# No more Twinkies for you!



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Hostess in the US..is in financial trouble, with the labour unions (several) not complying to accept
reduced wages, has decided to throw in the towel and declare bankrutpcy and liquidate it's
assets. Over 18,000 employees have now lost their jobs. 

Better run out and buy up any remaining Twinkies before they are all gone. Of course, somebody
will step in an buy the famous brands from the company, so the shortage may be short lived. 



> Hostess’ advisers will soon begin to shut down the company’s 33 bakeries and 565 distribution centers. The vast majority of its 18,500 employees will be laid off, according to the company.
> 
> The liquidation may not mean the end of Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Wonder Bread. Such sweet treats could find new life under a different owner, once the company begins an auction of its brands and assets.


I guess, this story is yet another blow against the unions not wanting to budget in today's economic reality.
Rather than accept a pay cut, they are willing to be out of a job.


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## KaeJS (Sep 28, 2010)

carverman said:


> Rather than accept a pay cut, they are willing to be out of a job.


Good. Maybe some other unions can take note.


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## Mall Guy (Sep 14, 2011)

well, you can buy a couple of cartons of them, last you the next 30 years !

_"I think we've all heard the rumor that a Twinkie will last longer than the plastic it's packaged in, or that the Hostess over-produced the little cakes in the '80s and have been selling that original batch in new packaging ever since."_

http://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2012/11/16/29310/how-long-is-the-shelf-life-of-a-twinkie/


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## Argonaut (Dec 7, 2010)

It has been said that the only things left after Armaggedon would be cockroaches and Twinkies. No longer! The Mayans were right, 2013, the end times are upon us!


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

Hedge funds owned it.

Hedge funds closed it.

Vulture capital...........not some bakers wanting a few more dollars in salary.


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## Echo (Apr 1, 2011)

The twinkie is still alive and well in Canada - http://www.geekosystem.com/canadian-twinkies/


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

sags said:


> Hedge funds owned it.
> 
> Hedge funds closed it.
> 
> Vulture capital...........not some bakers wanting a few more dollars in salary.


Some reports indicated the parent company (Hostess) has been in financial trouble for quite some time and had filed for chapter 11. Benefits and pension fund were some of the companies liabilities. Changing times, and even if they still baked bread, the market for their sweet cakes was dropping off due to competition and changing life styles where people wanted to eat healthier. They wanted the unions to accept a pay cut...to keep them going a bit longer, probably not for long anyway.

When the unions refused..they just closed the doors..similar to what happened
in London a while ago, earlier this year,when Locomotive owned by Caterpillar did the same thing. 

This may be a sign of things to come for the unions everywhere.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Echo said:


> The twinkie is still alive and well in Canada - http://www.geekosystem.com/canadian-twinkies/


It seems that Saputo that "owns" the brand in Canada is making them under license with Hostess. 
The interesting thing will be whether that license allows them to continue making Twinkies (and other sweet treats) even if the assets and brands are sold to the highest bidder in the US. If their license (to make Twinkies survives the dismantling and selling off of the Hostess brands), Canada may just have another export to the US to improve our balance of trade..but it all depends on the
licensing agreement.

I would think that if Weston has the license for Wonder Bread, it should be still be available here
for a long time.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)




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## sags (May 15, 2010)

Well done......mode.......lol

People blame the unions..........but I read that banks are planning to lay off thousands. They don't have unions, so I doubt union or non union matters much in today's world.

It just isn't a good time to be regular Joe............


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

Why does Hostess need 18,000 workers to produce Twinkies in this time and age? Hope Vachon stays around for awhile - love their snacks. each:


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)

Beaver101 said:


> Hope Vachon stays around for awhile - love their snacks. each:










:rolleyes2:


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

That's why I also own RSI stocks, win-win. :encouragement: :biggrin:


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> Why does Hostess need 18,000 workers to produce Twinkies in this time and age?


Good question "Beav". 
Maybe this Hostess FAQ will help to answer that....by the way, don't bother with applying for a career with them right now.:biggrin:

Weston Bakeries employ 6000 across 40 bakeries/distribution points in NA.

http://www.hostessbrands.com/FAQ/CorporationRelated.aspx

With 33 bakeries coast to coast in the US... (don't forget they bake Wonderbread too, not just twinkies and ding dongs etc). They have a lot of brands in the US, some that we haven't
even seen here in Canada. 
If you use the example of 300 employees per bakery (such as the one in Seattle), that's 9,900 employes just in the 33 bakery operations from coast to coast. These are HUGE operations! 

