Schwebel's Bakery facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Founded | 1906 |
| Founder | Joseph and Dora Schwebel |
| Headquarters |
U.S. 44502
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Key people
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Number of employees
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Approximately 1,000 |
Schwebel's Bakery is a well-known company that makes bread and other yummy baked goods. It started in Youngstown, Ohio, a long time ago, in the early 1900s.
Contents
The Story of Schwebel's Bakery
How It All Began
The Schwebel's brand was created by Joseph and Dora Schwebel. They were a married couple who started baking bread in their home kitchen. This was in 1906, in Campbell, Ohio.
Soon, the Schwebels began selling their fresh bread to people in nearby Youngstown. This was the official start of their Bakery business. In 1914, Dora and Joseph started selling their bread in local "mom and pop" stores. This helped their small business grow even more.
To make sure stores always had fresh bread, they hired more bakers. Schwebel's then started delivering bread to areas outside Youngstown. They used horses and wagons to transport their products.
Growing the Business
By 1923, Schwebel's had its first group of delivery trucks. They had six trucks ready to go. In the same year, the Schwebels built a small bakery with a store. They spent $25,000 on this new building.
At this time, the family could bake and deliver 1,000 loaves of bread every day. They used their six delivery trucks for this. The bakery was getting better, but it faced some tough times in the 1920s and 1930s.
Facing Challenges and Coming Back Stronger
Dora Schwebel faced many difficulties in the late 1920s and 1930s. In 1928, Joseph Schwebel sadly passed away at age 46. This left Dora with six children and the family business to run by herself.
Many people thought a woman with young children should not run a baking business. They told Dora to sell the bakery and stay home. But Dora was determined. She kept the company going, wanting to continue what she and Joseph had started.
Less than a year after Joseph's death, the stock market crashed in 1929. This made running a business even harder for Dora and her family.
Dora promised to do whatever it took to keep the business alive. She worked day and night if needed. She made important agreements that helped the business survive. In 1936, she built a new bakery that made twice as much bread. She added to it again in 1938 and 1941.
By the late 1940s, more and more people wanted Schwebel's products. Soldiers were returning home from World War II, and many babies were being born. This was a time of great growth for the company.
New Facilities and Big Ideas
In 1951, Dora and her children moved the bakery to a new building. It was on Midlothian Boulevard in Youngstown. This new facility had modern equipment and baking methods. These changes greatly helped the business.
The 1960s brought the third generation of the family into the company. They brought new energy and ideas. They wanted to grow the company quickly and expand beyond Youngstown. In 1967, Schwebel's Golden Rich Bread became very popular. This led to a successful program to sell it across the country.
Growing Across the Region
By the end of the 1970s, the company had spread its delivery network. Schwebel's quickly became a major bakery in Cleveland, Canton, Ohio, and Pittsburgh. The company also made its bakeries bigger. They added machines to make bread and buns, which doubled how much they could produce.
The 1980s and 1990s were years of record growth. Schwebel's bought several other companies. This made them a strong force in the baking industry in their region. To help with this growth, they added delivery centers in Columbus and Buffalo. During this time, they also made special baking agreements with companies like Stouffer Corporation, Pillsbury Company, and Disney's Epcot theme park.
Recent Changes
Schwebel’s closed its plant in Cuyahoga Falls in 2013. Some of the work from there moved to their Solon, Ohio plant. The company also closed some of its bakery outlet stores. These were in Austintown and Warren in January 2019. Another outlet in Meadville, Pennsylvania closed in November 2018.
On March 18, 2019, Schwebel’s announced it would close its bakery in Solon. This change happened in May 2019 and affected 204 jobs. After these changes, the company had about one thousand employees.
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