The Legend of Kraft Foods, INC.

The great history of Kraft Foods, INC. started back over a hundred years ago in 1903. James L. Kraft had the bright idea of started a cheese business. The store was in Chicago, IL, and in 1914, the wholesale business started manufacturing and selling its own cheese. Around the world companies like Kraft, but selling chocolate, peanut butter, and coffee were spawning up everywhere.

In 1926, Kraf t decided to pair up with a yeast spread company, Vegemite. This was just the start of buying and combining with other companies. Two years later Kraft Cheese Company acquired the company that was the maker of Philadelphia cream cheese. In 1937, Kraft came out with the good old traditional Kraft macaroni and cheese.

In 1986, Kraft bought the Tombstone Pizza Corporation, while many other companies grew up around it. At this time General Foods is an extremely large company, buying other companies to grow by the year. In 1988, Phillip Morris Company acquired Kraft, which was worth 12.9 billion dollars at the time.

In 1989, perhaps one of the biggest things ever for Kraft, they merge together with General Foods. At the time General Foods was the manufacturer of Baker’s chocolate, Post cereals, Maxwell House Coffee, Jell-O desserts (including instant in 1950), Calumet, Oscar Meyer, Crystal Light, and many other popular brands that are still alive today. After this merge the two companies became known as Kraft General Foods.

The two companies together were international, but they were attempting to spread globally. While they had a few businesses around the globe, they were mainly located in the US and Central and Eastern Europe. Freia Marabou was bought by Kraft General Foods in 1993. And in 2000 another great thing happened for the Kraft Company, they merged with the Nabisco Company, a 19.2 billion dollar company at the time.

In 2001, Kraft was finally big enough to make it on Wall Street, Kraft Foods, INC. started trading in the New York Stock Exchange. By 2004, Kraft Foods, INC. was popularly known throughout Europe, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, US, and Canada—all around the world!

While Americans were on their quest to lose weight, Kraft Foods, INC. assisted them by coming out with the South Beach Diet in 2005. And in 2007, Kraft Foods, INC. was announced as a fully independent company, being released from the Phillip Morris Company.

Since then, great things continued to happen for the Kraft Foods, INC company, and I am unsure if they will ever slow down. The fast growing company sells over a million products all around the world, and now they are about to make another move.

After recovering from the recession, Kraft Foods, INC. believes it is time to buy again. Already the world’s second largest food company, Kraft is considering purchasing either Cadburys or Hershey’s. Will this be another milestone in the Kraft’s history?