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Wonder Bread is an American brand of sliced bread . Established in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1921, it was one of the first companies to sell sliced bread nationwide by 1930. The brand is currently owned by Flowers Foods in the United States.

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64-618: Old HB, Inc. , known as Hostess Brands from 2009 to 2013 and established in 1930 as Interstate Bakeries Corporation , was a wholesale baker and distributor of bakery products in the United States. Before its 2012 closure and liquidation, it owned the Hostess, Wonder Bread , Nature's Pride , Dolly Madison , Butternut Breads , and Drake's brands. For many years the company was called Interstate Bakeries and based at 12 East Armour Boulevard , Kansas City, Missouri . In 2009, after it emerged from

128-466: A "new beginning" for the baking company. In 2006, Wonder was one of the first bread brands to introduce whole grain white breads in an effort to appeal to consumers who loved the taste of white bread, but were looking for more nutrition. These breads were made with an albino wheat variety that does not have the more pronounced taste of whole red-wheat flour. On August 28, 2007, Interstate Bakeries announced it would soon end production of Wonder Bread in

192-639: A 2004 bankruptcy, its name was changed to Hostess Brands and its headquarters moved to Irving, Texas . Hostess Brands sought bankruptcy protection again in January 2012. On November 16, 2012, the company filed a motion in United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York in White Plains to close its business and sell its assets. On November 21, the motion was accepted and

256-527: A 2007 bid from Mexican baker Grupo Bimbo and Ron Burkle of the Yucaipa Companies . Under Craig Jung, Interstate Bakeries emerged from bankruptcy as a private company on February 3, 2009. The plan included a 50-percent equity stake by Ripplewood Holdings and credit lines from General Electric Capital and GE Capital Markets , Silver Point Finance and Monarch Master Funding. Interstate's unionized workers made contract concessions in exchange for equity in

320-568: A Consolidated subsidiary since 1928). Newspaper ads proclaimed "Great news for the people of Toronto – it's here at last – the delicious Wonder Bread." Made from unbleached flour and "Slo-Baked," Wonder was said to produce "more slices and thinner slices" when cut, yet would not crumble. By 1934, "Sliced Wonder," an early version of sliced bread, was being promoted by the Ideal Bread Company Limited of Toronto (another subsidiary of Consolidated), with no fewer "than 26 slices in

384-557: A blind promotion with ads that only stated a "Wonder" was coming on that date. The brand was named by vice president for merchandising development Elmer Cline, who was inspired by the International Balloon Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway . Cline was filled with "wonder" by the scene of hundreds of balloons creating a kaleidoscope of color resulting in the iconic red, yellow and blue balloons featured on

448-591: A controlling interest in Schulze Baking Company and its Butternut Breads brand. In 1930 Nafziger announced the formation of the Interstate Bakeries Corporation (IBC) with the merger of Schulze Bakery and the seven bakers of Western Bakeries of Los Angeles to become the fifth largest baker in the United States. The company sold Butternut bread, wrapped in gingham , to grocery stores. Schulze and Western continued to operate separately under

512-459: A highly-respected financial consultant, hired by Hostess, determined earlier this year that the company's business plan to exit bankruptcy was guaranteed to fail because it left the company with unsustainable debt levels, our members knew that the massive wage and benefit concessions the company was demanding would go straight to Wall Street investors and not back into the company." According to Rayburn, potential buyers expressed interest in acquiring

576-594: A judge agreed to sell the Hostess brands. The Hostess and Dolly Madison brands are now produced by Hostess Brands , which was acquired by The J.M. Smucker Company in 2023. The company has its roots in Nafziger Bakeries, founded by Ralph Leroy Nafziger in a church basement at 6th and Prospect Avenue in Kansas City in 1905. Nafziger expanded the bakeries and bought out competitors. In 1925 he sold Nafziger to Purity Bakeries (which became American Bakeries) and acquired

