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The McKee story began during the height of the Great Depression when young
entrepreneur O.D. McKee began selling 5 cent snack cakes from the back of his car.
He was just out of college and newly married, and he was eager to get into the baking
business. Soon after, he and his wife, Ruth, bought a small, failing bakery, using the
family car as collateral. Money was so tight they had to put up a sheet near the back
of the bakery for the family's living quarters.
Despite years of great adversity, O.D. and Ruth's rare determination finally began to
pay off in 1960 when they began selling the first family pack of baked goods, naming
them after their granddaughter, Debbie. Around this time, the company finally began
making a steady profit.
The bakery continued to grow but remained a family bakery. O.D. and Ruth’s sons,
Ellsworth and Jack, eventually took leadership positions, and today Ellsworth and
Jack's children hold leadership roles. They are beginning to introduce the 4th generation
of the McKee family to the business.
McKee Foods stands as a living legacy of a young couple with a big dream. O.D. and
Ruth shared a strong commitment to family values that remains our company's
foundation today.
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