COLLEGEDALE, Tenn. -- The 125-year-old Drake's cakes brand is returning to stores on Monday, Sept. 23. Drake's will be available in supermarkets, supercenters, value retailers and convenience stores throughout the Northeast.
McKee Foods Corp., which makes Little Debbie snack cakes, acquired Drake's cakes from Hostess Brands after the company went out of business last year (Apollo Global Management and Metropoulos & Co. purchased Twinkies and other snack brands). McKee Foods paid $27.5 million for the Drake's brand and certain equipment. Drake's products include Ring Dings, Yodels, Devil Dogs, Yankee Doodles, Sunny Doodles and Drake's Coffee Cake.
Collegedale, Tenn.-based McKee Foods is launching Drake's four most popular varieties first--Devil Dogs, Coffee Cakes, Ring Dings and Yodels.
"The launch of these top four varieties is just the beginning for Drake's," said Chris McKee, executive vice president of marketing and sales. "Our first mission is to get the most popular and familiar tastes back into the pantries and lunch boxes of Drake's loyal fans."
The company's primary focus was to stay true to what long-time Drake's enthusiasts remember about their favorite cakes, the company said. By using the original Drake's recipes and familiar carton formats, "consumer passion for Drake's cakes will pick up right where it left off," it said.
"I can't think of a better way to celebrate 125 years of an iconic brand such as Drake's," McKee said. "We're excited to bring Drake's cakes back. We've been working to ensure that loyal Drake's fans enjoy the same great experience they remember, and we can't wait to hear what they have to say."
One of Drake's cakes standout features was its commitment to maintain kosher certification. That kosher certification from the Orthodox Union remains today, and consumers can look for the circled-U symbol (hechsher) on cartons.
Drake's founder, Newman E. Drake, established the brand in 1888 selling sliced pound cake in Brooklyn, N.Y.
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