640-535: A loaf". By 1940, Wonder Bakeries Limited had become the maker of Wonder Bread in Canada along with Hostess cakes and cookies, after being set up as a subsidiary of Consolidated Bakeries, although the local subsidiary bakery companies continued to be the actual manufacturers. New products were introduced that included Wonder Melior, "a better white bread with natural wheat vitamins," as well as Wonder Peter Pan Bread, designed to appeal to children. Wonder Bakeries also became

704-788: A motion in United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York seeking permission to close its business and sell its assets under Chapter 11 . On November 16, 2012, Hostess Brands (Old HB) closed its United States plants and began liquidation proceedings, temporarily ending production of Wonder Bread in the states. Flowers Foods , owner of the Mrs. Freshley's , Tastykake and Dave's Killer Bread brands, announced that it signed an agreement to acquire Hostess' bread brands, including Wonder Bread, on January 11, 2013. On July 22, 2013, Flowers Foods completed its $ 355 million acquisition of several breads, bakeries and other assets from

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768-638: A police service dog which "rushed and subdued an armed robber". In 1974, Ralston Purina purchased and further developed the Keystone ski resort in Colorado. "Checkerboard Flats" for kids and beginners at Keystone still bears their logo. In 1993, Ralston Purina also bought Breckenridge ski area for an undisclosed amount, from Victoria U.S.A. Inc, a Japanese sporting goods retailer. However, both ski resorts were sold in 1997 to Vail Resorts for $ 331 million. In 1977, Ralston Purina acquired Missouri Arena Corporation and

832-432: A premium of 36% over the closing price on Friday, January 12, 2001. The transaction had an enterprise value of US$ 10.3 billion ($ 10.0 billion equity plus $ 1.2 billion of net debt, minus $ 0.9 billion of financial investments). Several brands of pet food (e.g., " Meow Mix ") had to be divested separately to meet antitrust concerns. Purina brands are now made and marketed by a division of Nestlé (Nestlé Purina PetCare) which

896-453: A reported $ 30.85 million, and the deal was approved by a bankruptcy court that month. The brands were Eddy's, Grandma Emile's, Standish Farms and Sweetheart Bakery. As of December 2015, the rights to the Baker's Inn and Dutch Hearth brands remain unsold. Wonder Bread The Taggart Baking Company of Indianapolis, Indiana , began producing Wonder Bread that debuted on May 21, 1921, following

960-405: A stalking-horse bidder for its snack cakes; four companies (Grupo Bimbo, a partnership of Apollo Global Management and C. Dean Metropoulos and Company, Hurst Capital and McKee Foods ) were negotiating. Two weeks later the company picked Apollo Global Management and C. Dean Metropoulos and Company as lead bidder for its snack cakes, with the bid deadlines for all Hostess brands March 11 and 12. It

1024-534: A tuna cannery with Chicken of the Sea as its main product. Ralston Purina owned an animal pharmaceutical company in the 1970s and 1980s. Protein Technologies International was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ralston Purina making soy protein products since 1958. It was purchased by DuPont in 1997 for $ 1.554 billion and later became Solae. Ralston Purina's "checkerboard" trademark was introduced in 1902. It

1088-531: A wheat field, the first in 68 years, in New York City. Unsliced bread returned for a period during World War II due to an industry-wide slicing suspension in 1943. Bread slicers returned two months later. During the 1940s, Continental Baking began adding vitamins and minerals to Wonder Bread as part of a government-sponsored program of enriching white bread , which was notoriously deficient in vitamin and mineral content, to combat certain diseases. Wonder

1152-580: Is now owned by Land O'Lakes . In 1994, the Ralston "human food" operations of the Ralston Purina Company were spun off into a new company called Ralcorp Holdings . In 1998, Ralston Purina spun off its international animal feed business as Agribrands, which was acquired by Cargill in 2001. The animal feed businesses continue to use the Purina and Chow brands, which Purina Mills and Cargill license for use in

