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PillsburyPillsbury is a brand name used by Minneapolis-based General Mills and the The J. M. Smucker Company. Historically, however, Pillsbury was a rival company to General Mills, also based in Minneapolis, that was one of the world's largest producers of grain and other foodstuffs until its acquisition by General Mills in 2000. Antitrust regulations required General Mills to sell off some of the products. General Mills kept the rights to refrigerated and frozen Pillsbury products, while dry baking products and frosting are now are sold by Smucker under license. The Pillsbury brand might have disappeared if not for the iconic Pillsbury Doughboy. C.A. Pillsbury and Company was founded in 1872 by Charles Alfred Pillsbury and his uncle John Sargent Pillsbury. The company was the first in the United States to use steam rollers for processing grain. The finished product required transportation, so the Pillsburys assisted in funding railroad development in Minnesota. In 1889, Pillsbury and its five mills on the banks of the Mississippi River were purchased by a British company. The company also tried to purchase and merge with the Washburn Crosby Company (a precursor of General Mills), but the strong rivalry prevented any merger from happening at the time. The Pillsbury family reacquired the company in 1923. The early 1950s brought the acquisition of Ballard & Ballard Company and the beginning of prepackaged biscuit dough. In 1989, the British company Grand Metropolitan purchased the food maker. A decade later, the old rivals merged. However, the baking products division was sold to International Multifoods Corporation, which was later acquired by Smucker's. Pillsbury once claimed to have the largest grain mill in the world at the Pillsbury "A" Mill overlooking Saint Anthony Falls on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. The building had two of the most powerful direct-drive waterwheels ever built, each putting out 1200 horsepower (895 kW). There are now plans to convert it into a loft-style apartment building. The Pillsbury Dough Boy was used by the company for product endorsement during the 1970s and early 1980s, and provided inspiration for the monster in the Ghostbusters movie. It is still being used to this day. Pillsbury-branded products sold by General Mills include: Frozen breads Frozen pizza Refrigerated breads Refrigerated cookie dough Pillsbury-branded products sold by The J. M. Smucker Company include: Bread mixes Brownie mixes Cake mixes Cookie mixes Flour Frosting Muffin mixes Roll mixes Pillsbury Pillsbury Baking N.S. Gill. Charles Alfred Pillsbury. Minneapolis.about.com Andrew Haeg (July 17, 2000). General Mills Acquires Pillsbury. Minnesota Public Radio. Vault, Inc. Pillsbury Basic Snapshot Check out the following recipes that are tagged "Pillsbury":
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