Hostess reopens bakeries for Twinkies, Ho Hos

• The new Hostess Brands wants to bring back Twinkies and Ho Hos by July
• It is reopening plants in Georgia%2C Kansas%2C Indiana and Illinois
• The company is taking applications

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Twinkies and Ho Hos are on the way back.

The new Hostess Brands said Monday that it will open bakeries in Indiana and Illinois, following announcements last week that it will reopen bakeries in Georgia and Kansas in its effort to bring back some of its snack brands.

The predecessor to this Hostess Brands filed for bankruptcy protection in 2012 after years of turmoil and later decided to go out of business after a nationwide strike crippled its operations.

Private equity groups Apollo Global Management and Metropolis & Co. — now doing business as Hostess Brands — paid $410 million to buy the Hostess and Dolly Madison snack cake lines as well as five plants as part of the company's liquidation process.

The investment firms are now trying to revive operations to get Twinkies, Ho Hos and other popular snack cakes back on shelves by the end of July.

Hostess Brands said Monday that it will open bakeries in Indianapolis and Schiller Park, Ill. The company has already begun accepting applications at some sites and begins hiring next month. The company expects some locations will begin operating in late May.

Hostess also tried to combat the perception that the company is anti-union.

It said in a statement Monday that Hostess respects union rights and will not discriminate against job applicants on the basis of union membership or union activities and would respect associated legal obligations.

The company said applicants interested in joining the company can visit jobs.hbnewco.com.