Then
Chattanooga Bakery was founded in 1902 as a subsidiary of the Mountain City Flour Mill. The company made nearly 100 snack cake and cookie items under the Lookout trademark, named after the popular residential and tourist community near Lookout Mountain.
In 1917, after a bad sales call, the general manager asked employees for new ideas. One of the salesmen struck up a conversation with some Appalachian coal miners, who told him they liked graham crackers -- and that everyone liked chocolate. As the moon was rising that night, one of them raised his hands up to frame the moon and said "why don't you make it about that big." Just like that, the MoonPie was born.
By the late 1930s, the snack cake had become the bakery's No. 1 seller -- a spot it still occupies today, with more than 1 million MoonPies shipped daily from Chattanooga.
Now
MoonPies are available in three sizes (the original single decker, double-decker and mini) and eight flavors (chocolate, vanilla, banana, mint, salted caramel, strawberry and two seasonal varieties, lemon and pumpkin spice). Brand distribution is national, with particular strength east of the Mississippi. The brand can be found in the grocery, mass, club, drug, convenience, vending, fundraising, and foodservice channels, as well as a number of specialty retail outlets including Cracker Barrel, Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops.
Fun Fact
For special brand events, Chattanooga Bakery handmakes the "world's largest MoonPie," which is 42 inches wide, 6 inches tall, weighs 45 pounds and feeds 300.
View From the Top
"We are proud to call Chattanooga our forever home, and thank our amazing associates and our customer and supplier partners for enabling us to keep 'baking memories' for the next 100 years," says CEO Sam H. Campbell IV. "We always need great people, so please reach out if you desire to work for this fifth-generation, 'out-of-this-world' iconic brand."
READ MORE
* Built to last: Chattanooga’s legacy of iconic brands
* Built to last: Coca-Cola Bottling
* Built to last: Chattanooga Times Free Press
* Built to last: Krystal Restaurants
* Starting a business: 5 things I wish I knew
* Show of support: A guide to entrepreneurial resources in the Scenic City
Photography courtesy of Chattanooga Bakery / Vintage MoonPie label.
Photography courtesy of Chattanooga Bakery / Chattanooga Bakery offices.
Photography courtesy of Chattanooga Bakery / Current Chattanooga Bakery CEO Sam Campbell IV and his mother, Sue Campbell, in a Red Food Store on Dayton Boulevard, circa 1962.