Susan Spilka
sspilka@wiley.com
Wiley
(201) 748-6147
Marlene Johnson
marlene.johnson@genmills.com
General Mills
(763) 764-2481
Wiley and General Mills Combine Ingredients for a Successful Publishing Partnership
Cookbook Publisher and Leading Food Company Announce Publishing Agreement For Pillsbury Book Program
Hoboken, N.J., June 1, 2004 — John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE: JWa)(NYSE: JWb), and General Mills, Inc. (NYSE: GIS), announced today that they have signed an agreement for Wiley to be the exclusive publisher of new cookbooks for General Mills' popular Pillsbury brand. Pillsbury, which was acquired by General Mills in 2001, is one of the oldest and best-known food brands in the world.
Under the multi-year agreement, Wiley will create a library of cooking and baking cookbooks. The program will build on Pillsbury's brand strengths by emphasizing fast and convenient meal preparation, and cooking and baking with children. General Mills will test and approve the recipes in Pillsbury Kitchens, home of the famous Pillsbury Bake-Off® contest. The first titles to be published in the program will be released in 2005.
"Wiley's cookbook program—one of the broadest and deepest in publishing today—is built on a foundation of powerful brands, and Betty Crocker cookbooks are its cornerstone," said Natalie Chapman, Wiley Vice President and Publisher. "Expanding our partnership with General Mills to encompass the Pillsbury brand enhances an already strong relationship. The Pillsbury brand promises consumers good food through convenient and easy-to-prepare solutions—and that's exactly what today's busy families seek in a cookbook. We're thrilled to work with General Mills to build a thriving cookbook program of Pillsbury titles."
The agreement expands on Wiley and General Mills' successful publishing partnership that began in 2001 when Wiley became the publisher of General Mills' best-selling Betty Crocker cookbooks. Wiley has one of the largest lists of cookbooks for consumers, professionals, and culinary students. It recently won three International Association for Culinary Professionals awards for cookbooks, more than any other publisher.
"General Mills has had a long and successful Betty Crocker publishing relationship with Wiley. Since acquiring The Pillsbury Company in 2001, many General Mills divisions have consolidated operations and this transition, to develop all new cookbook publishing with Wiley, is part of our business planning," explained Kim Walter, Director–Book and Online Publishing for General Mills. "The existing Pillsbury titles published by Clarkson Potter will continue to be available from them."
General Mills has been a successful cookbook author starting with the 1950 Betty Crocker's Cookbook, selling more than 62 million cookbooks. The company has created a wide range of specialty cookbooks—more than 40 in all—with its Betty Crocker brand and over 15 titles with Clarkson Potter under its Pillsbury brand. The recipes are tested and approved in the state-of-the-art Betty Crocker Kitchens, where a staff of over 30 food experts monitor consumer trends and feedback. In 2003, General Mills and Wiley received the prestigious IACP Award for Betty Crocker's Living with Cancer Cookbook.
About General Mills
Located in Golden Valley, Minn., General Mills is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of consumer foods products. Its global brand portfolio includes Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso and more. It also has more than 100 U.S. consumer brands including Cheerios, Wheaties and other Big G cereal brands; Yoplait and Colombo yogurts; Betty Crocker desserts and dinner mixes; Betty Crocker and Nature Valley snacks; Totino's frozen pizza and snacks; and Progresso ready-to-serve soups. General Mills also is a leader in the bakeries and foodservice business as a major supplier of baking and other food products to the foodservice and commercial baking industries.
About John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Wiley is a global knowledge company with a diverse portfolio of technology, business, consumer and how-to brands, computer-based learning tools, Web-based products and Internet e-services. Wiley's best-selling brands and imprints include Jossey-Bass, For Dummies, Betty Crocker, Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Bible, CliffsNotes, Howell Book House, Frommer’s, Unofficial Guides, Visual, Weight Watchers, Wrox, JK Lasser, and Webster’s New World. Wiley has thousands of active titles in 39 languages and also owns the Websites www.cliffnotes.com,dummies.com, and www.frommers.com. Wiley and the Wiley logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. Betty Crocker is a registered trademark of General Mills, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., provides must-have content and services to customers worldwide. Its core businesses include scientific, technical, and medical journals, encyclopedias, books, and online products and services; professional and consumer books and subscription services; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley has publishing, marketing, and distribution centers in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb. Wiley's Internet site can be accessed at www.wiley.com.
