Sweet Goods Statistics

Compiled by the Staff of the Ruth Emerson Research Library (©2007 and previous years by the American Institute of Baking).

The following document is a compilation of general information on sweet goods statistics and trends and related topics. These citations were recovered from AIB in-house databases, and represent original work by AIB personnel. Every effort is made to ensure accuracy, but AIB accepts no liability for content of this resource list.

Sources of information on publicly held companies:
The EDGAR database provides access to company documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Its primary purpose is to increase the efficiency and fairness of the securities market for the benefit of investors, corporations, and the economy by accelerating the receipt, acceptance, dissemination, and analysis of time sensitive corporate information filed with the agency. Please note that EDGAR filings are posted to the SEC site 24 hours after the date of filing.
http://www.sec.gov/edgarhp.htm

2002 Economic Census Reports - Industry Series Reports on Manufacturing available from this link.   The Economic Census report replaced the Census of Manufacturers Report.  Topics for reports include:  Flour Milling, Rice Milling, Wet Corn Milling,  Soybean Processing, Other Oilseed Processing, Breakfast Cereal Manufacturing, Chocolate and Confectionery Mfg From Cacao Beans, Confectionery Manufacturing From Purchased Chocolate, Nonchocolate Confectionery Manufacturing, Retail Bakeries, Commercial Bakeries, Frozen Cakes, Pies, and Other Pastries Manufacturing, Flour Mixes and Dough Manufacturing From Purchased Flour, Dry Pasta Manufacturing, Tortilla Manufacturing, and Other Snack Manufacturing.

Previous years census reports can also be found at the following links:

1992
1997

Forecasts and Analyses

"Sweetgoods Challenge Category Managers," in Modern Baking, Vol. 21, No. 5 (May 2007), p. 24.  According to a report from Perishables Group, sales of sweet goods increased 8.9 percent from a year ago with average sales per store of $560 a week. Sales for the report were for the 52 weeks that ended January 27, 2007. Includes a graph depicting peak sales times for sweet goods and a pie chart that breaks down the percentage of sales by product. Products highlighted include sweet rolls, Danish, coffee cakes, cinnamon rolls, flavored breads, Hispanic sweetgoods, and seasonal items such as turnovers and rugalach. Notes that sweet goods sales increase to $718 per week during the Christmas holiday due to guests being served these items for breakfast.

"No Sugar-Coating the Situation" in Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, Vol. 94, No. 6, (June 2005), pp. SI-28, SI-30-SI-34.  Profiles the sweet goods segment of the 2005 State of the Industry report. Includes tables with the dollar volume and unit sales for the top five brands of snack cakes, top five brands of coffee cakes, top five brands of toaster pastries, top five brands of fresh donuts, and the top five brands of fresh Danish. Allen Shiver, president and chief operating officer at Flowers Foods Specialty Group is quoted as saying that one trend for this category is "the move to produce better-for-you snacks that emphasize portion control and healthier cake formulations." The second trend is making the product "portable". Includes comments from George Deese, president and CEO of Flowers Foods; Barry Anthony, director of marketing at McKee Foods; Charles Pizzi, Tasty Baking Co.'s president and CEO; Galen Weston, chairman and Gary Price, president of Weston Foods U.S.

"Hitting the Sweet Spot" in Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, Vol. 93, No. 5, (May 2004), pp. SI-23-SI-27.   This article is part of the 2004 State of the Industry Report and profiles the sweet goods category. Category perspectives are given by several leaders in the industry including: Barry Anthony, director of marketing at McKee Foods; Cindi Lawson, director of snacks marketing at Flowers Foods Specialty Group; Charles Pizzi, Tasty Baking Co's president and CEO; Gary Prince, president of Weston Foods U.S.; Julie West, director of marketing at Otis Spunkmeyer, Includes tables with the Top 5 Brands of Snack Cakes, the Top 3 brands of Toaster Pastries, Top 3 Brands of Fresh Danish, Top 5 Brands of Fresh Donuts and the Top 5 Brands of Fresh Coffee Cake. Manufacturers in this category are trying to interest customers in the Hispanic market that is estimated to be 46.7 million by 2015 and impulse buyers by new product introductions and more appealing packaging. New products appealing to the more health conscious consumer are also being added to this category with the development of products lower in carbs and sugar-free, one example of this would be the Sensibles line introduced by Tasty Baking Company. The company replaces flour and sugar in these products with "low-or no-carbohydrate ingredients."  To purchase of reprints of the entire  64 page special supplement contact:

"Sweet Reign" in Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, Vol. 92, No. 9, (September 2003), pp. 14, 16, 18. This market sweep report profiles the sweet goods segment. Reports that fresh sweet goods sales for the top 10 brands for the 52 weeks ending August 17, 2003 were $2,917.7 million. This was an increase of 4.7% During the same time period sales of the top 10 brands of snack cakes declined 0.6% to $697.5 million. Includes comments on this category from Vince Melchiorre, vice president and chief marketing officer at Tasty Baking Company in Philadelphia; Joe Latour, executive vice-president at Harlan Bakeries in Avon, IN; and Dennis Dorner, part owner and manager of marketing and training at Heinemann's Bakery in Chicago. 

"The commercial shelf: unit sales drift, but prices hold" in Modern Baking, Vol. 14, No. 2, (February 2000), pp. 24. Includes three charts that list dollar and unit sales for the 52 weeks ending January 2, 2000. Categories include fresh, frozen and refrigerated bakery products sold in supermarkets.

"Bright spots in commercial shelf for in-stores" in Modern Baking, Vol. 13, No. 6, (June 1999), pp. 24.  Includes three charts that list dollar and unit sales for the 4 weeks ending April 25, 1999. Categories include fresh, frozen and refrigerated bakery products sold in supermarkets.

"Sweet decadence" by Kara Patterson, Baking Buyer, Vol. 8, No. 12, (December 1996), pp. 24-25. The article gives statistics for sweet goods. Notes that in 1995 sales of sweet goods were $1.2 billion; this is up from $1.1 billion in 1994. The article notes that places other than bakeries, like coffeehouses, are generating a lot of sales in the sweet goods sector. Companies mentioned include Starbucks Coffee of Seattle, WA; Rich Products of Buffalo, NY; Orange Bakery of Irvine, CA; and Mr. Bitts, Inc. of Santa Fe Springs, CA. Notes that the low-fat/no-fat trend is not currently affecting the sweet goods market.

"Sweet biscuits", Baking Buyer, Vol. 7, No. 12, (December 1995), pp. 8. Biscuits are popular in foodservice and in-store bakery environments, while scones are considered more upscale. Pillsbury Bakeries & Foodservice alone produces 2.5 million parbaked biscuits each day to sell to convenience stores and restaurants. Sweet goods are also popular, amounting to $1.12 billion or 11.7% of in-store bakery sales. FIND/SVP estimates that that number could increase to $7.61 billion by 1998. Trends in sweet goods include low fat and cholesterol goods, as well as goods that can be microwaved

Last updated October 1, 2007