Founded in 1989, Annie's Homegrown makes natural and organic macaroni and cheese in the shape of rabbits and shells. Although the company's mac and cheese is super successful—only Kraft sells more of the cheesy comfort food—Annie's also produces other foods, like yogurt, crackers, pretzels, cookies, frozen pizza, condiments, and fruit snacks.
Annie Withey founded Smartfood popcorn in 1984 with her then-husband Andrew Martin, and after its sale five years later to Frito-Lay for $15 million, she got to thinking about the white cheddar cheese she'd created to coat that product. Instead of retiring young (Withey was 21 when she first concocted the powdered cheddar with no artificial preservatives or coloring), she experimented with putting that cheese on pasta instead of popcorn. It worked.
2. Withey and Martin sold Annie's Mac and Cheese at New England food co-ops and markets.
Withey and Martin loved the taste of the cheesy pasta, so they co-founded Annie's Homegrown in 1989. Hoping to give families healthy, organic foods, they sold their macaroni and cheese, free of preservatives and artificial colors, at food co-ops and grocery stores around New England.
A cartoon version of Bernie, Withey's pet rabbit, appears on boxes of Annie's products. Bernie the Bunny gives Annie's products his "Rabbit of Approval" seal, indicating that the food is healthy, nutritious, and environmentally friendly. Sadly, the real-life Bernie died in the early '90s.
4. Withey sold her company in 1999, but still serves as Annie's "Inspirational President."
In 1999, a natural foods entrepreneur named John Foraker invested in Annie's and then bought Withey and Martin's stake in the company. Until 2017, Foraker served as Annie's CEO and president, with Withey taking the title of "Inspirational President," a figurehead role that allows the company to follow her philosophy on organic food and sustainable agriculture.
In 2005, Annie's acquired a smaller company called Annie's Naturals, a Vermont-based company which produced bottles of organic salad dressing, pasta sauce, barbecue sauce, and condiments. Started by husband-and-wife team Peter Backman and Annie Christopher, Annie's Naturals made GMO-free dressings with flavors like Shiitake & Sesame and Garlic Parmesan Tofu. Annie's Homegrown incorporated some of Annie's Naturals dressings and condiments into their own product line after the acquisition.
6. Consumers debate whether Annie's is really healthy or not.
Although Annie's products are organic and free of GMOs, trans fats, and added sugar, some critics argue that Annie's is not as healthy as it purports to be. These critics point out that a serving of Annie's mac and cheese has a similar amount of calories, sodium, and saturated fat as Kraft mac and cheese, and Annie's uses refined flour as opposed to whole grain flour. In response, Annie's has reiterated that its goal is to make cleaner, more natural versions of convenience foods.
In 2014, General Mills bought Annie's for $820 million. Some customers expressed concern that Annie's was "selling out" and would add artificial ingredients to their food to cut costs, but Foraker, Annie's CEO, reassured customers that Annie's would remain committed to GMO-free products and stressed that the acquisition would help Annie's get into the homes of more people. Annie's was incorporated into GM's Small Planet Foods, the company's organic/natural foods branch.
8. Annie's once had a line of pasta shaped like Arthur, the aardvark.
Offering more than just bunny shaped pasta, Annie's once had a line of pasta shaped like Arthur, the aardvark from the children's books.And through Bernie's Book Club, which offers reading suggestions for babies up to adults, Annie's joined forces with the PBS show Arthur to help promote reading.
She believed that it was possible to build a successful and socially conscious business. And in 1989 she co-founded Annie's to do just that. From humble beginnings selling mac & cheese from the trunk of her car, Annie's has grown into a publicly traded powerhouse.
She believed that it was possible to build a successful and socially conscious business. And in 1989 she co-founded Annie's to do just that. From humble beginnings selling mac & cheese from the trunk of her car, Annie's has grown into a publicly traded powerhouse.
Bernie was Annie's pet dutch rabbit when she founded Annie's back in 1989. Her brother drew him into the Annie's logo as a symbol of simplicity, care and goodness behind the Annie's products and brand.
1989 - Annie Withey and Andrew Martin founded Annie's in Hampton, Connecticut. In the beginning Annie started out making Mac & Cheese and selling it out of the trunk of her car.
90 Day Fiancé alum Annie Suwan Toborowsky is pregnant! She shared the news together with her husband, David Toborowsky, in a video posted on Instagram on Friday, July 5. "The test results said I'm pregnant!!!!
Class Action Claims Annie's Mac & Cheese Contains 'Dangerous and Harmful' Chemicals. A proposed class action filed this week claims General Mills Inc. has failed to disclose to consumers that several of its popular Annie's macaroni and cheese products contain “dangerous and harmful chemicals” known as phthalates.
We look for ingredients, manufacturing partners, and packaging materials that have a positive impact on farmers, communities, animals, the environment, and you. We strive to ensure that our products meet the high standards that we and our bunny families share.
The Annie's version and the Kraft version are very, very similar when it comes down to the nutrition facts. Annie's has 1 additional gram of fiber per serving, 1 less gram of fiber per serving, less iron per serving, and 1 gram more saturated fat.
“We felt that is was a really great time to partner up with somebody like General Mills because our mission is really making products like ours available to a much, much broader set of consumers,” said Annie's CEO John Foraker.
Acquisition will expand General Mills' fast-growing natural and organic foods business. MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- General Mills, Inc. (NYSE: GIS) said today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Annie's, Inc.
Annie's may be natural and organic — but it won't be independent much longer. The specialty food maker announced an agreement today to be sold to giant General Mills for $820 million. The deal consists of $46 per share in cash for Annie's shareholders, a 37% premium over the stock's closing price of $33.51 on Monday.
Annie, born Annie Bennett in the theatrical adaptations and later known as Annie Bennett Warbucks, or Annie Bennett Stacks is the protagonist of the comics, the Broadway musical, and the films of the same name. She is a spunky, optimistic, energetic eleven-year old (10 in the 1982 film) orphan girl.
Although Annie's products are organic and free of GMOs, trans fats, and added sugar, some critics argue that Annie's is not as healthy as it purports to be.
We're on a mission to cultivate a healthier, happier world by spreading goodness through nourishing foods, honest words and conduct that is considerate and forever kind to the planet.
Annie Turnbo Malone and Madam C.J. Walker were pioneers of the African American beauty industry and groundbreaking entrepreneurs. Each woman developed haircare and beauty products, created beauty schools and launched highly successful businesses that employed hundreds of African Americans (mainly women).
Charlie and Joanie Pratt bought the orchard from Deborah in 1983 and connected the house and barn with a small addition when they moved to the orchard in 1984. Deborah chose the name “Apple Annie” for the orchard business (that is another story!), and the Pratts kept it.
The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years, setting a record for the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon Theatre). It spawned numerous productions in many countries, as well as national tours, and won seven Tony Awards, including for Best Musical.
Hobby: LARPing, Kitesurfing, Sewing, Digital arts, Sand art, Gardening, Dance
Introduction: My name is Amb. Frankie Simonis, I am a hilarious, enchanting, energetic, cooperative, innocent, cute, joyous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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