Semifreddi's Bakery facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Bread |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Headquarters |
Alameda, CA
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Area served
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San Francisco Bay Area |
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Key people
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Tom Frainier, President and CEO; Mike Rose; John Tredgold |
| Revenue | ~15 million |
| Owner | Tom Frainier (aka Chief Boot Licker), Barbara Rose, and Michael Rose |
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Number of employees
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~125 |
Semifreddi’s Bakery is a popular bakery located in Alameda, California. They make delicious, handmade breads and pastries for people all over the San Francisco Bay Area. Did you know that the name "Semifreddi" means "half-frozen" in Italian?
How Semifreddi's Bakery Started
In 1984, Eric and Carole Sartenaer opened a small bakery in Kensington, California. It was only about 450 square feet! In 1987, Barbara Frainier, who was one of their first employees, took over the business with her husband, Michael Rose.
A year later, in 1988, Barbara's brother, Tom Frainier, joined the team. Tom had a special business degree called an MBA and used to work in a big company. He decided to join his sister and brother-in-law to make bread and pastries. To save money, they all lived together in a small apartment in Berkeley. Tom became the President and CEO, and he helped the bakery grow very quickly.
Semifreddi's Today
Today, Semifreddi’s is one of the biggest bakeries in the Bay Area that makes artisan (handmade, high-quality) breads and pastries. It is located in Alameda, California. Semifreddi's and another company called Acme are the two main bakeries in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In 2009, Semifreddi’s moved into a much larger building, which is about 33,000 square feet! This bakery is very busy. It operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year long. They are also very good at recycling, handling 95 percent of their waste.
Semifreddi's uses more than 25 different recipes to bake over 50 kinds of breads and pastries. In a typical week, they bake and deliver more than 200,000 baguettes, rolls, and loaves of bread. They also make about 40,000 pastries and cookies every week! You can find their delicious products in grocery stores, restaurants, and cafés all around the Bay Area.
What They Bake
Semifreddi’s bakes many different kinds of French and Italian style breads and pastries. Some of their popular items include:
- Baguettes
- Loaves of bread
- Batards (a type of bread loaf)
- French style pastries
They also make other yummy treats like croutons, cookies, and special sweets for different seasons.
