Entenmann's

Entenmann's is an American packaged bakery brand whose products are sold primarily through supermarkets and other retail channels in the United States. The brand is particularly associated with sweet baked goods displayed in prominent bakery sections or freestanding cases, including cakes, doughnuts, pastries, cookies, pies, muffins, cereal bars, and related desserts. Its assortment has included more than 100 products across dessert cakes, loaf cakes, crumb cakes, doughnuts, Danish pastries, brownies, smaller-format desserts, and other baked items. The business traces its origins to William Entenmann, who learned baking from his father in Stuttgart, Germany, and later worked in an American bakery before opening his own bakery in Brooklyn in 1898. The operation subsequently moved to Bay Shore, Long Island. Home delivery was an important early distribution method; by the time William Entenmann's son, William Jr., took over, the bakery had developed approximately 30 delivery routes. Under William Jr. and later the wider family, the business evolved from a local bakery into a larger commercial producer. After William Jr.'s death in 1951, his wife Martha and their sons Robert, Charles, and William continued the company. The family gradually moved away from bread and concentrated on pastries and cakes. It also shifted distribution from home delivery toward grocery-store sales, a change that helped establish the modern packaged-bakery model. In 1959, the company is credited with developing a see-through cake box, a packaging innovation that improved product visibility for customers and became widely associated with bakery merchandising. The company expanded its production footprint during the 1960s, including facilities in Bay Shore, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Charles Entenmann played an important role in administration, engineering, and production automation. The business introduced automated cake-line processes and a computer-controlled ingredient-delivery system. An initial effort to expand nationally stalled around 1970, partly because the company's heavier New England-style baked goods did not perform equally well in warmer and more humid markets. With assistance from product consultants at Calle and Company, the recipes were reformulated toward lighter products suited to markets such as Miami and Atlanta. The subsequent expansion helped turn Entenmann's into a nationally distributed brand. Entenmann's broadened its portfolio beyond its traditional cakes and pastries. Chocolate-chip cookies were introduced in 1972, while the company continued to promote long-running products such as its all-butter loaf cake. In the 2000s it added licensed and adjacent categories, including branded coffee and scented candles. A coffee licensing arrangement with Coffee Holding Company began in 2007 and ended in 2011. In 2012, Entenmann's partnered with White Coffee Corporation on flavored coffees and cocoa. The brand also licensed scented candles beginning in 2008, using fragrances inspired by products such as coffee cake, all-butter loaf cake, raspberry Danish, pumpkin pie, warm gingerbread, and chocolate-chip cookies. Ownership changed several times as the packaged-food industry consolidated. Warner-Lambert acquired Entenmann's in 1978, and General Foods acquired it in 1982. General Foods later merged with Kraft, whose bakery business was sold to CPC International, subsequently known as Bestfoods, in 1995. Unilever acquired Bestfoods in 2000 and sold its baking division to George Weston the following year. In 2008, George Weston sold its United States baking interests, including Entenmann's, to Grupo Bimbo. The brand is now part of Bimbo Bakeries USA, alongside other American bakery brands. In 2014, baking operations at the Bay Shore, New York, location were reported to be ending, while sales, distribution, and the outlet store were expected to continue. Entenmann's remains an active retail bakery brand, with its identity centered on co…

