Bordenaves Bakery

What Bordenaves Bakery does

Bordenaves Bakery, doing business as Bordenave's French Bread Bakery, is a wholesale artisan bakery founded in 1918 by Frank Bordenave, a French immigrant who established the original shop ("the Parisian") on B Street in San Rafael, California. The company operates a single production facility and retail location at 1512 4th Street, San Rafael (store hours Monday–Saturday 8am–5pm, closed Sunday) and is independently owned with no external investment or parent company. Its core technology is traditional sourdough baking using a starter cultivated over generations and stone-ground flours, with the explicit exclusion of modern dough conditioners, chemicals, additives, and preservatives.

The product portfolio centers on San Francisco-style sourdough across multiple formats: loaves and rounds (Extra Sour Longie/Shortie, Baguette, Dutch Crunch, Sweet Baguette, Extra Sour Round), sliced loaves (Vienna, Pullman, and Pillow shapes in multiple grain varieties), sandwich rolls, hamburger buns, dinner rolls, croissants and muffins, focaccia, and seasonal holiday specials. Premium SKUs include the Artisan Extra-Sour Large Round and Artisan Cranberry-Walnut Sourdough; convenience SKUs include Brown-and-Serve versions of the Extra Sour Shorty and Extra Sour Dinner Rolls for finishing at home. The company also sells digital gift cards in $25, $50, and $100 denominations.

The revenue model blends B2B wholesale supply — the primary channel, delivering fresh-baked bread daily to restaurants, delis, and specialty grocery stores across the Bay Area on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays — with direct-to-consumer sales through a Shopify storefront offering local pickup/delivery and nationwide UPS shipping (free shipping on orders over $50). Retail unit pricing ranges from approximately $6 per Brown-and-Serve Shorty loaf to $36 per five-pack of Artisan Extra-Sour Large Rounds, with a 20% subscribe-and-save discount and a WELCOME10 referral code supporting acquisition. Customer segments split between wholesale business buyers (primary) and individual DTC consumers (secondary).

Name

Bordenaves Bakery

Legal name

Bordenaves Bakery

Website

https://bordenavesbakery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1918

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bordenaves Bakery is a 107-year-old, independently owned wholesale artisan bakery in San Rafael, California, supplying traditional preservative-free sourdough bread daily to Bay Area restaurants, delis, and specialty grocers, and directly to consumers through a retail storefront and Shopify nationwide shipping.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Artisan Bakery

NAICS

Bread and Bakery Product Manufacturing (31181), Commercial Bakeries (311812), Retail Bakeries (311811), Baked Goods Retailers (445291)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050)

akta.pro primary industry

Wholesale / Commercial Bakeries (B2B Supply) (THAFAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Bakery Manufacturing (Gluten-Free, Artisan, Health-Focused) (AFAKAAAG), Bread & Pastry Specialty Stores (CRAHAGAC), Bakery & Confectionery Wholesale (AFAIABAG), Bakery Grab-and-Go (Pastries, Packaged Desserts, Takeaway Bread) (CRAHAKAJ)

Keywords

• Artisan sourdough bread
• Wholesale bakery supply
• Fresh baked bread
• Traditional french bread
• Sandwich rolls and buns

Headquarters

HQ city

San Rafael

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Bread Supply: B2B wholesale bakery supplying fresh-baked bread products daily to restaurants, delis, and specialty grocery stores across the Bay Area. This is the primary revenue channel.
2. Direct Online Sales: E-commerce sales through their Shopify storefront with nationwide shipping and local pickup/delivery options. Products include sourdough loaves, dinner rolls, and specialty breads.
3. Retail Storefront Sales: In-store retail sales at their San Rafael bakery location, open Monday-Saturday 8am-5pm.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bordenaves Bakery is a wholesale and retail artisan sourdough bakery in San Rafael, California that produces traditional French-style breads, rolls, buns, croissants, muffins, and focaccia using a generational sourdough starter, stone ground flours, and clean-label recipes with no preservatives or additives. The primary channel is daily B2B wholesale supply to Bay Area restaurants, delis, and specialty grocery stores, supplemented by direct-to-consumer sales through a Shopify online storefront with nationwide shipping and a San Rafael retail bakery.

