Pop Tarts(NEW YORK) William “Bill” Post, the man often credited with inventing the beloved Pop Tart, has died at 96.
Born on June 27, 1927 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Post was one of seven children born to Dutch immigrants and, at the age of 16, Post began working part-time washing trucks at Hekman Biscuit Company, according to his obituary.
After serving in the Army Air Corps in occupied Japan during World War II, Post would eventually return to Hekman at the age of 21 to work full as the personnel manager while also assisting with sales and production, along with many of the other elements of the business.
“Fast forward 20 years, and Bill as the plant manager of Hekman (later known as the Keebler Company) welcomed some executives from Kellogg’s who asked if he thought it would be possible for Keebler to create a new product they had in mind,” according to his obituary.
“It is at this juncture that Bill is often credited for having ‘invented’ the Pop Tart,” Post