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The Makers of Hydrox® Cookies Respond to Media Inquiries Relating to Oreo® Plant Closings

  www.leafbrands.com (949) 424-1664   For Immediate Release   The Makers of Hydrox® Cookies Respond to Media Inquiries Relating to Oreo® Plant Closings   (Newport Beach, CA, December 5, 2016) –Ellia Kassoff, LEAF Brand’s CEO, has answered many media requests since Carrier Air Conditioner recently announced it will keep 1000 jobs in the US.  As a focal point for discussion on the growing movement to relocate US jobs to other countries, Mr. Kassoff has repeatedly been asked, “Do you think Mondelez (the makers of Oreo®) will bring jobs back under the Trump administration?”  Mr. Kassoff’s comments are as follows:   “For the last 100 years, Hydrox®, (The original sandwich cookie™) had always remained second to Oreo® but things are starting to change since Mondelez built the world’s largest cookie plant in Monterrey, Mexico and slowly started moving US production to that plant, laying-off thousands of US workers. We believe Mondelez will continue to move production to its Mexican plant due to its much lower production costs. In addition, with the added pressure to reduce expenses and increase profits by its major stockholder’s, Nelson Peltz and Bill Ackman, the company has taken major steps to increase margins and shareholder value worldwide by moving production to lower cost regions of the world. Everyone tends to forget that the number one goal of a public company is stockholder value and not product quality or saving jobs.”   Kassoff goes on to say, “While we hope President Trump is successful in his goal to retain US jobs, it’s hard for public corporations to overlook their focus on lowering costs and increasing profits/stockholder value.  Leaf Brands has a much different goal as a privately held company; our impetus is on quality by making Hydrox® in the US with the best ingredients. For example, we use real cane sugar and have just moved to real vanilla flavor in Hydrox®.  It increases costs, but we’re fixated on consumer value, not pinching pennies.  If you look at Oreo’s® and other competitor’s ingredients in our space, you find high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors.  It is hard for me to imagine Oreo® moving to real sugar and no artificial ingredients which would increase costs and go against their corporate edict.  We believe Mondelez will eventually move most of their production to Mexico; it’s only a matter of time. More and more Oreo® customers are switching to Hydrox® as they are looking to support American-Made products and naming Oreo’s move to Mexico as the major reason. That, along with the elimination of HFCS and artificial ingredients, makes Hydrox® the only national brand sandwich cookie using higher-quality ingredients and made in the US. We know competitors are scared of our success since we’ve logged multiple complaints (and pictures) of our cookies hidden at supermarkets throughout the US. The competition is getting fierce but ultimately consumers want more products made in the USA.  We will never move our Hydrox® cookie plants outside the US and we’ve reached out to the Trump team requesting to become the Official cookie of the White House.”   About LEAF® Brands, LLC:  The original LEAF® Brands were started in the 1920's.  LEAF® Brands, once the fourth largest candy producer in North America, produced candy classics such as Whoppers®, Jolly Rancher® and Rain Blo® Bubblegum, which were later sold to Hershey® Chocolate & Confectionary Corporation in the late 1990's. LEAF® Brands LLC, is a privately-owned company which focuses on bringing back nostalgic brands to consumers. Along with Hydrox®, LEAF® Brands brought back other iconic marks like; Astro Pop® and tart n’ tinys®.