Greyston Bakery

What Greyston Bakery does

Greyston Bakery is a for-profit commercial bakery headquartered in a 21,000-square-foot LEED-certified facility at 104 Alexander Street, Yonkers, NY, wholly owned by the nonprofit Greyston Foundation Inc. (501(c)(3), founded 1982). The bakery produces nearly 12 million pounds of brownies and blondies annually (~50,000 lbs/day) for three end markets: (1) branded retail SKUs sold direct-to-consumer via shop.greyston.org and through retailers including Whole Foods and CAVA; (2) brownie and blondie inclusions supplied to ice cream manufacturers, most notably Ben & Jerry's (Chocolate Fudge Brownie and other flavors since 1987) and more recently Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams and a Whole Foods almondmilk collaboration; and (3) corporate gifting. Its core operational differentiator is the Open Hiring model — a first-come, first-served employment process with no interviews, background checks, or resumes — which the company treats as both an internal labor practice and a licensable, replicable social enterprise framework for third-party employers.

The company's revenue model is wholesale-product-driven: one-time product sales to retail and foodservice buyers, plus direct e-commerce transactions. Operational economics are tightly coupled to the Open Hiring pipeline, which provides entry-level labor to a workforce that is then supported by wraparound social services through the Greyston Employment Opportunity Center (GEOC), including job training, mentoring, childcare, housing, and mental health support delivered in partnership with Westchester Jewish Community Services. The model targets individuals facing employment barriers, including the formerly incarcerated, and reports a 6.3% recidivism rate (vs. a national 44% benchmark) and 23% internal turnover.

Strategically, Greyston operates two growth vectors. First, it is diversifying its customer base and product surface within the bakery business, expanding blondie SKUs and adding ice cream partners beyond Ben & Jerry's. Second, and more distinctive, it is commercializing Open Hiring as a methodology: IKEA, The Body Shop, Bonduelle, the U.S. Government Fair Chance Business Pledge, and a UN partnership are documented replicators. The company has set a Vision 2030 goal of 40,000 employment opportunities through these replication partners. In parallel, Greyston Foundation has paused its non-bakery community programs to refocus resources on its Yonkers employment mission — a defensive consolidation even as the bakery and replication business continue. Greyston holds B Corp certification (since 2008, "Best for the World" for nine consecutive years) and LEED facility certification. Financials are not publicly disclosed; Greyston Foundation 990s are available for 2020-2023.

Name

Greyston Bakery

Legal name

Greyston Foundation Inc.

Website

https://greyston.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Greyston Bakery is a Yonkers, NY-based for-profit bakery, owned by nonprofit Greyston Foundation, that produces ~12 million pounds of brownies and blondies annually for Ben & Jerry's, Whole Foods, CAVA, and Jeni's, using its trademarked Open Hiring model to employ people facing barriers to work.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Bakery

NAICS

Commercial Bakeries (311812), Baked Goods Retailers (445291)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050)

akta.pro primary industry

Wholesale / Commercial Bakeries (B2B Supply) (THAFAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cookie & Brownie Shops (THAFAGAF), DTC Bakery & Desserts Delivery (AFAIANAF)

Keywords

• Commercial bakery products
• Brownie manufacturer
• Wholesale baked goods
• Ice cream inclusions
• Open hiring employment

Headquarters

HQ city

Yonkers

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Revenue model

1. Wholesale brownie and blondie product sales: Greyston Bakery produces and sells brownies and blondies wholesale to retailers, restaurants, and foodservice companies. Major customers include Ben & Jerry's (for ice cream inclusions), Whole Foods, and CAVA. Products are also sold directly to consumers through the company's e-commerce website.
2. Direct consumer sales: Products sold directly to consumers through the company's online store at shop.greyston.org, including brownie gifts and corporate gift orders.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Greyston Bakery manufactures and sells brownies and blondies wholesale to grocery retailers (Whole Foods), restaurants (CAVA), and ice cream manufacturers (Ben & Jerry's, Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream), and direct-to-consumer via its e-commerce site. The bakery operates under the Greyston Foundation's distinctive Open Hiring employment model and supports workforce development programs for individuals facing barriers to employment.

