Sunbeam Bread
Sunbeam Bread is a franchised brand of white bread, rolls, and other baked goods owned by the Quality Bakers of America cooperative.[1] The bread products are produced and distributed by regional bakeries.
History
The brand was launched in 1942 and was first marketed in New Bedford, Massachusetts.[2] Annual sales of the branded bread products exceed $400 million.[citation needed]
Little Miss Sunbeam
Sunbeam's long-time mascot is called Little Miss Sunbeam. In 1942, illustrator Ellen Barbara Segner was commissioned by the Quality Bakers of America to create a marketing symbol of a young child. Over six months she submitted hundreds of sketches before coming across the girl who would become the first Miss Sunbeam in Southern Indiana.[3] The image of the holiday Little Miss Sunbeam first appeared on a billboard in the 1950s. Flowers Foods, the largest distributor of Sunbeam bread, has used this image of Little Miss Sunbeam on billboards and bread bags during the holiday season, in their Sunbeam markets, since 2001. US soldiers in Vietnam would state that they were members of the "Little Miss Sunbeam Club," as they had no wounds as declared in the "batter-whipped" bread's promotional claim of "no holes" ensuring freshness and firmness.
Licensees
- Aunt Millie’s
- Bimbo Bakeries USA
- Flowers Foods
- Lewis Bakeries[4]
- Schmidt Baking Company
- Wolf Bakeries
See also
References
- ^ Sunbeam Truck. New Georgia Encyclopedia.
- ^ "Little Miss Sunbeam Story – Quality Bakers of America". Qba.com. Retrieved 2018-02-10.
- ^ Miss Sunbeam Nationally Famous Trademark. The Modesto Bee. 19 April 1962.
- ^ "Lewis Bakeries". 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2016.