There’s no question that Entenmann’s is one of the most iconic baked goods companies in American history. After all, the brand even played a part in one of the best Seinfeld episodes ever: “It’s an Entenmann’s.” “Do they have a castle at Windsor?” “No, they have a display case at the end of the aisle.”
Entenmann’s frosted chocolate donuts and coffee cakes (among their many other products) have been kitchen staples for generations, but it all started in 1898. That’s when German immigrant William Entenmann opened his first bakery in Brooklyn, NY. In the beginning, Entenmann delivered his fresh-baked breads, rolls and cakes door-to-door with a horse and carriage. Business was booming in Brooklyn, but in the early 1900s, Entenmann’s son, William Jr., was diagnosed with rheumatic fever. Following the advice of doctors, Entenmann moved his family and his bakery to the less congested (and more affluent) Bay Shore, where he spent the next decades expanding his delivery service to 30 routes, with customers including such high-profile clientele as the Vanderbilts and the Morgans.
Related: In 1853, Godfrey Keebler opened a Philadelphia bakery; in 2019 Kellogg sold the company, by then called Keebler, to Ferrero for $1.3 billion
The 1950s brought major changes for Entenmann’s. William Jr., who’d taken over the business by then, suffered a fatal heart attack in 1951. His three sons, Charles, Robert and William, stepped up to helm the ship along with their mother, Martha. The business also changed its model from home delivery to supermarket sales, marking an enormous shift in production. Martha and her sons made the decision to discontinue the company’s bread and rolls and lean into pastries and cakes. (Frank Sinatra was such a big fan, he placed a weekly order for a crumb coffee cake from the Bay Shore bakery.) Martha pioneered another significant innovation for the entire industry when she invented the see-through cake box in 1959.
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The Entenmann’s empire kept growing and growing throughout the ’60s and ’70s, expanding first to New Jersey and Connecticut, then Florida, before going nationwide. As is often the case with companies that manage to stay successful for decades, Entenmann’s went on to be bought and sold multiple times over the coming years: In 1982, General Foods bought the company for $315 million; in 1985, Philip Morris acquired General Foods and Entenmann’s became a part of Kraft Foods (which is now owned by Bimbo Bakeries USA). The Entenmann’s factory in Bay Shore stayed open until 2014.
Entenmann’s has made enough donuts to wrap around the Earth more than twice
Everybody loves Entenmann’s chocolate frosted donuts. That’s why the Rich Frosted Chocolate Dipped Donut has been the brand’s #1 seller since it was introduced in 1972 (though the other flavors are pretty popular, too). Entenmann’s donuts are such a part of American snack food culture that they’ve sold over 780 million of them, according to Mashed. That’s enough donuts to wrap around the Earth 2.5 times! And the brand has used enough chocolate on their donuts alone to fill all of the Great Lakes (over 68 million pounds).
Related: In 1937, a North Carolina doughnut maker cut a hole in his wall to sell hot doughnuts to people passing by; 79 years later, Krispy Kreme sold for $1.35 billion
It’s not just donuts, either. Over 700 million All Butter Loaf Cakes have been baked since 1898, which is enough cakes to travel to the moon and back if you lined them up end-to-end. And Entenmann’s goes through so many apples for their pies (more than 5,000 per day) that the brand is helping to keep orchards in business.
Which Entenmann’s product is your favorite? Everybody has one!
Related: In 1941, Forrest Mars Sr. sold his candies exclusively to the U.S. military; 85 years later, 146 billion M&M’s are sold every year
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