Meet the people behind Uncle Tobys as it celebrates its 130th anniversary

Now known as Federation Way, the Wangaratta resident has driven the road five days a week since he first clocked on at the Wahgunyah factory 40 years ago.

He planned to work a gap year of sorts but he never left.

"I thought I'd work at the factory for 12 or 18 months before I headed up north!" he says.

"My older brother Shane also started at Uncle Tobys on the same day as me. We're both still here!"

The Landgren brothers have been joined by five other family members over the years since May 1983.

In fact, the Landgren family combined have surpassed 100 years of service to the Uncle Tobys factory.

Over four decades, the brothers have held different roles across the factory, from operations to production, helping to make some of Australia's most iconic cereals and snack foods.

"When I came here in 1983 (May 3), where the factory is now standing, was just paddocks," John Landgren said.

"I have been able to watch this business grow over the years; to witness the business grow out of a paddock was pretty special.

"It was very labour intensive back in 1983; automated technology is now used on a line that needed seven people to run it 40 years ago.

"But the huge investment in technology has really only made the company more viable."

About 440 people are now employed throughout the Wahgunyah site.

They help manufacture 26,000 tonnes of Uncle Tobys' oats every year, mostly all grown and harvested within a few hundred kilometres of the factory.

Uncle Tobys senior research and development manager John Pitcher says the company is continually striving to work with researchers and farmers to develop superior varieties of oats.

He says they have seven to 10 different varieties in a trial now.

While they need to yield well for farmers, he says they also must mill well at the factory and appeal to customers' tastes.

"Oats are a natural superfood because they're whole grains and they capture all of those phytonutrients," he says.

"We're in the business of whole grains, which is why we don't make cornflakes under the Uncle Tobys brand.

"Oats not only contain fibre, they're one of the richest sources of beta-glucan, a thick fibre that can help lower cholesterol re-absorption."

The history of oats in Australia runs deep.

Following the Gold Rush, two brothers Leonard and George Parsons left England and started making John Bull Oats in Melbourne.

In 1861 the Uncle Tobys company was born, originally under the name of Parsons Bros.

It wasn't until the expansion of the railway in the 1890s that allowed more of Australia to be opened up for farming and oats to be transported nationwide.

In 1893 the Uncle Tobys oats product was introduced to the market by Clifford Love and Co in Sydney.

First milled in Wahgunyah in 1983, Uncle Tobys has steadily expanded its range of oats, cereals, snacks and muesli bars.

Australia's first muesli bar was the Uncle Tobys Toasted Muesli Crunchola Bar, which was launched in 1976.

It was deemed a "jolly good chew" and was soon replaced by less jaw-breaking versions such as an apricot-flavoured bar and the moister Honey 'n Oats bar.

It was only after Clifford Love merged with the privately-owned food and agribusiness company Inter City Mills Australia in 1982, forming Best Foods, that the product was re-engineered.

Relaunched in 1983, they were known simply as Muesli Bars and Australian swim star Lisa Curry-Kenny became the spokeswoman for the brand.

Uncle Tobys has had a profound impact on Australian culture: the nostalgia of a muesli bar in the school lunch box; baking Anzac biscuits from a 100-year-old recipe; supporting the Iron Man Super series and elite swimmers; to recreating the viral #bakedoats social media trend in 2021.

To commemorate its 130th anniversary, Uncle Tobys is releasing a series of recipes with Australian chef Hayden Quinn.

Quinn will bring birthday-themed twist to iconic oat dishes that celebrate national flavours and the brand's heritage, including: Lamington Oat Swirl, Green and Gold Aussie Bowl and Fairy Bread Oats: "I am thrilled to be a part of the 130th birthday celebrations for Uncle Tobys. Having worked closely with the brand for over five years, and as someone who has grown up with the iconic red box in my pantry, it's an honour to be able to contribute to the brand's legacy through the creation of these new recipes."

Mr Landgren says Uncle Tobys has given so much to the community and offers job opportunities across the board.

"We're not just a processing factory; there's so many layers to it," he says.

"I've worked with four different owners over my 40-year journey. They have all put their workers first. It's this investment in people that has allowed this business to grow into what it is today.

"The business is 130 years old, we're only the custodians."

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