Keebler Company

Keebler Company
Subsidiary
Traded as NYSE: KBL
Industry Food processing
Founded Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. (1853 (1853))
Founder Godfrey Keebler
Headquarters Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S.
Area served
 Nationwide
Products cookies
crackers
ice cream
Parent United Biscuits (1974–1995)
Flowers Industries
(1995–1998)
Kellogg's (2001–present)
Website www.keebler.com

The Keebler Company is the second largest cookie and cracker manufacturer in the United States. Founded in 1853, it has produced numerous baked snacks.[1] Keebler has marketed its brands such as Cheez-It (which have the Sunshine Biscuits brand), Chips Deluxe, Club Crackers, E.L. Fudge Cookies, Famous Amos, Fudge Shoppe Cookies, Murray cookies, Austin, Plantation, Vienna Fingers, Town House Crackers, Wheatables, Sandie's Shortbread, Chachos and Zesta Crackers, among others. The Keebler slogans are "Uncommonly Good" and "a little elfin magic goes a long way". Tom Shutter and Leo Burnett wrote the familiar jingle.[1]

Company history

Keebler Chips Deluxe Rainbow cookies
Keebler Delivery Truck, US 23, Michigan

Godfrey Keebler, of German descent, opened a bakery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1853. His bakery networked with several other local bakeries around the country over the years, and in 1927 they merged into the United Biscuit Company of America.[2]

United Biscuit operated regional bakeries which included not only Keebler, but also Hekman Biscuit Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan,[3] the Strietmann Biscuit Company of Mariemont, Ohio[4] and the Bowman Biscuit Company of Denver which used the Supreme brand name.[5][6] By 1963, United Biscuit introduced the Kitchen Rich brand nationally while still utilizing the regional brand names.[7] In 1966, United Biscuit decided to adopt a uniform brand name and chose Keebler as the national brand and the name of the company.[8] Keebler did adopt Streitmann's Zesta saltine brand as Keebler's national brand of saltine crackers.[9]

Keebler-Weyl Bakery became the official baker of Girl Scout Cookies in 1936, the first commercial company to bake the cookies (the scouts and their mothers had done it previously). By 1978, four companies were producing the cookies.[10] Little Brownie Bakers is the Keebler division still licensed to produce the cookies.

Keebler was acquired by United Biscuits in 1974,[11] headquartered in West Drayton, Middlesex, England.[12] In 1995, United Biscuits sold Keebler to a partnership between Flowers Industries and Artal Luxembourg, a private equity firm.[13] Artal Luxembourg sold its holdings in Keebler in an IPO in 1998.[14]

In 2000, the Keebler Company acquired a license to produce snacks based on the popular children's show Sesame Street.[15]

In March 2001, The Keebler Company was acquired by the Kellogg Company.[1] At that time, headquarters were located in Elmhurst, Illinois.[16] Currently, Keebler has manufacturing plants in the United States, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

Keebler Elves

The animated Keebler Elves, led by "Ernest J. 'Ernie' Keebler", rank among the best-known characters from commercials [citation needed]. Ernest is the head elf and the most friendly of the bunch. He runs the workshop with an iron fist. The elves have appeared in countless television advertisements throughout the years, shown baking their unique products.[17] In the commercials, The Keebler tree logo is often turned into the tree in which the elves reside.

Leo Burnett Worldwide, an advertising agency, created the elves in 1968, calling the bakery "The Hollow Tree Factory."[12]

J.J. Keebler was the original "king elf" in 1969, and was featured in a classroom film about how animated commercials are made, "Show and Sell," with J.J.'s voice performed by Alan Reed Sr. Ernie Keebler became "head elf" in 1970.[18] White-haired Ernie wears a green jacket, a white shirt with a yellow tie, a red vest, and floppy shoes.[18]

Ernie Keebler was first voiced by Walker Edmiston, and then later by Parley Baer. and then Andre Stojka.

Other elves were Fryer Tuck (who promoted "Munch-ems"), Ernie's nephews Zoot and J.J. (known for pizzerias), Ernie's mother Ma Keebler, young Elmer Keebler, Buckets (who threw fudge on the cookies), Fast Eddie (who wrapped the products), Sam (the peanut butter baker), Roger (the jeweler), Doc (the doctor and cookie maker), Zack (the fudge shoppe supervisor), Flo (the accountant), Leonardo (the artist),[12] Elwood (who ran through the dough),[18] Professor, Edison, Larry and Art.[12] Many of the Keebler commercials were narrated by the announcer Danny Dark. The first Keebler elves were drawn by children's author/illustrator and commercial artist Roger Bradfield.

List of Keebler snacks

Examples of Keebler products include:

  • 100 Calorie Right Bites
  • Vienna Fingers Reduced Fat cookies
  • Chips Deluxe Chocolate Lovers cookies
  • Chips Deluxe Rainbow cookies
  • Frosted Animals cookies
  • Ice Cream Cups
  • Grahams Original
  • Grahams Cinnamon
  • Club® Crackers varieties, including Original, Reduced Fat, Multigrain, minis
  • Zesta saltine crackers
  • Export Sodas
  • Keebler Fudge Shoppe cookies
  • Pizzerias
  • Simply Made cookies
  • Munch'Ems[19]
  • Sandies cookies
  • Krunch Twists
  • Tato Skins
  • E.L. Fudge
  • Rich 'n' Chips
  • Magic Middles

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Keebler Brilliant Marketing Pte Ltd Keebler". Brilliant-marketing.com. Archived from the original on 2010-04-02. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  2. ↑ "History of Keebler Foods Company – FundingUniverse". www.fundinguniverse.com.
  3. ↑ "Made In Grand Rapids". Pinterest.
  4. ↑ "the history". The Strietmann.
  5. ↑ "Home - Denver Public Library". catalog.denverlibrary.org.
  6. ↑ Inc, Time (10 May 1963). "LIFE". Time Inc – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Inc, Time (18 January 1963). "LIFE". Time Inc – via Google Books.
  8. ↑ "The Keebler Company EssayTrader.net". essaytrader.net.
  9. ↑ "Historic OTR building to get big solar installation".
  10. ↑ Girl Scout Cookies bake up tasty treats for community, business skills for girls, Kathryn DeVan, Fall 2008
  11. ↑ Vartan, Vartanig G. (26 January 1974). "Specialty Items Dominate A Lackluster Stock Market.; A.M.C. Up 2 1/2 Over Week STOCK PRICES DIP IN SLOW TRADING". Retrieved 3 March 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Advertising Mascots > Keebler Elves (Kellogg's)". Tv Acres. Archived from the original on 2012-09-13. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  13. ↑ Feder, Barnaby J. (7 November 1995). "United Biscuits Sells Keebler for $500 Million". Retrieved 3 March 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
  14. ↑ "Keebler shares gobbled - Jan. 28, 1998". Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  15. ↑ "Keebler Elves, Muppets Stroll Down Snack Aisle". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
  16. ↑ "Elmhurst, IL". Illinois.com. Archived from the original on 2009-09-03. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  17. ↑ 1935-, Coyle, John J. (John Joseph), (1996). "15". The management of business logistics. Bardi, Edward J., 1943-, Langley, C. John, 1946- (6th ed.). Minneapolis/St. Paul: West Pub. Co. ISBN 9780314065070. OCLC 33280849.
  18. 1 2 3 "Ernie" (PDF). Kelloggs. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
  19. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-11-20. Retrieved 2014-11-24.
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