Oreo: Little Known Facts | Mondelēz International, Inc. (2024)

Sunday, March 03, 2019

Ten Facts You Never Knew About the Iconic Cookie!

We’re celebrating Oreo National Day! Magic happened on March 6, 1912 when two decoratively embossed chocolate-flavored wafers met up with a rich crème filling. Today, Oreo is the world’s top selling cookie. Whether you enjoy the original, green tea, dulce de leche or one of the many flavors found around the world, one thing remains right at the heart of milk’s favorite cookie: the iconic “twist, lick, dunk” ritual that brings people together like no other biscuit can!

But there is more behind the cookie than you can imagine. Here are 10 facts about the iconic brand that you never knew!

10. The Story Behind Oreo Way

Oreo Way is a street in New York that was formerly known as West 15th (between 9th and 10th Avenues). The street was renamed to honor where the very first cookie was made and where the very first Nabisco factory was located.

9. You Can Find Oreo Cookies in Over 100 Countries

It’s true! The cookies have truly become ubiquitous, so if you’re traveling, chances are you’ll see those infamous sandwich cookies wherever you’re going.

8. The Number of Oreo Cookies Made in a Year Would Circle the Earth Five Times

We have factories that make Oreo cookies in 18 countries all over the world. These factories help produce 40 billion cookies every year. If stacked together, these cookies would circle the earth five times!

7. 50% of Oreo Consumers Pull the Cookies Apart Before Eating Them

Rather than nibble on the outsides or eat them whole, 50% of Oreo consumers prefer to twist their cookies open before eating (or dunking) them. The other half, presumably, eat them stuck together.

6. Ladies Are More Likely to Twist

If you are someone who takes your cookies apart before eating them, pay attention next time. Women are more likely to twist Oreo cookies open than men, who are more likely to just pull them apart.

5. Record Number of Fans

Oreo’s Facebook page has over 42 million likes. This ranks it in the top 10 brands in terms of Facebook likes (it’s currently at number six). Impressive!

4. Oreo Cookies Were Part of the World’s Largest Blind Taste Test

In 2009, the cookies were part of a blind taste test that took place in Madrid, Spain. The taste test, which included 1,471 people, was the largest blind taste test in recorded history.

3. It’s the Most Popular Cookie of the 21st Century

In 2018, the brand brought close to $3 billion in worldwide annual revenues. Clearly, we’re doing something right!

2. Two Flavors Originally Debuted

Along with the classic chocolate flavor rolled out in 1912 was a lemon meringue flavor. However, the lemon meringue flavor wasn’t popular enough and was eventually discontinued.

1. It takes Two Hours to Make and Bake One Oreo Cookie

Sure, it takes 120 minutes to produce a cookie … but does it take that long to eat one?

Oreo: Little Known Facts | Mondelēz International, Inc. (2024)

FAQs

Oreo: Little Known Facts | Mondelēz International, Inc.? ›

There have been enough Oreos produced since their release in 1912 that they would reach the moon if you were to stack them! With an estimated 40 billion cookies sold each year, it would mean that if you were to stack them on top of each other, you would be able to circumnavigate the earth five times.

What are some interesting facts about Oreos? ›

There have been enough Oreos produced since their release in 1912 that they would reach the moon if you were to stack them! With an estimated 40 billion cookies sold each year, it would mean that if you were to stack them on top of each other, you would be able to circumnavigate the earth five times.

What company is Oreo owned by? ›

The Oreo brand has been owned by Mondelez International since 2012. According to Mondelez, it takes two hours to make and bake one Oreo cookie. The company operates factories in 18 countries around the world that produce 40 billion cookies per year.

What is the #1 cookie in the world? ›

Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world. It is now sold in over 100 countries. Oreo was first produced in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company, now known as Na-Bis-Co.

What is a fun fact about Mondelez International? ›

We are one of the largest snack companies in the world with global net revenues of approximately $36 billion in 2023. We hold the #1 global position in biscuits (cookies and crackers) and #2 in chocolate, while we're growing rapidly in baked snacks.

