https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d Entenmann's and Little Debbie's en-us 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC 2021-06-18 15:46:08 UTC hello@padlet.com jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852973 1935 - 1978]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852973 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852974 1933 - 1985]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852974 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852975 Smart, organized and business savvy, Martha Schneider starts as a saleswoman at the front desk of a thriving bakery in  Bayshore, L.I. at 19 years old in 1925.  She marries the owner, William Entenmann Jr., and soon takes on a central role overseeing sales, deliveries and operations.  After William Jr.'s death, Martha takes the helm as company president and expands the brand into one of the most-recognizable baked goods brand in America.   ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852975 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852976 Loyal, level-headed and fair, Ruth McKee is the wife and business partner of her college sweetheart - a hardworking, ambitious, risk-taking salesman named OD McKee.  From the very beginning, she is a 100% partner in the business, a rarity at the time for women.  She shares, supports and even fights for O.D.'s dream of running a successful snack cake business, helping build Little Debbie into the largest snack cake manufacturer in the nation.    ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852976 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852978 Though everyone expects her to sell the business when William Jr. dies in 1951, Martha bravely decides to save Entenmann's for her sons, who are serving in the army. Her years of operational experience inform her decision-making as the new company president. MArtha cultivates a good relationship with the unions, and is able to quickly make a deal to head off any problems there. It's not easy, but they continue to manage 50 people, 24 hours a day and keep the bakery afloat.]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852978 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852979 OD and Ruth broker a deal with Symon to allow them to expand, but leave the original store in Symon's care.  They build up a second location in Charlotte, where OD spends a ton of money on the best new equipment.  With an eye on the exploding city around him, he sees an opportunity to grow with it.  They run up a huge debt, and then Symon falls ill.

Ruth and O.D. return to Chattanooga to help her brother Cecil run the bakery, but the bakery is not as they left it.  For one, half of the $187,000 annual revenue comes from large pies and cakes, which are more expensive to produce and thus less profitable.. And with rising labor costs due to tensions with the union, profit margins are unimpressive. 

They shift focus to snack cakes and cookies, and within a year, King Bakery is doing well. Now their goal is to expand and add a private label business of their own.]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852979 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852982 After the Depression, consumers are looking for better prices. For example, King Kullen in Jamaica Queens is a 6,000-square-foot  former garage in New York City. The slogan is "Pile it high. Sell it low." It's only a matter of time before small mom and pop operations must adjust to the competition, or risk being squeezed out. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852982 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852983 In 1955, Sales at the King's Bakery exceed $1M. and they become a prime target for the local unions.
The relationship with their workforce is increasingly strained. The bakery's contract with Local 25 of the Intl' Brotherhood of Bakery and Confection Workers is up, and the McKees do not wish to renew it because of a "closed shop clause" that requires all employees to join the union, even the college interns the McKees hire from Temple and Southern Colleges.

With a fair but firm management approach, Ruth sits down with union leaders to negotiate. When the workers demand better pay, she offers an hourly wage increase of 50 cents above union scale. But, the union refuses to budge on the hiring issue, leaving contract to expire with no solution.

In January 1955, Ruth and OD sign a contract with their workers who are NOT in favor of the union, and the ICBW sues King's Bakery.  Half the workers go on strike.  The picket lines quickly turn violent -- workers are attacked walking into work, union brethren from competing bakeries slash delivery truck tires, and in one incident, Ruth and OD's son Ellsworth is attacked by strikers, and physically assaulted in an exchange that almost led to gunplay.

The turmoil finally brings the business to a screeching halt. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852983 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852986 Six months after the start of the strike, which has cost the McKees thousands in lost production and sales, Ruth and O.D. have their day in court against the union.  The NLRB rules in favor of King's Bakery. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852986 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852987 Martha has already made deals with her unions, so she can focus on expansion - with an eagle eye on how supermarkets are shrinking mom and pops' profits, Martha makes the radical decision to stop producing bread and rolls, a huge shift for the brand which was built on freshly baked bread, delivered daily.

By the mid-1950s, freshly baked bread is becoming a specialty item. Customers prefer to buy pre-sliced bread from a supermarket.  

Martha tallies up the sales receipts and sees that the bread and rolls that once made up the majority of their business are now just shrinking percentage of profits. A loaf of bread sells for 16 cents and stays fresh for one day.  But she can sell an All Butter Loaf for twice as much (or a cheesecake for 60 cents) and store it longer.

