Mrs. Smith's
An American frozen-dessert brand best known for packaged frozen pies.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Mrs. Smith's is an American frozen-dessert brand whose principal identity is built around packaged frozen pies. Its origins trace to Amanda Smith, a homemaker in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, whose deep-dish fruit pies became popular locally through family-led sales. Her son Robert P. Smith initially sold slices door-to-door and at the local YMCA lunch counter, later expanding the business through a mobile sales route and a small retail store. Growing demand led to the incorporation of Mrs. Smith's Delicious Home Made Pies, Inc. in 1925. The business expanded beyond its Pottstown base during the late 1920s. By 1930, four bakeries served customers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, including facilities in York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Silver Spring, Maryland; and Portsmouth, Virginia. This regional bakery network established the brand as a substantial producer of commercially distributed pies before the rise of its frozen-food business. Mrs. Smith's entered frozen-pie production in 1952, five years after Amanda Smith's death. Freezing broadened the brand's distribution and made its baked desserts suitable for supermarket retail and home preparation. The product portfolio has been associated primarily with fruit pies, including apple and cherry varieties, along with other frozen pie and dessert offerings. The brand's positioning is mainstream and convenience-oriented: it offers familiar American desserts in a packaged frozen format rather than competing chiefly as a premium patisserie or restaurant product. The company became publicly traded in May 1972, during a period when the Smith family still held an important role in management. Amanda Smith's grandson, Robert C. Smith, held several executive positions and became president in 1972. Four years later, Kellogg Company acquired Mrs. Smith's Pies for $56 million. The business subsequently moved through several corporate owners as large food companies reorganized their bakery portfolios. Kellogg sold its bakery division to The J.M. Smucker Co. in 1994; Smucker later sold the business to Flowers Foods in 1996 after a proposed transaction with ConAgra did not proceed. Schwan Food Company acquired the brand in 2003. Pottstown remained closely associated with Mrs. Smith's throughout much of the twentieth century. The local plant was a major employer and community landmark, but the pie-production facility closed in 1998. Production was relocated to Stilwell, Oklahoma. The former Pottstown site was later redeveloped, while part of the property was reported to remain connected to the brand through manufacture of Mrs. Smith's pie tins. Mrs. Smith's is therefore notable both as a long-running American frozen-pie label and as a business whose history illustrates the consolidation of regional bakeries into larger packaged-food groups.
History
Mrs. Smith's developed from a family pie business in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Amanda Smith made deep-dish, fruit-filled pies at home, and her son Robert P. Smith helped commercialize them by selling slices door-to-door and through a local YMCA lunch counter. A mobile route and small store followed, and the demand for the products led to the formation of Mrs. Smith's Delicious Home Made Pies, Inc. in 1925. The company expanded regionally during the 1920s. By 1930, four bakeries operated in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic area, including locations in York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Silver Spring, Maryland, and Portsmouth, Virginia. This network made Mrs. Smith's an established regional bakery business before it entered frozen foods. Frozen-pie production began in 1952, five years after Amanda Smith's death. The shift helped transform the company from a regional bakery into a packaged frozen-dessert supplier. Robert C. Smith, Amanda's grandson, held several management positions and became president in 1972. The company also went public that year. Ownership changed repeatedly as the bakery industry consolidated. Kellogg acquired Mrs. Smith's Pies in 1976 for a reported $56 million. In 1994, Kellogg sold its bakery division to The J.M. Smucker Co. for a reported $84 million. Smucker sold the Mrs. Smith's business to Flowers Foods in May 1996 after a proposed transaction involving ConAgra failed to proceed. Schwan Food Company acquired the brand in 2003. The Pottstown plant was a major local employer and landmark for much of the twentieth century. Its pie facility closed in 1998, after which production moved to Stilwell, Oklahoma. The main pie plant was later demolished for residential redevelopment. The Pottstown site continued to have an association with the brand through reported production of Mrs. Smith's pie tins.
- 2003
Acquired by Schwan Food Company
[1]Schwan Food Company purchased the Mrs. Smith's brand.
- 1998
Pottstown pie facility closed
[1]Pie production left the historic Pottstown facility and moved to Stilwell, Oklahoma.
