Walk down any supplement aisle today and you will see “green superfoods” everywhere. But long before it was a buzzword, a small group of farmer‑scientists in Kansas were quietly growing, studying, and bottling dark green cereal grasses as concentrated nutrition. That story is the foundation of Pines—and the reason this brand can genuinely celebrate 50 years as one of the original green superfoods.
Before “superfoods” were cool
In the 1970s, natural food stores looked very different. There were no endless shelves of shots, blends, or influencer‑branded powders—just a handful of pioneers who believed whole foods, not lab‑built shortcuts, were the future of health. When Pines Wheat Grass launched in 1976, the idea of taking a dark green vegetable in tablet or powder form was considered countercultural, even a little weird.
The roots of that product went back decades earlier, to 1932, when cereal grasses were first grown on a Kansas farm for scientific research. Those early scientists discovered something remarkable: when wheatgrass and other cereal grasses were grown slowly through cold weather and harvested at the right moment, they delivered a level of nutrient density that outperformed typical vegetables. At a time when “multivitamin” was a brand‑new idea, they saw that these grasses could provide a broad spectrum of vitamins, minerals, chlorophyll, and phytonutrients in a naturally concentrated whole food.
That research eventually inspired Cerophyl, the world’s first multivitamin made from dehydrated cereal grasses rather than synthetic isolates. For many years, Cerophyl tablets were sold in pharmacies and prescribed by doctors as a food‑based way to increase vitamin intake. When synthetic one‑a‑day pills took over, Cerophyl faded from view—but the science behind cereal grasses never stopped being compelling.
The research that led to Pines
Behind the scenes, agricultural chemist Dr. Charles Schnabel and his colleagues were obsessing over a simple question: what happens when animals and humans eat nutrient‑dense cereal grasses every day? In one early experiment, they added a small amount of cereal grass to the diet of chickens and saw egg production triple, from about 30% to around 90%. Similar results showed up in other farm animals—better weight gain, richer milk, healthier offspring—whenever wheatgrass and other cereal grasses were added to feed at the right stage of growth.
Over the next decades, Schnabel and other scientists tested these grasses for their nutrient content as new vitamins were discovered. They kept finding the same thing: dehydrated wheatgrass harvested at the right time contained higher concentrations of many vitamins than typical leafy vegetables. Hospitals, doctors, and researchers used cereal grass powders and tablets in a wide range of medical studies, especially for conditions related to blood health and toxicity.
The key insight was timing. By testing plants at different points in their life cycle, Schnabel’s team learned that chlorophyll, protein, and many vitamins all peaked during a short window in early spring called the jointing stage. After jointing, nutrient levels declined sharply as the plant shifted its energy toward forming grain. If you wanted the most nutrient‑dense cereal grass possible, you had to grow it slowly outdoors in cold weather, then harvest only once a year in that brief jointing window.
1976: farmer‑scientists, not marketers
By the mid‑1970s, the natural food movement was gaining momentum, and a new generation of founders started asking how to bring this research back to life for everyday people. Two of them, Ron Seibold and Steve Malone, discovered the old Cerophyl files and research while working in Kansas. They saw decades of medical literature, testimonials, and farm data pointing to one conclusion: properly grown and harvested cereal grass was an incredibly valuable dark green vegetable—and people still needed it.
They also saw why Cerophyl had faded. It had been sold primarily as a multivitamin at a time when synthetic pills felt more “modern.” The answer, they realized, wasn’t to chase synthetic trends; it was to reintroduce wheatgrass as what it had always been at its core: a nutrient‑dense, fiber‑rich, whole dark green vegetable.
In 1976, they launched Pines Wheat Grass with a simple, grounded vision:
- Follow Dr. Schnabel’s standards for growing and harvesting in glacial Kansas soil.
- Harvest only once a year at the jointing stage, when nutrition peaks.
- Dry the grass at low temperatures to protect sensitive nutrients.
- Package the finished powder and tablets in oxygen‑free amber glass bottles with special metal caps, just as Schnabel had done, to protect against oxidation.
It was not a marketing exercise; it was an applied farming and food‑science decision. Rather than pitching a miracle cure, Pines presented its wheatgrass as an economical, concentrated serving of dark green vegetables for people who weren’t getting enough greens in their daily diets.
To fund the company, more than 100 everyday investors—many putting in only a few hundred dollars each—came together. They were motivated less by quick profit than by a desire to support organic farming, sustainable communities, and hunger relief. That community‑funded origin is one reason Pines has always framed itself as a mission‑driven, values‑first brand.
What has (intentionally) not changed in 50 years
Plenty about the wellness world has changed since 1976. Pines’ core standards have not. While many newer brands emphasize novelty, flavor trends, or flashy packaging, Pines has stayed focused on four pillars that trace directly back to the original research.
- Same farm, same region Pines still grows its wheatgrass in the same glacial‑soil region of northeastern Kansas where the early research was done. Those soils, built from ancient loess deposits, are naturally rich in minerals, which contributes to the density of nutrients in the cereal grass.
- Same growing rhythm Seeds are planted in the fall and grow slowly through cold weather for nearly 200 days, with roots reaching deep into the soil. The plants stay relatively short but develop into very dark green, nutrient‑dense cereal grass. They are harvested only once a year, in the jointing stage, during a brief 3–5 day window when chlorophyll, protein, and vitamins are at their peak.
- Same whole‑food philosophy Pines produces wheatgrass as a whole‑food dried vegetable, not as a tray‑grown juice or an over‑processed, over‑milled powder. Keeping the natural fiber makes it a prebiotic food that can support a healthy gut environment, in contrast to fiber‑free juices that may not sustain beneficial bacteria as effectively.
- Same glass‑first packaging While many brands moved to plastic tubs and packets, Pines continues to use oxygen‑free amber glass bottles with special metal caps to minimize oxidation and preserve color, flavor, and nutrient value. The rich green color you see when you open a bottle is a visual sign of that preserved chlorophyll and phytonutrient content.
The result is that a serving of Pines wheatgrass still delivers the nutrition of a serving of dark green leafy vegetables in a compact, convenient form. Seven tablets or about a rounded teaspoon of powder provide roughly the vegetable equivalent of a generous spinach‑style salad—without the chopping, cooking, or food waste.
You’ve been part of this 50‑year journey
There’s another constant in the Pines story: the people who choose to keep a daily greens habit. From early health‑food shoppers in the late 1970s to today’s online customers, Pines has grown primarily through word of mouth—people feeling a difference, telling friends, and coming back year after year.
Many customers have taken Pines products for decades, weaving them into morning routines, travel kits, and family wellness habits. Athletes have used Pines as part of their training; parents have used it to boost veggie intake in busy households; older adults have used it as a reliable way to keep green vegetables in their diet even when appetite or digestion changes.
That is why this 50th anniversary is not just about a company milestone—it is about shared commitment. Every bottle on a pantry shelf represents someone deciding that daily greens matter, that quality and farming practices matter, and that long‑term consistency beats quick fixes.
As Pines moves into its next chapter, the mission remains the same: grow cereal grasses the right way, harvest at peak nutrition, protect that nutrition with thoughtful packaging, and make it easy for people to “feed their green gene” every single day.
If you have ever opened a bottle of Pines—whether in 1976 or last week—you are part of the story. Here’s to the next 50 years of real greens, grown as nature intended.
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