Seems like a lot just for baked goods, and there would be some assembly line production in these as well..

ok, now what about the other 9,000 employees?

Lets just guestimate....
1 to 4 (and maybe more) trucks and drivers for each major area ..that's about 6,000 delivery.warehouse/truck drivers or about 1/3 of their employees don't bake anything..they just deliver the baked goods.

That leaves about 3,000 employees for administration, payroll, office work and one CEO.

So about 1/6 are non production workers who don't bake the bread/cakes/twinkies.

No "Wonder"..pardon the pun, they are in financial trouble. 

Probably they are a bit "top heavy" in the number of employees/benefits. I would think,
but still it's a very bad life situation for the rank and file in today's economy.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

Hold the presses..........the Twinkie may be saved............

A US Federal Judge is meeting with the company and union to see if they can work out an agreement.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

Hope it's the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union; the only holdout to the deal proposed by the board. There are 12 separate unions at Hostess (and 40 separate pension plans). Good Fortune article from the summer on Hostess and bankruptcy; here are the details of the (rejected) final offer from Hostess to the unions: http://hostessbrands.info/


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

Would the employees own 25% of the real estate and assets to cover their share of the debt?

_The offer to the BCTGM included *wage, benefit and work rule concessions* but also gave Hostess Brands’ 12 unions a 25 percent ownership stake in the company, representation on its Board of Directors and* $100 million in reorganized Hostess Brands’ debt.*_


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

That's the offer that was rejected. Note 1: it would have made the employees' ownership position in the reorganized corporation likely the largest in the world. Plus $100M in bond (debt), and that was their *initial* offer (not the final offer). Note 2: most of the unions (I think all but the BCTGM) ratified the deal. The Teamsters crossed the BCTGM picket line at Hostess.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

MoneyGal said:


> There are 12 separate unions at Hostess (and 40 separate pension plans).


Good grief! No "wonder" (er..pardon the pun) they are not getting unanimous agreement on any offer! 
40 separate pension plans? That must be a administration nightmare. 

Speaking of Hostess..I remember their brand of potato chips here years ago. I think Frito-Lays bought out the brands.
Hostess made really tasty potato chips...in those 5c bags we used to give to kids at Halloween...many years ago, in the 70s. 
The potato chips were not connected with the Hostess baking empire in the US....I wonder how they managed to market
chips under that name here though. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostess_Potato_Chips


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Well it's official according to the news this morning..Hostess could not reach agreement with the union holding out on their offer, so the dismantling is starting. 



> But if Hostess, the brand behind the Twinkie, really does succumb to liquidation, which would spell the end of this iconic plastic-wrapped pastry, one group will be cheering its demise: those who view the Twinkie as a mortal threat to the American body -- a body whose dimensions have been expanding dangerously.
> 
> "The Twinkie embodies virtually everything wrong with the food supply," Dr. David Ludwig, director of the obesity program at the Boston Children's Hospital, told the Huffington Post.


Millions of American children will be reaching out fruitlessly looking for their favorite snack at snack counters, an iconic snack for children sitting in front of the TV playing video games...and computer programmers that sit for hours and hours in front of their computers writing programs depending
on the vending machine snack for sustenance. 

..thanks to the unions..now over 18,000 people will hit the unemployed ranks.:rolleyes2:
and millions of children will be deprived of them in their lunch boxes..
yes... something is definitely wrong in America these days.


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## Sampson (Apr 3, 2009)

carverman said:


> Millions of American children will be reaching out fruitlessly looking for their favorite snack at snack counters, an iconic snack for children sitting in front of the TV playing video games...


This is a good thing no? Maybe one of those children will replace their favorite yellow snack with a banana or something.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

Might work for the kids but not so much for junk-food-adult-addicts. :biggrin: Sad for those American workers and yet too bad for the unions. This might be beneficial to the Canadian producers though.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

I wouldn't know that I would consider those items ever really food really, so it might not be a bad thing from a health stand point. 

I am sure some american will complain that the Canadian versions do not taste the same as the US (which they don't).


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

Plugging Along said:


> ... I am sure some american will complain that the Canadian versions do not taste the same as the US (which they don't).


