Twinkie

For other uses, see Twinkie (disambiguation).

The logo of Twinkies, a product of Hostess.

The Twinkie is an American snack cake, described as "golden sponge cake with a creamy filling". It was formerly made and distributed by Hostess Brands. The brand is currently owned by Hostess Brands, Inc., itself currently owned by The J.M. Smucker Company and having been formerly owned by private equity firms Apollo Global Management and C. Dean Metropoulos and Company as the second incarnation of Hostess Brands.[1] During bankruptcy proceedings, Twinkie production was suspended on November 15, 2012, and resumed after an absence of a few months from American store shelves, becoming available again nationwide on July 15, 2013.[2][3]

Grupo Bimbo's Vachon Inc., which owns the Canadian rights to the product and made them during their absence from the U.S. market,[4] produces Twinkies in Canada at a bakery in Montreal. They are made in Emporia, Kansas, in the U.S.[5] Twinkies are also available in Mexican stores as "Submarinos" made by Marinela, and as "Tuinky" made by Wonder; both Marinela and Wonder are also subsidiaries of Mexican bread company Grupo Bimbo.[6][7] In Egypt, Twinkies are produced under the company Edita. Twinkies are also available in the United Kingdom and Ireland under the Hostess brand name where they are sold in Sainsburys, Tesco, ASDA, and B&M stores. Twinkies are produced and distributed by multiple commercial bakeries in China,[8] where Hostess does not own the brand.[9]

  1. ^ Roeloffs, Mary Whitfill. "Smuckers Buying Hostess Brands In $5.6 Billion Snack Food Deal". Forbes. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  2. ^ Parija Kavilanz (July 12, 2013). "'First batch' Twinkies go on sale at Walmart". CNN. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
  3. ^ Staff and wire reports (July 12, 2013). "Hostess Twinkies make an early return to Southland shelves". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on July 15, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
  4. ^ Marotte, Bertrand (November 16, 2012). "As Hostess winds up, who will bite on Twinkies?". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on November 16, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  5. ^ "The Kansas City Star". Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  6. ^ "Donatwinkiesaunamericano.org". April 9, 2016. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  7. ^ "Campaña de la semana: Dona Twinkies a un Americano". Archived from the original on June 8, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  8. ^ "Twinkies China". Green Lounge. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  9. ^ "How Hostess Surrendered The Twinkies Brand In China". Seeking Alpha. Archived from the original on November 24, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2016.(subscription required)