Agnetha Faltskog once said that, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it, without a sense of ironic futility…” Otto von Bismarck has said, “The main thing is to make history, not to write it.” We certainly can’t pretend to know the past of baking or snack food manufacturing. But with April marking the 100th anniversary of Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, we cannot help but revisit some of the amazing past in these fascinating markets of ours.

It doesn’t feel like Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery is 100 years old, and that’s partly because we have changed names, formats, management, ownership and staffs several times throughout our long existence.

According to the website, ideafinder.com, we consume more than 4.3 billion lb. of snack food a year, which could be why snacks may soon end up becoming America’s favorite meal.

Despite today’s economic problems, baked goods have remained “an affordable splurge.” Perhaps they’ve maintained that status because of the bad economy. It’s no wonder: People do tend to treat themselves sometimes when the going gets tough. Who wouldn’t when the pressure’s on?

We visit one of three of Little Lady Foods’ production facilities, which are all about customization. The frozen food manufacturer produces about 100 stock-keeping units that vary with customer desires, and as many as five million pizzas and three million sandwiches each week.

It’s hard to believe that we’re already off to a fast start this year, and it’s February. So many projects, events and new takes on old classics are in the works this month, as we prepare for more tradeshows, meetings and spring conferences.

Family-owned Kangaroo Brands, Milwaukee, strives for consistent quality and value when it comes to all things pita. Passionate about baking and snack production, Kangaroo uses quality ingredients to provide quality products, including its popular line of light, crunchy pita chips for retail and foodservice. It’s for these and other reasons that Kangaroo is our Snack Manufacturer of the Year.

Maintaining traditional European bread baking processes using stone hearth ovens, European/Italian recipes, formulas and old-world flavor, Turano Baking Co., Berwyn, Ill., has been expanding its artisan-quality product line nationally. We celebrate the 50th anniversary of this growing company, which is smoothly transitioning into its third generation of family owned and operated management.

Expanded several times, Turano Baking Co.’s Berwyn, Ill., headquarters production plant features three fully-automated makeup lines and three semi-automated lines that can produce some 200 stock-keeping units overall and generate as many as 150 types of fresh products each day. Starting out as a 2,000-sq.-ft. storefront in the early 1960s, the facility now is a 185,000-sq.-ft. dynamo of action.