1216-457: Is still headquartered in St. Louis. While primarily a pet-food company, Ralston Purina also made some other pet-related products, such as Tidy Cats brand and Yesterday's News cat litter , which is made from recycled newspaper, purchased from Edward Lowe Industries in 1990. Also, Purina has honoured several Canadian animals every year since 1968 in their Animal Hall of Fame. The latest inductees included

1280-576: The Financial News & Daily Record that there were no immediate plans to lay off Hostess employees. In November 2012, Hostess employees nationwide went on strike. The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM), representing 6,600 Hostess employees, took action after a contract proposal from Hostess Brands was rejected by 92 percent of its members. On November 16, Hostess announced that it

1344-643: The IBM antitrust battles which changed the pricing of IBM hardware. To change its business model , DPF used its cash to buy a low-tech company. The merged company, headquartered in Hartsdale, New York , kept the DPF acronym while continuing to divest its remaining technology assets. Investing heavily in its plants, it acquired the Silver Loaf Baking Company, Eddy Bakeries and Mrs. Cubbison's Foods . In 1981 DPF completed

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1408-1027: The St. Louis Blues National Hockey League franchise. During the company's ownership of the team, they changed the name of the St. Louis Arena to the Checkerdome, reflecting the Ralston Purina logo. The franchise was sold to Harry Ornest on July 27, 1983. Ralston Purina purchased the Eveready Battery Company in 1986, owner of the Eveready and Energizer brands. The company was spun off in 2000. Ralston Purina purchased Continental Baking Company , makers of Wonder bread and Hostess cakes , from ITT in 1984. Ralston spun off Continental Baking Company, subsequently bought by Irving, Texas–based Interstate Brands Corporation (IBC). Ralston Purina opened test market pizza stores called Checkerboard Pizza in 1986. The format

1472-560: The American Bakeries Company. In 1991, IBC again became a public company and changed its name back to Interstate Bakeries. In January 1995, Interstate acquired the Continental Baking Company from Ralston Purina for $ 330 million and 16.9 million shares of Interstate stock. Continental had acquired Taggart Bakeries of Indianapolis in 1925, and the deal brought Taggart's creations (including Wonder Bread and

1536-565: The Hostess brand) to Interstate. Taggart had created Hostess in 1921, and the brand focused on cakes like Twinkies , CupCakes , Ding Dongs and Ho Hos (created during Continental's ownership). At this time, the merged company also bought the San Francisco French Bread Company, John J. Nissen Baking Company, Drake's and My Bread Company. With the merger, Interstate held two national bread divisions: Butternut and Wonder Bread. The divisions had different cultures: Butternut

1600-543: The Hostess brand. On November 21, Judge Robert Drain cleared Hostess to close. In approving the plan, Drain ruled against U.S. Trustee for the Southern District Tracy Hope Davis' motion to convert the bankruptcy to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy with an appointed trustee to oversee liquidation. Davis criticized the plan's provisions, which would " 'grant bonuses to insiders' and 'cherry-pick' which administrative claims get paid". Drain left Rayburn in charge of

1664-689: The Interstate umbrella until 1937, when they merged with Interstate Bakeries. In 1943 Interstate acquired the Supreme Baking Company of Los Angeles , and in 1950 it bought the O'Rourke Baking Company of Buffalo, New York . Acquisitions during the 1950s and early 1960s included the Ambrosia, Remar, Butter Cream, Campbell-Sell and Schall Tasty baking companies, the Kingston Cake and Cobb's Sunlit bakeries, Sweetheart Bread Company and Hart's Bakeries. In

1728-586: The Mexican subsidiary of Continental Baking Company . In 2013, Grupo Bimbo lost in their bid to acquire Hostess bread brands, including Wonder Bread (U.S.), to Flowers Foods during the liquidation of Hostess Brands ( Old HB ). Wonder Bread in Canada was launched by Northern Bakeries Limited, a corporation formed in 1925 by merging six bakeries located across the country and immediately acquired by Continental Bakeries as its Canadian subsidiary. However, Northern Bakeries

