Original Cheerios Research Papers

For over 70 years, Cheerios have been a breakfast staple among all ages. Originally introduced as Cheerioats in 1941 and renamed Cheerios four years later, the iconic cereal known by its distinctive yellow box is made from balls of dough that are formed into the familiar “O” shape and then are toasted and puffed. Original Cheerios are a low-fat source of whole grain, soluble fiber, 12 vitamins and minerals, and only one gram of sugar ("Happy 70th," 2011). There are currently 15 varieties of Cheerios being produced in the U.S., including bestselling Honey Nut Cheerios, Original Cheerios, and Multi Grain Cheerios (Thompson, 2011). SymphonyIRI Group, a Chicago-based market research firm, estimates Americans spend $6.4 billion on ready-to-eat cereal

Kellogg Co is the leading company in breakfast cereals, accounting for 27% market share. Kellogg and General Mills compete in and dominate nearly every type of breakfast cereal (“Breakfast Cereals,” 2014). General Mills Cheerios varieties hold approximately 13% market share and is the top cereal brand on the market, followed by Kellogg’s Special K varieties with 6% market share. General Mills is also the maker of the No. 1 and No. 4 breakfast cereals in America: Honey Nut Cheerios and Cheerios. These two brands combined for $920 million in 2013. The Original Cheerios brought in sales of over $364 million in 2013, with unit sales down 5.92% from the previous year. Honey Nut Cheerios is the nation's top-selling ready-to-eat cereal that generated sales of approximate $556 million in 2013 and 6.04% market share, with unit sales up 2.32% on the previous year. Honey Nut Cheerios gained 0.03 points of market share as it outpaced the straining cereal category, whose sales fell by 4.2% to a little more than $9 billion (Schultz, 2014). The cereal market is shrinking and in 2013 dollar sales of cereal had dropped 2.5 percent from the previous year and sales of Cheerios slumped about 7 percent (Wong,