Calandra's Bakery

What Calandra's Bakery does

Calandra's Bakery is a privately held, family-owned Italian and French bakery founded in 1962 by Italian immigrant Luciano Calandra Sr. in Newark, New Jersey, and now led by second-generation CEO Anthony Calandra. The company operates three retail storefronts in Northern New Jersey — Newark (a 50,000 sq ft flagship production facility), Fairfield, and Caldwell — open 365 days per year, and produces a comprehensive portfolio including breads, breakfast items, pastries, cookies, cakes and pies, cupcakes, custom wedding and specialty cakes, gelato, seasonal holiday items, dog cakes, and sugar-free/gluten-free/vegan healthy treats. Core production relies on traditional methods: dough is hand-scaled and baked in brick ovens using a simple four-ingredient formulation (wheat, flour, yeast, water) with all-natural ingredients, supported by multi-generational Italian and French recipes.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: direct-to-consumer retail bakery sales (in-store, phone, and via DoorDash and GrubHub), wholesale bread distribution to 500+ supermarkets, delis, restaurants, hotels, and casinos across New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut (including official supplier status at MetLife Stadium, Prudential Center, and Red Bull Arena), and higher-margin custom cake orders and private event space rental. Pricing is largely unit-based with a 20% senior discount on Mondays and Wednesdays, quote-based for custom wedding cakes (with complimentary tastings), and $500 for private event rentals. The bakery sits within the broader Calandra Enterprises ecosystem, which also includes restaurants (Cucina Calandra, Calandra's Mediterranean Grill, il Vecchio Café), Calandra's Italian Market & Deli, multiple hotels, apartment properties, and a private-label line of olive oil, coffee, pasta, sauces, and wines imported from the family's Italian vineyard. The company operates with no disclosed institutional investment, no public listing, and no disclosed revenue figures.

Name

Calandra's Bakery

Legal name

Calandra's Bakery

Website

https://calandrasbakery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Calandra's Bakery is a family-owned Italian and French bakery founded in 1962, operating three retail locations in Northern New Jersey and a wholesale bread program supplying 500-plus supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, and major sports venues across the tri-state area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Bakery

NAICS

Retail Bakeries (311811), Bread and Bakery Product Manufacturing (31181)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery) (THAFAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ethnic & Regional Bakeries (e.g., Middle Eastern, Asian, Latin) (THAFAFAJ)

Keywords

• Artisan bakery products
• Italian French bread
• Custom wedding cakes
• Wholesale bakery supply
• Fresh baked goods

Headquarters

HQ city

Newark

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail Bakery Sales: Direct sales of baked goods including bread, pastries, cakes, cookies, cupcakes, gelato, and specialty items at three physical bakery locations open 365 days a year.
2. Wholesale Bread Distribution: Supplying fresh bread to supermarkets, delis, restaurants, hotels, and casinos throughout the tri-state area (NJ, NY, PA, CT). Major institutional clients include MetLife Stadium, Prudential Center, and Red Bull Arena.
3. Custom Cake Orders: Custom tiered cakes and specialty cakes for weddings and special occasions. Includes complimentary cake tasting consultations. Orders require at least one week advance notice.
4. Private Event Space Rental: Event space rental at bakery locations for bridal showers, baby showers, birthday parties, and cupcake parties. Includes discounted bakery products for booked events.
5. Third-Party Delivery Platform Commissions: Online ordering through DoorDash and GrubHub for delivery services.
6. Private Label Food Products: Calandra family produces and sells their own line of olive oil, coffee, fresh pasta, homemade sauces, and wines from their vineyard in Italy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Calandra's Bakery is a family-owned Italian and French bakery producing scratch-baked breads, pastries, cakes, cookies, and gelato using traditional hand-scaling and brick oven methods with 100% all-natural ingredients. The company operates three retail locations in Northern New Jersey (Newark, Fairfield, and Caldwell) and distributes wholesale bread to over 500 supermarkets, delis, restaurants, hotels, and major sporting venues across the tri-state area.

