The History of Wonder Bread
Wonder Bread is a brand of bread made in the United States that is famous for its nutrition, with additional bakeries in Canada and Mexico. The name "Wonder Bread" is also used to refer to the company responsible for making the bread, as well as other products.
Origin
Wonder Bread came into existence in 1921, when Elmer Cline drew inspiration from seeing a multitude of balloons floating in the sky at the International Balloon Race held at the Indianapolis Speedway. As vice president of the Taggert Baking Company, based in Indianapolis, he was looking for a name to call the 1.5-pound loaf of soft white bread the company had started to make, and the sight of the balloon colors gave him a sense of "wonder." Thus Wonder Bread was born.
Growth
By 1930, the company--now called the Continental Baking Company--was making and selling pre-packaged, pre-sliced bread, the first of its kind in North America. This inspired the phrase "the best thing since sliced bread." For a while, though, Continental had to revert to non-sliced bread, as the metal used for slicing blades was rationed during World War II.
The years after World War II saw Continental place a priority on nutrition, making Wonder Bread one of the first bread products to employ vitamins and minerals to fortify it. The company began to list nutritional information on the packaging in the 1970s, and in 1986, a reduced-calorie Wonder Bread made its debut. These efforts helped eliminate vitamin B deficiency diseases such as beriberi and pellagra.
Interstate Bakeries
In 1996, the Interstate Breads Corporation bought the Continental Baking Company, thus renaming the company Interstate Bakeries. Despite declaring bankruptcy in 2004, the company persevered, making Wonder Bread more nutritious by increasing the amount of milk used for each loaf, as well as running "Remember the Wonder" ads to remind consumers of Wonder Bread's origins.
Other Products
Today, in addition to the two "classic" products--White Bread and White Sandwich Bread--Interstate Bakeries makes other kinds of bread, such as Texas toast, whole grain white, buttermilk, potato, whole wheat, and hot dog and hamburger buns (both white and wheat).
Wonder Bread in Canada and Mexico
George Weston Bakeries and Grupo Bimbo Bakeries produce Wonder Bread in Canada and Mexico, respectively. However, they are not licensed because both companies own the Wonder trademark in their respective countries.
Tags: Wonder Bread, Canada Mexico, Baking Company, Bread Canada, Bread Canada Mexico, Continental Baking, History Wonder