MEDIA

Sliced Bread Turns Eighty
Wonder^® Bread, the World’s First Sliced Bread,
Celebrates Eighty Years in a Hi-Flyin’ Way  

KANSAS CITY , Mo. , January 31, 2005 – Eighty years ago this summer, Taggart Baking Company vice president Elmer Kline was facing a problem. Charged with naming Taggart Baking’s new loaf of bread, he was out of good ideas. Searching for answers as he strolled the grounds of the Indianapolis Speedway, he looked to the sky and saw several colorful hot air balloons. Struck with a sense of “wonder,” his problem was solved and Wonder Bread was born.

Eighty years later, Wonder is celebrating its birthday with the launch of the Wonder Bread Hot Air Balloon. The 105,000 cubic-foot balloon is inspired by Wonder Bread’s famous packaging and was created to honor the heritage of Wonder’s name.

“The Wonder balloon is a testament to our history,” said Stan Osman, vice president for Interstate Brands Corporation. “The Wonder name is directly related to ballooning, and our packaging has featured the balloon design over our entire eighty-year history. We’re delighted to share the joy of our birthday with America by taking this balloon across the country this summer as we thank our customers for 80 wonderful years.”

The history Wonder Bread is celebrating is rich indeed. Besides being the first sliced bread, Wonder Bread helped pioneer bread fortification (adding healthy, valuable nutrients to bread), which helped lead to the eradication of the diseases beriberi and pellagra. Wonder bakers also revolutionized the baking process and was first to bake bread with virtually no holes.

Hostess Brands, through its operating subsidiary, Interstate Brands Corporation, is the nation’s largest wholesale baking company with over $3.5 billion in annual sales and 67 bread and cake bakeries located from coast-to-coast. The company is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.

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