Flowers Foods history

In 1937 he purchased a bakery located in Tallahassee, Florida, initiating a growth-through-acquisition strategy that served the company for many years.

In 1942 Flowers Bakery joined the Quality Bakers of America, a baking industry cooperative.

1947: Bill Flowers's younger brother, Langdon S. Flowers, joins the company.

In 1959 the baking industry introduced batter-whipped bread.

In 1968 the company changed its name to Flowers Industries, Inc., and went public, trading shares on the OTC exchange.

Flowers's office staff had outgrown its small building in Thomasville, and in 1975 the company relocated its corporate headquarters to a new building on the outskirts of the city.

1976: Flowers enters the frozen food market with the acquisition of Stilwell Foods.

In 1982, the company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol FLO, and the following year was listed for the first time on the Fortune 500 list of the largest United States Industrial corporations, at number 470.

In 1983 Flowers introduced Cobblestone Mill, a premium brand of specialty breads, which soon developed into a diverse product line including sandwich buns and English muffins.

Not only did Flowers acquire Keebler in 1996, but the company also bought Mrs.

In 1997 Flowers bought Allied Bakery Products, a maker of frozen breads for the foodservice industry in the Northeast.

1998: Flowers becomes the majority shareholder of Keebler; Keebler goes public.

Smith's Bakeries were solved, 1999 earnings were negatively affected.

Keebler, which had proved to be a successful investment for Flowers, bought Austin Quality Foods, Inc., a maker of single-serve baked snacks, such as cracker sandwiches, in early 2000, again strengthening its cracker operations.

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