A&J King Artisan Bakers

What A&J King Artisan Bakers does

A&J King Artisan Bakers is a privately held, founder-owned artisan bakery founded in June 2006 by Jackie and Andy King in Salem, Massachusetts. The company operates two Salem locations — a 7,500-square-foot production facility and pickup store at 139 Boston Street (opened 2017) and a full-service cafe at 48 Central Street in Downtown Salem — and produces handcrafted artisan breads, breakfast pastries, cakes, pies, cookies, granola, and rolls/buns. Its technical foundation rests on traditional craft baking methods, including long sourdough fermentation and, since June 8, 2022, in-house milling of 100% of whole grains on a custom New American Stone Mill. Grain and produce are sourced from a regional network spanning Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, and Quebec — including Buck Farms Grains, Ground Up Stone Milled Flours, King Arthur Flour, La Milanaise, Seneca Grain and Bean, and Cider Hill Farm — and the founders' "Baking by Hand" book (2013) anchors the brand's craft authority.

The business monetizes through a horizontal multi-channel model with no subscription tiers. End consumers pay unit prices per item (e.g., bread loaves $5.59–$13.11, pastries $3.31–$6.16, cakes and pies $7.75–$36.00) via retail pickup at both Salem locations, online pre-order via Shopify (2-day pickup, order by noon), gift cards, and seasonal farmers markets in Marblehead (Saturdays) and Newburyport (Sundays, May–November). A second channel is wholesale distribution to restaurants, cafes, grocers, and farm stands across the North Shore and greater Boston — including Pavement Coffeehouse, Blue Bottle Coffee, Mida Restaurant Group, Blackbird Donuts, and Formaggio Kitchen — with an active inquiry program recruiting new accounts. A $6-per-loaf "Neighbor Loaves" donation product funnels community contributions to the Salem Pantry (over 3,900 loaves donated through March 2026), serving both social impact and brand-equity functions. Marketing is local: website content, email newsletter, Facebook/Twitter/Instagram, and farmers-market presence. Corporate IT relies on standard SMB tooling (Shopify, Toast Tab, BambooHR) with no proprietary platform.

Name

A&J King Artisan Bakers

Legal name

A&J King Artisan Bakers

Website

https://ajkingbakery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

A&J King Artisan Bakers is a founder-owned artisan bakery in Salem, Massachusetts that produces handcrafted breads, pastries, and cakes from house-milled whole grains and sells them through two retail cafes, online pickup, regional wholesale accounts, and seasonal farmers markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Bakery

NAICS

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

SIC

Bakery Products (2050), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAFAFAD

Artisan & Specialty Bakeries (Sourdough, Heritage Grains)

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Bakeries & Patisseries

SECONDARYTHAFAFAA

Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery)

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Bakeries & Patisseries

SECONDARYTHAFAFAF

Wholesale / Commercial Bakeries (B2B Supply)

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Bakeries & Patisseries

SECONDARYTHAFAFAG

Cafe-Bakeries (Bakery + Coffee/Foodservice)

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Bakeries & Patisseries

Keywords

• Artisan bread baking
• Stone milled grains
• Sourdough fermentation
• Wholesale bakery supply
• Cafe and pastry shop

Headquarters

HQ city

Salem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Bakery Sales: Direct sales of artisan breads, pastries, cakes, pies, cookies, and beverages through two Salem MA retail locations and online ordering with pickup.
2. Wholesale Distribution: B2B sales of breads and pastries to restaurants, cafes, grocers, and farm stands throughout the North Shore and greater Boston area.
3. Farmers Market Sales: Direct sales at Marblehead Farmers Market (Saturdays 9am-12pm) and Newburyport Farmers Market (Sundays 9am-1pm), May through November.
4. Gift Cards: Physical and e-gift cards sold in-store or online for use at both retail locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

A&J King Artisan Bakers is an artisan bakery in Salem, Massachusetts that handcrafts breads, pastries, cakes, cookies, granola, and breakfast/lunch sandwiches using traditional methods. All whole grains are milled in-house via a custom New American Stone Mill from regionally sourced New England wheat and rye berries, and products are sold through two retail café locations, online pre-order for pickup, seasonal farmers markets, and wholesale distribution to restaurants, cafes, grocers, and farm stands across the North Shore and greater Boston area.

