Our story

When you think of Uncle Tobys you probably think of health, good nutrition, sun, surf and a vitality for life. That’s because that’s exactly what we stand for. Since milling the first oats back in 1893, with the first Uncle Tobys Oats product introduced to the market by Clifford Love and Co, we’ve entered the homes and hearts of Australian families fuelling them with wholesome energy from our home-grown oats.

Our range of nutritious and delicious breakfast cereals and snacks have helped nourish the active Australian lifestyle for generations.

There’s bit of history in every oat

Following the gold rush in Australia, two brothers Leonard and George Parsons left England and started manufacturing 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 enabled more of Australia to be opened up for farming, but also enabled our oats to be transported all over Australia. In 1893 the Uncle Tobys oats product was introduced to the market by Clifford Love and Co in Sydney and, well, the rest is history.

Growing greatness, packaging goodness

In the 1970’s more women started entering the workforce, meaning they had less time to prepare food for their family. With more dual-income families in Australia, the market saw a significant increase in the consumption of packaged convenience foods. It was at this time that Uncle Tobys launched our first muesli bar, the Crunchola Bar (1976). Throughout the next decade we continued to launch all kinds of new products: Uncle Tobys Le Snak, Uncle Tobys Roll-Ups, Uncle Tobys Yoghurt muesli bars, Uncle Tobys Oat Bran, Uncle Tobys Vita brits, Muesli and so much more.

Healthy means happy

Healthy eating, supported by an active lifestyle, makes for a happier life. By continuing to serve families, communities and our farmers, we remain committed to the health and happiness of future generations of Australians by developing cereals and snacks that deliver a good balance of taste and nutrition.

Grown not processed

We are so lucky in Australia to have such beautiful fertile soil, and generations of families that have dedicated themselves to the land. We wouldn’t be here without them, which is why it’s so important for us to look after both our Aussie farmers and the environment.

We do this through the Uncle Tobys partnership with the Australian Men’s Shed Association where we help promote health and wellbeing in the community’s surrounding our factory in Wahgunyah, VIC. For more information on how we’re standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Men’s Shed, click here.

We also have a dedicated national oat-breeding program in partnership with the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI).  Primary goals of the program are to help develop new oat varieties, ensure grain production systems are environmentally sustainable and support farmers in yielding high value, high quality grains.

Our future holds more than a bowl of cereal

For more than 125 years the Uncle Tobys brand has evolved with the changing needs of Australian families. As Australia continues to develop, we promise to grow with you. Looking to the future we are particularly passionate about nourishing the active Australian lifestyle while protecting the beautiful land that nourishes us.

That’s why Uncle Tobys are dedicated to minimising the impact of our operations on the planet. Our current focus is switching to fully recyclable materials. While most of our packaging can be recycled, there are still a few materials we’re working through such as our muesli bar and sachet wrappers. So our delicious and nutritious products won’t just be good for you. They’ll be good for Australia as well.