McKee Foods Corp. plans to reintroduce Drake’s snack cakes in mid-September following a nearly year-long absence from the market. McKee acquired the Drake’s snack cake brands and certain equipment from Hostess Brands, Inc. earlier this year for $27.5 million. Drake’s products include Ring Dings, Yodels, Devil Dogs, Yankee Doodles, Sunny Doodles and Drake’s Coffee Cake.
“McKee Foods is pleased to add Drake’s to our lineup of high-quality snacks, and we’re delighted to be able to bring them back exactly as consumers remember them — same recipe, same product sizes, same carton weights and with the same kosher certification from the Orthodox Union as before,” said Mike Gloekler, a spokesman for McKee Foods.
Mr. Gloekler said McKee will make the Drake’s snack cakes at its facilities in Collegedale and Stuarts Draft, Va.
“Distribution will return to the same core northeast market,” he said. “We’re focused on relaunching to where they were before for now.”
McKee currently offers several products under its Little Debbie brand that are similar to Drake’s snack cake offerings, including Devil Cremes, which resemble Devil Dogs, and Swiss Rolls, which resemble Yodels. At this time, McKee does not plan to phase out any products, Mr. Gloekler said.
The proposed mid-September roll-out for the Drake’s cakes would come about two months after Hostess Brands, L.L.C. reintroduced Hostess and Dolly Madison branded products. Among the products relaunched by Hostess in mid-July were the company’s Twinkies, Ho Hos, Ding Dongs and Donettes snack cakes.
“McKee Foods is pleased to add Drake’s to our lineup of high-quality snacks, and we’re delighted to be able to bring them back exactly as consumers remember them — same recipe, same product sizes, same carton weights and with the same kosher certification from the Orthodox Union as before,” said Mike Gloekler, a spokesman for McKee Foods.
Mr. Gloekler said McKee will make the Drake’s snack cakes at its facilities in Collegedale and Stuarts Draft, Va.
“Distribution will return to the same core northeast market,” he said. “We’re focused on relaunching to where they were before for now.”
McKee currently offers several products under its Little Debbie brand that are similar to Drake’s snack cake offerings, including Devil Cremes, which resemble Devil Dogs, and Swiss Rolls, which resemble Yodels. At this time, McKee does not plan to phase out any products, Mr. Gloekler said.
The proposed mid-September roll-out for the Drake’s cakes would come about two months after Hostess Brands, L.L.C. reintroduced Hostess and Dolly Madison branded products. Among the products relaunched by Hostess in mid-July were the company’s Twinkies, Ho Hos, Ding Dongs and Donettes snack cakes.
