Orwashers Bakery
Orwashers Bakery is a 109-year-old NYC artisan bakery producing hand-made breads, bagels, and pastries from proprietary wine-grape sourdough starters, sold through four retail locations, farmers markets, fresh and frozen wholesale, catering, and nationwide shipping.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1916
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Orwashers Bakery does
Orwashers Bakery is a privately held, New York City-based artisan bakery founded in 1916 by a Hungarian immigrant family on Manhattan's Upper East Side, where the original storefront still operates. The company produces hand-shaped, hand-scored breads using proprietary all-natural sourdough starters derived from Cabernet and Chardonnay grapes harvested at Channing Daughters Vineyard on Long Island, alongside a range of bagels, pastries, cookies, and Jewish-heritage baked goods (challah, rye, pumpernickel, rugelach, babka). All production is centralized in a state-of-the-art facility in the South Bronx, from which fresh breads are shipped daily; select products carry Kof K Kosher certification. Master-baker blending of the original starters and all-natural, unbleached, unbromated flour sourced from upstate New York farmers is positioned as the core technical and quality differentiator versus commodity bakery competitors.
The company sells through a multi-channel distribution structure: four retail bakery locations (Upper East Side, Upper West Side at 440 Amsterdam Avenue, a new Upper West Side location at 66 West 84th Street opened April 2026, and Roslyn Heights on Long Island), direct sales at 11+ farmers markets across NYC, Long Island, and Westchester, fresh daily wholesale to NYC-area restaurants and retailers, frozen wholesale ("Frozen & Refresh" par-baked line) distributed nationally through Baldor Specialty Foods, Sysco, Tony's Fine Foods, and Gordon Food Service, nationwide shipping through the Goldbelly marketplace, and catering for corporate and family events through ezCater. Online ordering for in-store pickup and delivery is operated via Toasttab, UberEats, and DoorDash.
Orwashers has been under owner-operator Keith Cohen since his 2008 acquisition from the founder's grandson, with no disclosed outside investors. The business model is a mix of direct retail transactions, fresh wholesale transaction revenue (local NYC), frozen wholesale transaction revenue (national via distributors), and marketplace/channel-mediated revenue (Goldbelly, ezCater); no subscription or recurring contracts are disclosed. Customer segments span individual retail consumers, individual farmers-market shoppers, restaurants and food-service operators (enterprise B2B), corporate catering buyers, and nationwide individual consumers via Goldbelly — a horizontal-segmentation approach.
Orwashers Bakery firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Orwashers Bakery
- Website
- https://orwashers.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1916
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Orwashers Bakery is a 109-year-old NYC artisan bakery producing hand-made breads, bagels, and pastries from proprietary wine-grape sourdough starters, sold through four retail locations, farmers markets, fresh and frozen wholesale, catering, and nationwide shipping.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Orwashers Bakery industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Artisan Bakery
- NAICS
- Commercial Bakeries (311812), Retail Bakeries (311811), Baked Goods Retailers (445291)
- SIC
- Bakery Products (2050)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery) (THAFAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Specialty Bakery Manufacturing (Gluten-Free, Artisan, Health-Focused) (AFAKAAAG), Frozen Bakery Products Manufacturing (AFAKAAAF), Bakery & Desserts Distribution (CRAOABAE)
Keywords
Where Orwashers Bakery is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Orwashers Bakery business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Retail Bakery Sales: Direct sales of breads, pastries, bagels, cookies, and other artisan baked goods through four retail locations in Manhattan (Upper East Side, Upper West Side x2) and Roslyn Heights, Long Island. Walk-in customers, online ordering for pickup and delivery via Toasttab.
- Fresh Wholesale: Fresh bread delivered daily to NYC-area restaurants and retailers. Products include Bagels, Baguettes, Boules, Batards, Focaccias, Pullmans, and Sandwich Rolls & Buns for food service and retail applications.
- Frozen Wholesale: Par-baked frozen artisan breads, bagels, rolls, and buns distributed nationally through a network of distributors including Baldor, Sysco, Tony's, and Gordon Food Service. Offers flexibility for restaurants and retailers to finish products to their own specifications.
- Catering: Catering spreads including lox & bagel brunches, sandwich platters, breakfast sweets, cookie trays, and custom large-format orders for events, meetings, weddings, Bar & Bat Mitzvahs, and birthdays. Ordered via ezCater.
