LAKEVILLE, MINN. — Grape-Nuts, the 124-year-old wheat- and barley-based ready-to-eat cereal manufactured by Post Consumer Brands, will be shipping at full capacity by mid-March after being missing from grocery shelves in recent weeks, according to the company.

“We recognize that the temporary Grape-Nuts shortage has been frustrating to fans given that Grape-Nuts is a one-of-a-kind cereal and there is no other cereal like it on the market,” said Kristin DeRock, Grape-Nuts brand manager at Post Consumer Brands. “We promised our loyal fans that we would work hard to get Grape-Nuts back on store shelves as quickly as possible, and we are now committing to an earlier-than-anticipated return date. We ramped up production and are running full swing 51 out of the next 55 days. We now expect to be back to healthy inventory levels by mid-March.”

In a Feb. 5 conference call with analysts to discuss first-quarter financial results, Robert V. Vitale, president and chief executive officer of Post Holdings, Inc., blamed the Grape-Nuts shortage on COVID absenteeism at the company’s Battle Creek, Mich., facility during November and December. The absenteeism forced the company to temporarily suspend production for one building, which he said resulted in the “highly publicized Grape-Nuts shortage.”

“We are back to full production, but it will take through early spring to restore inventory levels,” Mr. Vitale said at the time. “We estimate the first-quarter impact was a loss in revenue and adjusted EBITDA of approximately $10 million and $6 million, respectively.”

As a token of apology, Post said Grape-Nuts will be offering fans the chance to be 1 of 10 people to win free Grape-Nuts for a year. In addition, everyone who opts in will be added to a list to be among the first to be notified that the cereal is back at full capacity, and all will receive a coupon for $1.50 off their purchase of Grape-Nuts cereal.

To enter the sweepstakes and to sign up on the list, visit the Grape-Nuts Facebook page.