COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 311821

Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

52companies1839–1989founding years52still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedStollwerck AG
1839
FoundedIAWS Group plc
1897
FoundedMorinaga & Co. Ltd.
1899
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedFlowers Industries, Inc.
1919
FoundedCampbell Soup Company
1922
FoundedThe Earthgrains Company
1927
FoundedGeorge Weston Limited
1928
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
FoundedStrauss-Elite GroupFoundedVista Bakery, Inc.
1934
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
FoundedYamazaki Baking Co., Ltd.
1948
FoundedNorthern Foods plc
1949
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
FoundedFoodarama Supermarkets, Inc.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedFrito-Lay CompanyFoundedParmalat Finanziaria SpA
1961
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedPepsiCo, Inc.
1965
FoundedGroupe Danone
1966
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1980
EnvironmentSuperfund law makes polluters pay for cleanup.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedSherwood Brands, Inc.
1985
FoundedGoodman Fielder Ltd.
1986
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Stollwerck AG →
Active · founded 1839 · Germany
Stollwerck AG is one of Germany's largest chocolate manufacturers.
Stollwerck AG →
Active · founded 1839 · Germany
Stollwerck AG is one of Germany's largest chocolate manufacturers.
IAWS Group plc →
Active · founded 1897 · Ireland
From its late 19th-century origins in Ireland's cooperative movement, IAWS Group plc has grown into a leading food…
IAWS Group plc →
Active · founded 1897 · Ireland
From its late 19th-century origins in Ireland's cooperative movement, IAWS Group plc has grown into a leading food…
Morinaga & Co. Ltd. →
Active · founded 1899 · Japan
One of Japan's leading candy and confectionery manufacturers, Morinaga & Co.
Morinaga & Co. Ltd. →
Active · founded 1899 · Japan
One of Japan's leading candy and confectionery manufacturers, Morinaga & Co.
Awrey Bakeries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1910
1920s:Firm, known as Awrey & Sons, expands to 32 stores.
Awrey Bakeries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1910
1920s:Firm, known as Awrey & Sons, expands to 32 stores.
Flowers Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1919
Flowers Industries, Inc.
Flowers Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1919
Flowers Industries, Inc.
Campbell Soup Company →
Active · founded 1922
Campbell Soup Company is the number one maker of soups in the world, holds the top position in that category in Europe,…
Campbell Soup Company →
Active · founded 1922
Campbell Soup Company is the number one maker of soups in the world, holds the top position in that category in Europe,…
Keebler Foods Company →
Active · founded 1927
Keebler Foods Company, majority owned by Flowers Industries, Inc., is the second largest cookie and cracker…
Keebler Foods Company →
Active · founded 1927
Keebler Foods Company, majority owned by Flowers Industries, Inc., is the second largest cookie and cracker…
The Earthgrains Company →
Active · founded 1927
The Earthgrains Company is the second largest bakery in the United States, supplying a variety of breads, buns, rolls,…
The Earthgrains Company →
Active · founded 1927
The Earthgrains Company is the second largest bakery in the United States, supplying a variety of breads, buns, rolls,…
George Weston Limited →
Active · founded 1928 · Canada
George Weston Limited is a major Canadian food processor and distributor, with a number of operations in the United…
George Weston Limited →
Active · founded 1928 · Canada
George Weston Limited is a major Canadian food processor and distributor, with a number of operations in the United…
Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.
Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.
Strauss-Elite Group →
Active · founded 1934 · Israel
Merging two of Israel's oldest and largest food companies in 2004, the Strauss-Elite Group has become that country's…
Strauss-Elite Group →
Active · founded 1934 · Israel
Merging two of Israel's oldest and largest food companies in 2004, the Strauss-Elite Group has become that country's…
Vista Bakery, Inc. →
Active · founded 1934
Vista Bakery, Inc.
Vista Bakery, Inc. →
Active · founded 1934
Vista Bakery, Inc.
Archway Cookies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1936
Archway Cookies, Inc.
Archway Cookies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1936
Archway Cookies, Inc.
Yamazaki Baking Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1948 · Japan
Yamazaki Baking Co., Ltd.
Yamazaki Baking Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1948 · Japan
Yamazaki Baking Co., Ltd.
Northern Foods plc →
Active · founded 1949 · United Kingdom
Northern Foods plc is one of the United Kingdom's leading manufacturers of high-quality fresh foods, supplying the…
Northern Foods plc →
Active · founded 1949 · United Kingdom
Northern Foods plc is one of the United Kingdom's leading manufacturers of high-quality fresh foods, supplying the…
Foodarama Supermarkets, Inc. →
Active · founded 1958
Foodarama Supermarkets, Inc.
Foodarama Supermarkets, Inc. →
Active · founded 1958
Foodarama Supermarkets, Inc.
Evergreen International Aviation, Inc. →
Active · founded 1960
The "airline's airline," Evergreen International Airlines, Inc.
Evergreen International Aviation, Inc. →
Active · founded 1960
The "airline's airline," Evergreen International Airlines, Inc.
Frito-Lay Company →
Active · founded 1961
Frito-Lay Company is the world leader in the salty snack category, controlling more than 35 percent of the world market…
Frito-Lay Company →
Active · founded 1961
Frito-Lay Company is the world leader in the salty snack category, controlling more than 35 percent of the world market…
Parmalat Finanziaria SpA →
Active · founded 1961 · Italy
Parma, Italy, is not only the home of fine Italian cheese and ham, but also Parmalat Finanziaria SpA, a diversified,…
Parmalat Finanziaria SpA →
Active · founded 1961 · Italy
Parma, Italy, is not only the home of fine Italian cheese and ham, but also Parmalat Finanziaria SpA, a diversified,…
Arcor S.A.I.C. →
Active · founded 1962 · Argentina
Life is sweet for Arcor S.A.I.C., the privately held firm that has grown to become one of Argentina's two biggest food…
Arcor S.A.I.C. →
Active · founded 1962 · Argentina
Life is sweet for Arcor S.A.I.C., the privately held firm that has grown to become one of Argentina's two biggest food…
PepsiCo, Inc. →
Active · founded 1965
PepsiCo, Inc.
PepsiCo, Inc. →
Active · founded 1965
PepsiCo, Inc.
Groupe Danone →
Active · founded 1966 · France
Known until 1994 as BSN Groupe S.A., Groupe Danone is one of the largest food companies in the world.
Groupe Danone →
Active · founded 1966 · France
Known until 1994 as BSN Groupe S.A., Groupe Danone is one of the largest food companies in the world.
Otis Spunkmeyer, Inc. →
Active · founded 1977
A rising contender in the foodservice industry, Otis Spunkmeyer, Inc.
Otis Spunkmeyer, Inc. →
Active · founded 1977
A rising contender in the foodservice industry, Otis Spunkmeyer, Inc.
Sherwood Brands, Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
Sherwood Brands, Inc.
Sherwood Brands, Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
Sherwood Brands, Inc.
Goodman Fielder Ltd. →
Active · founded 1986 · Australia
Goodman Fielder Ltd.
Goodman Fielder Ltd. →
Active · founded 1986 · Australia
Goodman Fielder Ltd.
Kraft Foods Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Kraft Foods Inc.
Kraft Foods Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Kraft Foods Inc.
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