988-07-28.
  14. ^ "Ralston Purina Evolved from a Small Store". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. February 16, 1964. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  15. ^ Rodengen, Jeffrey (2016). Nestlé in the United States: A Celebration of Good Food, Good Life. Fort Lauderdale, FL: Write Stuff Enterprises, LLC. p. 101. ISBN 9781932022704.
  16. ^ Ralston Chronicle, 1894-1994: A Century of Managing Change. Saint Louis, MO: Ralston Purina Company. 1994. pp. i.
  17. ^ "A Glimpse from the Past to the Present". Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vevey, Switzerland. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  18. ^ Danforth, William (January 2003). I Dare You!. Kessinger Publishing, LLC. ISBN 0-7661-2786-9.
  19. ^ . Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., Vevey, Switzerland. Archived from the original on June 29, 2010. Retrieved 2009-10-19.

External links

  • Official website
  • Cargill's Purina division (international animal feed brand)
  • Agribrands Purina Canada Inc. (Canada animal feed brand)
  • Purina Mills Poultry Nutrition
  • Purina iPhone App
  • Purina BlackBerry App
  • Shurtleff, William; Aoyagi, Akiko (2020). History of Ralston Purina Co. and the Work of William H. and Donald E. Danforth, Protein Technologies International, and Solae with Soy (1894-2020): Extensively Annotated Bibliography and Sourcebook (PDF). Lafayette, CA: Soyinfo center. ISBN 9781948436267.


