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J&J Snack Foods facts for kids

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J&J Snack Foods Corp.
Public
Traded as NASDAQ: JJSF
S&P 600 Component
Industry Snack foods and beverages
Founded 1971
Headquarters Pennsauken, New Jersey, U.S.
Key people
  • Gerald B. Shreiber (Founder & Chairman of the Board)
  • Dan Fachner (CEO)
  • Ken Plunk (CFO)
  • Lynwood Mallard (CMO)
Revenue Increase$1.08 billion USD (2017)
Increase$79.2 million USD (2017)
Number of employees
 4,200

J&J Snack Foods Corporation (JJSFC) is an American company that makes, sells, and gives out popular snack foods and frozen drinks. It's based in Pennsauken, New Jersey. JJSFC uses over 175 places to make, store, and deliver its products. These places are in 44 states, Mexico, and Canada.

The company is listed on the NASDAQ stock market as "JJSFC." It sells its products in both national and international markets. JJSFC makes many different snacks. These include soft pretzels, frozen drinks, frozen juice treats, sandwiches, churros, and cookies. Some of its main brands are Superpretzel Soft Pretzels, Icee, Slush Puppie, and Luigi's Real Italian Ice.

Gerald B. Shreiber bought the company in 1971. Since then, it has grown its sales every year for over 40 years. This growth happened because the company always tries to create new products. It also works to sell more products in places it already serves. Plus, it expands its popular products into new areas. The company has three main parts: Food Service, Frozen Beverages, and Retail Supermarket.

The Story of J&J Snack Foods

How It All Started: The 1970s

In 1971, Gerald Shreiber was looking for a waterbed for his daughter. He heard about a soft pretzel company called J&J Soft Pretzel that had gone out of business. On September 27, 1971, Mr. Shreiber bought the company at an auction for $72,100.

At that time, the company had only eight employees. It made about $400,000 in sales. In 1972, JJSF opened an office in Los Angeles, California. This helped the company sell its products across the United States. A year later, "Superpretzel Soft Pretzel" became the company's first official brand. In 1978, JJSF bought two more pretzel companies. This helped them sell even more soft pretzels. They also started selling King-sized pretzels in restaurants and other food places.

Growing Bigger: The 1980s

In 1981, Mr. Shreiber looked for new ideas for JJSF. He found a chance to start selling churros. These are a type of fried pastry stick. This led to the creation of the "Tio Pepe's Churros" brand. A year later, JJSF got special rights to use AMF pretzel-twisting machines. This made the company very good at making soft pretzels quickly. In 1983, they bought another pretzel factory.

By 1986, JJSF started selling frozen fruit juice bars called Super Juice. They also began making baked goods. For the first time, Superpretzel soft pretzels were sold in grocery stores. This helped JJSF reach more customers. When sales went over $25 million, the company started selling shares to the public. It began trading on the NASDAQ stock market.

In the same year, Mr. Shreiber met the owner of Icee, a famous frozen drink company. One year later, JJSF bought Icee-USA. This added frozen carbonated drinks to their products. JJSF continued to grow in the late 1980s by buying more companies. They bought Luigi's Real Italian Ice and MIA Products Co. Luigi's was successfully sold in supermarkets by 1989. By then, the company's total sales reached $86 million.

New Products and Partnerships: The 1990s

In the early 1990s, JJSF made its soft pretzels even better. They introduced bite-sized snacks. Superpretzel Soft Pretzel Bites came out in 1990. In 1992, they partnered with Kraft to add cheese-filled soft pretzels called Superpretzel Softstix to grocery stores. In 1993, JJSF turned its pretzel factory in New Jersey into a large distribution center.

The 1990s were a time of many new purchases for JJSF. In 1994, they bought The Funnel Cake Factory. This made JJSF a big player in fried desserts. They also expanded their frozen drink business by buying Arctic Blast in 1992. In 1995, they got the rights to sell Icee around the world. The soft pretzel business grew with several more company purchases. JJSF also added frozen treats by buying Mazzone Enterprises and Mama Tish's International Foods. They expanded into baked goods by buying Mrs. Goodcookie and Camden Creek Bakery.

In 1998, JJSF made its biggest purchase yet. They bought National Icee Corp. This greatly increased their frozen drink business. A year later, JJSF partnered with The Minute Maid Company. This gave JJSF the right to make and sell frozen juice products under the Minute Maid name. This partnership helped JJSF create new frozen juice and lemonade treats.

Into the New Century: The 2000s

By the year 2000, JJSF's yearly sales reached $328 million. From 2001 to 2003, JJSF continued to improve its soft pretzel products. They launched cheese-filled Pretzel Fillers and Gourmet Twists. Over the next ten years, JJSF greatly expanded its in-store bakery products. This happened because they bought companies like Uptown Bakeries and Country Home Bakers. In 2007, JJSF bought Hom/Ade Foods Inc. and Radar, Inc. This added Mary B's Biscuits and Daddy Ray's Fig and Fruit Bars to their brands.

