Let them eat cakes!
Twinkies are set to hit the shelves nationwide this summer, rising up from their grave after a dramatic brush with bankruptcy.
Billionaire businessman Dean Metropoulos, who bought the brand after Hostess shut down in November, said he hustled to get America’s favorite cream-filled snack back in shops because obsessive fans could barely live without them.
“Never in my career have I seen such a demand and support for a product,” Metropoulos, who is Hostess’ new CEO, told The Post. “We’re comfortable saying now they’ll be back in stores in July.”
The news comes just a few days after Grupo Bimbo, the biggest baker in America, announced it would launch knockoff Hostess products to fill the void before Twinkies come back.
But Metropoulos claims he’ll have no trouble with impostor brands, because there’s nothing quite like a genuine Twinkie.
“Yes, there are knockoffs out there,” he said. “But customers are so loyal to this brand.”
The revival comes after Hostess announced it would close its factories and lay off more than 18,000 workers in November.
The company filed for Chapter 11 protection after a dispute with Grain Millers International Union, forcing it to sell off famous brands such as Twinkies, Ho Hos and Ding Dongs.
Snack lovers soon noticed their favorite goodies disappearing from the shelves, prompting them to stock up on the disappearing treats.
In New York, the news sent Twinkies fans flocking to stores for one last guilty- pleasure fix.
The firms Apollo Global Management and Metropoulos & Co. then plunked down $410M to save the cakes.
Metropoulos, which also owns the beer company Pabst Blue Ribbon, bought Hostess with his family, saying at first that Twinkies would likely be back in shops this fall.
He now says they’ll come sooner, noting it took less time than expected to get the factory “fired up” and to think up a marketing plan.
“We needed to get our hands around the condition of the plant, and to develop a unique marketing campaign,” Metropoulos said.
The company will distribute largely to supermarket chains, he said.