Heartland^® History

Our Roots

While browsing the shelves of your local supermarket, you’re looking for food that helps nourish your most important asset — your health. Heartland^® continues the tradition of providing high-quality products that you’ve trusted for nearly 40 years. After all, we were America’s first national brand of granola cereal.

The Harvest of Heartland^®

The creation of Heartland Natural Cereal has been credited to Jim Matson, who has been referred to as a marketing whiz who liked to walk down supermarket aisles to get a feel for what products were missing. Pet Foods, Inc. formally introduced Heartland Granola cereals to a niche consumer market in 1968. Heartland brand's marketing efforts were centered on a nostalgic theme referring to the flavor of times long gone.

Signs of the Times

In 1968, the median household income was $7,743,the album of the year was “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band” by The Beatles, and President Lyndon Johnson led the nation. Granola had not yet gone mainstream and was referred to as the “hippie” health food. A climate of social change was in the air, and granola was accepted by those looking for an alternative to the everyday.

The Cultivation of the Brand

Heartland^® continued to experience strong success in the 1970s and '80s. In 1998, McKee Foods Corporation acquired the brand and manufacturing was brought to Collegedale, TN.

Diversification in the New Millennium
Heartland^® continues to be America’s original granola cereal, and quality has always been a benchmark of our product. We’ve responded to your interest in our product by expanding our product line to include granola bars, bulgur wheat, oat bran, low-fat granola cereals, and pie shells. We provide preservative-free products with all-natural ingredients.

Link to the Past

While simple times are now a thing of the past, Heartland^® still provides that wholesome taste and goodness that you long for. So when you’re serious about granola, bring home the Heartland.