Nations Bakers Face Off to Decide Americas Best Pie This Week

This week, thousands of bakers from across the country put the gloves on to face off about the stickiest of subjects - who makes the best pie. But as contestants gather in Celebration, Florida, for the 2008 National Pie Championships, the results of a new survey revealed today may just scoop the judges' announcement of the winner this coming weekend.

The 2008 "Pie Slice of Life" Survey, conducted by Schwan's Consumer Brands North America, Inc. asked Americans to get personal about their pies and their preferences. Respondents were asked to rate their three favorite flavors, discuss their patterns of pie consumption, and pick their top pie baker of all time - and the results were a landslide. Apple Pie scored top marks as the favorite with 47 percent of consumers giving it the thumbs up as one of their top three pie flavors. Combined with Apple Crumb (25 percent), it ran away with a staggering 72 percent of the vote.

Pumpkin came in second at 37 percent, Chocolate Cream Pie third with 32 percent followed by a battle for the middle ground. Cherry racked up a respectable 27 percent.

"America is still as American as Apple Pie," says Travis Bautz, Vice President Bakery, Schwan's Consumer Brands. "Apple Pie is overwhelmingly the favorite flavor across the nation, while flavors such as Key Lime Pie and Peach have a huge following in the southern states."

Home Baked Favorite, But No Time to Bake

Aside from favorite flavors, the survey, Bautz notes, did point to changes among the nation's pie lovers. While almost three out of four consumers rate home-baked pies as their all time favorite dessert, 62 percent don't bake or eat pie as often due to lack of ability, lack of time or the fact that it is just too difficult.

"We take the results of this survey very seriously," says Bautz. "Who doesn't love a warm piece of apple pie or a creamy slice of key lime The problem is having time to make it. Our Mrs. Smith's and Edwards Pie Slices, for instance, were developed to give customers pie that tastes home baked with the convenience of individual slices."

The survey bears out what Bautz is saying. When asked "Who Makes the Best Pie," Mom rates highly (27 percent), and store bought convenience pie came in a close second with a 26 percent slice of the pie - beating out Grandma with just 17 percent.

Image of Pie Maker Key to Pie Purchasing Habits

The 2008 "Pie Slice of Life" Survey also points to the importance of a trusted baker of consumer pies.As consumers cite a growing fondness for home-baked goodness, they point to classic stereotypes of pie makers over the years. When asked which TV Mom would bake the best pie, Carol Brady of The Brady Bunch won by a landslide 40 percent, followed by Claire Huxtable (22 percent), Bree Van de Camp (16 percent), Debra Barone from Everybody Loves Raymond (13 percent) and Marge Simpson (8 percent).

"It's really interesting to see that Americans continue to want both traditional home-baked flavor and a baker they can trust. Both Mrs. Smith's and Edwards are delicious brands that consumers have trusted for decades. As far as the 2008 National Pie Championships go, we have some outstanding recipes and entries this year designed to give pie lovers exactly what they want. Rest assured, our blue ribbon winners will be available to consumers in the future!"

About The Schwan Food Company www.schwans.com

The Schwan Food Company is a privately owned, multi-billion dollar company. Headquartered in Marshall, Minnesota, the company employs 22,000 people within various subsidiaries around the world and sells products in approximately 50 countries. A global frozen food powerhouse, The Schwan Food Company is the fifth largest frozen food company in the world, and the world leader in frozen desserts, pizza, egg rolls and home service with more than 6,000 delivery vehicles. The Schwan Food Company is the maker of Mrs. Smith's and Edwards frozen dessert products.

About Mrs. Smith's Products www.mrssmiths.com

Mrs. Smith's is a national leader in quality frozen pies, and the brand is synonymous with home baked goodness to millions of customers nationwide. Products include Classic Pies, Slices, Soda Shoppe Pie Favorites, Classic Cobblers, Homestyle Cakes, Deep Dish Pie Shells, Bakery Specialties and Heavenly 100 Desserts, the 100 calorie line of desserts from Mrs. Smith's.

About Edwards Products

Edwards started as a well-known restaurant brand, and was enjoyed for decades by customers in the southern states before making the move to retail. Known as Edwards desserts, the products are now enjoyed by millions of customers across the United States. The company has a long reputation for innovation. Edwards has introduced a number of industry firsts, including being the first company to make and market a single-serve pie slice nationally.

About the National Pie Championships www.piecouncil.org

The National Pie Championships are an annual event organized by the American Pie Council, an organization dedicated to preserving America's pie heritage and promoting America's love affair with the pie. Held this year in Florida, the competition is open to both amateur and commercial bakers. Its' mission is to further the pie industry in the United States, encouraging cooperation among bakers and pie manufacturers and fostering a love of pie among the thousands of consumers who attend the Championships' National Pie Festival each year.

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