Walmart Says They Sell 36,000 of Patti Labelle’s Sweet Potato Pies Every Day

Daily sales of Patti LaBelle’s sweet potato pies continue to soar at Walmart even five years after they first went viral. According to Food & Wine, the world’s largest retailer is selling more than 36,000 of the pies every day. That’s the equivalent of 1,500 pies every hour or about 25 pies per minute.The obsession began back in 2015 when James Wright, who calls himself a “superfan,” taste-tested one of her sweet potato pies. He recorded his reaction and posted it on YouTube, and the hilarious video instantly went viral, garnering more than 5 million views.

Within a week, nearly every major news network and radio station in the country was talking about it, and the 21-ounce pies began selling out so fast that people began buying and re-selling the $4 pies on eBay for as much as $60.

The success of Patti’s sweet potato pie – and the resulting expansion of her personal recipe-based product line – is just one example of how Walmart has worked to transform their fresh bakery offerings.

They also sell her Southern buttermilk pies, peach cobblers, and bread and banana puddings.