Are Mother’s Cookies Discontinued?

Mother’s Cookies is the iconic snack brand we all grew up loving, and no one can deny their permanent positions in our fridge spaces or dining tables during their heights! 

But a lot has happened over the past few years which has led to so many changes within the cookie company: from alteration of popular recipes to discontinuation of specific product lines.

In this article, we’ll discuss exactly what happened to Mother’s Cookies and provide you with an update concerning the brand and its operations as of late.

Is Mother’s Cookies Still In Business?

Mother’s Cookies is not out of business and is still operating and producing cookies under the Italian branded Chocolate Company, Ferrero Group. 

Mother’s Cookies however, did go through a lot of ownership changes over the years (since it was founded in 1914) and was even temporarily discontinued in 2008 when the company alongside its merger sister company Archway (together: Archway & Mother’s Cake and Cookies Co.) declared bankruptcy. 

Here’s a quick timeline highlighting the history of Mother’s Cookies as well as the various ownership changes they’ve undergone. 

1914

1914 was the creation date of Mother’s Cookies. 

A man named N.M Wheatley, who at that time was a newspaper seller, picked interest in the cookie recipe of one of his customers and decided to splurge the profits from his current business to acquire the rights to the recipe.

He named the business “Mother’s Cake & Cookie Co.” in honor of the first national Mother’s Day declared by then President Woodrow Wilson on May 9, 1914. 

1949

Since acquiring the rights to the recipe, Wheately only operated the business as a one-person shop. 

In 1949 however, the business had already boomed and gained widespread popularity, and that led Wheately to proceed and turn his business from a one-man mini shop to a one man bakery situated in the 81st Avenue, Oakland, California

Quickly, the business gained even more popularity and sales were skyrocketing. 

1991

In 1991, the established company was sold to Artal B.V which was a food company owned by Specialty Foods, and the deal was reportedly for the sum of $100 million dollars. The deal immediately transitioned Specialty Foods into the largest cookie maker in the United States.

2000

Mother’s cookies only lasted for a brief period under the ownership of Specialty Food after which it was sold to an Italian dairy and food corporation called Parmalat S.p.A in 2000 for an undisclosed sum, although it is speculated that the acquisition of the cookie company cost Parmalat S.p.A the whopping sum of $250 million dollars.

After the purchase, production grew even bigger and Mother’s Cookies was then churning out batches of cookies in the excess of 17 million individual portions per day.

2005

The year 2000 saw the emergence and boom of low fat and low carb diet trends and people began shifting towards more healthier food options which led to abandonment of high sugar and calorie foods such as cookies.

Thus, Mother’s Cookies experienced a decline in sales over the coming years although the introduction of its own line of low fat cookies did temporarily help to boost sales. 

Soon, Parmalat S.p.A filed for bankruptcy due to internal scandals and sold Mother’s Cookies to “Catterton Partners” which was a company situated in the town of Greenwich, United States. 

2006

In 2006, the new owners permanently closed the Oakland factory, laying off all its workers at then and moving operations to Ohio, Canada.

2008

Like the previous owner Parmalat S.p.A, “Catterton Partners” filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in U.S Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delway pointing towards the hiked price of raw materials and fuel as the trigger. 

The cookie company was then temporarily discontinued.

Still in 2008, the American Multinational Food Company, Kellogg, bought the assets of Mother’s Cookies to become the new Owners of the giant.

2009

In May 2009, Kellogg Company returned Mother’s Cookies back to the grocery shelves and customers were quick to notice the change in the original recipes of many product lines and were unwelcoming of it. 

2019

In April 2019, Kellogg’s sold Mother’s Cookies to the Italian Chocolate Company, Ferrero SpA. Since then, newer product lines have emerged and many existing ones were discontinued. 

So as you can see, Mother’s Cookies are still active and in business and here’s how you can even reach them for questions and complaints.

• Website: motherscookies.com
• Phone: +18774535837
• Facebook:   https://m.facebook.com/motherscookies/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motherscookiesus/?hl=en

Do Mother’s Cookies Still Make Oatmeal Cookies?

Mother’s Cookies have discontinued the line of Oatmeal Cookies as of early 2022. The line was discontinued in order to give way for more interesting and innovative flavors according to the Mother’s Cookies facebook page, and they currently do not have plans to bring it back.

What Happened To Mothers Taffy Cookies? Do They Still Make It?

Mother’s cookies have also discontinued the Taffy Cookies line in 2022, and they don’t have any plans to bring it back soon. Also, the Peanut Butter Gauchos and Chocolate Chip line have also been discontinued.

The reason for discontinuing the taffy cookies could have had a lot to do with the negative customer reception of the revised recipe after its reintroduction in 2019.

What Cookies Do Mother’s Cookies Make Now?

Mother’s cookies still makes it’s popular and well known pink and white Circus Animal Cookies with sprinkles on them, and they also make The Mythical Creature line which includes cookies shaped into mythical creatures as found in fairytales and folklore such as unicorns, dragons and sea serpents. 

They also offer another line of cookies called the Puppy Love which are basically shortbread shaped in the form of puppies with sprinkles on them.

Where Can You Buy Mother’s Cookies?

You can buy Mother’s Cookies at major retail and grocery stores such as Target, Walmart, Kroger, Safeway and Albertsons. 

You can also purchase them online through the websites of these retail stores or other e-commerce platforms such as Amazon.