Tastykake
 | |
| Company type | Public (Nasdaq: TSTY) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food processing |
| Founded | 1914 |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA |
Area served | Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States |
Key people | Charles P. Pizzi, president and CEO |
| Products | Krimpets, Kandy Kakes, Pies, KoffeeKakes |
| Website | www.tastykake.com |
Tastykake is the brandname for a line of snack foods manufactured by the Tasty Baking Company (Nasdaq: TSTY) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in 1914 by Philip J. Baur and Herbert T. Morris and originally selling its product only in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the company now distributes its products in several states on the East Coast.
Varieties
The snack sized, prepackaged desserts are diverse in type and taste. Some of the varieties that have been available for at least the past fifty years include the "KoffeeKake" (commonly known as "crumb cake"), "Chocolate Cupcakes" (chocolate cake with chocolate icing), "Tasty Pies" (available in Apple, Banana Cream, Blueberry, Cherry, Coconut Cream, French Apple, Lemon, Mince (seasonal), Peach, Pumpkin (seasonal), Strawberry (seasonal), Tasty-Klair (usually not sold during the summer months due to the chocolate coating on top), Pineapple (seasonal), Pineapple-Cheese (seasonal), Strawberry-Rhubarb (seasonal), and their newest additions: Tasty Grahams Vanilla Pudding, and Tasty Grahams Chocolate Pudding), "Kandy Kakes" (originally called "Tandy Kakes," consisting of white cake and peanut butter enrobed in milk chocolate) and "Krimpets" (butterscotch-iced or jelly-filled cakes, with a peanut butter-and-jelly variety introduced in 2007). There are also "Juniors" (mini layer cakes with icing between 2 layers) in chocolate, coconut, pound cake, coffee cake, lemon, and orange varieties (note: Wawa Food Markets claims the lemon and orange Juniors are exclusive to their stores.)
Product History
- 1917 - Chocolate Juniors
- 1927 - Butterscotch Krimpets
- 1930s - Tasty Pies, Apple first. Peach, Lemon, Blueberry followed.
- 1930s - Tandy Takes (now called Kandy Kakes), Peanut Butter first
- 1985 - Donuts
Comfort food
Along with cheesesteaks and soft pretzels, Tastykakes are popular among all of the ethnic groups found in Philadelphia. Tastykakes have become a "comfort food" for many Philadelphians; those who have moved to a location where Tastykakes are not available consider a gift of Tastykakes something to be shared with close family and friends, or possibly to be hoarded and saved for a special occasion. They can now also be bought directly from the company website via mail order in a limited selection of case-sized lots and gift packs. [1]
Production Facilities
Tasty Baking owns and operates its major production facility in the Nicetown neighborhood of Philadelphia, near Wayne Junction. A second, smaller facility is located just north of Oxford, Pennsylvania in Chester County.
In the late 1960s, there was a boycott against Tastykake by many African-Americans, led by Philadelphia minister Leon Howard Sullivan. At that time Tastykake would not hire African-Americans except in menial positions, and Sullivan said that if his people could not work at the company there was no reason why they should buy its products. Tastykake soon changed its position and the boycott was ended.[citation needed]
Tasty Baking released a report that it might close down its Philadelphia facility and either rebuild within the city or move to the Oxford facility or elsewhere. Controversy from this report was fueled as the company sold parcels of land to a group of investors led by real estate developer Donald Trump and former Philadelphia 76ers president Pat Croce for construction of a possible slot machine parlor. Pennsylvania legalized slot machine gambling in 2004.
Local members of Philadelphia's City Council and Mayor John F. Street joined grassroots efforts to keep Tasty Baking in the city of Philadelphia itself, even if the company decided to build a new facility either along the Delaware Waterfront or in Northeast Philadelphia.
In May 2007, Tasty Baking Company announced a decision to move its offices and production site to the former Philadelphia Navy Yard in South Philadelphia.
Background
Tastykake has been a long time sponsor of the Philadelphia Phillies broadcasts. Hall of Fame announcer Harry Kalas (2002 Ford C. Frick Award winner) always makes sure to announce that a box of fresh Tastykakes has been delivered to the booth during an inning break.
Tastykake was also a sponsor of the Philadelphia Flyers hockey broadcasts. During the Stanley Cup years of the mid-1970's, the goal call of the late Hall of Fame announcer Gene Hart was, "He shoots, he scores - for a case of Tastykakes!" A case of Tastykakes was awarded to each Flyers player who scored a goal. In the early 2000s, a case of Tastykake was awarded to the first Flyers player to score a goal in each game.
Marvin Harrison of the Indianapolis Colts has five boxes of Tastykakes shipped from Philadelphia to Indianapolis weekly.
Author Janet Evanovich features Tastykakes in her Stephanie Plum mystery novels, which are set in Trenton, New Jersey.
On Bastille Day, a woman dressed as Marie Antoinette throws approximately 2,000 Tastykakes from a tower of the Eastern State Penitentiary to the audience below, while shouting, "Let them eat Tastykake!"[2]
Tastykake's commercial jingle, which has been used for decades, is, "Nobody bakes a cake as tasty as a Tastykake".