Are Oreos brown or black? ›

The chocolate wafers on an Oreo cookie are either dark brown or black depending on who you ask. On the Oreo FAQ page, Mondelez provides the following response to questions about the cookie's color: "We do not have a color assigned to the cookie portion of an Oreo.

What does Oreo stand for? ›

The most common version asserts that Oreo derives from or, French for "gold" and supposedly the color of the original packaging. Others say it stands for "orexigenic," a medical term for substances that stimulate the appetite (including cannabis).

Does Hershey own Oreo? ›

It was introduced by Nabisco on March 6, 1912, and through a series of corporate acquisitions, mergers, and splits, both Nabisco and the Oreo brand have been owned by Mondelez International since 2012. Oreo cookies are available in over one hundred countries.

Who is the CEO of Oreo? ›

Dirk Van de Put is Chairman and CEO of Mondelēz International, a global snacking leader with 2023 net revenues of approximately $36 billion driven by iconic brands such as Oreo, Ritz, LU, Clif Bar and Tate's Bake Shop biscuits and baked snacks, as well as Cadbury Dairy Milk, Milka and Toblerone chocolate.

What were Oreos originally called? ›

They called their creation Hydrox. It was America's first chocolate sandwich cookie. Most people think of Oreos as a key ingredient in Cookies and Cream ice cream, but many ice cream parlors used to use Hydrox.

What cookie is 111 years old? ›

Oreos are familiar, accessible, and darn good with or without a tall glass of chilled oat milk. Curious about the vegan nature of this 111-year-old cookie, we dove into the history (and the ingredients) of the iconic Oreo.

Is Oreo a copycat? ›

Oreo was created in 1912 as an imitation of Hydrox. Oreo eventually surpassed Hydrox in popularity, which resulted in the Hydrox cookies being perceived by many as an Oreo off-brand, despite the opposite being the case.

Was Oreo or Hydrox first? ›

Before there was the Oreo, there was the Hydrox. Neither a cleaning product nor a Marvel Comics villain, Hydrox biscuits were the original chocolate sandwich cookie, invented by the eponymous company in 1908.

Is Mondelez owned by Kraft? ›

The company has its origins as Kraft Foods Inc., which was founded in Chicago in 1923. The present enterprise was established in 2012 when Kraft Foods was renamed Mondelez and retained its snack food business, while its grocery business was spun off to a new company called Kraft Foods Group.

Is Mondelēz International real or fake? ›

Mondelez India is a part of Mondelēz International, one of the world's largest snacking companies, empowering people to snack right in over 150 countries around the world.

Who owns Nabisco now? ›

Nabisco (/nəˈbɪskoʊ/, abbreviated from the earlier name National Biscuit Company) is an American manufacturer of cookies and snacks headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey. The company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Mondelēz International. Chips Ahoy!

What are some fun facts about cookies? ›

General Cookie Facts

Over a lifetime, the average American eats 35,000 cookies (we think we can beat that!). Santa Clause eats an estimated 336 million cookies on Christmas Eve. Americans spend $550 million on Oreos each year—it was the best-selling cookie of the 20th century, and it's still going strong!

What are Oreos facts for kids? ›

The brand began with just two flavors: chocolate cookies filled with vanilla or lemon cream. Double Stuf was the first major addition to the lineup in 1975, but the first flavor change arrived in 1987 with fudge-covered Oreos. Then the color changes arrived with Halloween Oreos (1991) and Christmas Oreos (1995).

How did Oreos get their name? ›

The most popular theories, as reported by such outlets as Tasting Table and Thought Co., include the idea that Oreo takes its name from the French word for gold (“or”), and was chosen because Oreo Biscuits originally came in a gold-colored tin.

What is special about Oreo biscuit? ›

The cookie has a sweet, white filling of "creme" or "cream". The creme is in between two circle-shaped chocolate or golden cookie pieces. Oreos come in many different flavours like chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, caramel coconut, chocolate marshmallow and many more.

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