Hydrox Cookies Back by Popular Demand

By Matthew Fields

Loyal fans have spoken, in volume, it seems—and Kellogg has responded.

After more than 1,300 telephone inquiries, 1,000 petition signatures and countless online board postings, Kellogg has announced that Hydrox cookies will return to grocery stores nationwide at the end of August. The cookies, marking the 100th year since they were invented, will be available for a limited time, with a possible extension if successful.

Originally created as the first crème-filled chocolate cookie by the Sunshine Biscuit Co. in 1908, Hydrox was acquired by Kellogg in 2001. The company discontinued production in 2003 after the cookies failed to gain market share against a very similar and successful product: Nabisco's Oreo. A 1999 reformulation of the recipe by Sunshine helped precipitate the decline among loyalists.

"For generations of fans who grew up on Hydrox cookies, it is more than just a delicious, creamy-filled chocolate sandwich cookie," Brad Davidson, president of Kellogg Snacks, Battle Creek, Mich., said in a statement. "We've been touched by how many consumers describe their preference for Hydrox cookies as interwoven with their identity and family history. These Hydrox cookie loyalists can be proud to know they've been heard, and have inspired the latest chapter in the story of the ‘little cookie that could.'"

Kellogg says the Limited Edition 100th Anniversary Hydrox cookies will appease Hydrox loyalists and follow the original recipe, changing only the fact that it now contains 0 grams of trans fat. The suggested retail price for a 14-oz. package of cookies will be $3.19.

To support the release, Kellogg will stage a contest, beginning next month, inviting consumers to submit their favorite Hydrox cookie stories. Selected contestants with the best stories will be among the first to taste the new product at a relaunch celebration in New York at the end of August. Kellogg also is launching a Web site, www.hydroxcookies.com, to help support, along with in-store activities.
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