Full Description

Flowers Foods, Inc. (Flowers Foods), incorporated in 2000, is a producer and marketer of bakery products in the United States. Flowers Foods consists of two business segments: direct-store-delivery (DSD) and warehouse delivery. DSD segment focuses on producing and marketing bakery products to the United States customers in the southeast, mid-Atlantic, and southwest, as well as select markets in California and Nevada primarily through its direct-store-delivery system. The warehouse delivery segment produces snack cakes for sale to co-pack, retail and vending customers, as well as frozen bread, rolls and buns for sale to retail and foodservice customers primarily through warehouse distribution. On August 4, 2008, the Company completed the acquisition of ButterKrust Bakery. On August 11, 2008, the Company merged with Holsum Holdings, LLC. (Holsum). In October 2009, Flowers Foods, Inc. acquired Leo's Foods, Inc.

Direct-Store-Delivery

Flowers Foods markets its DSD bakery products to United States customers in the southeast, mid-Atlantic and southwest, as well as select markets in California and Nevada. Its soft variety specialty breads are marketed throughout these regions under its Nature’s Own and Cobblestone Mill brands. During the fiscal year ended January 3, 2009, (fiscal 2008), the Company developed and introduced new products under its Nature’s Own brand, such as Nature’s Own Breakfast Breads in a variety of flavors, Nature’s Own Bagels in a variety of flavors, Nature’s Own English Muffins and Nature’s Own Honey Wheat Dinner Rolls. During fiscal 2008, it introduced new varieties under its Cobblestone Mills brand, including sandwich rolls and ciabatta rolls. The Company also markets regional franchised brands, such as Sunbeam, Bunny, Holsum, Aunt Hattie’s and Country Hearth, and regional brands it owns, such as ButterKrust, Dandee, Mary Jane, Evangeline Maid, Ideal and Captain John Derst. In addition to its DSD branded products, Flowers Foods also produces and distributes fresh packaged bakery products under private labels for retailers.

Warehouse Delivery

The warehouse delivery segment produces and sells pastries, doughnuts and bakery snack products primarily under the Mrs. Freshley’s brand to customers for re-sale through multiple channels of distribution, including mass merchandisers, vending and convenience stores. Mrs. Freshley’s is a line of bakery snacks positioned as a warehouse delivered alternative. Mrs. Freshley’s products are manufactured on a bake to order basis and are delivered throughout the United States. It also produces pastries, doughnuts and bakery snack products for distribution by its DSD system under the BlueBird brand and for sale to other food companies for re-sale under their brand names. The Company also contracts manufacture snack products under various private and branded labels for sale through the retail channel. In fiscal 2008, it introduced several new flavors of cake donuts and a new line of cake products for the foodservice segment under the Broad Street Bakery brand. The Company also produces and distributes a variety of frozen bread, rolls and buns for sale to foodservice customers. In addition, its frozen bread and roll products under the European Bakers brand are distributed for retail sale in supermarket deli-bakeries.

The Company competes with Interstate Bakeries Corporation, Sara Lee Corporation, Grupo Bimbo S.A. de C.V., McKee Foods Corporation (Little Debbie), Campbell Soup Company (Pepperidge Farm), Alpha Baking Co., Inc., Rotella’s Italian Bakery, Ottenberg’s Bakers, Inc. and All Round Foods, Inc.