Extinct Supermarket Merchandise

[Groceteria]

I think MarkWinston will be very happy when he returns home to Groceteria Central and sees his kitchen table:



Note that on this end of the country, where we have no tradition of Mother's, the animal cookies are sold under the Archway name instead.

[submariner]

Note that on this end of the country, where we have no tradition of Mother's, the animal cookies are sold under the Archway name instead.

I recall, in Michigan, seeing them branded as "The Best Little Cooke Company" or something like that... how long did that last?

[VibeGuy]

They must have started the "Best Little Cookie Company" marketing after they were sold by Parmalat, which would be the very opposite of "little" anything.

The Archway bakery in Oregon was bought by US Bakeries/Franz a few years back. Cookie Parade will, however, be missed.

E

[TenPoundHammer]

One brand that seems to be quite endangered is Otter Pops. I saw a huge load of them show up at Big Lots once, followed by some smaller boxes at Rite Aid a few years ago, but now they're gone again.

Then again, I'm a sucker for anything with otters on it.

==

A couple more extinct brands I remember. I seem to recall Glen's (our local Spartan Stores affiliate) having products labeled "Save Rite". If I recall correctly, they had yellow boxes with a red "SAVE RITE" logo on a rounded rectangle. I think there was still a bag of Save Rite garbage bags around the house not too long ago.

Another product that I liked was the "Orbitz" soft drink. It had these weird little white flavored balls in it. Almost everyone I know called it gross, but I just thought it was awesome. Plus it came in weird flavors like coconut banana mango jalapeño barbecue pepperoni or whatever.

Yet another is SoBe Edge. It was sold in a skinny can like Red Bull, and it tasted (to quote a friend) "like liquid white Gummi bears." They later sold it in bottles like the regular SoBe, but it seems to be discontinued now. SoBe later made "Mr. Green" pop, which I liked. It was like a Dr Pepper flavor but not as sweet. I liked it.

For the record, Barq's is almost nonexistant in my town, except in 12 packs at Glen's. Barq's showed up once at the Citgo station north of town (red cream soda no less!).

[Brian Lutz]

Otter Pops are still alive and well, but they seem to be something of a seasonal item in most places (for example, Costco regularly carries the big 200 count boxes between roughly April and August, but not during the Fall and Winter.)

[TenPoundHammer]

Otter Pops are still alive and well, but they seem to be something of a seasonal item in most places (for example, Costco regularly carries the big 200 count boxes between roughly April and August, but not during the Fall and Winter.)

I haven't seem them up here in Michigan for three or four years now. Several of those 200 count crates showed up at Big Lots once, like I said, then... nothing.

By the way, do they still make Ro-Tel products? I haven't seen them in a while and their home page seems to be gone. I loved Ro-Tel pico de gallo.

[Brian Lutz]

The website ( http://www.ro-tel.com/index.jsp ) comes up just fine for me. Ro-Tel seems to be more of a Southern/ Texas thing, but some stores do carry it here (I believe the last time I bought it was from Sam's Club.)

[maynesG]

I have seen Rotele products at Acme and at Redners as wellas other Super Value chains in this area Delaware. I don!t think that they are blowing down any doors toget to them , but they seem to sell enough to remain in distribution.

[Steve Landry]

Fresh & Easy has these archway cookies AND the rotell product.

[Dean]

American Home Foods, a division of American Home Products (now Wyeth) owned Rotell, Jiffy Pop Popcorn, Polaner All Fruit, Crunch & Munch and other food items.

They ultimately sold the foods division to a "new" company that was essentially formed for the brands. The company was then sold to ConAgra.

Wyeth is the corporate parent of Advil, Robitussin, Dimetapp, Centrum, and other lines.

[drpep]

I go throught lots of Rotelle product in my accounts.

How about a pasta brand that I'm embarrassed to say I can't remember how to spell. Gioia? NOT GOYA. It came in a light blue box, disappeared around the late 80s early 90s.

[Transit Road]

Ahhhh...Gioia pasta.

The Gioia Pasta Co. (also known as Gioia Macaroni), based in Buffalo, NY, was sold to Borden, Inc. in 1986. Borden kept the brand alive in it's primary market area - Western New York state (including Buffalo and Rochester) for many years after the sale.

Here is a link to the sale: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.h ... A960948260

Former factory with company logo: http://www.shovelready.com/sr_2005/s_si ... s_b.asp?12

In 2001, Borden sold off their pasta business to New World Pasta (formerly the pasta operations of Hershey Foods Corp.) which streamlined their brands. Many of the brands - Prince, Creamette, Goodman's, Ronzoni, and San Giorgio survived the merger, but it does not appear Gioia did.

Sale of Borden's Pasta Division to New World Past: http://www.allbusiness.com/restaurants/6164305-1.html

My sister went to school with some of the younger Gioia family members.

[buckhead]

...
In 2001, Borden sold off their pasta business to New World Pasta (formerly the pasta operations of Hershey Foods Corp.) which streamlined their brands. Many of the brands - Prince, Creamette, Goodman's, Ronzoni, and San Giorgio survived the merger, but it does not appear Gioia did.

Sale of Borden's Pasta Division to New World Past: http://www.allbusiness.com/restaurants/6164305-1.html ....

For that matter, did Luxury and American Beauty survive also? Those brands, as well as San Giorgio, Creamette, Prince, Ronzoni, Skinner, and a few of the others were all available in the past in some form in the Atlanta/North Georgia area, but now about the only brands from the New World stable that one sees here are Ronzoni, Creamette, and Skinner (in some stores). I imagine that a few of the ones mentioned are still out there, but just not distributed as widely as they formerly were.

[maynesG]

I did a little research Giola was sold to Bordens and then again to American Pasta.I came across an article in the Buffalo Business Journal that Bordens closed the Gioia Plant laying off 150 people a few years back a victim of the imported pasta craze in the United States.
As you know the Pasta business in the United States has always been verry local Prince In Boston, Ronzoni in New York, San Georgio in Philadelphia.Smaller brands could be found in places like Buffalo and Harrisburg.

[Jeff]

TAKE MOTHERS COOKIES OFF THE LIST OF EXTINCT MERCH!

From the OC Register:

Kellogg saves Mother’s Cookies
December 5th, 2008, 3:57 pm · 5 Comments · posted by Nancy Luna, Staff Writer

Thank God for Kellogg. The food giant has bought the rights to the trademarks and recipes of Mother’s Cake & Cookie Co., a move that will save the famous pink and white cookies from extinction.

Here’s what the Associated Press had to say:

“Kellogg will use its understanding of the cookie category and distribution infrastructure to expand sales of Mother’s Cookies. The company said it plans to reintroduce many of Mother’s Cookies most popular cookies. Its brands include iced animal crackers, sandwich cookies and wire cut cookies.”
Mother's Cookies

Mother's Cookies will make a comeback

Kellogg also makes Frosted Flakes, Cheez-Its and Eggo waffles.

Read full AP story here

This news should please many Maven readers. Many of you expressed dismay when I wrote that the cookie maker had closed its manufacturing plant in mid-Octboer after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

We no longer have to mourn