Wonder Bread is returning to supermarket shelves soon, perhaps as early as Monday. If consumers eat enough of the spongy white bread, they could breathe new life into the shuttered Hostess Brands bakery in Sacramento.
Nearly a year after Hostess went out of business, a Georgia baking conglomerate called Flowers Foods Inc. is about to reintroduce Wonder and other Hostess breads to the sandwich-eating public. It’s the culmination of a $355 million gamble by Flowers, which is banking on the notion that shoppers still hunger for Wonder despite a ten-month absence – and a decades-long shift in tastes towards whole wheat, sourdough and other specialty breads.
In a deal brokered through bankruptcy court, Flowers in July bought 20 Hostess wholesale bakeries, including Sacramento’s, along with the rights to Wonder, Home Pride wheat and several regional brands of bread.
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