Flowers Foods has signed an agreement that gives Aunt Millie’s Bakeries of Fort Wayne, Ind., the exclusive license to produce and market Wonder and Home Pride breads in northwest Indiana; northern Illinois, including Chicago; and southern Wisconsin. Terms and conditions of the license agreement were not disclosed.
With the agreement, Wonder and Home Pride breads will return to store shelves in the near future after being off the market in these areas since the November 2012 shutdown of Old HB Inc. (formerly Hostess Brands).
Allen L. Shiver, Flowers Foods’ president and CEO, said, “We’re excited about partnering with Aunt Millie’s, which produces quality fresh bakery foods and has a great distribution network. This agreement allows us to bring these well-known and well-loved bread brands, baked with the same recipes, back to consumers in this part of the Midwest.”
Thomasville, Ga.-based Flowers Foods acquired the Wonder and Home Pride brands, along with Merita and Butternut, in July 2013. In September 2013, the company reintroduced Wonder and the other brands to its direct-store-delivery market, which reaches approximately 79 percent of the U.S. population in the East, South, Southwest and California.
