Lincoln Snacks Company

Infobox Company
company_name = Lincoln Snacks Company
company_
company_type = Operating Division
foundation = 1968
founder = Sandoz-Wander, Inc.
location_city = flagicon|USA Lincoln, Nebraska
location_country = USA
key_people = Jeffrey Dunn
President and CEO
industry = Snack food
products = See products section
revenue = US $45 Million (2006)
num_employees = 114
parent = ConAgra Foods, Inc.
homepage = [http://www.lincolnsnacks.com Lincoln Snacks]

The Lincoln Snacks Company (or Lincoln Snacks) is a manufacturer of caramelized popcorn and popcorn/nut mixes. Lincoln Snacks’ products are produced in Lincoln, Nebraska and sold nationally under the Poppycock, Fiddle Faddle and Screaming Yellow Zonkers (discontinued) brand names. Lincoln Snacks became a subsidiary of ConAgra Foods, Inc. on September 7, 2007.cite web |url = http://media.conagrafoods.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=202310&p=NewsArticle&id=1049364 | title = ConAgra Foods Strengthens Brand Portfolio Through Acquisition of Lincoln Snacks | publisher = ConAgra Foods, Inc. | author = ConAgra Foods, Inc. | date = September 7, 2007 |accessdate= 2007-11-26]

History

Wander years

The Lincoln Snacks Company has roots in the Wander Company, a Swiss firm founded in Berne in 1865, which manufactured Ovaltine in Villa Park, Illinois. In 1960, Wander bought the rights to Poppycock, a snack consisting of caramelized popcorn and nuts, from Harold Vair, a Detroit candy shop owner.cite web |url = http://www.lincolnsnacks.com/about.asp | title = About Lincoln Snacks | publisher = Lincoln Snacks Company | author = Lincoln Snacks Company | accessdate= 2007-11-26] In 1968, Wander merged with Sandoz Nutrition Corporation, a division of Sandoz, to form Sandoz-Wander, Inc. (which is today the pharmaceutical company Novartis). Poppycock production was moved from Villa Park to Lincoln, Nebraska and the Lincoln Snacks Company was created as an operating division of Sandoz-Warner.cite web |url = http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Lincoln-Snacks-Company-Company-History.html |title = Lincoln Snacks Company | author = Funding Universe | publisher= The Gale Group, Inc. | accessdate= 2007-11-26]

Ownership changes

In February 1992, Sandoz-Wander announced intentions to sell their Lincoln Snacks division due to a decline in net sales. On August 31, 1992, Lincoln Snacks was acquired by Noel Group, Inc., a public buyout firm. Lincoln Snacks’ name was changed to Lincoln Foods Inc. and sales, marketing and administrative headquarters were relocated to Stamford, Connecticut; the manufacturing plant remained in Lincoln, Nebraska. On March 15, 1993, Lincoln Foods acquired Carousel Nut Products, Inc., an Owensboro, Kentucky producer of roasted, raw and mixed nuts. Carousel’s operations were merged with the Lincoln plant in 1994. [http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/914642/000091464200000010/0000914642-00-000010.txt SEC: Lincoln Snacks Company Form 10-K 2000] (Retrieved November 26, 2007)] That same year, Lincoln Foods had an initial public offering of 2.15 million shares and began trading under “SNAX” on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

The board of directors of Noel Group approved a "plan of complete liquidation and dissolution" in 1997. In June 1998, however, Brynwood Partners III, L.P. purchased a controlling interest in Lincoln Foods. In 2004, Willis Stein & Partners, a Chicago private-equity firm, purchased Lincoln Foods as well as Jays Foods, Inc., another snack food manufacturer, and created Ubiquity Brands as a parent company. Ubiquity Brands also reverted Lincoln Foods' name to Lincoln Snacks Company. On September 7, 2007, Lincoln Snacks was purchased by Conagra Foods, Inc. for approximately $50 million in cash. [ [http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/23217/000119312507212599/d10q.htm SEC: ConAgra Foods, Inc. Form 10-Q 2007-10-03] (Retrieved November 27, 2007)] Lincoln Snacks now reports to ConAgra’s snack foods division headquartered in Edina, Minnesota. [Jackson]

Operations

Manufacturing

Lincoln Snacks manufactures and packages all of its products at its Lincoln, Nebraska manufacturing facility. The facility was constructed in 1968 and is a convert|74000|sqft|m2|sing=on one-story building on a convert|10.75|acre|m2|sing=on site. Approximately convert|67000|sqft|m2 is dedicated to production with the remaining convert|7000|sqft|m2 being utilized for administration. Lincoln Snacks' convert|66500|sqft|m2|sing=on warehousing facility is located in Lincoln.

