Martin Larsen (left) and Jess Offord (right) stand in the oat field and discuss the harvest on August 3, 2025 in Byron, Minnesota. (Photo by Steven Garcia/Investigate Midwest)
CEDAR RAPIDS – Few people outside Quaker Oats know exactly what the Cedar Rapids factory is making when a sweet, wholesome smell wafts from the plant north of downtown.
Locals call it a Crunch Berry day because Quaker – the world’s largest cereal plant – makes Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries, but the aroma could also be oats roasting for Oatmeal Squares or maple-flavored instant oatmeal…