With operating costs rising, especially labor, the bakery needs to be more efficient to stay profitable.]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852987 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852989 Most bakeries at this time are local operations, with fresh baked goods going stale within a few days of production. The success relies as much upon their delivery network and how efficient and large it is, as it does the quality of their product.  The idea of going into a grocery store to buy fresh baked goods alongside your other foods is still a novelty in most places.]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852989 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852990 O.D. and Ruth are poor and OD is a book salesman, farmer, etc... He had tons of odd jobs including selling the products of a local bakery - Jack's Cookies. But, in 1934, their supplier Jack's Cookies gets into financial trouble and needs to sell -- or close.  O.D. sees this as an opportunity and wants to buy the struggling bakery.  Ruth is strongly opposed - they are only just starting to be able to save money.  But O.D. finally convinces her this is the break they've been waiting for. 

With cash borrowed from a former boss, O.D. buys Jack's Cookies for $5,000.  Now that they have a whole bakery to run, they need to turn a profit quickly if they are going to last very long.]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852990 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852992 With their bestselling oatmeal, raisin and vanilla cookies pulling in just a penny each, O.D. and Ruth need to come up with another moneymaker to keep their new bakery open.  Inspired by the popular Hydrox and Oreo sandwich cookies, they experiment with putting two oatmeal cookies together with vanilla icing in between. The result is a crumbly mess. They ask the baker to alter the recipe to make a softer  cookie.

When Ruth puts icing on this chewy oatmeal cookie, it stays intact and it's delicious!  The Oatmeal Creme Pie, their signature snack cake, is born. With double the cookies, it sells for 5 cents and sales take off!]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852992 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852993 With sales taking off and their first hit original snack cookie sandwich in hand, the couple decide this is an opportunity to expand into a larger facility - even though they're still in debt and only just started turning a profit.  It's a big gamble and they can't do it without more money, so they ask Ruth's father, Symon King, to join him as 50% owner then they move into a larger facility on Dodd Avenue in Chattanooga. Symon is conservative and liked the small, stable company -- the total opposite of O.D. When O.D.'s wants to equip the bakery with the latest manufacturing equipment to make more cookies even faster, he clashes with Symon. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852993 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852994 How labor unions established such a powerful hold on the workforce for food manufacturers at this time.  They originated to protect workers from dangerous conditions and unfair wages.  By the 1950s, they hold tremendous power and can make or break a business.]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852994 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852995 In 1930s and 1940s Entenmann's  is one of the most popular bakeries on Long Island, NY.  Based in  Bayshore, they sell rolls, bread, and their famous All Butter Loaf via 30 delivery routes throughout New York, with clients that span from everyday folk to the uber-wealthy Morgan and Vanderbilt families along the Gold Coast.

The family operation, started in 1898 by William Entenmann Sr. whose staple was selling bread off the back of a truck, is now run by William Jr. alongside his wife,  Martha, who oversees sales and deliveries.  Their teenage sons Robert, Charles and William III, also work there after school - cleaning ovens, decorating cakes and learning the secrets behind every recipe.  

Martha, known around the bakery as Mrs. E, starts work at 5am and knows all her 50 drivers and staff by name. Some wonder why a woman of her comfort level would want to work instead of being a socialite.  But she's a born career woman and the logistical whiz behind their delivery network and airtight quality control.

Also, Local 50 of the IBCW labor union is pressuring the William Jr. to unionize...or risk a strike amongst the workers. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852995 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852997 Martha and William are talking about how to deal with the union - you get the sense these two can handle anything together when William clutches his chest. William Jr. dies of a heart attack at 47 years old in 1951. His death sends shockwaves through the company and community. Their three sons are serving in the Korean War, leaving Martha at the helm with a big decision to make.  Competitors quickly swoop in to make offers.  She could walk away with a tidy sum, or keep the bakery to pass down to her sons? ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852997 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852998 In 1957, King Bakery is strapped for space and needs to expand. The McKee's alma mater, Southern College, offers them land in exchange for a hiring program for graduates. O.D. and Ruth build a 50,000 square foot plan in Collegedale, TN.  The name on the plant is McKee Bakery. Finally.

They close King Bakery after 20 years. 

To sustain such a large operation, Ruth and O.D. must now develop an all new line of snack cakes and pies. The time has come for their private label. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852998 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852999 A look at Drake's, Hostess, Tastykake, and other bakeries competing for the attention of moms who need to fill lunchboxes and the kids who drive disposable spending.]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612852999 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853001 After decades of building a loyal network of delivery customers, Martha takes the huge risk of changing Entenmann's core business model. From now on, the bakery will no longer deliver to private customers.  Instead, Entenmann's will be sold in  supermarkets. 