 ... they can complain all they want but do they have a choice if they want a real "Twinkie" or anything close to that.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Plugging Along said:


> I am sure some american will complain that the Canadian versions do not taste the same as the US (*which they don't*).


How was that conclusion arrived at P.A.?

Hostess (US Version)


> Enriched wheat flour, sugar, corn syrup, niacin, water, high fructose corn syrup, vegetable and/or animal shortening – containing one or more of partially hydrogenated soybean, cottonseed and canola oil, and beef fat, dextrose, whole eggs, modified corn starch, cellulose gum, whey, leavenings (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, monocalcium phosphate), salt, cornstarch, corn flour, corn syrup, solids, mono and diglycerides, soy lecithin, polysorbate 60, dextrin, calcium caseinate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, wheat gluten, calcium sulphate, natural and artificial flavors, caramel color, yellow No. 5, red #40.[10]



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKWtt5Xs-AY&feature=related

deep fried twinkies..no wonder there is a serious obesity problem in the US!


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## Argonaut (Dec 7, 2010)

Is it just me, or are Twinkies super rare here and not really in our culture? Maybe it's a west coast thing. Never ate a Twinkie I don't think.


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)




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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

Argonaut said:


> Is it just me, or are Twinkies super rare here and not really in our culture? Maybe it's a west coast thing. Never ate a Twinkie I don't think.


 ... not rare here - you can still find them in some supermarkets/convenience stores. I'm not a fan of Twinkies but a fan of Vachon snacks which is *Made in Canada*.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

carverman said:


> How was that conclusion arrived at P.A.?


I believe it, a lot of stuff tastes different to me in the States. Heinz ketchup for example looks and tastes different. Common pop and chocolate bars can also be different, as well as the fast foods.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> ... not rare here - you can still find them in some supermarkets/convenience stores. I'm not a fan of Twinkies but a fan of Vachon snacks which is *Made in Canada*.


My local grocery store sells Vachon mostly..they did sell "Lil Debbie" for a while which had a
similar product to twinkies..called "cloud cakes'. 
http://www.littledebbie.com/

My favorite Vachon is the Miami. Coconut covered small cakes...I could eat a ton of those!
http://www.vachon.com/en/pastries/small-cakes/#brownies

*November 23: Carver is having a Snack Attack! *
TWhen I went shopping at my local Freshco..I went by the snack cake isle...it's so hard to
resist folks..and I have been a good boy..so I decided to treat myself..I picked up a box of
Vachon "Miami's"..right next to a big gap of where there was one package of Twinkies
with the Hostess heart logo on it. I was tempted...to get one and deep fry it to see
what the hype was about..but my other sense kicked in..so I didn`t.....:indecisiveness:

now I will never know what made these sell so quickly. especially after the recent announcement of
the US company closing. 

Sigh! P.A...if you have any left, please send one to me.:biggrin:


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

Beaver101 said:


> ... they can complain all they want but do they have a choice if they want a real "Twinkie" or anything close to that.


True... I actually had a 



carverman said:


> How was that conclusion arrived at P.A.?
> 
> Hostess (US Version)
> 
> ...


I almost don't want to answer... but a friend who loves twinkies and junky stuff like that moved to the US and said they weren't the same. I didn't believe him, so he asked me to bring some, and we actually had a twinkies testing party. It wasn't scientific or anything, but there were a couple of differences in the ingrediants too, and it was a little different. We also did deep fry them and prepare them different ways. We ran several controlled tests, and tried to account for different variables. It was a a fun, but weird way to spend an afternoon. We were all pretty sick but did all conclude they were a different. 

I learned I like fried twinkies (either canadian or us) with spinkled icing sugar, with a strawberry syrup and cool whip.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Plugging Along said:


> True... I actually had a
> 
> 
> *We were all pretty sick *but did all conclude they were a different.
> ...


So you went on a chlolesterol binge...with a sugar high?


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

The title of this thread is flaky [not the Vachon Flakie]. :biggrin:

I prefer home-made delicious/harmless/fruity/low calorie desserts, like an English Trifle!

2 die 4!.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Toronto.gal said:


> The title of this thread is flaky [not the Vachon Flakie]. :biggrin:


Yum! ^ . Just reporting the facts on Hostess' addictive creation, Ma'am. :biggrin-new:

Now..have you actually tried deep frying yours to enhance the flavour?


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