McKee Foods
Encyclopedia
McKee Foods Corporation is a privately held United States
company headquartered in Collegedale
, Tennessee
.
In 1956 the company opened a facility on the campus of Southern Adventist University
. Eventually all company operations would be situated in Collegedale.
Little Debbie products are primarily cookie
and cake
based dessert
snack
s. They come in dozens of varieties, including the top-selling Swiss Cake Rolls
, Nutty Bars
, Cosmic brownies
and Oatmeal
Creme Pies
. Little Debbie products are available in most discount, grocery, and convenience stores, both in boxes and individual wrappings.
The Little Debbie brand is better known than McKee Foods, its parent company. In the 1960s, company founders O.D. and Ruth McKee decided to name a product after one of their grandchildren - four-year-old Debbie. The original image of Debbie used on packaging and advertising was based on a black-and-white photo. Atlanta
artist Fred W. Hunt did the original color artwork based on a photo O.D. had in his pocket of Little Debbie with a pony
. In discussing what he wanted for a logo he pulled out her small photo and said, "Something like this." Minor changes were made to the logo in 1987.
The Little Debbie brand sponsored the Wood Brothers
#21 Ford Fusion for several years in the NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series, and switched to the #47 JTG Daugherty Racing
team in 2009 season
. From sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, the Little Debbie logos are covered or removed, and the crew wears non-Little Debbie attire as a condition of sponsorship because McKee Foods was founded and is run by owners who are Seventh Day Adventists
.
Sunbelt products include a variety of granola bars and cereals
. The Sunbelt brand pioneered the chewy granola bar.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
company headquartered in Collegedale
Collegedale, Tennessee
Collegedale is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 8,282 at the 2010 census. Collegedale is a suburb of Chattanooga and is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
History
McKee Foods began in 1934 in Chattanooga when O.D. McKee purchased Jack’s Cookie Company.In 1956 the company opened a facility on the campus of Southern Adventist University
Southern Adventist University
Southern Adventist University is a college in Collegedale, Tennessee, owned and operated by the Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. U.S. News & World Report categorizes it as a Southern Regional College, and the magazine has consistently ranked it as one of the top-tier schools in...
. Eventually all company operations would be situated in Collegedale.
Little Debbie
Cookie
In the United States and Canada, a cookie is a small, flat, baked treat, usually containing fat, flour, eggs and sugar. In most English-speaking countries outside North America, the most common word for this is biscuit; in many regions both terms are used, while in others the two words have...
and cake
Cake
Cake is a form of bread or bread-like food. In its modern forms, it is typically a sweet and enriched baked dessert. In its oldest forms, cakes were normally fried breads or cheesecakes, and normally had a disk shape...
based dessert
Dessert
In cultures around the world, dessert is a course that typically comes at the end of a meal, usually consisting of sweet food. The word comes from the French language as dessert and this from Old French desservir, "to clear the table" and "to serve." Common Western desserts include cakes, biscuits,...
snack
Snack
A snack is a small portion of food eaten between meals. The food might be snack food—items like potato chips or baby carrots—but could also simply be a smaller amount of any food item.-Snacks and health:...
s. They come in dozens of varieties, including the top-selling Swiss Cake Rolls
Swiss roll
A Swiss roll or jelly roll is a type of sponge cake roll. The thin cake is made of eggs, flour and sugar and baked in a very shallow rectangular baking tray, called a sheet pan. The cake is removed from the pan and spread with jam or buttercream, rolled up, and served in circular slices.The...
, Nutty Bars
Nutty bars
Nutty Bars in the United States are a snack manufactured by McKee Foods under the brand title of Little Debbie. The snack consists of four wafers sandwiched together in a peanut butter mixture and covered in chocolate. The packages usually come in packs of 2. The big pack comes in 12 servings while...
, Cosmic brownies
Cosmic brownies
Cosmic Brownies are a confection created by the Little Debbie company. Cosmic brownies are made of a chewy fudge and topped with multi-colored, candy-coated chocolate chips. Each individually wrapped brownie is made with a seam down the center for splitting in half with the exception of 12-packs...
and Oatmeal
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is ground oat groats , or a porridge made from oats . Oatmeal can also be ground oat, steel-cut oats, crushed oats, or rolled oats....
Creme Pies
Cream pie
A cream pie is a type of pie filled with a rich custard or pudding that is made from milk, cream, flour, and eggs. It can come in many forms, including vanilla, lemon, lime, peanut butter, banana, coconut, and chocolate. A constant feature of all cream pies is the whipped cream topping...
. Little Debbie products are available in most discount, grocery, and convenience stores, both in boxes and individual wrappings.
The Little Debbie brand is better known than McKee Foods, its parent company. In the 1960s, company founders O.D. and Ruth McKee decided to name a product after one of their grandchildren - four-year-old Debbie. The original image of Debbie used on packaging and advertising was based on a black-and-white photo. Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
artist Fred W. Hunt did the original color artwork based on a photo O.D. had in his pocket of Little Debbie with a pony
Pony
A pony is a small horse . Depending on context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. There are many different breeds...
. In discussing what he wanted for a logo he pulled out her small photo and said, "Something like this." Minor changes were made to the logo in 1987.
The Little Debbie brand sponsored the Wood Brothers
Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing is an American auto racing team that competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Series. The team was formed in 1950 by the sons of Walter and Ada Wood, thus the Wood Brothers...
#21 Ford Fusion for several years in the NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Sprint Cup Series, and switched to the #47 JTG Daugherty Racing
JTG Daugherty Racing
JTG Daugherty Racing is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owned by former advertising executive Tad Geschickter and his wife Jodi, along with current ESPN analyst Brad Daugherty...
team in 2009 season
2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was the 61st season of professional stock car racing in the United States, which began at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, with the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, a race for the top six teams of the four brands in the 2008...
. From sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, the Little Debbie logos are covered or removed, and the crew wears non-Little Debbie attire as a condition of sponsorship because McKee Foods was founded and is run by owners who are Seventh Day Adventists
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
.
Sunbelt
Breakfast cereal
A breakfast cereal is a food made from processed grains that is often, but not always, eaten with the first meal of the day. It is often eaten cold, usually mixed with milk , water, or yogurt, and sometimes fruit but sometimes eaten dry. Some cereals, such as oatmeal, may be served hot as porridge...
. The Sunbelt brand pioneered the chewy granola bar.