Naturalis INKA - a Postum Cousin, Pretty Good!

Well, it's not Postum's identical twin, but it's close. It's reminiscent. The texture is finer, but the roasty slightly sweet taste is very nice. I knew it was gonna' work for me when I walked by the jar and looked forward to having another cup of Naturalis INKA, after sampling it this morning. I like a hot drink in the late evening, and have been sorely missing Postum this fall. Tea just doesn't do it, and the latte drinks are so high in sugar and fat. I read about INKA on our Postum listserv, and found it online at a health food store in California. It shipped within a few days. Pricey way to accomplish this, but well worth it. It is imported from Poland by Adamba Imports INC, Brooklyn, NY, 11237. You can buy it from them directly, it looks like. It is thinner than Postum, so you need double the amount.
Life is better....

Vermont Country Store

A listserv member has suggested the Vermont Country Store which oftens "reissues" out-of-manufacture products. So shoot them off an email, maybe they'll take up the cause.
here's the link:
http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/content/suggest.jsp

Letter Writing and Lobbying

Not to suggest Postum is old-fashioned or anything, but isn't this a great picture? Bob has posted his letter to Himmel, which picked up Ovaltine after a similarily ignominious disappearance. Anyone with time and energy should send a similar letter to Himmel, and bug anyone you know in the food business. Postum is a great product for a small company.

Himmel Nutrition

PO 5329

Lake Worth, FL 33466-5329

Dear Mr. Himmel:

I am the Robert Underwood whom Jenna Fisher interviewed for her article in the Christian Science Monitor. Like you, I believe Postum is one of those products that can have a successful comeback, if there is a systematic campaign. I have started a Yahoo group dedicated to this effort. We are taking several approaches:

Lobbying Kraft Foods. Even if they are not interested in bringing back the product, if they know there is a demand, they will be more inclined to do something about it.

1. Contacting the news media. The ideal outcome would be a “New Coke” marketing fiasco for Kraft. But Postum isn’t Coca-Cola, so we haven’t been as successful at this as I would have liked.
2. Attempting to come up with a home made version of Postum. This is not a real solution, but people are devoted. Even though C.W. Post originally developed Postum in an 1890’s commercial kitchen, and made small batches for use in his Battle Creek sanitarium, it is a labor intensive process, yielding mixed results. The Postum sold in stores is also an instant beverage. It was probably freeze dried, which is beyond the capability of the home kitchen, so at best, home made Postum will be an expensive, brewed drink.
3. Contacting grocery chains, either by filling out product request forms, or direct contact with regional or national headquarters. The object is to make retailers aware of the demand. Postum was a sleeper product, it was always on the very top or very bottom of the coffee display, but people steadily bought it. In turn, we hope retailers will lean on Kraft to do something.
4. Write to other food processors in an attempt to get them to either buy the rights from Kraft, or develop their own formulation and market it. I believe this is the most promising avenue. There is not enough of a market for an outfit like Kraft, but it would make a nice “cash cow” for a smaller manufacturer.

Apparently, Kraft made a half-hearted attempt to increase sales in the mid 1990’s. A 1995 article in the New York Times reported Postum had an 88% share of the coffee substitute market, with an estimated two million drinkers, and $7.5 million annual sales. These numbers have probably declined significantly since then. Postum was never highly advertised, people knew about it either because they grew up with the product, or like me, word-of-mouth.

My anecdotal experience shows there is still a sizable niche market. In addition to Mormons and Seventh Day Adventists whose religion forbids stimulants like caffeine, Postum also has a following among people with medical conditions that are aggravated by caffeine and the acids in coffee, and those who simply wish to cut down their caffeine intake. (I have high blood pressure, and my doctor advises no more than one cup of coffee daily.)

This morning, the Kraft Foods web site Postum thread had 9,703 views, and 124 replies. My own Postum drinkers group on Yahoo attracts 3-4 people a week.

http://Kraft.liveworld.com/category/Ask-Kraft-Kitchens/47

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Postum

A few words about the product, why it is unique, and why there is no real substitute for it:

Most coffee substitutes try to imitate the taste of coffee. As a result, they end up tasting like really bad coffee. I have tred Pero, Cafix, Teecino, and several others. Postum is the only one that does not contain chicory, which is responsible for the bitter coffee taste of the others.

Postum also has the “body” of a cup of coffee. Herb teas are like drinking light beer, they are not satisfying.

