Pop-Tarts: Crazy-Good and USW-Made

Who They Are: Local 9345

Where They Are: Pikeville, Ky.

What They Do: Produce Pop-Tarts and Nutri-Grain bars for Kellanova

Like so many other American children, Elizabeth West loved Pop-Tarts when she was a kid. Today, she’s one of about 340 USW members in Pikeville, Ky., who spend their days producing the iconic breakfast treats for consumers around the world.

“Pop Tarts and cereal were always a go-to for breakfast in our house,” she said. “They still are, honestly.”

West, in her second term as president of Local 9345, has worked at the factory for about 17 years. She spends her days packing cases of the beloved baked goods for shipment to locations in the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany and Great Britain.

While there are a few other Pop-Tart factories in the United States, the Pikeville location – where members also make Nutri-Grain bars – produces some of the most popular flavors, including strawberry and cinnamon, while also turning out test runs of new and limited-edition flavors.

USW members are involved throughout the process, from the mixing of the dough and filling, to the baking, wrapping and packaging of the tarts, to preparing them for shipping.

Pop-Tarts, a product of Kellogg’s, made their debut 60 years ago with four simple, unfrosted flavors and instantly grew into a nationwide phenomenon. Today, the Pop-Tarts brand boasts more than two dozen standard flavors and a number of special releases, as well as a cereal, and even a college football bowl game that bears the Pop-Tarts name.

This spring, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who has devoted stand-up routines to his love of Pop-Tarts, produced, directed and starred in a feature film, “Unfrosted,” that was loosely based on the invention of the toaster pastries, focusing on the real-life race between Kellog’s and Post to see which company could release its version first.

Although West said the film created a “buzz” among workers at the factory, Pop-Tarts have rarely required such publicity to thrive as a brand. Sales have increased every year since their creation in 1964 and, in 2023, reached almost $1 billion.

“Everybody knows Pop-Tarts, everybody loves Pop-Tarts,” West said. “It is very cool to be a part of something that has been around for so long and is so iconic.”