Holiday tables will be a little different this year following Sister Schubert’s company decision to discontinue their beloved sausage wrap rolls.
The company decided to switch out the rolls for the sausage pinwheels due to the sausage rolls not selling well enough.
While the products have a similar ingredient list, the pinwheels are larger than their predecessors and feature mozzarella and cheddar cheese, as well as smaller sprinklings of sausage rather than links.
“We have seen and heard the recent, heartfelt response to our decision to discontinue Sister Schubert’s Sausage Wrap Rolls,” a Sister Schubert’s spokesperson said. “It was a difficult choice that we had to make due to ongoing production challenges. We are honored that our customers loved the product as much as they did, and we sincerely apologize that so many of our loyal customers are missing the Sausage Rolls on their tables.”
The company also made a switch from its bite-sized frozen cinnamon rolls to a larger version that comes with a squeeze-over cream cheese icing.
A petition called “Bring Sister Schubert’s Sausage Wrap Rolls Back!” on Change.org (started by Ashley Lambert) has more than 2,100 signatures and makes it clear they want them back, and soon: “Sister Schubert’s has recently discontinued their Sausage Wrap Rolls and along with it, traditions all over the south! Show Sister Schubert how much we love our Sausage Wrap Rolls and how much we desperately need them back on the shelves!”
Founded by Patricia “Sister Schubert” Barnes in 1989, the brand is known for producing 12 varieties of frozen rolls.
Barnes, the namesake of Sister Schubert, started her career as a baker watching her grandmother in the kitchen, as a small child in Troy. In 1992, Patricia partnered with George Barnes, a food broker. Together, they worked to build Sister Schubert’s Homemade Rolls, Inc., into a national company. They would also later wed.
In 2000, Barnes sold her company to the T. Marzetti Company, a subsidiary of Lancaster Colony Corporation. The corporation kept her and her family in the fold to run the business. The factory is still located in Luverne, Ala. She now has a home on the Plateau.
- By Christopher Lugo