Finally, while it can’t be advertised as such, Postum is a very good weight loss aid. A warm cup of Postum satisfies evening hunger pangs, and since it has no caffeine, you can drink it at night.

Postum has a devoted following, and would be a good market for a company like Himmel. Imagine what a little outside the box thinking could do for sales of a great tasting, all natural, low calorie, low fat, low cholesterol, low sodium, naturally caffeine free drink. Please consider adding it to your product line.

Sincerely,

Robert Underwood
Seattle

2715 SW 332^nd Ct.

Federal Way, WA 98023

Tel. 253-517-8861

E-mail: ohb0b@comcast.net

An Online Recipe for Postum.... for Its New Manufacturer

There is quite a bit of discussion online about how to make Postum. Since the ingredients are on the jar and it was developed in 1895, it's a question of figuring out the procedure and the amounts. No fancy technology required!
Here is the basic recipe. I do not include it for the average Postum devotee, since it sounds like an incredibly labor-intensive mess, but for a food professional who wants to do it as a healthy "microbrew" niche product:

I am researching making Postum in small batches at home. I figure C.W. Post probably started with small batches for his sanitarium, made in an 1895 commercial kitchen, so it should be possible.

Three of the four ingredients are available in health food stores, the other one, maltodextrin is a modified starch used commercially. While Maltrin is available in retail quantities, (Body builders use it as a supplement) it probably wasn't in Post's original formula.

I have a good idea how to proceed, and just need to work out the exact proportions. I am interested in hearing from others who are trying to duplicate the Postum recipe.

Here's the procedure I will start with:

1. Mix together cracked wheat and wheat bran
2. stir in molasses, allow to set for awhile so the grains absorb\ the moisture from the molasses.
3. Spread on a cookie sheet, and roast at a low temperature (around 300 F)
4. When the grains are roasted, process in a coffee grinder to get the right granule size. ( I may have to add some kind of starch at this point)

I still have to work out the proportions of all the ingredients.

Anyone else who is experimenting, or has information on the formula or manufacturing process please contact me. I promise to post all results on this page. ohb0b@comcast.net

If you want to read the follow-up points, the discussion is online at http://www.chow.com/grinder/4524

Celestial Seasonings, Perhaps?

How about Celestial Seasonings? They are owned by Hains, a big outfit.
Here is the contact info. Additionally you can contact them by email.

You may also write to us at:

Celestial Seasonings Consumer Relations
The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.
4600 Sleepytime Dr.
Boulder, CO 80301 USA

Or call us at:
1-800-434-4246, 7am-5pm Mountain Time

Our dedicated professionals respond to e-mails Monday through Friday from 8:00am until 4:00pm MT. We will respond as quickly as we are able, but please be patient; we receive a large number of e-mails each day.

Bob Underwood's Postum Letter Writing Campaign

Kraft Foods is hoping we go away quietly. We will not!

Since Kraft has no interest in Postum, the best course of action is to get someone else interested in marketing it. But unless we get the word out, Postum will be gone forever.

Our campaign should be waged on several fronts:

1. Complaints directly to Kraft Foods. Not only do we need to let them know they have alienated a lot of people, we need to remind them constantly that there is still a market for Postum.
2. Alert the media! There have already been articles in the Deseret News, NPR, and the Christian Science Monitor. If enough people write the media, they will sense a story. Let’s see if we can get on FOX, CNN, MSNBC, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Time, People, Fortune… the object is to create a “New Coke” marketing fiasco for Kraft!
3. Write to your local grocery store, or fill out a Product Request Card. Again, if enough people ask for Postum, the grocery chains will put pressure on Kraft to do something
4. Write to other food processors, and suggest they add Postum to their product mix. While there may not be enough money for Kraft to resume production, Postum could become a real cash cow for a smaller company. This is an area where everyone can help. If you know a smaller, or regional food processor, please let me know and I’ll add them to the list. This is important, because I think the best way to revive Postum is for a smaller manufacturer to take it over.

Here are some addresses to get us started, contact me if you think of any others, and I will add them to the list.

