Flowers Foods has given Aunt Millie's Bakeries of Fort Wayne, Ind., the exclusive license to produce Wonder and Home Pride breads in various territories in the Midwest U.S.

Under the new deal, Wonder and Home Pride breads will return to store shelves in northwest Indiana, northern Illinois (including Chicago) and southern Wisconsin after being off the market since the November 2012 shut down of Hostess Brands.

Flowers Foods acquired the Wonder and Home Pride brands, as well as Merita and Butternut, in July 2013 and promptly re-introduced all four brands to its direct-store-delivery market, which reaches approximately 79 percent of the U.S. population in the East, South, Southwest and California.

"We're excited about partnering with Aunt Millie's, which produces quality fresh bakery foods and has a great distribution network,” says Allen L. Shiver, president and chief executive officer, Flowers Foods. “This agreement allows us to bring these well-known and well-loved bread brands, baked with the same recipes, back to consumers in this part of the Midwest."

For a recap of the Hostess Brands closure and the sale of its other brands including Twinkies, click here.