Product overview

Bordenaves Bakery is a wholesale artisan bakery located in San Rafael, California, supplying fresh-baked bread daily to restaurants, delis, and specialty grocery stores throughout the Bay Area for over a century. The company's product portfolio centers on traditional sourdough breads made without modern dough conditioners, chemicals, additives, or preservatives. The core offerings include Loaves + Rounds (sourdough loaves and rounds in various sizes), Sliced Loaves (pre-sliced bread in Vienna, Pullman, and Pillow shapes with multiple varieties), Sandwich Rolls (various sourdough rolls for sandwiches and hot dogs), Hamburger Buns, Dinner Rolls, Croissants + Muffins, Focaccia, and Holiday Specials (seasonal clusters). Premium artisan offerings include the Extra-Sour Large Round and Cranberry-Walnut Sourdough. Convenience products include Brown and Serve versions of the Extra Sour Shortie and Dinner Rolls, which allow customers to finish baking at home. The company also offers Gift Cards for online purchases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Loaves and Rounds Core wholesale and retail line of sourdough loaves and rounds baked throughout the day in multiple varieties (Extra Sour Longie, Extra Sour Shortie, Baguette, Dutch Crunch, Sweet Baguette, Extra Sour Round), serving Bay Area restaurants, delis, specialty grocery stores, and direct consumers.
• Sliced Loaves Pre-sliced artisan bread available in three shapes (Vienna, Pullman, Pillow) and multiple varieties (Sour, Sweet, Whole Wheat, Light Rye, Dark Rye, Marble Rye, 9-Grain, Texas Toast), designed for sandwich programs at restaurants, delis, and grocery retailers as well as home consumers.
• Sandwich Rolls Sourdough sandwich rolls in multiple styles and sizes (Sour Roll, Sweet Roll, Wheat Roll, Dutch Crunch Roll, 9-Grain Roll, Torpedo, Poor Boy, Ciabatta, Plain Hot Dog Bun) for sandwich and sub programs at foodservice accounts and retail.
• Hamburger Buns Hamburger buns in Plain, Brioche, Whole Wheat, and Sour Sams varieties in 4.5-inch and 5-inch sizes, supplying restaurants, delis, and grocery customers.
• Dinner Rolls Fresh dinner rolls made with stone ground flours and no preservatives, in Sour, Sweet, Wheat, Dutch Crunch, and St. Francis varieties, sold wholesale and direct to consumers.
• Croissants and Muffins Pastry line including Original, Chocolate, Cheese, Apple, and Strawberry Cheese Croissants plus English Muffins, sold to Bay Area foodservice and retail customers.
• Focaccia Italian-style flatbread in Plain, Rosemary, and Herbal varieties, supplied wholesale to restaurants, delis, and grocery stores and sold at the San Rafael storefront.
• Holiday Specials Seasonal bread clusters sold in 18-piece or 36-piece options, including half-baked versions that customers can finish baking at home, distributed to wholesale accounts and direct consumers.
• Brown and Serve Extra Sour Shortie Pre-made San Francisco sourdough shorty loaf, par-baked and packaged with baking instructions (375°F for 10–20 minutes until golden brown), sold in 1, 3, or 5 unit packs at $6.00 per unit, with a monthly or bi-monthly subscribe-and-save option at $4.80 per unit, for at-home consumers.
• Brown and Serve Extra Sour Dinner Rolls Pre-made sourdough dinner rolls packaged in 8-roll bags with baking instructions, sold direct to consumers as a Brown and Serve convenience product.
• Artisan Extra-Sour Large Round (Sliced) Made-to-order traditional sourdough round loaf made with a multi-generational starter, offering distinctive tanginess with balanced sweetness, priced at $36.00 for 5 units.
• Artisan Cranberry-Walnut Sourdough Specialty sourdough bread featuring tart cranberries and crunchy walnuts, handcrafted with the company's generational starter for a tangy, sweet, and earthy flavor profile, priced at $8.00 per loaf with quantity discounts.
• Gift Card Digital gift cards available in $25, $50, and $100 denominations for online purchases, enabling consumer gifting of the bakery's products.
• Wholesale Bread Supply Program B2B wholesale supply program with dedicated account management, online ordering portal, and onboarding process for new wholesale accounts, delivering fresh-baked bread on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays to restaurants, delis, and specialty grocery stores throughout the Bay Area.

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• ExtraFoodminorOthersExtraFood rescues excess fresh food from businesses and delivers freshly-made meals to nonprofits serving Marin County's most vulnerable children, seniors, and families. Bordenave's donates bread products to support this food rescue mission addressing hunger, wasted food, and climate change.
• Ross Valley CharterminorOthersRoss Valley Charter is a local inquiry-based, student-centered school. Bordenave's donates to various local schools including Ross Valley Charter as part of their community engagement.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Flowers Foods: Large national packaged bakery company (Nature's Own, Dave's Killer Bread). A potential acquirer or wholesale competitor demonstrating the scale benchmark in the U.S. bread market.
• ARYZTA: Global wholesale bakery supplier serving foodservice and retail with artisan and specialty breads. Comparable on the wholesale B2B bakery model and a potential acquirer or strategic partner for heritage brands.
• Panera Bread: National bakery-café chain with in-house sourdough and artisan bread offerings. Comparable on baked-goods menu and foodservice distribution, but operates at vastly larger scale as a retail bakery-café chain.

Direct peers

• Grand Central Bakery: Pacific Northwest artisan bakery with wholesale, retail café, and direct-to-consumer operations. Comparable on artisan bread portfolio, wholesale-to-restaurants model, and heritage craft positioning.
• Boudin Bakery: San Francisco-based sourdough bakery with an even longer heritage (1849), wholesale and retail distribution, and a national brand presence around 'San Francisco sourdough.' Closest direct competitor given overlapping product, geography, and customer base.
• La Brea Bakery: Artisan bread brand with national wholesale and retail presence, founded in Los Angeles. Comparable on artisan sourdough/loaf production at commercial scale and broad foodservice and grocery distribution.
• Acme Bread Company: Bay Area artisan wholesale bakery founded in 1983, supplying restaurants, grocery stores, and farmers markets with traditional breads. Highly comparable on B2B wholesale model, Bay Area geography, and artisan positioning.
• Tartine Bakery: San Francisco-based artisan bakery with strong wholesale and retail presence, known for sourdough and laminated pastries. Comparable on artisan craft, Bay Area foodservice relationships, and direct-to-consumer channel.

Regional players

• Arizmendi Bakery: Bay Area worker-cooperative bakery with multiple retail locations producing artisan breads and pastries. Comparable on artisan positioning and Bay Area geography, though structured as a cooperative.

Others

• Whole Foods Market (In-Store Bakery): Specialty grocery chain that could be both a wholesale customer and a competitive in-store bakery operator. Comparable on the artisan/specialty retail channel and a potential B2B account for Bordenave's.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Bordenaves

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Bordenaves Bakery