1792-477: The Southern California market, leading to a loss of 1,300 jobs. This was due to a decline in sales, as Southern Californians in particular were partial to whole-grain breads and "premium" loaves. As of September 2009, Wonder Bread and other Hostess Brands breads, such as Home Pride, returned to Southern California supermarkets in response to significant consumer demand. In connection with the re-introduction,

1856-474: The US and internationally, respectively. Ralston Purina became the subject of an acquisition bid by Swiss -based Nestlé , whose Friskies brand was the other leading US brand of pet food. Nestlé S.A. and Ralston Purina announced in January 2001 a definitive merger agreement. Under the agreement, Nestlé acquired all of Ralston Purina's (NYSE: RAL) outstanding shares for US$ 33.50 per share in cash. The offer represented

1920-453: The Women, Infants and Children or WIC program in most states. In March 2010, Wonder extended its line of bread products with Wonder Smartwhite, which had the taste and soft texture of white bread, but the fiber of 100% whole wheat bread . In 2011, Wonder bread launched its first national advertising campaign in years, titled "Always Wonder". On November 16, 2012, Hostess Brands (Old HB) filed

1984-455: The Wonder Bread logo. The logo was designed by commercial artist Drew Miller while he was on staff at a Chicago ad agency. Continental Baking Company purchased Taggart in 1925. This made Wonder Bread a national brand and added "It's Slo Baked" to the logo. In the 1930s, Continental Baking began marketing Wonder Bread in sliced form nationwide, one of the first companies to do so; this

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2048-503: The animal feed company Purina Mills . Danforth formed a partnership with George Robinson; William Andrews entered the business of feeding farm animals by founding the Robinson-Danforth Commission Company. Its predominant brand for each animal was generally referred to as "Chow"; hence "Purina Horse Chow", "Purina Dog Chow ", "Purina Cat Chow", "Purina Rabbit Chow", "Purina Pig Chow", and "Purina Monkey Chow". Later,

2112-557: The brand was sold by Weston Foods to FGF Brands and now operates as Wonder Brands Incorporated . Ralston Purina Ralston Purina Company was a St. Louis, Missouri ,–based American conglomerate with substantial holdings in animal feed , food, pet food , consumer products, and entertainment. On December 12, 2001, it merged with Swiss food-giant Nestlé's Friskies division to form Nestlé Purina PetCare Company . Ralston Purina (originally Ralston-Purina) traces its roots to 1894, when founder William H. Danforth established

2176-415: The bread a different taste and texture, and market forces reduced prices and sales. On September 22, 2004, Interstate Bakeries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy . The company named a new chief executive, Tony Alvarez. Interstate Bakery's stock, which had been $ 34 per share, fell to $ 2.05 with the bankruptcy. During the bankruptcy proceedings (at the time, the longest-running in U.S. history), Interstate fought

2240-517: The company began producing cereal, which received endorsement by Webster Edgerly , founder of Ralstonism , to market Ralston breakfast cereals . Edgerly was at the time promoting the consumption of whole-grain cereal. These cereals became so successful that the name of the enterprise was changed in 1902 to the Ralston-Purina Company. In 1986, Ralston Purina sold Purina Mills, its US animal feed business, to British Petroleum . Purina Mills

2304-624: The company donated thousands of loaves of bread to the San Diego Food Bank and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. In August 2009, Wonder reformulated its Wonder Classic and Wonder Classic Sandwich bread varieties to include more calcium and vitamin D. Two slices of Wonder Classic and Wonder Classic Sandwich bread then provided 30% of the daily recommended intake of calcium, the same amount as 8 fluid ounces of whole milk. Wonder 100% Whole Wheat (16 oz variety) qualified for