Product overview

Calandra's Bakery is a family-owned Italian and French bakery established in 1962, operating as a traditional brick-and-mortar bakery with three locations in Northern New Jersey (Newark, Fairfield, and Caldwell). The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of fresh-baked products centered around handcrafted breads (white, semolina, whole wheat, multigrain), breakfast items, pastries, cookies, cakes and pies, cupcakes, custom wedding and specialty cakes, gelato, and seasonal holiday items. The bakery also provides specialty offerings including dog cakes and healthy treats (sugar-free, gluten-free, vegan), and operates a wholesale bread program supplying major supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, and sporting venues. The business is part of Calandra Enterprises, which also includes restaurants, hotels, and real estate properties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Fresh bread baked every hour the bakery is open
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nico Hischier / New Jersey DevilscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 November 2023New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier partnered with Calandra's Bakery for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. Nico makes special appearances at Calandra's restaurants. Custom-designed Hischier-branded gift cards are sold with 20% of sales donated to the Devils Youth Foundation. Signed Nico jerseys raffled at events. Calandra's is the 'Official Bakery and Bread of the New Jersey Devils.' They host away game viewing parties and present the birthday scroll program.
• Devils Youth FoundationminorOthersCharitable partner receiving 20% of Hischier-branded gift card sales. Partnership focused on community giving and youth foundation support.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nothing Bundt Cakes: Franchised specialty cake retailer with hundreds of U.S. locations focused on bundt cakes for celebrations and gifting. Comparable in custom/special-occasion cake focus, retail storefront model, and gift-driven demand, though narrower in product line.
• Balthazar Bakery: NYC French bakery and pastry shop serving artisan breads, viennoiserie, and pastries alongside Balthazar restaurant. Comparable in French/European baking heritage, retail storefront model, premium positioning, and high-traffic urban Northeast locations.
• Sullivan Street Bakery: NYC Italian-influenced artisan bakery known for breads, bomboloni, and focaccia with both retail and wholesale operations. Comparable in Italian heritage, brick-oven and artisan methods, and a mix of retail storefront plus wholesale distribution to restaurants.
• Carlo's Bakery: Iconic Italian-American retail bakery founded in Hoboken, NJ (1910), with multiple U.S. locations, custom cakes, and national brand recognition from the 'Cake Boss' TV show. Directly comparable in product mix (Italian pastries, cakes, breads), NJ origin, custom wedding cake focus, and family-run heritage.
• Levain Bakery: NYC-based retail bakery famous for its oversized cookies and pastries, with multiple locations across the Northeast. Comparable as an upscale, multi-location artisan bakery with strong brand recognition, broad wholesale/retail distribution, and a focus on indulgent baked goods.
• Amy's Bread: Manhattan-based artisan bakery producing breads, pastries, and desserts for retail, wholesale, and foodservice customers in the NYC metro. Directly comparable in scratch/brick-oven baking methods, wholesale distribution to restaurants and retailers, and premium artisan positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Flowers Foods: Public commercial baker (NYSE: FLO) producing packaged breads and snack cakes under brands like Nature's Own, Wonder, and Dave's Killer Bread. Comparable as a major bakery manufacturer distributing through supermarket/wholesale channels across the U.S., though at vastly greater scale and without the artisan/Italian retail angle.
• Paris Baguette: Large international bakery-cafe chain (owned by SPC Group) with significant U.S. expansion including NJ locations. Comparable as a multi-location retail bakery serving breads, pastries, and cakes, with a French/Asian bakery-cafe positioning rather than traditional Italian artisan.
• Panera Bread: National bakery-cafe chain owned by JAB Holding/Roark Capital with thousands of locations across the U.S. Comparable as a broad incumbent in retail bakery and bread offerings, though operating a much larger, fast-casual cafe-bakery model rather than artisan/Italian specialty.

Regional players

• Mazzola's Bakery: Long-standing Italian-American retail bakery in Brooklyn with multiple locations, custom cakes, and wholesale distribution. Comparable in Italian heritage, retail-plus-wholesale model, and multi-generational family ownership, but operating in the NYC boroughs rather than New Jersey.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutu.be/uUMlmVsyKwA
• Facebookfacebook.com/teamcalandra
• Instagraminstagram.com/calandrasbakery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/calandras-bakery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Calandra's Bakery