Entenmann's began in 1898, when William Entenmann opened a bakery on Rogers Avenue in Brooklyn after learning the baking trade from his father in Stuttgart, Germany. The operation later moved to Bay Shore on Long Island. In its early years, the business relied substantially on home delivery. By the time William Entenmann's son, William Jr., assumed leadership, the bakery had built about 30 delivery routes, giving it a strong local distribution network. William Jr. died in 1951, leaving the business to his wife Martha and their sons Robert, Charles, and William. The family changed the company's strategic direction by phasing out bread and concentrating on cakes, pastries, and related sweet baked goods. It also began supplying grocery stores instead of relying primarily on household delivery. This transition laid the foundation for Entenmann's later identity as a packaged bakery brand sold through supermarkets. The company developed a see-through cake box in 1959, allowing consumers and retailers to view the product without opening the package. During the 1960s, Entenmann's expanded its production capacity with facilities associated with Bay Shore, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Charles Entenmann contributed to the company's administrative and technical development, including automation of cake production and a computer-controlled system for delivering ingredients to mixing vats. A planned national expansion initially stalled around 1970. The company and its consultants concluded that its heavier New England-style products did not translate equally well into hot and humid test markets. Recipes were reformulated into lighter products for markets such as Miami and Atlanta. This adjustment preceded a successful national rollout. Entenmann's added chocolate-chip cookies in 1972 and continued to build a broad assortment around cakes, doughnuts, Danish pastries, pies, cookies, muffins, brownies, cereal bars, and smaller-serving desserts. The brand entered a period of repeated corporate ownership changes as the food industry consolidated. Warner-Lambert purchased Entenmann's in 1978. General Foods acquired it in 1982, and General Foods later combined with Kraft in 1990. Kraft General Foods sold its bakery business to CPC International in 1995; CPC later operated as Bestfoods. Unilever acquired Bestfoods in 2000 and sold its baking division to George Weston in 2001. George Weston sold its United States baking interests, including Entenmann's, to Grupo Bimbo in 2008. During the 2000s, Entenmann's extended its brand through licensing. Coffee products were introduced through an agreement with Coffee Holding Company in 2007, although that arrangement ended in 2011. The company licensed scented candles in 2008, with fragrances based on recognizable bakery products and seasonal flavors. In 2012, White Coffee Corporation became a partner for a new line of flavored coffees and cocoa. In March 2014, the Bay Shore facility's baking operations were reported to be ending. Sales, distribution, and the outlet store were expected to continue, indicating a shift in the local manufacturing role rather than the disappearance of the consumer brand. Under Grupo Bimbo and Bimbo Bakeries USA, Entenmann's continues to operate as a United States retail bakery brand centered on packaged sweet goods and broad supermarket availability.

• 2014

  Bay Shore baking operations reported to close

  [1]Entenmann'sen.wikipedia.org

  Reports said that baking operations at the Bay Shore facility would cease, while sales, distribution, and the outlet store would continue.

• 2012

  Flavored coffee and cocoa partnership

  [1]Entenmann'sen.wikipedia.org

  Entenmann's partnered with White Coffee Corporation on flavored coffees and cocoa for wider retail distribution.

• 2011

  Coffee Holding licensing arrangement ends

  [1]Entenmann'sen.wikipedia.org

  The earlier agreement for Entenmann's-branded coffee with Coffee Holding Company was terminated.

• 2008

  Grupo Bimbo acquires the United States baking interests

  [1]Entenmann'sen.wikipedia.org

  George Weston sold its United States baking interests, including Entenmann's, to Grupo Bimbo.

• 2008

  Scented candles licensed

  [1]Entenmann'sen.wikipedia.org

  Entenmann's entered a non-food licensing category with scented candles inspired by its baked goods.

• 2007

  Coffee licensing agreement begins

  [1]Entenmann'sen.wikipedia.org

  Coffee Holding Company received national rights to produce and sell Entenmann's-branded coffee under a three-year licensing arrangement.

• 2001

  Baking division sold to George Weston

  [1]Entenmann'sen.wikipedia.org

  Unilever sold its baking division to George Weston, a Canadian baked-goods and supermarket company.

• 2000

  Bestfoods acquired by Unilever

  [1]Entenmann'sen.wikipedia.org

  Unilever acquired Bestfoods, bringing Entenmann's into Unilever's ownership before the baking division was subsequently divested.

• 1995

  Bakery business sold to CPC International

  [1]Entenmann'sen.wikipedia.org

  Kraft General Foods sold its bakery business to CPC International, later known as Bestfoods.

• 1990

  General Foods merges with Kraft

  [1]Entenmann'sen.wikipedia.org

  Entenmann's became part of the Kraft General Foods corporate structure following the merger of General Foods and Kraft.

Showing the 10 most recent.

A mass-market American packaged-bakery brand positioned around familiar, indulgent, ready-to-serve cakes, pastries, cookies, doughnuts, and desserts. Its retail identity emphasizes product visibility, convenience, broad supermarket distribution, and consistent branded presentation.

• Packaged cakes

  Cakes and loaf cakes

  Cakes are central to Entenmann's identity and include dessert cakes, crumb cakes, and loaf cakes. The all-butter loaf cake is one of the brand's long-running offerings. Products are packaged for supermarket and other retail distribution and are designed to be purchased as ready-to-serve household desserts.

• Sweet bakery

  Doughnuts

  Entenmann's doughnuts form part of the brand's broad supermarket bakery assortment. They are sold as packaged sweet baked goods rather than primarily through company-operated doughnut shops, fitting the brand's convenience-oriented retail model.