The job of their delivery drivers shifts to ensuring cakes don't stay on the shelves longer than 7-10 days, especially their signature products. Quality is key. At this time, their best sellers are the Crumb Coffee Cake, followed by the All Butter Pound Cake, then the  Nut Topped Coffee Ring Danish.

Martha gets a lot of pushback, especially from her VIP customers and it's difficult to stay the course. But just like William Jr. did before he died,  she must future-proof the brand so it continues to grow.  And she sees that bakery delivery will soon be a thing of the past. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853001 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853002 Ruth notices a packaging issue with their snack cakes.  While cookies and crackers and crackers come in boxes, the McKee Baking Company's individual, cellophane wrapped snack cakes are not protected from damage when packed into grocery bags. Also, while most customers buy more than one, having to choose them individually limits the effectiveness of impulse buying.

In 1960, she and O.D. pioneer the "family pack," a family sized carton of 12 or more cellophane wrapped cakes. Individually sold, a dozen cakes would sell for a total of 60¢. The price of the new 12-count family pack carton is 49¢ -- a bargain so irresistible, most customers buy multiples.]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853002 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853003 With the move to supermarkets, Entenmann's sales are lackluster at first.  Supermarkets also have bakeries inside, and there are a lot of other products in the stores in flashy packaging or with fun designs - Drakes, Hostess, and LS.  

Martha goes into a supermarket where sales are slow.  The Entenmann's paperboard boxes --tied with twine with a blue script logo in the corner -- are tidy but not noticeable in an arena of food.  Martha knows that to sell dessert, you must first appeal to the customer's eyes. In their glass display case, the supermarket cakes  have a key advantage over her boxed goods -- the customer can see them. 

She must rethink the company's point-of-purchase marketing. She considers a circular with a picture of each dessert, but scattered flyers would clutter their displays. 

Then, she comes up with an idea.  She will turn each box into its own display case!  She orders a prototype of a box with a see-through cellophane window that allows customers to see the finished cake as they shop. She know that once they try it, she'll have a customer for life. 

In the new packaging, supermarket sales get a boost and will soon far surpass their delivery revenue. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853003 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853004 Entenmann's has recently expanded into NJ and CT.  Martha, who is still at the bakery from 5am every morning, keeps in close contact with the drivers, who report they're running out of product on some of the new routes. But every machine in the bakery is occupied 24 hours a day.  With its exponential growth, Entenmann's needs more space to keep up with demand. 

In 1961, they build a state-of-the-art 5-acre, 500,000 sq. ft. baking facility a few miles from the old shop. It's the largest factory of its kind in the U.S. and will eventually employ 1,500 people in the community.  ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853004 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853005 In 1959, O.D. and Ruth need a new bestseller to follow their Oatmeal Creme Pies. To maximize profits the perfect snack cake needs to have a long shelf life, classic flavors, and a perceived novelty and value. No easy feat.  

After lots trial and error, they create the Nutty Bar (later called The Nutty Buddy) -- a hybrid between a cookie and a candy bar.  It is four wafers sandwiched in a peanut butter mixture and covered with chocolaty coating. Though a classic combo,  real milk chocolate is pricey. To cut costs, the McKees increase the amount of oil in the PB and "chocolaty" coating, preserving the flavor and extending the shelf life. At 5 cents for two Nutty Bars they are also cheaper than a Reese's cup at 10 cents. By the following year, sales hit $2 Million and McKee Bakery is finally profitable.]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853005 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853007 With legal troubles and the violence behind them, Ruth and OD turn back to expansion in a very different world from just 10 years prior. They make a deal to move into Southern College in a 50,000 sq foot space, and must now figure out how to translate their success with individual cakes/cookies to supermarkets, while also justifying their fast expansion. Drakes and Hostess are all making ins at supermarkets, so Ruth and OD, convinced they have a better product, must figure out how to get people to buy their stuff off the store shelves instead.

They enlist the help of packaging expert Bob Mosher to come up with a brand identity that symbolizes quality and that's also eye-catching and memorable. Mosher asks Ruth to list her grandchildren -- "Johnny, Kathy, Linda, and Debra."  Immediately, Mosher is struck --  "Little Debbie! That's the name."  O.D. and Ruth agree, it has a good ring.  They give Mosher a cute photo of their son Ellsworth's 4 year-old daughter in a straw hat (they don't tell him).  Mosher takes it back to his art department to come up with some packaging ideas.