2368-635: The company is poorly managed and the only hope is a complete change in management". On January 10, 2012, Hostess Brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time. In its filing, the company said it "is not competitive, primarily due to legacy pension and medical benefit obligations and restrictive work rules". According to Hostess, it employed 19,000 people and was more than $ 860 million in debt. The company said it would continue to operate with $ 75 million of debtor-in-possession financing from Monarch Alternative Capital, Silver Point Capital and other investors. In March Brian Driscoll resigned as CEO and

2432-491: The company previously known as Hostess Brands (Old HB), including Wonder Bread. Flowers Foods announced on September 12, 2013, that Wonder Bread would return to U.S. store shelves, with delivery of Wonder Bread to stores resuming on September 23. Wonder Bread was produced in Mexico by Grupo Bimbo , the largest baking company in the world. Grupo Bimbo acquired the Mexican rights to the brand and factories in 1986 when it purchased

2496-406: The company would sell fewer products than before, new president Rich Seban said that it might produce innovative pastries and snacks. "We can have some fun with that mixture," Seban said, suggesting that Hostess might experiment with gluten-free, higher-fiber and lower-sugar and -sodium products. In January 2013, a joint venture by Apollo Global Management and C. Dean Metropoulos and Company became

2560-532: The company's 19,000 workers were warned of a possible layoff. In an email to the Marysville, California Appeal-Democrat , Hostess spokesman Erik Halvorson wrote that the May notices were to alert employees to a possible sale of the company but "our goal is still to emerge from bankruptcy as a growing company with a strong future". Although the layoff notices listed July 7–21 as dates, on July 5 another company spokesman told

2624-666: The company. During the 2004–2009 bankruptcy period Interstate closed nine of its 54 bakeries and more than 300 outlet stores, and its workforce declined from 32,000 to 22,000. The company dropped regional brands and operating agreements, such as an agreement to produce Sunbeam Bread for the northeastern U.S. On November 2, 2009, IBC became Hostess Brands, named for its Twinkies-and-cupcakes cake division. Hostess Brands continued its bread lines, including Wonder Bread. The company's subsidiaries, such as Interstate Brands Corporation and IBC Sales Corporation, continued displaying their name and logo on Hostess Brands products. In December 2011, it

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2688-514: The following Hostess brands were sold to Lewis Brothers Bakeries in December 2013: McKee Foods , owner of Hostess competitor Little Debbie , purchased the Drake's snack cakes on March 14, 2013 for $ 27.5 million. After the deal passed a bankruptcy court, McKee began selling the snacks on September 23. United States Bakery won the auction for four northwestern Hostess bakeries on March 15, 2013 for

2752-568: The late 1960s IBC acquired Millbrook Bread, Shawano Farms and the Baker and Shawano canning companies. In 1969 IBC changed its name to Interstate Brands, with its signature brands Butternut and Blue Seal breads and Dolly Madison cakes; Butternut Breads had been in business since 1902. In 1975 Interstate was acquired by the Data Processing Financial and General Corporation (DPF), a computer-leasing company that had encountered difficulties during

2816-486: The leading bidder to purchase Dolly Madison and the Hostess brand of snacks. Silver Point Capital, Grupo Bimbo and Hurst Capital also placed bids for both brands. On March 12, Apollo and Metropoulos won the bid to buy the brands from Hostess for $ 410 million. The deal was approved by a bankruptcy court, and C. Dean Metropoulos and Company principal Daren Metropoulos announced that Hostess products would be sold again on July 15. This division eventually went public as

2880-618: The liquidation; Hostess had argued that its assets would devalue if the company had to wait for a trustee to get up to speed on the company. Hostess Brands' liquidation plan was finalized by a federal bankruptcy judge on November 29. In January 2013, the company asked a judge to set a March 21 deadline for workers to file back-pay claims. On February 11, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in New York approved stalking horse bidders for Hostess Brands. The company received bids for assets from Walmart , Target , Kroger , Flowers Foods and Grupo Bimbo , and

