The history of invention and innovation at General Mills is astounding – from the “puffing gun” developed to create cereals like Cheerios to “Space Food Sticks” carried by NASA astronauts into orbit in 1962. That spirit of invention continues to thrive at General Mills, most recently at “Idea Weekend 2.0” held April 12-13. At Idea [...]
Posts Tagged ‘innovation’
» New creations at our old research complex
On July 16, 1930, General Mills’ research department opened for business in unassuming buildings at 2010 East Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis, Minn. Five scientists worked under the direction of Dr. C.H. Bailey, dean of agriculture at the University of Minnesota. These five men concentrated their research on vitamins and the products of milling. Their labs [...]
» Inside the modern invention process
General Mills inventor and senior technology fellow Bernhard van Lengerich is featured in the book “Inventors at Work: The Minds and Motivation Behind Modern Inventors.” Bernhard discusses his career path and his insights on the invention process. I caught up with the book’s author, Brett Stern, to learn more. Tell us about your inspiration for [...]
» Food education never ends
We have many employees, in many roles around the world, whose jobs put them in a kitchen from time to time. That includes our food scientists and product engineers – the people behind the products that end up on the shelves of stores near you. A group called the Culinary Community of Practice (CCOP) at [...]
» 5 questions with Ian Friendly
Our latest video in our “5 questions” series is with Ian Friendly, executive vice president and chief operating officer of our U.S. Retail division. I asked Ian about the new products announced earlier this week, and about the importance of innovation at General Mills. I also posted the audio of our conversation, if you prefer [...]
» The daily duties of an innovation entrepreneur
One of 10 Innovation Entrepreneurs (IEs) at General Mills in the U.S., Jenny Maack-Mcaab has the unique role of connecting the dots between the business needs of the divisions she supports – in Jenny’s case, our global snacks business – and the precise capabilities of myriad external companies we partner with through our open innovation [...]
» Sparking employee innovation
Working at General Mills is an amazing experience. The combination of iconic brands, outstanding people, great facilities and a strong commitment to the community make it a place I am happy to call home. Our employees are our best champions and provide some of the most innovative ideas that help keep us on the cutting [...]
» News Bites – April 6, 2012
Every Friday we bring you “News Bites,” a collection of links from the week that covered General Mills, the food industry and our categories on “A Taste of General Mills.” We also regularly highlight content from some other General Mills blogs and websites. Notable posts about General Mills: We were thrilled to see “America’s Most [...]
» Partnerships behind the products
At General Mills, we pride ourselves on our commitment to making our relationships with outside vendors and suppliers not only work, but last for the long haul. In fact, in recent years we’ve placed an increased focus on external partner development. This sometimes means seeking new partnerships to solve specific problems or develop specific products, [...]
» The question every innovator should ask
The road to a good idea, no matter what line of work or activity you are in, doesn’t have to be a long and difficult journey. Most of the time, the best ideas are collected, borrowed and adapted. That was the theme I took away from a presentation this morning by “IdeaWise” author Steve Rivkin [...]
Visit General Mills On