Wheaties is the cereal brand marketed as the 'breakfast of champions.' And now, it has a limited edition wheat beer called, HefeWheaties.
"[We think that] the celebration after a sporting event is just as important," said David Oehler, marketing manager for Wheaties. "Beer is an integral part of the celebration for those over the age of 21."
General Mills, the parent company of Wheaties, has teamed up with Fulton Brewery to produce and market the limited edition Hefeweizen beer. Hefeweizen is the south German-style of wheat beer typically brewed with over 50% malted wheat.
HefeWheaties is a combination of the words Hefeweizen, which describes the kind of beer, and Wheaties for, well, the brand for the champions. The beer will be available for a limited time starting August 26, and only within Minnesota, where the two companies are from - General Mills and Fulton. You can get it from Twin Cities market or at the Fulton taproom in Minneapolis.
'We were intrigued from the get-go on this idea for many reasons, including that we're both Minneapolis companies, and that the beer and the cereal both started from the same place in terms of raw ingredients and the same city,' says Ryan Petz, president and co-founder of Fulton as reported in the Washington Post. What makes Wheaties and HefeWheaties the same is well, the wheat.
Wheaties was introduced in 1924. It is a mix of wheat and bran, baked into flakes. Its creation was an accident. In 1922, an employee of Washburn Crosby Company, the predecessor of General Mills, spilled wheat bran mixture into a hot stove. The liquid mixture became flakes. He tasted it, and liked his mistake, and thus was created the first Washburn's Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flakes. Eventually, they changed the name to Wheaties.
Wheaties is famous for featuring prominent athletes on its box. Among its stable of brand endorsers are Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.