Product overview

Greyston Bakery operates as a mission-driven commercial bakery producing nearly 12 million pounds of award-winning brownies and blondies annually for retail, foodservice, and ice cream manufacturing customers. The product portfolio consists of direct-to-consumer brownie and blondie offerings sold online and through retailers, as well as bulk brownie and blondie inclusions supplied to ice cream partners. The company's Open Hiring model and Greyston Employment Opportunity Center (GEOC) provide workforce development and employment services for individuals facing barriers to employment, including formerly incarcerated persons, homeless individuals, and those in recovery. The Rangers Program offers transitional employment with permanent job placement support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 36% retention increase and under 4% default rate for partner Rhino Foods' income advance program
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• IKEAflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2022IKEA CEO Jesper Brodin announced at Greyston's 40th Anniversary Gala in October 2022 that IKEA would be utilizing the Open Hiring model to create a more welcoming work environment where all can reach their full potential.
• The Body ShopflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2022The Body Shop has implemented Open Hiring in distribution centers and retail operations across the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Received the 2022 Bernie Glassman Trailblazer Award at Greyston's 40th Anniversary Gala. Saw 13% increase in productivity and 63% reduction in turnover at North Carolina fulfillment center.
• Walmart (via RBIJ's Unlock Potential program)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 October 2022Greyston joined RBIJ's Unlock Potential program, a Walmart-funded intentional hiring program designed to prevent recidivism and support employment for those with barriers.
• Jeni's Splendid Ice CreamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2022Greyston launched a new partnership with Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream in April 2022, featuring Powdered Jelly Donut ice cream made with Greyston brownie pieces.
• BonduellecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2021Bonduelle partnered with Greyston's Rochester Hub to introduce inclusive hiring at its Brockport, NY facility in August 2021, then expanded to Florence, NJ facility in March 2022. Bonduelle offers positions without resumes, interviews, background checks, or drug screens.
• Ben & Jerry'sflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1987Greyston has partnered with Ben & Jerry's since 1987, supplying brownies for their Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream and other flavors. This long-standing partnership is central to Greyston's business and brand recognition.
• B LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerB Lab is the nonprofit organization that grants B Corp certification. Greyston was certified as a B Corp in 2008 and has been named 'Best for the World' for 9 consecutive years.
• Whole Foods MarketcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGreyston products are sold in Whole Foods stores across the US. Greyston brownies were featured in a new Whole Foods ice cream flavor collaboration (Birthday Blondie Almondmilk).
• Westchester Jewish Community ServicescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGreyston forged a strong partnership with Westchester Jewish Community Services to provide care for bakery staff, including having a WJCS case worker on site to assist employees.
• United NationsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerB Lab partnered with the United Nations and small companies to develop tools that help large multinational corporations adopt stakeholder-based business practices. Greyston's open hiring policy for formerly incarcerated people is one of three specific initiatives being scaled.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rhino Foods: Burlington, VT-based social enterprise bakery producing cookie dough and baked inclusions for ice cream and foodservice. Closest comparable to Greyston: also a mission-driven bakery supplying B2B ingredients to major ice cream brands, with employee-friendly programs (income advance) and similar social-enterprise positioning.
• Tate's Bake Shop: Premium cookie and baked-goods brand acquired by Mondelez. Directly comparable to Greyston in operating in the premium baked-goods wholesale and retail channel with a narrow, differentiated product portfolio positioned at price-premium tiers.
• Killer Brownie: Premium brownie brand producing gourmet brownies for retail and foodservice channels. Direct competitor to Greyston in the brownie category with similar B2B/retail distribution model and emphasis on indulgent, premium positioning.
• Fairytale Brownies: Premium brownie retailer with strong corporate gifting channel. Comparable to Greyston for its brownie-focused product line and emphasis on gift and corporate-order e-commerce, though operating with a different (private/retail-anchored) distribution strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Dave's Killer Bread: Mission-driven premium bread brand owned by Flowers Foods, employing returning citizens and formerly incarcerated individuals. Comparable to Greyston for its 'Second Chance' hiring philosophy and brand-led social mission, though broader in product range (breads, rolls, buns) and much larger in scale.
• Mrs. Fields: Iconic cookies and brownies brand with retail, wholesale, and DTC channels. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the brownies/cookies specialty category with a similar gift-oriented distribution model.
• Newman's Own: Social enterprise food brand donating 100% of profits to charity, spanning multiple food categories. Broadly comparable to Greyston's mission-driven brand model and use of social impact as a primary differentiator in food retail.
• Panera Bread: Large cafe-bakery chain with bakery grab-and-go, in-store bakery, and packaged retail products. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the bakery and cafe-bakery category where Greyston also operates (retail and foodservice channels).

Emerging players

• Enjoy Life Foods: Allergen-friendly and specialty-dietary baked goods brand (now owned by Mondelez). Comparable to Greyston as an emerging player in differentiated, mission-led bakery categories, with overlap on the vegan brownie/blondie SKU range Greyston offers.

Others

• Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams: Premium craft ice cream brand and Greyston customer (Powdered Jelly Donut inclusion). Included as an ecosystem partner rather than direct competitor; demonstrates Greyston's role as a strategic ingredient supplier within the premium ice cream category.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/greystonbakery
• Facebookfacebook.com/GreystonBakery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/greyston-bakery
• Instagraminstagram.com/greystonbakery

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 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 Greyston Bakery