1 challenge we have had is the labor force,” says Rachid Ouardi, director of manufacturing and business development. That was an industry game-changer, but Schwartz Brothers took the subsequently formidable challenges in stride.Įmployee recruitment and retention during the COVID-19 pandemic has been essential to maintaining production continuity.
Facility certifications include kosher and SQF Level 2, and a capability for organic products, including bread.īusiness development was moving along at a steady clip before the pandemic hit in December 2019. “We made a big investment in the bread category, and we made a big investment in opening a new plant in Renton,” says Schwartz. The investments Schwartz Brothers made in its capabilities has paid off, and the bakery now offers a product set that includes bagel chips, dessert bars, breads, buns, rolls, bagels, croissants, cinnamon rolls, muffins, scones, cookies, and similar items. “When we lost all that Starbucks business, we were really fortunate to have the restaurant business, which was able to maintain our infrastructure and be in a position to invest in the bakery so that we could have a long-term sustainable business model.” “Throughout that time, we obviously had the support of our restaurants,” says Schwartz. “Over the ensuing decade, we’ve really done everything we could to rebrand ourselves to create the Schwartz Brothers Bakery brand and to expand nationally,” says Schwartz. However, that experience-growing in tandem with Starbucks, adding bakery competencies-helped Schwartz Brothers develop the infrastructure that remains in place today. In 2012, Starbucks bought the La Boulange bakery chain, and Schwartz Brothers lost that business, which was a significant setback. At the end of it, we were doing 7,500 stores west of the Rockies.” “We delivered fresh to the original 10 Starbucks stores in Seattle. “They kept saying ‘Jump,’ and we kept saying, ‘How high?’ Over the years, we continued to grow as fast as we could,” says Schwartz. This proved an enterprising relationship. “We provided all the muffins, cookies, scones, and croissants that you would see in Starbucks.” “We were the original Starbucks bakery,” says Schwartz. When Howard Schultz bought Starbucks, he set into motion plans for rapid expansion, and he needed a bakery partner. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Schwartz Brothers saw exponential growth in its bakery thanks to another pioneering Seattle company, Starbucks.
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