Bazzini facts for kids
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| Industry |
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| Founded | 1886 in New York City, New York, United States |
| Founder | Anthony L. Bazzini |
| Headquarters | Allentown, Pennsylvania |
| Products | |
The A. L. Bazzini Company, usually called Bazzini, is an American company. It sells nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate. Its main office is in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Bazzini started in New York City in 1886. This makes it the oldest nut company in the United States. It began in a market area in Manhattan. When that market was taken down in 1968, the company moved to Greenwich Street. In 1983, the Bazzini family sold the company to Rocco Damato. He has owned and run it ever since. The company moved to The Bronx in 1997. Then, in 2011, it moved to Allentown. You can buy Bazzini nuts in stores. They are also sold at places like Yankee Stadium. Bazzini has supplied nuts to Yankee Stadium since it first opened in 1923. The company's old factory building on Greenwich Street is now apartments. It is still known as the Bazzini Building.
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The Story of Bazzini Nuts
Anthony L. Bazzini started his company in 1886. He was an immigrant from Italy. He sold nuts to both businesses and people. His company was in Manhattan until 1968. That year, the Washington Market area was torn down. Many food sellers moved to the Bronx. But Bazzini already owned a building nearby. So, the company moved its work to 339 Greenwich Street.
How Bazzini Processes Nuts
In 1976, Bazzini processed a lot of peanuts. They handled about 3,000 tons of peanuts each year. These peanuts came from states like Virginia and Georgia. Workers would roast the peanuts in their shells. Or, they would take the shells off. Then, they would blanch them. This means quickly boiling them. After that, they would roast them with oil or without. Bazzini also processed other nuts. These included Brazil nuts, cashews, and walnuts.
Bazzini and Famous Places
Bazzini has worked with many big places in New York. These include Madison Square Garden and Shea Stadium. They have supplied nuts to Yankee Stadium for a very long time. They sold nuts to the first Yankee Stadium from 1923 to 2008. They still supply nuts to the new Yankee Stadium today. Bazzini also sold its products to many stores. One famous store was Zabar's.
The New York Times newspaper wrote about Bazzini. They called it "one of the largest packers and distributors of nuts in America." The article said Bazzini became more popular. This was because of Jimmy Carter. He was running to be president of the United States. He often talked about being a peanut farmer. This made people think more about peanuts.
Changes and Moves
In 1983, Rocco Damato and his partners bought Bazzini. Rocco Damato became the CEO. In the 1980s, it became expensive to work in Manhattan. So, the company sold some space in its Greenwich Street building. It became apartments. But Bazzini kept a store on the first floor. Rocco Damato and his wife, Electra, ran this nut store. They made it bigger to include fancy foods and a cafe.
The company moved some of its nut production to North Carolina. Then, they decided to move completely. In 1997, Bazzini moved its main nut factory. It went from Tribeca to Hunts Point in the Bronx. The retail store on Greenwich Street stayed open. Bazzini was one of the last food companies left in that old neighborhood.
In 2011, Bazzini bought Barton's Candy Company. This company made chocolates and candies since 1940. In the same year, Bazzini's factory moved again. This time, it went to Allentown, Pennsylvania. Rocco Damato said this move was because of a new law. It was called the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. This law made new rules for how food is grown and processed. He said it would cost a lot of money to update the Bronx factory. So, they chose to move to Allentown. They already owned a newer factory there from buying Barton's.
Bazzini's special symbol is a happy elephant. The elephant holds a big peanut. Even though the main office moved to Allentown, Bazzini still has offices in the Bronx. As of 2017, Bazzini is the oldest nut company in the United States. Rocco Damato is still the CEO. Besides nuts, Bazzini also sells nut butters, dried fruit, chocolate, and other snacks.
The Bazzini Building
The large building at 339 Greenwich Street used to be Bazzini's nut factory. It is still called the Bazzini Building today.
A man named John H. Mohlmann first built it. He owned a successful grocery business. He bought several buildings in the area. After he passed away, his family combined four land lots. They built a large, six-story building. It was designed by C. Wilson Atkins. The building has styles from the Renaissance and Romanesque periods. The side facing Greenwich Street is a bit taller. The side facing Jay Street has bigger arches.
The Mohlmann family used part of the building for their grocery business. Other businesses rented the rest of the space. Many food businesses worked from this building in the early 1900s. Bazzini bought this building in 1943. They also bought buildings next to it. They still rented out space to others. When Bazzini had to leave its Park Place location, they moved to Greenwich Street.
Bazzini left Tribeca in 1997. But the big nut-processing building is still there. It has been changed into apartments. It is part of a special historic area called the Tribeca West Historic District. This area was named in 1991. The Bazzini retail store in the old building closed in 2010.