May 04, 2023
ralston, purina, ralston, portion, defunct, company, ralcorp, company, louis, missouri, based, american, conglomerate, with, substantial, holdings, animal, feed, food, food, consumer, products, entertainment, december, 2001, merged, with, swiss, food, giant, n. For the Ralston portion of the now defunct Ralston Purina Company see Ralcorp Ralston Purina Company was a St Louis Missouri based American conglomerate with substantial holdings in animal feed food pet food consumer products and entertainment On December 12 2001 it merged with Swiss food giant Nestle s Friskies division to form Nestle Purina PetCare Company 1 Ralston Purina CompanyIndustryFood pet food animal feedsFoundedJanuary 8 1894 129 years ago 1894 01 08 as Purina Mills FounderWilliam H DanforthDefunctDecember 12 2001 2001 12 12 FateAcquired by Nestle merged into Nestle s pet food businessSuccessorNestle Purina PetCareHeadquartersSt Louis Missouri USAProductsDog food cat food animal health products breakfast cereal crisp bread Contents 1 History 1 1 Merger with Nestle 2 Acquisitions and diversifications 3 Logo 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksHistory EditRalston Purina originally Ralston Purina traces its roots to 1894 when founder William H Danforth established the animal feed company Purina Mills Danforth formed a partnership with George Robinson William Andrews entered the business of feeding farm animals by founding the Robinson Danforth Commission Company Its predominant brand for each animal was generally referred to as Chow hence Purina Horse Chow Purina Dog Chow Purina Cat Chow Purina Rabbit Chow Purina Pig Chow and Purina Monkey Chow Later the company began producing cereal which received endorsement by Webster Edgerly founder of Ralstonism to market Ralston breakfast cereals Edgerly was at the time promoting the consumption of whole grain cereal These cereals became so successful that the name of the enterprise was changed in 1902 to the Ralston Purina Company 2 3 In 1986 Ralston Purina sold Purina Mills its US animal feed business to British Petroleum Purina Mills is now owned by Land O Lakes In 1994 the Ralston human food operations of the Ralston Purina Company were spun off into a new company called Ralcorp Holdings In 1998 Ralston Purina spun off its international animal feed business as Agribrands which was acquired by Cargill in 2001 4 The animal feed businesses continue to use the Purina and Chow brands which Purina Mills and Cargill license for use in the US and internationally respectively Merger with Nestle Edit Ralston Purina became the subject of an acquisition bid by Swiss based Nestle whose Friskies brand was the other leading US brand of pet food Nestle S A and Ralston Purina announced in January 2001 a definitive merger agreement 5 Under the agreement Nestle acquired all of Ralston Purina s NYSE RAL outstanding shares for US 33 50 per share in cash The offer represented a premium of 36 over the closing price on Friday January 12 2001 The transaction had an enterprise value of US 10 3 billion 10 0 billion equity plus 1 2 billion of net debt minus 0 9 billion of financial investments Several brands of pet food e g Meow Mix had to be divested separately to meet antitrust concerns Purina brands are now made and marketed by a division of Nestle Nestle Purina PetCare which is still headquartered in St Louis While primarily a pet food company Ralston Purina also made some other pet related products such as Tidy Cats brand and Yesterday s News cat litter which is made from recycled newspaper purchased from Edward Lowe Industries in 1990 Also Purina has honoured several Canadian animals every year since 1968 in their Animal Hall of Fame The latest inductees included a police service dog which rushed and subdued an armed robber Acquisitions and diversifications EditIn 1974 Ralston Purina purchased and further developed the Keystone Resort in Colorado Checkerboard Flats for kids and beginners at Keystone 6 still bears their logo In 1993 Ralston Purina also bought Breckenridge ski area for an undisclosed amount from Victoria U S A Inc a Japanese sporting goods retailer 7 However both ski resorts were sold in 1997 to Vail Resorts for 331 million 8 In 1977 Ralston Purina acquired Missouri Arena Corporation and the St Louis Blues National Hockey League franchise During the company s ownership of the team they changed the name of the St Louis Arena to the Checkerdome reflecting the Ralston Purina logo The franchise was sold to Harry Ornest on July 27 1983 Ralston Purina purchased the Eveready Battery Company in 1986 9 owner of the Eveready and Energizer brands The company was spun off in 2000 Ralston Purina purchased Continental Baking Company makers of Wonder bread and Hostess cakes from ITT in 1984 Ralston spun off Continental Baking Company subsequently bought by Irving Texas based Interstate Brands Corporation IBC Ralston Purina opened test market pizza stores called Checkerboard Pizza in 1986 The format was similar to Domino s and Little Caesars They opened the stores in markets such as Moorhead Minnesota to test how the Midwestern market would accept the concept They did well but Ralston Purina decided not to enter the pizza franchise business and closed all pilots by late 1987 Ralston Purina also owned Jack in the Box fast food restaurants from 1968 to 1985 10 along with several high end restaurants 11 12 Ralston Purina owned Van Camp Sea Food Company from 1963 to 1988 a tuna cannery with Chicken of the Sea as its main product 13 Ralston Purina owned an animal pharmaceutical company in the 1970s and 1980s Logo EditRalston Purina s checkerboard trademark was introduced in 1902 14 15 16 It was inspired by William Danforth s childhood memory of a family dressed in clothing made from the same bolt of checkerboard cloth 17 The company s headquarters was called Checkerboard Square Danforth used the design as the visualization of a concept put forth in his book I Dare You in which he proposed that four key components in life Physical Mental Social and Religious need to be in balance and one area was not to develop at the expense of the others 18 In 1921 the design inspired the design of feed that was pressed in cubes called checkers 19 See also Edit Companies portalLouisville sewer explosions Ralcorp Purina MillsReferences Edit Purina Nutritious Dog and Cat Food for Your Pet www purina com Carman Tim 2009 04 16 Food History Potpourri Ralston Purina s D C Roots Washington City Paper retrieved 2009 10 19 History of Ralston Purina Purina 7 September 2016 History at Cargill com Ackman Dan 2001 01 16 Nestle Seals Ralston Deal Forbes Retrieved 2009 10 19 Skiing for Non experts LA Times 13 November 1988 Ralston Purina Announces Purchase of Ski Resort AP NEWS Retrieved 2020 07 21 Rebirth of a mega resort www bizjournals com Feb 23 1997 Retrieved 2020 11 12 Ralston Purina Buys Carbide Unit New York Times July 1 1986 Retrieved 2020 11 12 Jack In The Box Inc Our Company Ralston Purina Agrees to Sell Fast Food Unit Management Will Buy Jack in the Box s Parent Los Angeles Times 1985 05 01 Ralston Agrees to Sell Jack in the Box Unit Los Angeles Times 1985 09 21 St Louis based Ralston Purina Co said it Los Angeles Times 1988 07 28 Ralston Purina Evolved from a Small Store St Louis Post Dispatch February 16 1964 Retrieved March 19 2018 Rodengen Jeffrey 2016 Nestle in the United States A Celebration of Good Food Good Life Fort Lauderdale FL Write Stuff Enterprises LLC p 101 ISBN 9781932022704 Ralston Chronicle 1894 1994 A Century of Managing Change Saint Louis MO Ralston Purina Company 1994 pp i A Glimpse from the Past to the Present Societe des Produits Nestle S A Vevey Switzerland Retrieved 2009 10 19 Danforth William January 2003 I Dare You Kessinger Publishing LLC ISBN 0 7661 2786 9 William H Danforth Founder Societe des Produits Nestle S A Vevey Switzerland Archived from the original on June 29 2010 Retrieved 2009 10 19 External links EditOfficial website Purina Mobile Website Cargill s Purina division international animal feed brand Agribrands Purina Canada Inc Canada animal feed brand Purina Mills Poultry Nutrition Purina iPhone App Purina BlackBerry App Shurtleff William Aoyagi Akiko 2020 History of Ralston Purina Co and the Work of William H and Donald E Danforth Protein Technologies International and Solae with Soy 1894 2020 Extensively Annotated Bibliography and Sourcebook PDF Lafayette CA Soyinfo center ISBN 9781948436267 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ralston Purina amp oldid 1128324502, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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