In 2006, JJSF bought Icee of Hawaii and Slush Puppie. Slush Puppie brought JJSF into the world of non-carbonated frozen drinks. This made JJSF a leader in the frozen beverage industry. JJSF also added more frozen novelty brands. These included Whole Fruit Sorbet and Dogsters Treats for Dogs.

Recent Growth: The 2010s and 2020s

By 2010, JJSF's sales were over $600 million. In recent years, the company has added more churro products. In 2010, they bought California Churro. They also made a deal with Mondelez International. This allowed JJSF to make and sell churros under the famous Oreo brand name. These are known as Oreo Churros.

In 2011, the company started selling handheld sandwiches and pies. In 2012, JJSF bought Kim & Scott's Gourmet Pretzel. This added fancy stuffed soft pretzels to their product line. They also bought New York Pretzel in 2013. In 2014, JJSF bought Philly Famous Water Ice, also known as PhillySwirl. This brought unique frozen treats like SwirlStix and Candy Spoonz to JJSF. By 2014, JJSF's sales reached $800 million and they had 25 brands.

In 2020, the company fully bought ICEE-USA. In May 2022, J&J Snack Foods agreed to buy Dippin' Dots for $222 million. This deal was expected to be completed by the end of June 2022.

J&J Snack Foods Products

Soft Pretzels

JJSF sells soft pretzels under many brand names. Some of these are Superpretzel, Pretzelfillers, and New York Pretzel. They also sell them under private labels for other companies. All soft pretzels are sold in food service places and grocery stores.

Some JJSF soft pretzels meet special rules from the USDA. This means schools can get money back for serving them in school lunch programs. All of JJSF's soft pretzels are made using a special recipe. The pretzels come in different sizes. They are shaped by special machines that twist the dough into the classic pretzel shape. Some pretzels are also shaped by hand. After they are made, the soft pretzels are quickly frozen. They are then packaged for delivery.

For food service places, JJSF provides ovens, display cases, and warmers. These help stores prepare and sell the soft pretzels. Some of this equipment can warm frozen pretzels while showing them off. This means stores don't always need an oven.

Frozen Juice Treats and Desserts

JJSF's frozen juice treats and desserts are mainly sold under the Luigi's, Whole Fruit, Philly Swirl, Icee, and Minute Maid brand names. You can find these products in food service places and grocery stores.

Minute Maid and Whole Fruit frozen juice bars for schools are made with 100% apple or pineapple juice. They have no added sugar. They also provide 100% of your daily vitamin C. These juice bars come in different flavors. They are packaged in sealed push-up paper containers. Most of these products are made from water, sweeteners, and fruit juice. They come in cups, tubes, and sticks. Some products also have ice cream. Whole Fruit products contain real pieces of fruit.

Churros

JJSF's churros are mostly sold under the Tio Pepe's, California Churros, and Oreo brand names. These are sold in food service places and grocery stores. Churros are Hispanic pastries shaped like sticks. JJSF makes them in several sizes using a special recipe. The churros are deep-fried, frozen, and packaged. At restaurants or other food spots, they are reheated. Then, they are topped with a mix of cinnamon and sugar. Churros also come with fruit or cream fillings. JJSF also provides all the equipment needed to sell churros to its food service customers.

Handheld Products

JJSF makes handheld products that are wrapped in dough. These are sold under brands like Patio, Pillsbury, and Supreme Stuffers. They are also sold under private labels. These handheld products have an outer layer of dough. This can be like a burrito shell or a pie crust. They have many different fillings inside. Handheld products are sold in food service places and grocery stores.

Bakery Products

JJSF's bakery products include brands like Mrs. Goodcookie, Country Home, and Mary B's. As of 2017, they also include Labriola. Bakery products mainly include biscuits, fig and fruit bars, cookies, breads, and donuts. These products are sold either raw (for baking later) or already baked (ready to eat after thawing). You can find them in food service places and grocery stores.

Frozen Beverages

JJSF sells frozen drinks mainly under the names Icee, Slush Puppie, and Parrot Ice. These are sold in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Frozen drinks are found in food service and retail stores. JJSF installs frozen drink machines for its Icee brand at customer locations. They also service these machines. JJSF provides the ingredients needed to make the frozen drinks. They also help with in-store promotions and signs to encourage sales.

JJSF also sells non-carbonated frozen drinks under the Slush Puppie and Parrot Ice brands. They do this through a network of distributors and their own delivery system. JJSF manages or provides products for about 111,000 drink machines. JJSF also has the rights to sell Icee frozen drinks across most of the United States and internationally.

Popular Brands from J&J Snack Foods