Marketing and distribution

On July 17, 1995, Lincoln Snacks granted Planters Company, a unit of Nabisco, Inc., the exclusive distribution of Fiddle Faddle and Screaming Yellow Zonkers products. On July 11, 1997 Lincoln Snacks entered another agreement with Nabisco, Inc. which granted Lincoln Snacks the right to use Planters’ trademarks in the marketing of Fiddle Faddle. On May 1, 1997, however, Lincoln Snacks resumed marketing and distributing Screaming Yellow Zonkers.

Products

Poppycock

Poppycock was invented by Harold Vair in the 1950s as a snack to accompany him on road trips. The “original” Poppycock is a "premium priced" product and contains popcorn, almonds and pecans covered in a candy/caramel glaze. Additional Varieties include: [ [http://www.lincolnsnacks.com/poppycock/flavors.asp# Lincoln Snacks: Poppycock] (Retrieved November 26, 2007)]
*Cashew Lovers – Almonds and pecans of “original” variety replaced by cashews; introduced in 1999
*Chocolate Lovers – “Original” variety with chocolate drizzling; introduced in 2000
*Pecan delight – Almonds of “original” variety replaced by pralines; introduced in 2001
*Indulgence - Various flavor and nut combinations marketed towards women; [Segal] introduced in 2007

Fiddle Faddle

Fiddle Faddle was introduced in 1967 as a "moderately priced" product. Fiddle Faddle consists of popcorn and peanuts covered in either the “original” caramel glaze or a “butter toffee” glaze. The original Fiddle Faddle box was the first snack box to feature a carrying handle. [ [http://www.lincolnsnacks.com/fiddlefaddle/history.asp Lincoln Snacks: Fiddle Faddle] (Retrieved November 26, 2007)]

creaming Yellow Zonkers

Screaming Yellow Zonkers is popcorn with a sugary yellow glaze. Screaming Yellow Zonkers was introduced in 1969 as a nut-free alternative to existing caramelized popcorn products. [ [http://www.lincolnsnacks.com/zonkers/history.asp Lincoln Snacks: Screaming Yellow Zonkers] (Retrieved November 26, 2007)] Allan Katz was the creator of the original box and ad campaign. [St. John] Screaming Yellow Zonkers was featured on the Food Network show "Unwrapped" in 2002, [cite web |url = http://www1.foodtv.com/tvshows/unwrappedsourcelist/0,5011,,00.html | title = Unwrapped Source List | publisher = Television Food Network, G.P. | author = Television Food Network, G.P. | date = 2001 |accessdate= 2007-11-26] but has since been discontinued. [Piersol]

ee also

ConAgra products:
*Act II Popcorn
*Crunch 'n Munch
*Orville Redenbacher's PopcornSimilar Products:
*Cracker Jack

Notes

Bibliography

*Citation
last = Jackson
first = Cheryl V.
author-link = Cheryl V. Jackson
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title = ConAgra buys Lincoln Snacks
newspaper = Chicago Sun-Times
pages =
year = 2007
date = September 12, 2007
url =
*Citation
last = Piersol
first = Richard
author-link = Richard Piersol
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title = ConAgra buys Lincoln Snacks, Screaming Yellow legacy
newspaper = Lincoln Journal Star
pages =
year = 2007
date = September 6, 2007
url =
*Citation | last = Segal
first = David
author-link = David Segal
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title = U.S. Snackocracy on a Quest for the Next Flavor to Savor
newspaper = The Washington Post
pages =
year = 2007
date = January 2, 2007
url =
*Citation | last = St. John
first = Robert
author-link = Robert St. John
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title = St. John: Screaming Yellow Zonkers Revisited
newspaper = The Meridian Star
pages =
year = 2006
date = February 16, 2006
url =