Wally Amos, an indefatigable entrepreneur who in 1975 took a $25,000 loan from a few friends in Hollywood to start Famous Amos, one of the first brands to push high-quality cookies in its own stores and one of the world’s best-known names in baked goods, died Tuesday at his home in Honolulu. He was 88.
His children Shawn and Sarah Amos said the cause was complications of dementia.
At a time when flavorless, preservative-packed cookies were about the only thing available to consumers not blessed with a baker in the family, Amos’ confections stood out. Derived from a recipe he had learned from his aunt, they used real ingredients, no coloring or chemicals added, and he kept them as close to handmade as possible, even as his company exploded into national distribution through the early 1980s.
What began with a single store in Los Angeles that made $300,000 in revenue its first year became by 1981 a $12 million company (about $42 million in today’s currency), with dozens of Famous Amos stores across the country and packaged products sold in grocery and specialty stores as well.
The cookies were widely proclaimed delicious, but a big draw was Amos himself. An energetic, ever-smiling pitchman known for his Panama hat and colorful Indian gauze shirts, he loved the hustle of building a brand, going on the road to promote it for weeks at a time.
www.seattletimes.com
His children Shawn and Sarah Amos said the cause was complications of dementia.
At a time when flavorless, preservative-packed cookies were about the only thing available to consumers not blessed with a baker in the family, Amos’ confections stood out. Derived from a recipe he had learned from his aunt, they used real ingredients, no coloring or chemicals added, and he kept them as close to handmade as possible, even as his company exploded into national distribution through the early 1980s.
What began with a single store in Los Angeles that made $300,000 in revenue its first year became by 1981 a $12 million company (about $42 million in today’s currency), with dozens of Famous Amos stores across the country and packaged products sold in grocery and specialty stores as well.
The cookies were widely proclaimed delicious, but a big draw was Amos himself. An energetic, ever-smiling pitchman known for his Panama hat and colorful Indian gauze shirts, he loved the hustle of building a brand, going on the road to promote it for weeks at a time.
Wally Amos, creator of Famous Amos cookies, dies at 88
Derived from a recipe Wally Amos had learned from his aunt, they used real ingredients, no coloring or chemicals added, and he kept them as close to handmade as possible.
www.seattletimes.com
