Hostess Brands facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Traded as | NASDAQ: TWNK (Class A) |
| Industry | Food (bakery) |
| Predecessor | Old HB |
| Founded | June 2013 |
| Headquarters | Lenexa, Kansas, United States |
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Key people
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Jerry D. Kaminski (chairman of the board) Andy Callahan (CEO) |
| Products | Brands such as Hostess, Voortman, Dolly Madison, Donettes, Twinkies, CupCakes, Ding Dongs, HoHos, Zingers, Snoballs |
| Revenue |  US$1.358 billion (2022) |
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Operating income
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US$220 million (2022) |
| US$164 million (2022) |
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| Total assets | US$3.492 billion (2022) |
| Total equity | US$1.797 billion (2022) |
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Number of employees
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2,000 |
| Parent | The J.M. Smucker Company (2023–present) |
Hostess Brands Inc. is a well-known American company that makes yummy snack cakes. It started in 2013. Its main parts are Hostess Brands, LLC, and Voortman Cookies Limited.
The company owns bakeries across the United States. These bakeries make popular snack cakes like Hostess and Dolly Madison treats. Its Canadian company, Voortman Cookies Ltd., makes delicious wafers and cookies. Hostess Brands has its main office in Lenexa, Kansas.
The J.M. Smucker Company bought Hostess Brands for $5.6 billion. This big deal happened on September 11, 2023. The purchase was fully finished in November 2023.
Contents
How Hostess Brands Started
The Hostess Brands company began in June 2013. It was a new project by two groups: Apollo Global Management and C. Dean Metropoulos and Company. They wanted to buy parts of an older company.
This older company was called Old HB. It used to be known as Interstate Bakeries and Hostess Brands Inc. Old HB had faced financial problems and was closing down. Apollo and Metropoulos bought some of its cake-making business.
They bought these parts through a special court process. They then took over the Hostess name, its famous brands, and many of its products.
Bakeries and Growth
The assets they bought included four bakeries. These were in Columbus, Georgia; Emporia, Kansas; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Schiller Park, Illinois. The Schiller Park bakery later closed in October 2014.
In July 2016, Hostess announced a big step. The company planned to become a public company. This meant its value was estimated at $2.3 billion. In this deal, Apollo Global Management and C. Dean Metropoulos and Company became smaller owners. The Gores Group became the main owner of the company.
Instead of a regular initial public offering, Hostess used a different method. A company already listed on Nasdaq, called Gores Holdings, bought Hostess. This was done through a special process called a special-purpose acquisition company.
Gores Holdings then changed its name to Hostess Brands, Inc. It also changed its stock symbol from GRSH to TWNK. This new symbol was named after the famous Twinkie snack cake.
In April 2018, the company announced a new leader. Andy Callahan became the new CEO in May 2018.
Recent Acquisition
The J.M. Smucker Company agreed to buy Hostess Brands for $5.6 billion. This deal was announced on September 11, 2023. The purchase was completed on November 7, 2023.
Company Mergers and Purchases
Companies sometimes buy other companies or parts of them. This helps them grow and offer more products.
Key Acquisitions
On June 14, 2016, Hostess bought Superior Cake Products. This was the first company Hostess bought since it restarted in 2013.
On February 1, 2018, Hostess bought the Big Texas and Cloverhill Bakery brands. They bought these from another company called Aryzta.
Selling a Business
On August 1, 2019, Hostess announced it was selling Superior Cake Products. They sold it to Sara Lee Frozen Bakery for $65 million.
Buying Voortman Cookies
On December 2, 2019, Hostess announced another big purchase. They bought Voortman Cookies Limited. This is a Canadian company. Hostess paid about US$320 million (C$425 million) for it. The deal was completed in January 2020.
Hostess Products
Hostess Brands makes many popular snack cakes and baked goods. Here are some of their well-known products:
- Baby Bundts
- Bouncers
- CupCakes
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Coffee Cakes
- Danish
- Ding Dong
- Donettes
- Fruit Pies
- Hot dog buns
- HoHos
- Jumbo Honey bun
- Kazbars
- Mini/Mega Muffins
- Sandwich bread
- Sno Balls
- Suzy Q
- Twinkies
- Chocodile Twinkies
- Zingers
See also
In Spanish: Hostess Brands para niños