Manufacturers:

Kraft Foods: http://kraft.liveworld.com/topic/Ask-Kraft-Kitchens/Postum/1800001436

Nabisco: (Owned by Kraft Foods)

Barbara’s Bakery: (Manufacturer of healthy cereals) E-mail: customerservice@worldpantry.com

Bob’s Red Mill Flour http://www.bobsredmill.com/talk.php

Starbucks: http://www.starbucks.com/customer/

Seattle’s Best Coffee: http://www.seattlesbest.com/About/contactForm.aspx

Maxwell House Coffee: http://www.cw-usa.com/info.html

Folger’s Coffee: http://folgers.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/folgers.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php?p_sid=BgChSH-i

Tully’s Coffee: http://www.tullys.com/company/contact_us.aspx

Millstone Coffee: http://www.millstone.com/pages/contact/index.jsp

International Foods, LLC (Manufacturer of Pero, a European coffee substitute: http://www.internaturalfoods.com/Contact.html

Cafix: (another European manufacturer, similar to Pero): E-mail: sales@enjoybettercoffee.com

Annie’s Homegrown: http://www.annies.com/contact_us_form

Nature’s Path: E-mail: consumer_services@naturespath.com

Kashi: (Kellogg’s) http://www.kelloggs.com/cgi-bin/brandpages/faq/list.pl?skin=kashi;Company=1

Marching Directions from a Postum Activist

Here is a post from Robert Underwood of Seattle, who has already put a chunk of time into lobbying for the resurrection of Postum. He has a lot of great ideas!
You can find the files at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Postum/

I have found that most folks may have submitted a complaint or inquiry to Kraft, maybe found my group, or yours, etc. and bitched there. I don't think I am being effective at channeling the discontent into a productive path. Perhaps you will be more successful.

I attempted to rally support on several different fronts.Publish Post

1. Continue to complain to Kraft Foods, they have to see we aren't going away quietly. Even if they are not interested in Postum, if they know there are discontented customers, they may be more willing to sell the rights to a smaller food processor.

2. Write to the news media. The object is to make this a "New Coke" marketing fiasco for Kraft, and also to get publicity so someone else gets interested. The Mormon and Seventh Day Adventist press was the first to report on Postum. A reporter from the Christian Science Monitor interviewed several people from my group, and one woman had an interview with NPR. I'd like to get FOX News and the Wall Street Journal interested.

3. Writing to grocery store chains, both regional and national chains, but also to health food stores. If they see a demand, they will alsp put pressure on Kraft to do something.

4. Perhaps the most important, contacting smaller and regional food processors to get them interested in either buying the rights from Kraft, or else developing their own formulation.

Of course, if one or two people write in, they can be dismissed, but if a lot of people ask about Postum, someone will see there is money to be made, and things will start to happen!

I have attached my Postum Writing Campaign filein Word, please feel free to use it on yor blog. Make additions and corrections as required.

Sincerely,

Robert Underwood

Seattle

My Discovery that Postum Is Gone

Postum disappeared from the supermarket a few years ago, and it took awhile to locate some. Eventually it returned. So I wasn't entirely surprised when my local grocery had an empty spot on the shelf behind the Postum label. When a second store didn't have the label, I got concerned. When a different chain didn't have it either, I started to hyperventilate. This has been my late evening, calming drink of choice for about 30 years. And I'm neither Mormon nor in my 80's. It's healthy and has a great, mellow taste.
A quick search online produced the nasty news that Kraft has killed it. Their explanation is it had a declining customer base. Tell that to Utah! When you see the junk on the shelf where the Postum should be - fancy powdered, sugared, artificially sweetened, chemical-laden lattes - you can guess that the profit margin on Postum didn't warrant the shelf space, not the lack of loyal customers. I am so bummed!
The next solution was Ebay. If you want a laugh, or a new business to think about going into, take a look. A 4-bottle Postum lot is going for over $100.00. Postum added greatly to my quality of life, but I don't think I'm ready to buy it at $25 a bottle. I find it totally nuts that a great product disappears. Why didn't they sell it to a different company, or jack up the price, rather than just kill it? Clearly there is a steady customer base, since I found hundreds of them online.
I'm not really hyperventilating, but I am very, very sad, both about not being able to obtain my favorite drink any longer, and for the insane corporate control Kraft has over the lives of all Postum mourners. I wonder how long it will take for someone to bring it back into production?
Kraft pulled it in January. Since I was buy a few bottles at a time and store them in my pantry, I just found out - too late to scrounge around and hoard a few, to tide me over until an enterprising person brings out a new version. That can't be soon enough!

Bring Back Postum!

This blog is dedicated to the goal of Bringing Back Postum. It's been my favorite nightly drink for 30 years. I cannot reconcile myself to this loss! Postum is NOT a coffee substitute - it's a smooth and wonderful hot drink all by itself.
Let's lobby. Let's organize! Let's get back our Postum!
Any strategies, share them.