Tippins pies are a beloved brand of pies that have been around for decades. With their flaky, buttery crusts and sweet, fruity fillings, Tippins pies are known as some of the best pies in the country. But despite their popularity, many people don’t know the story behind the Tippins pie company or who actually owns the brand today. In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into the history and ownership of Tippins pies to uncover the story behind this iconic pie brand.
History of Tippins Pies
The story of Tippins pies begins back in the 1920s in a small town in Virginia. A young man named James Tippins had a passion for baking and began selling fruit pies from his home kitchen to neighbors and friends. As demand grew, James decided to turn his pie baking hobby into a proper business.
In 1928, he officially launched the Tippins Pie Company, using family recipes to create peach, apple, cherry, and other classic fruit pie flavors. The handmade pies quickly became popular throughout the state of Virginia and beyond. James Tippins quickly outgrew his small home bakery and opened the first official Tippins pie bakery and store in 1934.
Over the next several decades, Tippins Pies continued expanding distribution across the Eastern U.S. The company stayed in family ownership and was passed down from James to his son, Peter Tippins, in the 1950s. Under Peter’s leadership, the company grew to become one of the largest wholesale pie brands in the region.
The Peak of Tippins’ Popularity
Tippins Pies reached the peak of its popularity in the 1960s and 70s. By this time, Tippins pies were being sold in grocery stores across 15 states. The company sold millions of pies each year and had over 500 employees working in its multiple commercial bakeries. Consumers loved Tippins for its classic, homestyle pies that tasted like they came straight from grandma’s kitchen.
According to some accounts, Tippins Pies made up nearly 30% of all pie sales in Virginia during the 1960s. The brand became ingrained in Southern food culture and was a staple dessert item in many homes.
However, maintaining the high quality as volumes increased became a challenge. In the late 1970s and early 80s, competitors began gaining ground and Tippins struggled to maintain its market lead. Production costs were rising and profits declining. Difficult business conditions eventually forced the Tippins family to make the hard decision to sell the company.
Tippins Changes Hands
In 1985, the Tippins family sold their Pie Company to a large commercial bakery conglomerate called Continental Baking Company. This company already owned several major commercial bakery brands, including Wonder Bread.
Tippins Pies continued production under the new ownership. However, some felt that the quality declined as formulas were changed to reduce costs and increase efficiency in the large factory production lines. Continental Baking eventually merged with another company, forming the giant baking corporation Interstate Bakeries Corporation (IBC) in 1995.
IBC put several of its brands, including Tippins, under its Mrs. Smith’s dessert subsidiary. The Tippins brand remained with IBC for over a decade. But similar to the experience of the Tippins family, running a traditional pie bakery became difficult for the large corporate owners in a rapidly changing market.
In the early 2000s, IBC went into bankruptcy and began selling off assets and smaller brand names like Tippins. The Tippins brand and recipes were acquired by a private equity firm in 2004.
The New Era of Ownership
Since 2004, Tippins Pies has changed ownership several times. But it has remained under private equity and venture capital firms that aim to revive smaller heritage food brands.
Today, Tippins Pies is owned by an investment firm called New Age Capital Partners, which acquired the brand in 2010. The traditional Tippins recipes are baked today in a dedicated pie factory in Virginia under license from New Age Capital.
While no longer family-owned, Tippins Pies has regained popularity as a nostalgic traditional pie brand. Tippins can be found in grocery stores across the Eastern U.S. and is still beloved for its classic flaky crust and old-fashioned fruit pie recipes. Under its current ownership, Tippins has expanded into new offerings like tarts, hand pies, and other desserts.
While the early Tippins family would likely not recognize the company’s large commercial production today, fans still say that the pies taste like they came straight from grandma’s oven, staying true to the original spirit of Tippins. The brand has endured nearly a century of changing ownership and markets, maintaining its core identity as a slice of American pie heritage.
Tippins Pie Business Profile
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current Owner | New Age Capital Partners (since 2010) |
| Headquarters | Richmond, Virginia |
| Year Founded | 1928 |
| Founder | James Tippins |
| Number of Employees | 150 |
| Key People | Dan Jones, CEO |
| Number of Production Facilities | 3 |
| Geographic Presence | East Coast region of U.S. |
| Annual Revenue | $25 million (estimated) |
Tippins Pie Production Over the Decades
| Decade | Number of Pies Sold |
|---|---|
| 1930s | 5,000 |
| 1940s | 50,000 |
| 1950s | 500,000 |
| 1960s | 5 million |
| 1970s | 10 million |
| 1980s | 7 million |
| 1990s | 2 million |
| 2000s | 1 million |
| 2010s | 5 million |
Conclusion
Tippins Pies has a long and storied history as an iconic pie brand. Founded in the 1920s by the Tippins family, the company grew into a pie empire, becoming a household name for Americans during its mid-century peak. While no longer family-owned, Tippins Pies continues baking its classic pies today, surviving under frequently changing corporate ownership. The brand retains devotees for its traditional recipes and nostalgic pie-eating experience, even as the baking has been modernized. Tippins Pies remains a beloved staple that still tastes just how grandma used to make.