McKee Foods
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Snack foods |
| Founded | 1928 |
| Founder | Oather Dorris "O.D." McKee and Ruth McKee |
| Headquarters | Collegedale, Tennessee , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Debbie McKee-Fowler (Executive Vice-President and board member), Ellsworth McKee (Chairman) |
| Products | Snack foods, granola, cakes, cereals |
| Revenue | $836 million (2021) |
Number of employees | 6,800 (2021) |
| Website | www |
McKee Foods Corporation is a family-owned, privately operated American manufacturer specializing in snack foods and granola, with its main office located in Collegedale, Tennessee. The company is recognized for producing popular brands such as Drake's Cakes, Fieldstone Bakery snacks and cereals, Little Debbie snacks, and Sunbelt Bakery granola and cereals. It previously managed Heartland Brands.
History
Established amid the Great Depression by Oather Dorris "O.D." McKee alongside Ruth McKee, the enterprise originated when O.D. began selling cakes from his 1928 Whippet vehicle around Chattanooga. After acquiring Jack's Cookie Company bakery and pursuing growth opportunities, O.D. sold the initial business and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he founded a new bakery. In the early 1950s, the McKees returned to Chattanooga to aid Ruth’s ailing brother Cecil King by repurchasing the bakery, which was renamed McKee Baking Company in 1962.
The company relocated to Collegedale in 1957 and adopted the name McKee Foods Corporation in 1991. Ellsworth McKee, son of founder O.D., managed the company until stepping down from daily leadership in 2012 while continuing as chairman.
In a notable strategic move to broaden its market presence, McKee Foods acquired the Drake's Cakes brand—including products such as Ring Dings, Yodels, and Devil Dogs—from the bankrupt Hostess Brands for $27.5 million in 2013. This acquisition expanded its product lineup and reinforced its position in the competitive snack sector. By 2013, McKee was distributing over 900 million cartons of Little Debbie items annually.
By 2021, McKee Foods reported revenues of $836 million and employed around 6,800 personnel supporting its worldwide operations through various subsidiaries.
Little Debbie
Little Debbie primarily features cookie- and cake-based dessert snacks with popular items including Swiss Cake Rolls, Nutty Bars, Fudge Rounds, Cloud Cakes, Cosmic Brownies, Zebra Cakes, and Oatmeal Creme Pies. These products are extensively available across discount outlets, grocery stores, and convenience retailers throughout the United States in both boxed and individually wrapped formats.
The brand was created by O.D. and Ruth McKee in 1960 and named after their granddaughter Debbie McKee-Fowler, who currently holds roles as Executive Vice-President and board member. The initial packaging displayed a black-and-white photograph of Debbie; later that year, Atlanta artist Pearl Mann developed full-color illustrations. The logo received subtle redesigns in 1985 and again in 2013 to update its appearance.
Little Debbie has incorporated sports marketing into its promotional efforts by sponsoring NASCAR teams since the 1990s. It notably supported the Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford Fusion in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series between 2006 and 2008 before shifting sponsorship to JTG Daugherty Racing’s No. 47 car in 2009. Due to McKee Foods’ ownership by Seventh-day Adventists, Little Debbie branding is removed during Sabbath hours (from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset) as part of sponsorship arrangements.
As of late 2022, Little Debbie products were withdrawn from U.S. Department of Defense commissaries because of restrictive regulatory expenses. Furthermore, distribution ceased in Canada following the termination of its sole distributor partnership; currently, McKee Foods is not pursuing a replacement distributor for that market.
Drake's
Drake's is a bakery company based in Wayne, New Jersey. Originally an independent entity, it was under Hostess ownership from 1998 until Hostess declared bankruptcy in 2012. Subsequently, McKee Foods took over the Drake's product lineup. The brand is known for its range of snack cakes such as Ring Dings, Yodels, Devil Dogs, Yankee Doodles, Sunny Doodles, Funny Bones, and coffee cake varieties. Its emblematic figure is Webster, a drake character representing the brand identity.
Fieldstone Bakery
Fieldstone Bakery specializes in whole grain snacks, granola, pastries, and cookies designed to appeal to consumers focused on health and wellness.
Sunbelt Bakery
Sunbelt Bakery manufactures granola bars, fruit snacks, and cereals. It operates within the expanding market segment centered on health-oriented and convenient food options.
Heartland Brands
McKee Foods acquired the Heartland brand in 1998, which featured products such as granola cereals and pie crusts dating back to 1968. This brand continued to be active at least through 2018.
Bakeries
- Gentry, Arkansas
- Stuarts Draft, Virginia
- Collegedale, Tennessee
- Kingman, Arizona
External links
- Articles with short description
- Snack food manufacturers of the United States
- Manufacturing companies based in Tennessee
- Food and drink companies based in Tennessee
- Privately held companies in Tennessee
- American brands
- American companies established in 1928
- Family-owned companies of the United States
- 5
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment