Hostess Reports Record Demand for Twinkies, Other Cakes

Twinkies and other cakes from Hostess Brands are flying off the shelves since going back on sale Monday, with the bakery reporting sales that are seven times greater than historic levels.

After an eight-month hiatus, the bakery officially made its comeback this week amid much fanfare and a large-scale marketing blitz.

So far, record demand has sales coming in at three to six times greater than production capacity, the company said, even though factories are operating at maximum levels.

Hostess also noted that “numerous” retailers said the bakery’s products sold out within hours of being displayed. For the first two weeks of its comeback, Hostess expects 50 million Twinkies and 35 million CupCakes to be on store shelves, while new orders have been placed for another 100 million units of just those two cakes.

“We knew this comeback would be historic and interest would be significant. But the demand has far outpaced even our most ambitious projections,” Hostess President Rich Seban said in a statement. “We are running our bakeries at their fullest capacity and are doing everything possible to make sure we are fulfilling orders to our retail partners as quickly as possible so they can replenish their shelves for eager consumers.”

Seban also asked consumers to be patient, assuring them that Hostess is working to resupply its customers as soon as possible.

The initial product line being made at Hostess’s four factories in Kansas, Illinois, Indiana and Georgia includes Twinkies, CupCakes, DingDongs, Donettes, HoHos, Zingers, fruit pies and mini muffins. Hostess said customers may not find all of the products at all stores right away.

Former Hostess brand Drake’s, now in the hands of Little Debbie maker McKee Foods, is also nearing a comeback. Drake’s, whose products include Devil Dogs, Yodels, Ring Dings and Coffee Cakes, expects its cakes to hit store shelves later this summer or early in the fall.