Well, here’s a blast-from-the-past I just couldn’t resist posting about. Who out there remembers Post Grape Nuts cereal. The stuff was – is – authentically unique, and apparently has a bigger following than I imagined. In fact, I think a lot of us who aren’t genuine fans thought Grapes Nuts were ‘extinct’…
A unique blend of Wheat and Barley: A fan fave for over 100 years…
I remember my Dad (Birth Dad, Charlie) sitting down to his Grape Nuts cereal every morning. I was just a little tad, and Dad must still have been in his mid-late 30s, still working ‘outside’ supervising new municipal water service installations. His days were as active as those of any other pick-and-shovel guy, and he always ate big before heading out the door at the start of his day. One thing about his breakfast – which typically included 2 or 3 different Whole Grain starches – was uniformly large portions. Except for the Grape Nuts.
Pulled my leg
I asked him once why he only had a half-bowl of Grape Nuts when he might had two full servings of other menu items. He thought for a moment and then explained, tongue in cheek, “They’re pretty powerful.”
Of course, I was hooked, and ventured, “How powerful?”
“Oh,” he slipped me a knowing, conspiratorial glance, scooping up a small spoonful of the little gravelly chunks. ” You have to watch how much you eat.”
“Why?”
“Well, they call ’em Grape Nuts because they’re really little Grape seeds, and you might start growing Grape vines in your innards…”
“Yuk!”
“That’s right,” Dad insisted. “And you have to watch how much Milk you use. Grape Nuts soak up Milk like Popcorn soaks up air. Add too much milk and they’ll swell way up in your stomach ’til you blow a gasket. Blammo!”
We had a rule at my house: ‘You make a mess in the kitchen, you clean it up’. I didn’t want any part of a potential gasket blow.
“Can I try some?”
“Nope,” Dad said sternly. “You’re not old enough. Can’t risk it…”
And that was that…
… Until it registered with me, about 5 years later, that Dad had changed from Grape Nuts to Bran Flakes. Said he had to, ‘for his constitution’; to ‘keep the systems flowing properly’. Well, if a Water Works Guy said so, that was good enough for me.
It was also at that point that I assumed Grape Nuts had been discontinued. And that was the end of that.
Until…
… A post earlier this week on social media saying grape Nuts were not gone. They apparently had a substantial following all along, and fans complained long and loud that their favourite cereal had become a victim of the COVID-19 crisis.
Well, that caused an almost instantaneous response from Post Cereals on Twitter: “Grape Nuts may be out of stock for 2-5 months due to adjustments in our production schedules to ensure the items in highest demand are available,” the statement said. “We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you. We will continue to work to get this item back on shelves ASAP.”
Seems the production process for Grape Nuts is patented, and pretty difficult to tune up. Grape Nuts were temporarily ‘taken down’ to use their production line for other high-profile brands.
“Grape-Nuts is made using a proprietary technology and a production process that isn’t easily replicated, which has made it more difficult to shift production to meet demand during this time,” Kristin DeRock, the Grape-Nuts Brand Manager at Post Consumer Brands said. “We apologize for any frustration and inconvenience this has caused. Please know that we are working hard to get Grape-Nuts fully back on store shelves, which we expect to be this spring.”
Nothing else quite like them…
So, fans: Hang in there. Or, if you can stomach the idea, try Kellogg’s Bran Buds. But I’ll warn you, now: They’re simply not the same. The Nuts are a blend of Wheat and Barley. The Buds are straight Wheat.
Follow @postcereals on Twitter for official updates…
~ Maggie J.