For many years the company was called Interstate Bakeries and based at 12 East Armour Boulevard, Kansas City, Missouri.

In 2009, after it emerged from a 2004 bankruptcy, its name was changed to Hostess Brands and its headquarters moved to Irving, Texas.

[5] On November 16, 2012, the company filed a motion in United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York in White Plains to close its business and sell its assets.

The merged company, headquartered in Hartsdale, New York, kept the DPF acronym while continuing to divest its remaining technology assets.

Investing heavily in its plants, it acquired the Silver Loaf Baking Company, Eddy Bakeries and Mrs. Cubbison's Foods.

The divisions had different cultures: Butternut was unregimented, with each bakery a self-contained profit center, and Wonder Bread was structured; this caused early problems.

The new enzymes gave the bread a different taste and texture,[18] and market forces reduced prices and sales.

During the bankruptcy proceedings (at the time, the longest-running in U.S. history), Interstate fought a 2007 bid from Mexican baker Grupo Bimbo and Ron Burkle of the Yucaipa Companies.

In its filing, the company said it "is not competitive, primarily due to legacy pension and medical benefit obligations and restrictive work rules".

[5] In March Brian Driscoll resigned as CEO[25] and was replaced by Gregory F. Rayburn, who had been hired as chief restructuring officer nine days earlier.

[26] In July 2012, the New York Post reported that negotiations with the Teamsters Union, led by Silver Point Capital, were close to an agreement allowing Hostess Brands to cut employee pay and benefits if the company continued funding its pension plans.

[31][32] According to CEO Gregory Rayburn, "Hostess Brands will move promptly to lay off most of its 18,500-member workforce and focus on selling its assets to the highest bidders.

[39] In January 2013, the company asked a judge to set a March 21 deadline for workers to file back-pay claims.

[40] On February 11, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in New York approved stalking horse bidders for Hostess Brands.

[41][42][43][44] The company received bids for assets from Walmart, Target, Kroger, Flowers Foods and Grupo Bimbo,[45][46][47][48] and was expected to sell its snack-cake and bread brands during 2013.

[64] It was announced on January 28, 2013 that United States Bakery was the leading bidder for Hostess' Sweetheart, Eddy's, Standish Farms and Grandma Emilie's brands and McKee Foods was the leading bidder for its Drake's brand, which included Ring Dings, Yodels and Drake's Devil Dogs.

[68] Hostess announced ten days later that production would resume the following month, and on June 23 said that its brands would be back on store shelves on July 15.

[69][70] although the company would sell fewer products than before, new president Rich Seban said that it might produce innovative pastries and snacks.

[71] In January 2013, a joint venture by Apollo Global Management and C. Dean Metropoulos and Company became the leading bidder to purchase Dolly Madison and the Hostess brand of snacks.

[9] Bimbo Bakeries USA outbid Flowers Foods for the rights to Beefsteak on February 28, 2013,[75][76] and the deal was approved by a bankruptcy court on March 20.

[77] In August, the trademarks of J. J. Nissen and the web domain jjnissenbreads.com were transferred to Bimbo Bakeries,[78] which later purchased other regional Hostess bread brands: Colombo, Cotton's, Emperor Norton, Fisherman's Wharf, Parisian and Toscana.

[65] As of December 2015[update], the rights to the Baker's Inn and Dutch Hearth brands remain unsold.