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Investment Recovery Group - The Nestlé Purina Petcare Company Investment Recovery Group resells surplus capital machinery and manufacturing equipment.

History/Timeline of Ralston Purina Company

The history of Ralston Purina Company was filled with twists and turns, and an occasional fork in the road. Our past is paved with vivid, often disparate images – from Brain Bread to dog litter, from Maud the Mule to the Energizer® Bunny, from Purina Layena to Purina® Dog Chow® brand dog food and other pet food.

The one thread throughout this curious evolution is the ability to adapt. The Darwinian Concept of biological survival applied to business is not new. Given World Wars, the Great Depression, intense competition, and enormous shifts in business and technology, business survival over time is no mean task.

1893	William H. Danforth, Founder
1893	Horses Always Have to Eat
1894	Robinson-Danforth Commission Company is founded in St. Louis.
1894-1910	Agricultural Volatility and Reform, and Manufacturing Might
1896	President and Majority Stockholder of Nothing
1898	A Whole Grain and a Doctor's Name; William H. Danforth assumes a leadership position and enters the cereal business with the endorsement of "Dr. Ralston."
1902	Thank you, Mrs. Brown; Ralston adopts the famous Checkerboard logo; The name of the Company is changed to Ralston Purina Company to reflect more accurately the business where "Purity is Paramount."
1904	Meet Me in St. Louis; Ralston gains exposure at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.
1911-1928	Prosperity for America, but Not for All Americans
1921	Checkers and Chows
1926	Father Doesn't Always Know Best; Ralston opens its nutritional studies facility at Gray Summit, Missouri; Ralston purchases the Ry-Krisp plant in Minnesota.
1929-1940	The Crash, The Great Depression and The New Deal
1937	Wheat Chex® is introduced.
1940-1960	World War II and the Post-War Boom
1950	Rice Chex® is introduced.
1957	The Eager Eater; New Pressure Cooked Purina® Dog Chow® brand Dog Food is introduced for grocery distribution.
1959	Ralston manufactures and sells 5 million tons of Chow® brand animal feed for the first time.
1960-1972	The Go-Go Years
1962	The Big Board and the Big Fire; Ralston stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange; a dust explosion and fire destroy the St. Louis plant.
1966	Ralston achieves its first $1 billion sales year.
1968	Ralston acquires Foodmaker, a California-based corporation engaged in preparing and supplying food for a chain of fast-food restaurants; Ralston invests in Keystone Resort.
1973-1980	Inflation and the Energy Crisis Take Their Toll.
1973	Ralston sales eclipse $3 billion.
1977	Ralston acquires Missouri Arena Corporation and the St. Louis Blues National Hockey League franchise.
1978	Bremner Biscuit Company is acquired.
1980-1990	The Global Marketplace
1982	Bill Stiritz in named Chairman of Ralston Purina Company in January.
1984	Ralston acquires Continental Baking from ITT.
1985	The sale of restaurant operations is completed in a leveraged buyout to a new company owned by Foodmaker management and institutional investors.
1986	Ralston acquires Eveready Battery from Union Carbide Corporation; Ralston sells Purina Mills to a subsidiary of The British Petroleum Company
1988	The Van Camp Seafood Division is sold.
1989	Ralston acquires Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation from Nestle.
1990-2000	A New Reality
1994	Ralston spins off its cereal and smaller grocery human food businesses into a freestanding company named Ralcorp. The spin-off included Bremner, Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation, Keystone and Breckenridge ski resorts and American Redemption Systems; Ralston celebrates its 100th Anniversary at the Annual Shareholder's Meeting in St. Louis.
1995	Ralston acquires the Golden Cat Corporation, North America's leading marketer of cat box filler; Ralston sells its baking subsidiary, Continental Baking Company, to Interstate Bakeries Corporation of Kansas City, Mo.
1997	William P. Stiritz, Ralston's Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, retires effective September 30, but remains as Ralston's Chairman of the Board.
1997	W. Patrick McGinnis, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ralston's Pet Products Group, and J. Patrick Mulcahy, Chairman and CEO of Eveready Battery Company are elected to be Co-CEOs of Ralston Purina Company, effective October 1; Ralston completes the sale of its Protein Technologies International subsidiary to DuPont; Ralston Purina acquires Edward Baker Petfoods, the UK’s leading manufacturer of extruded complete dry pet foods and a major supplier of branded and private label products to the European market, from Harrison & Crosfield plc.
1998	Ralston Purina Company completes the spin-off of Agribrands International Inc., formerly the Company's international agricultural animal feeds business.
1999	Ralston Purina announces its intention to separate its Eveready Battery Company subsidiary in a tax-free spin-off to shareholders. J. Patrick Mulcahy resigns as co-CEO of Ralston Purina Company, remaining CEO of Eveready Battery Company. W. Patrick McGinnis remains as CEO of Ralston Purina Company.
2000	Ralston Purina completes the spin-off of Eveready Battery Company.
2001	Ralston Purina Company merges with Nestlé subsidiary. Nestlé Purina PetCare Company is created.