Product overview

A&J King Artisan Bakers operates as a traditional artisan bakery with a diversified product portfolio centered around handcrafted breads, pastries, and specialty items. The core offering includes bread loaves (sourdoughs, specialty breads, daily specials), breakfast pastries (croissants, Danish, scones), cakes and pies, cookies and granola, and rolls and buns. The bakery also offers a same-day breakfast and lunch sandwich service via Toast Tab at their Downtown Salem cafe, a Neighbor Loaf donation program supporting the Salem Pantry, and gift cards. All whole grains are milled in-house using a custom New American Stone Mill. Products are available through two Salem retail locations, online pre-order for pickup, and wholesale distribution to regional partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bread Loaves Whole artisan bread loaves including sourdough, multigrain, brioche, ciabatta, baguettes, and specialty breads like Pain au Levain and North Shore Boule. Many items are sold as daily or weekly specials with specific bake days. Sold to retail consumers via pickup at Salem locations and to wholesale restaurant and café customers.
• Breakfast Pastry & Treats Croissants, kouign amann, pain au chocolat, Danish pastries, sticky buns, scones, muffins, and specialty seasonal items baked daily at the bakery and offered to retail and wholesale customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,900 Neighbor Loaves donated to Salem Pantry as of March 2026

Named customers7 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

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• New American Stone MillscoreTechnology or Integration · 8 June 2022Custom stone mill manufactured by New American Stone Mills for in-house whole grain milling. The mill was installed June 8, 2022 at the bakery facility.
• Buck Farms GrainscoreOthersSupplier of wheat berries sourced from Mapleton, Maine for house-milled whole wheat flour.
• Ground Up Stone Milled FloursminorOthersSupplier of stone milled flours from Holyoke, MA.
• King Arthur FlourminorOthersSupplier of flours from Norwich, VT.
• Cider Hill FarmcoreOthersLocal farm partner in Amesbury, MA supplying blueberries for seasonal pastries.
• Salem PantrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal nonprofit food pantry recipient of Neighbor Loaves program. Customers purchase donation loaves which are baked and delivered to Salem Pantry.
• Heron Pond FarmminorOthersFarm supplier from South Hampton, NH serving as both wholesale customer and produce supplier.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Cider Hill Farm: Amesbury, MA farm that is both a blueberry supplier to A&J King and an on-site farm stand/retailer; an ecosystem partner illustrating A&J King's regional farm sourcing network.

Direct peers

• Tatte Bakery & Cafe: Boston-founded artisan bakery and cafe chain with a comparable premium, craft-driven product range (breads, pastries, cakes) and a multi-location cafe model in the same Greater Boston market; directly overlaps A&J King's customer base and competitive set.
• Pain D'Avignon: New England-based wholesale artisan bread bakery supplying restaurants, hotels, and grocers; comparable to A&J King's wholesale B2B business serving food service customers.
• Bien Cuit: Brooklyn-based artisan bakery specializing in wood-fired hearth breads and pastries; comparable on craft methodology, heritage grain usage, and direct retail/wholesale mix.
• Flour Bakery + Cafe: James Beard-recognized artisan bakery and cafe operating multiple Boston-area locations with similar sandwich, pastry, and bread offerings; competes for the same North Shore/Boston artisan consumer.
• Levain Bakery: Iconic New York artisan bakery known for premium cookies and breads with multiple retail locations; comparable on premium artisan positioning and direct-to-consumer retail model.
• Tartine Bakery: San Francisco-origin artisan bakery renowned for sourdough breads and laminated pastries; comparable on craft positioning, wholesale-to-restaurant model, and thought-leadership brand presence.
• Iggy's Bread of the World: Cambridge, MA wholesale and retail artisan bread bakery serving restaurants and consumers across New England; closely comparable to A&J King on sourdough/wholesale artisan positioning.
• Clear Flour Bread: Brookline/Newton area artisan bakery focused on hearth breads and pastries using regional grains; very similar craft-bread, retail-and-wholesale operating model in the Boston metro.

Broad incumbents

• King Arthur Baking Company: Vermont-based national baking brand and ingredient supplier that is both a flour supplier to A&J King and a broader incumbent in the artisan baking category with retail, catalog, and education channels.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/anjkingbakery
• Facebookfacebook.com/ajkingbakery
• Instagraminstagram.com/ajkingbakery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 A&J King Artisan Bakers