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Wonder bread back on store shelves

Cori Anne Natoli
The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal
Wonder Bread was back on the shelves at some New Jersey grocers on Friday, Oct. 4,  2013. Wonder products now owned by  Flower Foods Inc., have been off the shelves for a year following the demise of Hostess Brands.
  • Iconic brand making its way back into stores slowly
  • Flowers Foods bought brand from Hostess Foods
  • Flowers spent %24355 million for bakeries%2C brands

WILMINGTON, Del. -- Just ask Maureen Gellner, what's better than peanut butter and jelly on Wonder bread, and without so much as a moment of hesitation she will answer, "Nothing."

Gellner's been hooked on the squishy white bread her whole life. Which is why when she noticed it missing from the shelves at her local grocer about a year ago, she was disappointed to say the least.

"I heard it was coming back months ago and I've been looking for it ever since," Gellner said.

At least at a handful of Delaware supermarkets, the search for the Wonder bread diehards is over.

It's back.

"I'm very glad," said Gellner, with a fresh loaf sitting in the top basket of her grocery cart. "I missed it. I always got my kids Wonder bread. I was so happy I had to text my daughter in Florida and tell her, 'Guess what? I'm eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on Wonder bread.'"

The back-to-school staple, Thanksgiving stuffing ingredient, and peanut butter and jelly holder – with or without the crusts cut off – white Wonder has returned after almost a yearlong hiatus, following the demise of its former maker Hostess Brands, which fell to bankruptcy.

Present owner Flowers Foods relaunched Wonder Classic White, Whole Grain White, Wonder 100 percent Whole Wheat breads and hamburger and hot dog rolls, plus Home Pride, Butternut and Merita breads in late September. The iconic and nostalgic brand is making its way back into supermarkets slowly but surely, as grocery operators seal the deals with Flowers Foods.

Some shoppers, like Gellner, noticed it missing right away, while others, like Taresa Schmidt and 18-month-old daughter Amelia, not so much.

"We don't eat Wonder bread," said Schmidt, in a checkout line at an Acme grocery with Amelia in tow. "We eat whole-grain bread."

When it comes to white over wheat, it seems a generational indulgence, depending on whom you ask and whether they know what a bread box is.

A few aisles over, William and Donna Persolleo of Hockessin had two loaves of Home Pride wheat in their cart, an unexpected brand to once again add to the grocery list.

"I didn't notice Wonder was gone but I did notice Twinkies were gone," he said, chuckling. "I've always liked Wonder bread. It always seemed to make the best toast."

Flowers Foods, based in Thomasville, Ga., and founded in 1919 by brothers William and Joseph Flowers, completed the acquisition of 20 Hostess bakeries and five bread brands in late July for $355 million. The deal included Nature's Pride brand. Tastykake, Sunbeam and Nature's Own breads are among the company's leading brands.

"Wonder has been a part of the American food scene since 1921," said Keith Aldredge, Flowers Foods' vice president of marketing. "Generations have grown up on Wonder sandwiches. It's a classic."

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