• Cookies · 1972

  Chocolate Chip Cookies

  Introduced in 1972, chocolate-chip cookies expanded Entenmann's beyond cakes and pastries. They became a durable part of the portfolio and helped the brand compete in a broader packaged-dessert category.

• Pastries

  Danish pastries

  Danish pastries are part of Entenmann's traditional sweet-pastry range. The brand has also used raspberry Danish as an inspiration for related licensed products, including scented candles.

• Packaged bakery

  Pies and muffins

  Pies and muffins extend the brand's offering beyond cakes, cookies, and doughnuts. Both categories are suited to supermarket bakery displays and everyday household consumption.

• Portion-sized desserts

  Enten-minis and Little Bites

  Enten-minis and 100 Calorie Little Bites represented smaller-serving formats within the Entenmann's portfolio. The products adapted the brand's dessert positioning to portion-conscious and snack-oriented occasions.

• Licensed beverage products · 2007

  Branded coffee and cocoa

  Entenmann's-branded coffee was introduced through licensing, first with Coffee Holding Company and later through a partnership with White Coffee Corporation. The later collection included flavored coffees and cocoa made with 100% arabica coffee for mass-market and other retail channels.

• Licensed non-food merchandise · 2008

  Scented candles

  Beginning in 2008, Entenmann's licensed scented candles inspired by the aromas of coffee cake, all-butter loaf cake, raspberry Danish, pumpkin pie, warm gingerbread, and chocolate-chip cookies. The line extended the brand's sensory association with baked goods beyond edible products.

• 2014

  Bay Shore manufacturing operations changeStrategy

  Background

  Entenmann's reorganized the role of its long-standing Bay Shore, New York, site within its operating network.

  Action taken

  Baking operations at the location were reported to be ending, while sales, distribution, and the outlet store were expected to remain.

  Aftermath

  The change reduced the site's role as a manufacturing facility but did not indicate that the Entenmann's consumer brand was being discontinued.

  Source

• 2012

  Flavored coffee and cocoa partnershipProduct launch

  Background

  Following the earlier coffee licensing arrangement, Entenmann's continued to test beverage extensions tied to its bakery brand.

  Action taken

  The company partnered with White Coffee Corporation on flavored coffees and cocoa distributed through selected mass-market retailers, supermarkets, club stores, drug stores, food-service channels, and Entenmann's outlets.

  Aftermath

  The source describes the intended distribution expansion but does not provide later performance results.

  Source

• 2008

  Scented candle licensingProduct launch

  Background

  The brand explored merchandise that used the recognizable aromas of its baked goods without being edible.

  Action taken

  Entenmann's licensed scented candles based on several cake, pastry, cookie, and seasonal dessert fragrances.

  Aftermath

  The candle range expanded with additional seasonal scents and a spring chocolate-chip-cookie version.

  Source

• 2007

  Entry into branded coffeeProduct launch

  Background

  Entenmann's sought to extend its bakery identity into an adjacent beverage category.

  Action taken

  The company granted Coffee Holding Company national rights to produce and sell Entenmann's-branded coffee under a three-year licensing agreement.

  Aftermath

  The agreement was later terminated in 2011.

  Source

• 1970

  Reformulation to support national expansionStrategy

  Background

  An initial national expansion effort stalled because the company's heavier New England-style baked goods were not equally suited to warmer and more humid test markets.

  Action taken

  With assistance from Calle and Company product consultants, Entenmann's reformulated products into lighter offerings for markets such as Miami and Atlanta.

  Aftermath

  The reformulation was followed by a successful national expansion of the brand.

  Source

• 2014

  Bay Shore baking operations reported to be ending[1]Entenmann'sen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Reports indicated that baking operations at Entenmann's Bay Shore, New York, facility would cease, while sales, distribution, and the outlet store were expected to continue.

• 2012

  Entenmann's partners with White Coffee Corporation[1]Entenmann'sen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Entenmann's introduced a collection of flavored coffees and cocoa with White Coffee Corporation for retail distribution through outlets including Burlington Coat Factory, Dollar Tree, and Entenmann's stores.

• 2008

  Entenmann's licenses scented candle collection[1]Entenmann'sen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The brand entered a non-edible category with scented candles modeled on the aromas of several Entenmann's baked products and seasonal desserts.

• 2007

  Entenmann's expands beyond baked goods with branded coffee[1]Entenmann'sen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Entenmann's Products entered a three-year licensing arrangement giving Coffee Holding Company rights to produce and sell Entenmann's-branded coffee nationally.

1. 1Entenmann'sen.wikipedia.org