A few weeks later, Mosher reveals the new Little Debbie brand and logo. Ellsworth is shocked, but onboard.  With Little Debbie's photo on every box, the snack cakes fly off the shelves. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853007 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853008 With Hostess and Drake breathing down their necks, In 1962, O.D. travels to a European baking trade show where several booths sell a miniature roulade - a rolled sponge cake or pastry with a jelly or icing filling.  The eye-catching desserts are the hit of the event.  Back at the factory, O.D. starts figuring out how to bring the Little Debbie version to market before their competitors.  It's only a matter of time. 

His team works day and night to come up with a sponge cake that is supple, yet sturdy enough to stay intact when thinly sliced and rolled around vanilla cream.  The cakes keep falling apart and certainly won't withstand packaging. Finally, he comes up with the idea to douse the cake in chocolaty coating, giving it support and a satisfying crunch. With that, the iconic Swiss Cake Rolls are created!

They go into production on two lines, but competitor Drake releases their version of the Swiss Cake, the Yodel, first in August 1962.

For O.D., it's a minor setback.  When Little Debbie releases their Swiss Cake Roll a few months later, they sell it for half the price of the Yodel.  This becomes a lasting sales strategy for Little Debbie]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853008 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853009 Entenmann's continues to adhere to the Quality Control standards they've had for decades at the new plant.  Not only do they produce 30-40 items a day, they also make their own ingredients -- like cinnamon, vanilla beans, chocolate and sweeteners.  Martha doesn't let a day pass without having a piece of cake, and each son manages a different department of the new plant. They taste test every product daily using a rating system from 10 to -10.  If an item fails to get a 6 or above, production is ceased and the flaw is investigated back to the flour barrel.   

When Martha notices that the browning on the bottom of their Raspberry Danish Twist is inconsistent from one pan to the other, she's eager to come up with a solution. They decide to switch to an emerging technology that uses heated lights to bake their goods from above, E-Z Bake oven style.The result are cakes that have no noticeable browning on the bottom of the pan.  A perfect slice every time. 

This, coupled easy-to-discard packaging, make it that much easier for timesaving hostesses to pass off Entenmann's as homemade. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853009 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853010 By the late 1960s, O.D. and Ruth's  Little Debbie brand is a household name.  They key to stand out to their market -- 25-49 year old moms with children 6-17  -- is to be the most colorful, least expensive product on the shelf. When it comes to snack cakes, busy moms want value most of all. In addition to colorful graphics, O.D. and Ruth  have also assembled a marketing team to come up with new gimmicks.  And television is the next frontier. 

In 1965, they release the Little Debbie jingle on a TV commercial featuring kids in the circus, at playtime, all centered around Little Debbie snacks -- and it's an instant hit. Sales of their current product line -- the classics, Swiss Rolls and the newer Banana Twins, Zebra Cakes, and Raisin Creme Pies respond favorably. The stunt wins them an ADDY, the Oscar of advertising. 

To keep up with demand, O.D. and Ruth build a second plant in Collegedale, TN.  They soon release their Fudge Brownies, Seasonal Cakes, which become a holiday bestseller, and even the Star Crunch Cosmic Cookies, a crispy, chewy chocolaty treat to celebrate the moon landing in 1969.  

Soon, O.D. and Ruth set their sights on the west coast. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853010 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853011 In the early 1970s, Entenmann's popularity is unmatched in the Northeast, but despite their size, they are still a regional bakery.  Martha wants her cakes to follow New Yorkers, like William Sr., to the sunny shores of Florida, and expand to the states in between. To do so, a consultant advises the family to reevaluate branding, perhaps using more colorful packaging like Little Debbie, or even Martha's photo, to compete in new markets.  Martha refuses.  To her, the newfangled graphics are loud and the advertising crass.  With Entenmann's, quality sells itself.

She does agree, however, to re-examine their heavier New England style recipes and come up with some lighter options that will survive the different humidity levels as they travel long distances. They decide to try lemon meringue pie, citrusy, light, distinctly Southern.  In trials, Martha and her sons love the custard their pastry chefs come up with, but they cannot get the meringue to remain in place once the pie is boxed and transported.  Time after time, it fails QC because they cannot guarantee it will arrive looking pristine.

