Flowers Foods is one of the largest producers and marketers of bakery products in the United States. Our goal is to provide long-term value to our shareholders. We accomplish this by providing quality bakery foods to customers through multiple channels of distribution. Our strategy focuses on responding to current market trends and changing consumer preferences with new products and by providing outstanding service to our customers. We also aggressively invest capital to modernize and expand our production and distribution capacity, increase efficiency, and take advantage of the latest state-of-the-art information technology.
Flowers bakeries produce and market fresh breads, rolls, buns, and snack cakes to retail and foodservice customers in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic States, and Southwest, and in select markets in California and Nevada. These products are delivered through a direct-store-delivery (DSD) system that uses approximately 3,600 independent distributors who own the rights to sell certain Flowers bakery brands within their respective territories.
We also produce and market frozen breads, rolls, and buns as well as snack cakes that are sold nationally to customers through other delivery systems. We use information technology to enhance the productivity and efficiency of our distribution systems and bakeries.
Flowers Foods has a leading presence in the major product categories in which we compete. Our brands have a leading share of fresh packaged branded sales measured in both dollars and units in most of the major metropolitan markets we serve. Our top brands include Nature's Own, Whitewheat, Mrs. Freshley's, Cobblestone Mill, and Blue Bird; top regional franchised brands include Sunbeam, Bunny, and Holsum.
