Mother's Cookies Goes Out of Business!

[CalvaryMike]

Mother's Cookies Goes Out of Business, Kills off Circus Animals

If you're a fan of those pink and white frosted Circus Animal cookies from Mother's, either stock up or start priming your nostalgia, because this week the company closed its doors abruptly. They've cited the expected reasons—the rising cost of raw materials, and an inability to borrow in the frozen credit market.

Unfortunately, the private equity firm that owns the company (it's passed through at least four owners in the past 18 years) didn't give employees the federally required 60-day notice, citing "unforeseeable business circumstances." If they couldn't secure money to pay salaries, that may very well be the case.
I hear there's a run at the market for the Circus Animal cookies!

 

[kerrynic78]

Those are my favorite!!! Ugh!

 

[Cool-Beans]

Never liked those. The nuns used to give them to us at Christmas and St. Valentine's parties. Blech.

Sorry for the folks who lost their business, but not sorry to see those cookies go.

 

[Barbossa]

I've loved Mother's cookies for years. Their demise sucks, I wonder if they can sell their recipes to another company?

 

[MoniqueU]

I love those, I better see if my local store still has some. Just one more food from my favorites gone. I feel so bad for those employees though, that is awful.

 

[NVDisMom]

I bet Kraft (Nabisco) or Sunshine (Keebler) buy them out. Probably not the company itself but the rights to the recipes and names/theming of packaging. Both companies have a different business model than Mothers, so they have no need for their employees and distribution/sales channels. But I know many of the cookies were top 10 sellers, so they will be interested in folding them into their product mix.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Aww...we liked the Butter cookies.

 

[minniecarousel]

A friend's husband worked for the original Mother's Cookies when they were in Oakland. I understand he got a nice retirement package and one of the subsequent owners hired him to ready the new plants, on a contract basis.

Mother's Cookies has been such a staple in all the markets here. I hope that another cookie company will buy their recipes and keep the Classics going. Their big bag of small cookies were almost always in our cupboard when my boys were growing up.