It takes four years to reach 150 on world markets, and 62 years in Ecuador. Founded in 1877 in Ravenna, Ohio, USA, Quaker Mill Company pioneered the industry by registering the Quaker trademark with the United States Patent Institute, becoming the nation’s first breakfast cereal brand, according to the official website https://www.quaker. es/.

In recent days, the brand founded by Henry Seymour and William Heston and its traditional character named Larry – a man with long gray hair – has seen a revitalization of its politically driven image that has become a trend on social media. The dedicated brand arrived in Ecuador in the hands of Luis Nobo Naranja, the grandfather of Daniel Nobo Azín, the ADN presidential candidate who will compete against Luisa González, from the Civil Revolution, in the second round of elections on October 15.

At prices ranging from 69 cents to more than $30, Ecuadorian products are sold in supermarkets in the United States

Politics aside, the Quaker brand has a long history in the national market. It was in 1961 when the banana magnate bought the franchise and established Industrial Molinera (IMCA) with a comprehensive business purpose. Not only did he import the product in large quantities, but he also brought his flagship brand, invested in an oat mill and began production under license from Quaker Oats, now owned by the multinational company Pepsico, which bought it in 2001, as well as Cruesli, crunchy cereal granolas born in the Netherlands in 1982.

Currently, Industrial Molinera is led by Álvaro Noboa Pontón – a five-time candidate for the presidency of Ecuador –, the son of Luis Noboa Naranja and the father of Daniel Noboa Azín.

Originally, Industrial Molinera produced only Quaker oatmeal that was used in the traditional homemade drink that eventually took over the brand name. This phenomenon has an explanation, according to Pablo Del Alcázar, general manager of Mentinno Consultores, a company dedicated to digital transformation, business analytics, strategy planning and actions aimed at creating profitability in the short, medium and long term for brands.

Del Alcázar recognized that currently the brand name is a trend due to political impulse. However, he explained that with Quaker there is a phenomenon that occurs with leading category brands or initially their owners because they are unique alternatives or without relevant competitors or who have decided to focus their positioning as a generic name of the basic product they offer, and even more so with those who are traditional and have had impressive communication campaigns from their repetition or effective creativity with continuity.

Thus, the motto ‘A Quaker is a Quaker, the rest is history’, which was broadcast in Ecuador and other countries in the region in the nineties, still resonates in the imagination of consumers. The brand is present in Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, Brazil and the Dominican Republic, and according to Del Alcázar, as in Ecuador, the brand has caused the same effect.

What does the name Quaker mean?

Henry Seymour and William Heston chose this name inspired by the Quaker movement (quakers, in English). It was a way of referring to the members of the Religious Society of Friends, founded by the Englishman George Fox in the 17th century. The first Quaker missionaries arrived in the American territory in 1650 and played a role in the abolitionist movements because pacifism was one of the axes of that movement.

Industrial Molinera business file

“I understand that the Quaker phenomenon is repeated even in the United States, as well as in Ecuador, Colombia and Mexico. Additional cases are: Kleenex, Xerox, Frisbee, Colgate, among others, which depends on what was initially mentioned,” said the expert. He added that in Ecuador this phenomenon also occurs with other brands such as Güitig, Gillette, Bic , Venus, Deja, among others.

Quaker, the name of oats

Meanwhile, whole milled oats arrived in Ecuador in 1998, which, without turning into flour, keeps its nutritional essence and dietary fiber intact. Thus, it retains the characteristic color of the product and does not look white like flour. Two years later (2000), the brand began its commitment to instant products, creating flavored oats, fortified kids’ oats and blended oats.

In 2021, Industrial Molinera managed to include the consumption of oats per capita in Ecuador among the most important in the region, and that, in addition to contributing to family nutrition, it is used as a raw material for companies, fit diets, and even in the cosmetics industry.

Important brand dates internationally