2944-546: The maker of Hollywood Bread, marketed for those "counting calories" and trying to keep their "figure". In January 1968, General Bakeries Limited took over Consolidated Bakeries, becoming the maker of Wonder. Then, in July 1985, Weston Bakeries Limited , a subsidiary of George Weston Limited , acquired certain Ontario assets of General Bakeries, then owned by Dominion Stores Limited , that included not only bread and roll plants but also

3008-572: The name Hostess Brands and trade on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker TWNK. On 11 September 2023, The J.M. Smucker Company announced it would buy Hostess for $ 5.6 billion in a cash and stock deal. On June 6, 2013, the new Hostess Brands reopened the Emporia, Kansas plant. Hostess announced ten days later that production would resume the following month, and on June 23 said that its brands would be back on store shelves on July 15. although

3072-624: The salaries of the four top Hostess executives to $ 1, to be restored by January 1 of the following year or earlier. In July 2012, the New York Post reported that negotiations with the Teamsters Union , led by Silver Point Capital, were close to an agreement allowing Hostess Brands to cut employee pay and benefits if the company continued funding its pension plans. In May, as required by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act ,

3136-488: The sale of its remaining computer systems and changed the company name back to the original Interstate Bakeries, moving its headquarters back to Kansas City. In 1986 Interstate acquired Purity Baking Company and Stewart Sandwiches, followed in 1987 by Landshire Food Products. The following year Interstate became a privately held company , and its name changed to IBC Holdings. IBC bought the Merita-Cotton's Bakeries division of

3200-547: The second incarnation of Hostess Brands, and announced it would be acquired by J.M. Smucker on September 11, 2023. Bimbo Bakeries USA outbid Flowers Foods for the rights to Beefsteak on February 28, 2013, and the deal was approved by a bankruptcy court on March 20. In August, the trademarks of J. J. Nissen and the web domain jjnissenbreads.com were transferred to Bimbo Bakeries, which later purchased other regional Hostess bread brands: Colombo, Cotton's, Emperor Norton, Fisherman's Wharf, Parisian and Toscana. In January 2013 it

3264-506: The trademark for Wonder in Canada. The Canadian packaging, though not identical to the U.S. version, is very similar. Between 2000 and 2022, Weston Foods added a number of new Wonder products to the brand's line-up, many of which were designed to appeal to parents and their concern for their children's nutritional needs. In 2011, Weston Bakeries Limited announced that its Wonder Bread brands would henceforth be free of artificial preservatives, artificial colors, or artificial flavors. In 2022,

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3328-503: Was a significant milestone for the industry and for American consumers, who, at first, needed reassurance that "wonder-cut" bread would not dry out. The W. E. Long Company of Chicago, which had formed a cooperative of bakeries to market Holsum Bread , had pioneered and promoted the packaging of sliced bread two years prior, in 1928. Wonder Bakery Exhibit, in The Food Zone, 1939 New York World's Fair by Continental Baking Company had

3392-467: Was advertised with the slogan "Helps build strong bodies 12 ways," with a list of health claims. In 1986, Continental introduced the lower-calorie Wonder Light bread. Interstate Bakeries Corporation, later known as first Hostess Brands company ( Old HB ), purchased Continental Baking in 1995. In 2004, Interstate Bakeries declared bankruptcy, putting the future of Wonder Bread in some doubt. In February 2009 Interstate Bakeries emerged from bankruptcy marking

3456-400: Was also the first national bread brand to feature open dating and nutrition information on its packaging. In the 1950s, Wonder Bread further expanded advertising of its nutrient enrichments. The company sponsored Howdy Doody , with host Buffalo Bob Smith telling the audience, "Wonder Bread builds strong bodies 8 ways" referring to the number of added nutrients . By the 1960s, Wonder Bread

