Entenmann’s is synonymous with delicious bakery items found in your local grocery store. What started out as a small bake shop in Brooklyn became a national brand over 120 year later.
If you’re from Long Island you definitely grew up with Entenmann’s donuts and cookies in your house. And if you were from Bay Shore, well, that smell!
Below we listed some great facts and historical tidbits about Long Island’s own Entenmann’s.
Photo: Entenmann's Facebook page.
- In 1898, William Entenmann opened his first bakery in Brooklyn
- The first Entenmann’s products were delivered by horse and carriage
- Following doctor’s advice, Entenmann relocated his bakery to Bay Shore after his son William Jr. contracted rheumatic fever
- Home delivery was a big part of the bakery’s beginnings
- In 1951, William Entenmann Jr. suffered a fatal heart attack and his three sons (Charles, Robert and William) ran the business with their mother Martha
- In the 1950s, Frank Sinatra would call the Entenmann’s Bay Shore bakery and place a weekly order for a crumb coffee cake
- In the 1950s they changed the business from home delivery to supermarket sales
- The famous see-through cake box was invented by Martha Entenmann in 1959
- This design allowed customers to see the delicious bakery contents and boosted sales
Photo: Entenmann's Website.
- Until the 1950s, Entenmann’s also produced bread and rolls.
- In a commercial, Yogi Bera said his favorite Entenmann’s was the chocolate chip cookie
- There are Entenmann’s scented candles available
- They have a cookbook
- And Entenmann’s coffee
- Wealthy people would pass off Entenmann’s as their own homemade gourmet creations
- Entenmann's went public in 1976
- The company's stock certificates featured a picture of Martha Entenmann
Photo: Entenmann's Website.
- Entenmann’s has been sold numerous times since then
- In 1978, the family sold Entenmann's to Warner-Lambert, a pharmaceutical company, for $233 million
- Afterward, Robert Entenmann, turned a Long Island potato farm into a vineyard in 1995
- The winery was called Martha Clara Vineyards, named after his mother
- In 1982, the company was sold to General Foods for $315 million
- In 1985, General Foods was acquired by Philip Morris, and Entenmann's became a part of Kraft Foods
- Entenmann’s is currently owned by Bimbo Bakeries USA
- The iconic Entenmann’s factory in Bay Shore shut down in 2014
Photo: Entenmann's Facebook page.
- Entenmann’s had a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
- An article from 1975 said that New Yorkers bought over 1.25 million Entenmann’s cakes a week
- Entenmann’s has made more than 780 million donuts (enough to wrap around the Earth 2.5 times)
- More than 190 million pounds of apples have been used in Entenmann’s apple pies
- Since 1898, more than 700 million All Butter Loaf Cakes have been baked (lined up end-to-end, you could travel to the moon and back)
- The Rich Frosted Chocolate Dipped Donut has been the #1 seller since its introduction in 1972
- Entenmann’s began baking its chocolate chip cookie in 1974
- Since then the company has sold more than 620 million cookies
