Pillsbury's First-Ever Product Wasn't Cinnamon Rolls — It Was This Baking Staple

When you think of Pillsbury, two things probably come to mind: A tiny white mascot wearing a chef's hat and a tube of dough begging to be cracked. But long before the concept of ready-to-bake pastries and the Pillsbury Doughboy came around, the brand was actually known for a much simpler baking staple: flour.

Pillsbury was founded by a man named Charles A. Pillsbury, who came from a modest New Hampshire family. After moving to Minneapolis in 1869, Pillsbury pooled some money together with his uncle and father to purchase a share in a local flour company. It was a bold move, seeing as the family had no milling experience and the flour business wasn't booming at the time, but just a few years later, the trio started their own business, C.A. Pillsbury & Co.

The business was a major success and it grew rapidly as Pillsbury became known as one of the highest-quality flours around. A lot of the success was due to the fact that Charles Pillsbury trademarked the use of four 'X's on the Pillsbury flour sacks, which implied a superior quality over its competition. He also introduced new technology to his mills that helped with purification and became known for helping put Minnesota flour on the map.

In 1881, Pillsbury opened what was the world's biggest flour mill at the time, and it was soon breaking global production records. The family chose to sell the company in 1889 and Charles Pillsbury, who remained involved in the business, passed away 10 years later. Pillsbury ended up changing hands multiple times in the following years and it was eventually taken over by General Mills in 2001.

During this time, Pillsbury moved its sole focus away from flour. It ventured into cake flours and cereals in the 1930s, then turned its attention to boxed baking mixes in the 1940s. A number of boxed cake mixes were added to the product line over the next decade, but the biggest expansion came in 1951, when Pillsbury acquired Ballard & Ballard — a manufacturer known for its refrigerated, canned doughs.

The company has entered into a lot of other ventures — including a stint as the owners of Burger King — but the canned doughs continue to be one of the most popular Pillsbury products sold today. In case you were wondering, Pillsbury does still make flour, and it's actually one of the most trusted all-purpose flour brands out there. The gigantic Pillsbury "A" Mill can also still be seen on the banks of the Mississippi River today, though it now serves as a condominium complex. It might have a different purpose, but it remains a symbol of everything Pillsbury has accomplished since its milling days.