- 1996
Sold to Flowers Foods
[1]Flowers Foods acquired the business from Smucker in May.
- 1994
Bakery division sold to J.M. Smucker
[1]J.M. Smucker acquired Kellogg's bakery division, including the Mrs. Smith's business.
- 1976
Acquired by Kellogg
[1]Kellogg Company purchased Mrs. Smith's Pies for a reported $56 million.
- 1972
Public listing and family leadership transition
[1]The company went public in May, and Robert C. Smith became president.
- 1952
Frozen pies introduced
[1]The company began producing frozen pies, expanding the brand's retail and distribution model.
- 1930
Regional bakery network established
[1]Four Mrs. Smith's bakeries were serving the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
- 1925
Company incorporated
[1]Demand for Amanda Smith's homemade pies led to the formation of Mrs. Smith's Delicious Home Made Pies, Inc.
Products and positioning
Mainstream, convenient frozen desserts for home preparation, with a heritage in American-style fruit pies.
Frozen dessert · 1952
Frozen fruit pies
Frozen fruit pies are the brand's defining product line. The heritage of the business is tied to Amanda Smith's deep-dish fruit pies, and the later frozen format allowed familiar American pie styles to be distributed through supermarkets for preparation and serving at home. Apple and cherry are identified with the brand's best-known offerings.
Frozen fruit pie
Apple pie
Apple pie is one of the flagship varieties associated with Mrs. Smith's. It represents the brand's mainstream frozen-dessert proposition: a recognizable baked dessert supplied in a convenient packaged format for household preparation.
Frozen fruit pie
Cherry pie
Cherry pie is another signature fruit-pie offering associated with Mrs. Smith's. Like the apple variety, it connects the brand's commercial frozen range with its earlier reputation for fruit-filled, deep-dish pies.
Frozen dessert
Frozen cakes and other desserts
The brand has also been described as producing frozen cakes and other dessert products in addition to pies. Available assortment and current product status are not fully documented in the supplied reference material.
Brand decisions
1998
Relocation of pie productionStrategyBackground
The historic Pottstown pie facility was closed after decades as an important local employer.
Action taken
Production was relocated to Stilwell, Oklahoma.
Aftermath
The Pottstown production plant was later demolished for residential redevelopment, while the site retained an association with Mrs. Smith's through reported pie-tin manufacturing.
1976
Sale to Kellogg CompanyM&ABackground
After becoming publicly traded in 1972, the company became part of the larger packaged-food sector.
Action taken
Kellogg acquired Mrs. Smith's Pies for a reported $56 million.
Aftermath
The brand entered a sequence of ownership changes involving major food companies.
Acquisition price. 56000000 USD (1976)
1952
Move into frozen piesProduct launchBackground
The company had developed from a regional bakery operation and sought a format that could support broader distribution and household preparation.
Action taken
Mrs. Smith's began manufacturing frozen pies.
Aftermath
Frozen pies became the central product identity of the brand.
Recent events
- 2003
Schwan Food Company purchases Mrs. Smith's[1]
M&A
Schwan Food Company acquired the Mrs. Smith's brand from Flowers Foods.
- 1998
Production moves from Pottstown to Stilwell[1]
Other
Following closure of the Pottstown pie facility, production was relocated to Stilwell, Oklahoma.
- 1996
Flowers Foods acquires Mrs. Smith's business[1]
M&A
Smucker sold the business to Flowers Foods in May after a proposed sale to ConAgra failed to close.
- 1994
J.M. Smucker acquires Kellogg's bakery division[1]
M&A
Mrs. Smith's moved into J.M. Smucker's portfolio when Smucker purchased Kellogg's bakery division for a reported $84 million.
- 1976
Kellogg acquires Mrs. Smith's Pies[1]
M&A
Kellogg Company purchased Mrs. Smith's Pies in a transaction reported at $56 million.
- 1972
Mrs. Smith's Pies becomes publicly traded[1]
Other · Leadership change
The company went public in May, while Robert C. Smith became president.
- 1952
Mrs. Smith's begins frozen-pie production[1]
Product generation
The company expanded from bakery production into frozen pies, establishing the product format that became central to the brand.
Sources1 sources
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