Lemon meringue is off the table for now.  Moreover, with the recession of the 1970s growing worse and fuel prices skyrocketing, the family decides Southern expansion  must wait...for now.  ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853011 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853012 With sales of snack cakes rising, Martha and her sons are under  pressure to enter the market if they want to stay current.  But Martha  wants to do it in a way that preserves the brand's classic identity, something that is at home on a coffee table when guests arrive and in a kids' lunch box. 

In 1972, Entenmann's releases the Frosted Chocolate Dipped Donut and Chocolate Chip Cookies. The cookies blow away the competition with their soft texture and genuine chocolate chips that tastes like homemade. 

These products turn out to be their biggest sellers yet, eventually overtaking the number one Coffee Cake in sales.  ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853012 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853013 In the mid-70s the market and the airwaves are packed with chocolaty "devil's food" snack cakes. With so much imitation among the brands, Ruth and O.D. constantly look for ways to set Little Debbie apart. Market research shows brand recognition remains strong with the logo, but suffers when the cakes are placed next to each other in taste tests. 
 In 1975, long time foods employee and product innovator, Cliff Dildy comes up with a solution in the Fudge Round. It's two chocolate cookies, filled with fudge cream, covered with chocolaty coating -- and then iced with a wavy line of fudge striping. No one else had anything exactly like this on the market, and the wavy icing becomes a Little Debbie signature. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853013 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853014 In 1975, despite the recession, Entenmann's sales increase from $74M to $94M.  Charles Entenmann learned from Martha, who survived the Depression, "When people are worried or unhappy, a good piece of cake is a way to sweeten their life."  They have enough profit to finance expanding to the Southeast.

Family protege, Robert Rosenthal, whose father consulted Martha and William when he was a boy, now works for Entenmann's as a legal adviser. After a year of examining operations and their finances, he recommends the reorganize for estate planning purposes and take the family held company public for the first time. Once again, Martha and now her sons, have a pivotal decision to make about the future of the company.]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853014 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853016 The Entenmanns decide to offer a limited IPO, retaining 80% of the business as family owned.  In 1976, they go public with a million shares for $18.50 each. The stock certificates bear Martha's image --  and sell out even faster than their donuts. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853016 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853017 After 20 years of service in the company, Ruth and O.D.'s son Ellsworth McKee is finally named President of Little Debbie in 1971.  His father takes the role of Chairman of the Board.  

He continues to expand operations, doubling the size of their TN plant and opening a facility in AK to serve the west. By 1985, Little Debbie is in all 48 contiguous states. 
The baking company that Ruth and O.D. built from pennies is now their family's legacy, and an American icon. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853017 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853018 In Nov. 1975, Martha and her sons finally open their Miami operation - a new baking facility that churns out their classics fare and region-specific offerings like Rogelach and the Guava Cheese Danish. They solve the problem of humidity and melting icing, by using ventilated trucks. Within three months, the Miami plant is profitable. It supplies Florida, Savannah GA and Hilton Head SC, and eventually the whole southeast.  

They repeat the same success in the Baltimore Washington market, immediately selling over 200,000 boxes a week. Chicago is another success story -- all accomplished with no advertising. 

And to make sure supermarkets  only stock the freshest goods, Entenmann's opens retail Bakery Outlets where near-deadline cakes sell at a deep discount.  

By the late 70s, they are the largest producer of fresh baked goods in the country.]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853018 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853020 Entenmann's generates $142 million in annual sales in 1978. After years of warding off offers, they finally sell to Warner Lambert for $233 million. 