3520-456: Was announced on January 28, 2013 that United States Bakery was the leading bidder for Hostess' Sweetheart, Eddy's, Standish Farms and Grandma Emilie's brands and McKee Foods was the leading bidder for its Drake's brand, which included Ring Dings , Yodels and Drake's Devil Dogs . On March 11 Apollo Global Management made the sole bid ($ 410 million) for the company's snack business, which included Twinkies; this company later went public under

3584-572: Was announced that Flowers Foods had offered to buy six of Hostess' bread brands, including Wonder Bread. The deal, initially structured at $ 360 million, involved 20 bakeries and 38 depots . Flowers Foods won the bid to purchase five of the six bread brands (except Beefsteak, purchased by Grupo Bimbo) on February 28. The deal went through a bankruptcy court in March and was completed on July 22, 2013. The five brands are Butternut Bread, Home Pride, Merita Breads , Nature's Pride and Wonder Bread. The rights to

3648-419: Was ceasing its plant operations and laying off most of its 18,500 employees. The company said that it intended to sell off its assets (including its well-known brand names) and liquidate. According to CEO Gregory Rayburn, "Hostess Brands will move promptly to lay off most of its 18,500-member workforce and focus on selling its assets to the highest bidders." A BCTGM press release issued that day read in part, "When

3712-437: Was expected to sell its snack-cake and bread brands during 2013. On January 8, 2013, Hostess Brands hired Hilco to sell its equipment, machinery and real estate. Three days later the company announced a $ 390 million stalking-horse bid by Flowers Foods for six of its bread brands (including Wonder Bread), and court approval was received for a February 28 auction of the brands. On January 15, 2013, Hostess Brands began searching for

3776-427: Was inspired by William Danforth 's childhood memory of a family dressed in clothing made from the same bolt of checkerboard cloth. The company's headquarters was called Checkerboard Square. Danforth used the design as the visualization of a concept put forth in his book I Dare You , in which he proposed that four key components in life ("Physical", "Mental", "Social", and "Religious") need to be in balance, and one area

3840-414: Was replaced by Gregory F. Rayburn , who had been hired as chief restructuring officer nine days earlier. Fortune reported that unions in the company were unhappy with Driscoll's proposed compensation package of $ 1.5 million, plus cash incentives and $ 1.95 million in long-term compensation. The court had discovered that Hostess executives received raises of up to 80 percent the previous year. Rayburn cut

3904-429: Was reported that Hostess Brands was on the verge of filing for bankruptcy a second time. The company stopped paying future pension benefits after August, breaking its union contracts. According to a Hostess employee, "We understand that, should we pursue some form of legal action to require the company to live up to the terms of the contract, they may close, but we have come to believe that they will close anyway. We believe

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3968-588: Was similar to Domino's and Little Caesars. They opened the stores in markets such as Moorhead, Minnesota, to test how the Midwestern market would accept the concept. They did well, but Ralston Purina decided not to enter the pizza franchise business and closed all pilots by late 1987. Ralston Purina also owned Jack in the Box fast food restaurants from 1968 to 1985, along with several high-end restaurants. Ralston Purina owned Van Camp Sea Food Company from 1963 to 1988,

4032-653: Was taken back into Canadian ownership shortly after Wonder Bread began appearing on Canadian grocery shelves and home delivery routes in March 1927 in Montreal . In 1928, Northern Bakeries Limited registered the "Wonder" trademark with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office . At the end of that year, it was folded into Consolidated Bakeries Limited, controlled by Ogilvie Flour Mills. In 1930, Wonder arrived in Toronto , baked by Nasmiths Limited (founded 1850,

4096-431: Was unregimented, with each bakery a self-contained profit center, and Wonder Bread was structured; this caused early problems. In both divisions, snack cakes were more profitable due to economy of scale and logistics . When extended-shelf-life enzymes were developed for bread, it was hoped to convert small, less-efficient bakeries into a network of large bakeries like their snack-cakes operations. The new enzymes gave

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