Good bye, Twinkie – Hostess Brands liquidates

IRVING, TEXAS
November 16, 2012 5:42am

The maker of Twinkies, Ding Dongs, HoHos and Wonder Bread is liquidating.

Hostess Brands Inc. of Irving, Texas, says it has filed for bankruptcy liquidation because workers, members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Union, struck its plants, including one in Sacramento.

About 18,500 workers will lose their jobs.

Financially troubled Hostess had filed for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in January. But when its workers walked out, it decided to convert the filing to a Chapter 7 liquidation.

The company has 32 bakeries in addition to the one in Sacramento, and more than 500 distribution centers across the country.

The company traced its roots to the Great Depression and the 1930 founding of Interstate Bakeries Corp. At one point, it was the nation’s largest wholesale bakery. Among its first products was the Twinkie, a hand-size shortcake with a cream filling.