Archway Cookies facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Food |
| Founded | 1936 |
| Founder | Harold and Ruth Swanson |
| Headquarters |
,
U.S.
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| Products | Cookies |
| Parent | |
Archway Cookies is a well-known American company that makes delicious cookies. It was started in 1936 in Battle Creek, Michigan. Today, Archway is part of Snyder's-Lance, a big snack food company. Archway is especially famous for its many kinds of oatmeal cookies.
Contents
History of Archway Cookies
How Archway Cookies Started
In 1936, a couple named Harold and Ruth Swanson began baking cookies. They started in their home's garage in Battle Creek, Michigan. They made soft oatmeal cookies and doughnuts.
By the late 1940s, they decided to focus only on cookies. They had 15 different cookie types by 1949. In the 1950s, they started letting other bakeries use their recipes. These bakeries could sell Archway cookies in places like Indiana, Wisconsin, and Canada.
New Name and Growing Bigger
In 1954, the Swansons changed their company name to Archway. They did this to avoid confusion with another company called C.A. Swanson and Sons. That company had just started selling frozen meals across the country.
The name "Archway" came from the arch shape on their cookie packages. The company kept growing. Soon, 33 bakeries were making and selling Archway cookies. Each bakery usually sold them in their own state.
Archway's most popular cookies were Oatmeal, Date-Filled Oatmeal, and Frosty Lemon. Oatmeal cookies made up 30 percent of all sales. The company wanted people to know their cookies tasted homemade and fresh. They often used the phrase 'Archway Homestyle Cookies'.
Most cookies came in clear packages with two stacks of six large cookies. Many recipes, like Ruth's Golden Oatmeal, were "state fair winning." These recipes came from baking contests the company held. Archway quickly added many more cookie types. These included Peanut Jumble, Rocky Road, and German Chocolate.
Becoming a National Brand
In 1962, the Swansons sold Archway to George Markham. He was an employee and also the Swansons' son-in-law. Over the next two years, Markham bought back many of the smaller bakeries. He combined their production into two large cookie factories in Ohio and Iowa.
This was a big step for Archway. It helped the company become a well-known national brand. The company grew very quickly during this time.
In 1983, Markham sold Archway Cookies, Inc. to Thomas F. Olin and Eugene McKay. Olin became the chairman, and McKay became the president. Their main goal was to make Archway a more consistent national brand. This helped them work better with large grocery stores like Walmart and Target.
Archway also started national advertising campaigns. They used TV, radio, and print ads. Some of their slogans were 'Big Cookie Time' and 'The Good Food Cookie'. They even had a charity fundraiser called 'Cookies For Kids'. This helped Children's Miracle Network hospitals.
Another reason for Archway's growth was their holiday cookie line. This line grew to more than 23 different kinds of cookies. Some popular ones were Nutty Nougat and Almond Crescents. By the late 1980s, Archway was the biggest maker of holiday cookies in the world. Stores would often build large "Cookie House" displays with thousands of holiday cookie packages. By the early 1990s, holiday cookies made up more than ten percent of all Archway cookie sales.
The "Good Food Cookie"
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Archway started to focus on how healthy their cookies were. They highlighted that their cookies used natural ingredients and had no preservatives. They also pointed out that their cookies had no saturated fat.
Archway delivered its cookies directly to stores. This helped them keep the cookies soft and fresh. Most Archway cookies stayed fresh for six to eight weeks. The company created the slogan 'The Good Food Cookie'. This helped them tell customers about these benefits.
Archway also introduced a successful line of "fat-free" cookies. These included fat-free gingersnaps. Because of these efforts, Archway cookies became popular with people who wanted healthier snacks. Sales of low-fat and fat-free cookies grew by over 170 percent in 1994.
The company's sales increased every year between 1990 and 1998. Archway's share of the national cookie market doubled. It grew from three percent to six percent. This made Archway the third-largest retail cookie brand in the United States.
Archway also remained the number one oatmeal and holiday cookie brand. It was number two in fat-free, fruit-filled, and gingersnap cookies. Only Nabisco and Keebler were bigger in those areas. By the late 1990s, Archway was selling over 125 million packages of cookies each year.
Changes in Ownership
After 1998, Archway Cookies changed owners several times. First, it was sold to Specialty Foods Corporation. Then, in 2000, it was sold to Parmalat Finanziaria. Later, in 2005, Parmalat sold Archway and Mother's Cookie Co. to a company called Catterton Partners.
During these changes, Archway faced some financial difficulties. The company's sales began to drop.
Lance Buys Archway
In December 2008, Lance Inc., another snack food company, bought Archway Cookies. Lance reopened the Archway factory in Ashland, Ohio. Archway cookies began to be made again.
After buying Archway, Lance simplified the cookie selection. They reduced the number of cookie types from nearly 100 to 21. Archway still makes its popular oatmeal cookies. They also make some popular products that used to be exclusive to Mother's Cookies, like frosted Animal crackers.
