Last Twinkees will soon be baked

End of the road for Hostess Brands. Twinkee and Ho-Ho are probably goig to get picked up as will Wonder Bread. But the companny and its 18,000+ jobs are no more.

Kind of interesting that in a period of high unemployment the union refused to make concessions here. Automation and consolidation mean the skills bakery workers have will not be very marketable and most will have to find a new industry. I have seen this weird phenomenon before where the union decides they would rather close the operation than "cave-in." Sad in a way for me as the Hostess Store was the first store in the neighborhood I was allowed to walk to alone. Well, not "allowed" to go to but "sent to."

Time to wind down, sell the equipment, and put the sign on the door of the empty bakeries, "WE LEAVE IT AS WE FOUND IT, TAKE IT, IT'S YOURS!"

Don't forget Ding Dongs. I loved those things as a kid. In Maryland they called them "King Don's," for some reason I never understood.

Thanks a lot baker's union.

I hope I live long enough to see the end of labor unions.

Unions = Dead man walking

I saw a pro-union article on Daily Kos that posited:
1) Hostesses is badly managed, for example they have a dozen bakeries that sit idle because the production is not needed.
2) The union should be praised for rejecting a contract that would have allowed Hostess to close half a dozen bakeries.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/09/1159864/-Hostess-Bakers-Strike#

So the recipe and the trademark will be sold to a company in Korea or something?

Wonder Bread is more akin to cotton wool than bread anyway yet at one time the route men who kept local stores supplied made really good money and had really good pensions.

I imagine the executives started voting themselves bonuses and structuring buyouts while drafting press releases about unions.

Quote: Fleastiff

So the recipe and the trademark will be sold to a company in Korea or something?

I don't know that it will be Korea. Lots of US places might buy it from Little Debbie to a <gasp> private equity firm. Pabst Brewing has expressed interest.

Only an idiot would buy the bakeries and all with their labor costs and issues. Or someone could buy the trademark then license it locally city by city.

Quote:

Wonder Bread is more akin to cotton wool than bread anyway yet at one time the route men who kept local stores supplied made really good money and had really good pensions.

Here in PIT Wonder Bread was identical to a local brand called "Town Talk." I went thru the bakery in 6th grade, only difference was which wrapping line the loaves went to, if you saw the batch enter the ovens you would not be able to guess which brand it would end up. Yet I still remember a little old lady would not buy a loaf of Wonder when we were out of Town Talk. You are correct in that the guys who had that route did very well at the time. Great job for a morning person as they were done working at noon, though they started about 4:00 AM.

Quote:

I imagine the executives started voting themselves bonuses and structuring buyouts while drafting press releases about unions.

Fairly unlikely. Executives can't "vote themselves bonuses" the Board of Directors does not approve.

Let's focus on what's important: What will Mermaids do?

:P

Seriously, anyone who wants Twinkies can come to Mexico and buy some. They're sold under the Wonder trademark as Twinkies, or under Marinela's brand as Submarinos. But given they're refined wheat flours, sugar, partially hydrogenated oils, sugar, sugar and sugar and flavoring, you may want to get some arsenic instead and get it over with faster.

Quote: Nareed

Let's focus on what's important: What will Mermaids do?

:P

Seriously, anyone who wants Twinkies can come to Mexico and buy some. They're sold under the Wonder trademark as Twinkies, or under Marinela's brand as Submarinos. But given they're refined wheat flours, sugar, partially hydrogenated oils, sugar, sugar and sugar and flavoring, you may want to get some arsenic instead and get it over with faster.

You forgot the most important ingredient... PRESERVATIVES!... thats what makes them last 20 years without spoiling! :oP

Quote: 98Clubs

You forgot the most important ingredient... PRESERVATIVES!... thats what makes them last 20 years without spoiling! :oP

Given the rest, that's the healthy ingredient.

Quote: AZDuffman

Here in PIT Wonder Bread was identical to a local brand called "Town Talk." I went thru the bakery in 6th grade, only difference was which wrapping line the loaves went to, if you saw the batch enter the ovens you would not be able to guess which brand it would end up. Yet I still remember a little old lady would not buy a loaf of Wonder when we were out of Town Talk.

Like everyone else, I went looking for Hostess crap a couple days ago and found most shelves bare, but I did buy some cinny Donettes and some nasty chocolate pies. Twinkies were sold out at the places I tried. Once home, I searched ebay for entertainment and people are offering all kinds of Hostess stuff, but only a few things seem to be of value like vintage shelving and lunchboxes. Here's a pic of Town Talk sign I didn't understand till I read AZDuffman's explanation. Thanks, AZ!



Here's the actual action, if interested.

While on the surface Wonder Bread seemed like bland kid's fare worthless to adults and devoid of taste, I thought Wonder Bread was perfect for grilled cheese sammies and PB&J, or toast. It did toast up nicely. Hope some worthy company buys it up and makes it available with the same recipe we've all known for decades.