Elmer's Fine Foods
New Orleans snack maker known for CheeWees cheese curls.
Elmer's Fine Foods is a snack food company based in New Orleans, Louisiana, that began producing snack products in 1946. It is known for its CheeWees and Mardi Gras cheese curls, which are sold in various southeastern states. The company's manufacturing plant and offices are located in the Ninth Ward, an area heavily flooded by Hurricane Katrina.
Quick Facts
- Founded
- 1946
- Headquarters
- 2404 Port Street; New Orleans, Louisiana
- Key people
- Alan Elmer Sr., President
- Industry
- Snack Foods Manufacturing
- Products
- Snack food
Facts from the source article.
History
The business passed to his son-in-law Augustus Elmer, who renamed it Miller-Elmer Candy, and later became the Elmer Candy Corporation around 1914 after Augustus's five sons joined. During the Great Depression, the Elmer brothers created a cornmeal-based cheese-curl snack. In 1939, sales manager Morel M. Elmer Sr. held a contest in New Orleans to name the curls, resulting in the name CheeWees. Elmer's Fine Foods was formed in 1946 to market this product. After the Elmer Candy Corporation was sold in 1963, the trademark for CheeWees was lost, and the company marketed the curls as Chee-T and Chee-Z-Snax for three decades. In the 1980s, brothers Alan, Paul, and Stephen Elmer joined and modernized the business. Hurricane Katrina devastated the facility on August 29, 2005, forcing a 14-month closure; the company reopened in January 2007 and launched its website. The fifth generation of the Elmer family—Alan, Stephen, and Paul—continues to operate the business. CheeWees are sold in Mississippi and Louisiana, with expansion to national and international markets.
Products
Elmer's Fine Foods offers CheeWees in six flavors: original cheese, bar-b-que, hot-n-spicy, green onion, jalapeño, and 400 Hot Degreez, with pizza flavor no longer made. Their ready-to-eat popcorn comes in caramel, cheese, hot cheesy, and Creole Crunch. Jumbo Peanuts are dry roasted and sold in-shell. Limited Mardi Gras editions include caramel popcorn and CheeWees. CheeWees T-shirts are also available.
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