Schwebel's Bakery
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Schwebel's Bakery is a regional producer of bread and other baked goods that was established in
Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...
, in the early 20th century.


History

The Schwebel's brand was created by Joseph Schwebel and Dora Schwebel, a married couple that started baking bread in the kitchen of their
Campbell, Ohio Campbell (; ) is a city in eastern Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, along the Mahoning River. The population was 7,852 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located directly southeast of Youngstown, Ohio, Youngstown, it is a suburb i ...
, home, in 1906. The Schwebels eventually began to sell bread to customers in nearby Youngstown, an event which marks the official beginning of the Schwebel's
Bakery A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based baked goods made in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, doughnuts, bagels, Pastry, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as Coffeehouse, cafés, servi ...
. In 1914, Dora and Joseph entered the world of retail sales by working out agreements with several local "mom and pop" stores – a move that opened up new and more profitable sales channels for their fledgling business. To ensure that fresh bread was in the stores when customers asked for it, the young couple added more bakers to assist the family. Eventually, Schwebel's expanded its distribution to areas beyond Youngstown and relied on horses and wagons to transport their products. By 1923, Schwebel's secured its first fleet of trucks, with six vehicles on hand. That same year the Schwebel's invested $25,000 and built a small bakery complete with a store front for retail business. At this time, the family could bake and deliver 1,000 loaves a day using six delivery trucks. The bakery was improving but in the 1920s and 1930s the company had a temporary downfall.


Crisis and renewal

Dora Schwebel faced many challenges during the late 1920s and 1930s. In 1928, Joseph Schwebel died suddenly at the age of 46 – leaving Dora with six children and the family's business to run by herself. In 1928, many people believed the baking business was no place for a woman with young children. Dora Schwebel was told she should sell her bakery and stay home with her children, but she still kept the company, trying to continue the business she and her husband started. The stock market crashed in the fall of 1929, less than a year after Joseph Schwebel's passing, and Dora and her young family found out just how difficult running a business could be. Vowing to meet her obligations by working all day and all night if necessary, Dora negotiated a number of critical agreements that kept the business running in the face of national financial ruin. She built a new bakery in 1936 that doubled production and improved efficiency, and added to it in 1938 and again in 1941. By the late 1940s, demand for the company's products was growing by leaps and bounds as soldiers returned home from World War II and the baby boom began.


1950s and 60s

In 1951, Dora and her children moved into a new facility on Youngstown's Midlothian Boulevard, outfitted with equipment and baking processes that would significantly help the business. The 1960s marked the beginning of the third generation's active participation in the company. Their entry would add vitality, new ideas, and a quest for rapid growth and expansion outside of Youngstown. In 1967, the popularity of Schwebel's Golden Rich Bread led to a successful national licensing program throughout the country.


Expansion

By the end of the 1970s, the company had noticeably expanded its distribution network. In rapid fashion, Schwebel's had now become a key player in the
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,
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and
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markets. In addition, the company had undertaken a significant bakery expansion program that fully automated the bread and buns lines, doubling capacity. Record growth characterized the 1980s and 1990s. As a result of several key acquisitions, Schwebel's had become a regional force in the baking industry. To complement this expansion the company added distribution facilities in
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and
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. This period also heralded special baking agreements with
Stouffer's Stouffer's is a brand of frozen prepared foods currently owned by Nestlé. Its products are available in the United States and Canada. Stouffer's is known for such popular fare as lasagna, macaroni and cheese, meatloaf, ravioli, fettuccine ...
,
Pillsbury Company Pillsbury is an American brand of baking and dough products, marketed by General Mills and Brynwood Partners. Pillsbury products include refrigerated and frozen dough products, including the Toaster Strudel, marketed by General Mills; and shel ...
, and Disney's Epcot theme park.


Closures

Schwebel’s closed its plant in
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in 2013 and shifted some of the production there to its
Solon, Ohio Solon ( ) is a city in southeastern Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 24,262 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A suburb of Cleveland, it is part of the Cleveland metropolitan area. History In 1820, the first ...
plant. The company closed its bakery outlet stores in Austintown and
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in January 2019, and its outlet in
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in November 2018. On March 18, 2019, Schwebel’s announced it would close its bakery in Solon and cut 204 jobs in May 2019. This would leave the company with approximately one thousand employees.{{cite news, url=http://www.cleveland19.com/2019/03/18/schwebels-announces-bakery-closure-cuts-jobs-solon/, title=Schwebel's announces bakery closure, cuts 200 jobs in Solon, first=John, last=Deike, work=
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, publisher=
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, location=
Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
, date=March 18, 2019, accessdate=March 19, 2019


See also

*
List of bakeries This is a list of notable bakeries. A bakery is an Business, establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baking, baked in an oven such as bread, cakes, Pastry, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee a ...
*
List of brand name breads This is a list of brand name breads. Brand name breads * Allinson * Alvarado Street Bakery * Bimbo Bakeries USA – Arnold, Ball Park, Beefsteak, Bimbo, Brownberry, EarthGrains, Entenmann's, Eureka! Baking Company, Francisco, Freihofer's, Grand ...


References

Companies based in Youngstown, Ohio Brand name breads American companies established in 1906 Food and drink companies established in 1906 1906 establishments in Ohio