Despite many offers, Little Debbie never sells out. The brand remains  family run today and has bought out competitors along the way -- including Drake in 2013.  With $800M in sales, they are now run by the little girl on the front of the box, Debra McKee, and control 54% of the snack cake market.]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853020 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853024 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853024 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853025 It's 1925 and Entenmann's Bakery in Bayshore, L.I. is bustling with walk in customers eager to buy their rolls, bread and amazing All Butter Loaf and a busy front desk where 19-year old Martha Schneider is fielding calls from customers and giving instructions to delivery drivers.  The manager of the bakery, young William Entenmann Jr. comes in to announce that they have a VIP delivery to make to a new customer - the Vanderbilt family on the North Shore. He needs the delivery vehicle shined up, and the driver to be impeccable. All the trucks are out, but Martha immediately takes control of the situation and tells him she'll re-route their best driver to fill this request. William Jr. is impressed with the new saleswoman's quick thinking, and her beauty.  As Martha says later "He fell in love with me from across the counter."  Months later, the two are married. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853025 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853026 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853026 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853027 1929 - The Stock Market crashes, triggering the Great Depression. The trickle down loss of wealth was felt everywhere, but even more acutely in the South and rural area of the country, where those who were already poor were hit the hardest. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853027 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853028 After 60 years in business, in 1958 Martha, her three sons and their attorney incorporate the bakery and formalize its succession to the third generation of Entenmann's. She's confident the young men have worked their way up and know the ins and outs of the bakery, including all 125 recipes -- just like their father and grandfather. Robert, Charles and William, will be chairman of the board and CEO, president and chief operating officer and executive vice-president, respectively. Martha takes the honorary title of vice-president, but still has the final say. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853028 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853030 1930 - Ruth McKee has moved back to her parent's home while O.D. works odd jobs selling books and operating a small farming business in his parents' town of Talowah, MS. He applies and gets a job at the maintenance department of Pisgah Industrial Institute in Candler NC, and he and Ruth settle there and have their first child, Winifred. They make $25 a month, but still manage to save money. But in 1931 - OD and Ruth lose the several hundred dollars they saved when their bank fails. They are broke.]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853030 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853032 When their second child is born in 1932, O.D. who has been doing odd jobs -- selling cars, managing a sanatorium and farming -- cannot afford to pay the doctor who delivers his son. So he gives the doctor a cow. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853032 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853034 With one young son at home and another on the way, Martha is still hard at work in the bakery.  She has an active role in managing the home-delivery of donuts, rolls, cakes, cookies, and bread in white boxes with a blue-scripted label. She also keeps the books and runs the office. At this point the bakery has over 30 delivery routes throughout New York, and are arguably the most popular bakery on the island, serving the likes the J.P. Morgan, the Vanderbilts, and hundreds of other customers.  A customer comes in and wonders why Martha, in her state, isn't at home. But Martha is a “career woman” and doesn’t wish to stay at home to be a housewife because “I don’t like housework." Have a great day!]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853034 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853035 It's 1928 and recent college graduate and newlywed O.D. McKee submits his resignation to the Southern Publishing Association in Atlanta, GA.  He is fed up with having to do the job of three people - his own, and his boss's son and daughter - without being compensated.  He's a hard worker and full of confidence, although he is hiding a disability.  He is dyslexic. Nonetheless, O.D. proud and decides to use his skills as a bookseller and jack of all trades to support himself and his new wife, Ruth. 

He goes home to tell Ruth the news and she also has some news -- she is pregnant.]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853035 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853036 in 1950s. O.D. has ulcers and has to retire from Jack's Cookies Charlotte. Herman Lay comes in to help run the business -- right into the ground. O.D. must come out of retirement, and sell a 51% interest in the bakery to three businessmen who owned Jack's Cookies plants in Florida to salvage the facility. When they try to change the oatmeal sandwich cookie to a hard cookie, O.D. walks away from the partnership, leaving Jack's Charlotte behind. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853036 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853037 It's 1933 in Chattanooga, TN, during the Great Depression. Young husband and father O.D. McKee has lost his savings in a bank failure and his job.  He's struggled with dyslexia throughout his life, but he is an entrepreneur at heart. So, O.D. is selling Virginia Dare snack cakes and oatmeal, vanilla and raisin cookies from local bakery Jack's Cookies from the trunk of of his 1928 Whippet truck. The snack cakes are 5 cents, the cookies are a penny. 

At the end of the day, he brings a sack full of change home to his wife Ruth McKee, who keeps the books for their makeshift business while caring for their two young children. Though the pennies and nickels add up to a meager profit, it's barely enough to live on and pay their debts.  O.D. knows something has to change -- they are about to have another mouth to feed. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853037 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853038 While businesses fail all around them, the bakery manages to not only stay afloat during this time -- but, thanks to their varied clientele, sales actually multiply.  Martha knows that when people are worried or unhappy, a good piece of cake is a way to sweeten their life. They've dodged a bullet for now. ]]> 2021-06-17 18:29:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612853038 jcarita2 https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612856915 O.D. McKee is a visionary, risk-taking salesman and a natural entrepreneur. Though college educated, he’s struggled with dyslexia his whole life and has had to bounce from one livelihood to the next.  When he loses everything during the Great Depression, he sells snack cakes to support his young family.  The pennies and nickels add up, and with the advent of supermarkets, O.D. sees  limitless potential in the budding industry.  With his wife as his business partner, he’ll risk it all more than once to build the most  successful snack cake brand of all time.]]> 2021-06-17 18:32:28 UTC https://padlet.com/jcarita2/5rn4eadc79yd6b5d/wish/1612856915