The History of Wonder Bread

Wonder Bread got its start at a family business. The Taggart Baking Company of Indianapolis had been baking bread for over 50 years, but with the business growing steadily, they expanded by purchasing a factory in the early 1900s. At the end of World War I, the Taggart family was working on a new recipe for white bread. They knew it had to be light and fluffy to the touch, because without sell-by dates, consumers assessed freshness by squeezing the bread. They hired Elmer Cline to introduce the new bread, who was inspired to create the now-iconic name and logo by hot air balloons. After multiple ad campaigns for a “mystery” product, Wonder Bread officially hit grocery store shelves on May 24, 1921. It was a success, but remained a regional product until the Taggart’s operation was purchased by the Continental Baking Company in 1925, who began nationwide distribution. Until the late 1920s, Wonder Bread was sold unsliced. While the company is sometimes credited with inventing sliced bread, they in fact only popularized it. In 1927, Otto Frederick Rohwedder created the bread slicer; Wonder Bread heard about his invention and had it added to their factories. By 1930, Wonder Bread was being sold sliced. Just prior to World War II, the company began enriching the flour in the bread. After some legal bumps and various company sales, the brand’s newest owner, Flower Foods, reintroduced the brand in 2013 and the classic white bread is still available today.