The Quaker Oats Company, an American food conglomerate based in Chicago, traces its roots to the Quaker Mill Company founded in Ravenna, Ohio, in 1877, and was propelled to national prominence when Henry Parsons Crowell bought it in 1881 and launched the first national advertising campaign for breakfast cereal. The brand name was chosen by partner Henry Seymour to evoke Quaker traits like integrity, honesty, and purity, and the modern company was formed in 1901 through a merger of four major oat mills. The company became known for marketing innovations, introducing the iconic cylindrical package in 1915 and offering the first cereal box premium that same year. Over the decades, Quaker expanded through acquisitions, notably purchasing Stokely-Van Camp in 1983, which brought the popular sports drink Gatorade into its portfolio. In 2001, PepsiCo acquired Quaker Oats for $14 billion, a deal driven primarily by the desire to own the Gatorade brand.