The Bakery Behind McDonald's Pies Has Been The Same Since 1968

When it comes to fast food pies, few are as iconic as the ones served at McDonald's. And while their long-enduring popularity could be a testament to the pies' irresistible taste or even feelings of nostalgia, it's also a matter of consistency. For more than five decades, McDonald's has relied on the same bakery partner to produce its pies. Since 1968, that bakery has been the sole provider of these flaky, fruit-filled desserts served all around the wrong.

Bama Companies (originally known as the Bama Pie Company) has been around since the 1920s when Cornelia Alabama Marshall baked pies in her kitchen and sold them to her local community, who adored them. The business grew and eventually led to her son, Paul, opening up a location of the Bama Pie Company in Oklahoma many years later. In 1968, he created the McDonald's Apple Pie — which was originally only sold at one Southern location before going national. Bama Companies is responsible for more than just the Apple Pie at McDonald's — the company has produced every other flavor of McDonald's pie over the years, as well.

Although the Apple Pie has long been the permanent flavor offered at U.S. McDonald's locations, there have been many other limited edition variations. The Strawberry & Créme, Blueberry and Créme, and Cherry Pies, among many others, are all products of Bama. The pies are made in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where the bakery is still headquartered today, then shipped out to McDonald's locations around the world. This, of course, is a huge operation — so huge, in fact, that Bama produces around 2 million pies every single day for McDonald's (via CNET).

While the pies have been consistently delicious through the years, there have been some changes made here and there. For example, the pies were long deep-fried, but in 1992, the prep method switched to baking. In 2018, Bama gave the Apple Pie a recipe revamp, adding larger chunks of apple and switching to a lattice crust top. The company also removed certain ingredients (preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial colors) and added cinnamon, resulting in a dessert that's even more apple-y.