- Nationwide Shipping: Nationwide shipping of artisan breads and baked goods through Goldbelly platform, enabling customers outside New York to order Orwashers products.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels6 records
Orwashers Bakery product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Orwashers Bakery handcrafts artisan breads, bagels, pastries, cookies, and Jewish heritage baked goods (challah, rye, pumpernickel, rugelach, babka) using natural wine-grape sourdough starters. Products are sold through four retail bakery locations in Manhattan and Long Island, daily fresh wholesale to NYC restaurants, a par-baked frozen wholesale line distributed nationally through food service distributors, catering services, farmers markets, and nationwide shipping via Goldbelly.
Product overview
Orwashers Bakery is a single artisan bakery brand founded in 1916, offering a unified portfolio of heritage and artisanal breads, pastries, and specialty baked goods made fresh daily by hand. The core products include various breads (sourdough, rye, ciabatta, focaccia, baguettes), bagels, challah, cookies, rugelach, and babkas. These are sold through four retail bakery locations, a nationwide shipping partnership (Goldbelly), and wholesale distribution channels including both fresh (local NYC) and frozen (national) wholesale programs. The bakery also offers catering services and participates in farmers markets across the New York metro area.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Artisan Breads Handcrafted artisan breads baked fresh daily, including heritage rye, sourdough, ciabatta, focaccia, baguettes, pumpernickel, and specialty loaves using natural wine-grape sourdough starters. Sold to retail customers at bakery locations and shipped nationwide via Goldbelly.
- Bagels Hand-rolled bagels available in assorted varieties including plain, multigrain, everything, and sesame. Sold at retail bakery locations, in catering spreads, and through wholesale distribution.
- Chocolate Chip Cookies Original chocolate chip cookies made with extra-large Valrhona dark and milk chocolate chips, baked fresh daily. Sold at retail bakery locations and via nationwide shipping.
- Jewish Heritage Baked Goods Traditional Jewish baked goods including braided challah available every Friday, rye and pumpernickel breads, rugelach filled with pecans, raisins, and sunflower seeds in raspberry, apricot, and chocolate flavors, and Bubbe's Chocolate Babka.
- Heritage Sourdough 100% natural starter sourdough with long fermentation for intensely rich flavor, made with natural wine-grape sourdough starters. Available exclusively at the Upper West Side bakery location.
- Focaccia Line Artisan focaccia varieties including Rosemary Focaccia, Zucchini Focaccia (topped with shredded zucchini, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and lemon zest), and Potato & Caramelized Onion Focaccia (thin sliced potato, caramelized onion, extra virgin olive oil, and thyme).
- Sufganiyot Jelly donuts dusted with powdered sugar and packed with raspberry jam, a traditional Hanukkah seasonal offering.
- Fresh Wholesale Program Fresh breads baked day-of and delivered daily to NYC restaurants and retailers. Includes bagels, baguettes, boules, batards, focaccias, pullmans, and sandwich rolls and buns for food service and retail applications.
- Frozen & Refresh Wholesale Line Par-baked artisan breads flash frozen for food service and retail operators to finish according to their own preferences. Distributed nationally through Baldor, Sysco, Tony's Fine Foods, and Gordon Food Service.
- Catering Services Catering spreads including lox and bagel brunches, sandwich platters, breakfast sweets, cookie trays, and custom large-format orders for corporate events, weddings, Bar & Bat Mitzvahs, birthdays, and meetings. Ordered via ezCater platform.
- Gift Cards Gift cards redeemable at all Orwashers retail locations regardless of purchase location.
- Farmers Markets Presence Direct-to-consumer sales at 11+ farmers market locations across NYC (Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bronx, Queens), Long Island (Huntington, Rockville Center, Roslyn), and Westchester (Larchmont, Pleasantville).
Quantifiable outcome
- 109+ years in continuous operation since 1916, making Orwashers one of NYC's oldest continuously operating bakeries.
Companies that use Orwashers Bakery
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Orwashers Bakery technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature3 records
Orwashers Bakery partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Literie CandlesminorHanukkah 2024 collaboration between Orwashers and local candle maker Erica Werber of Literie Candles. Joint giveaway promoting both Orwashers' Sufganiyot and Literie's 'Lighting the Hanukkah Candles' candle. The partnership was featured on Orwashers' blog and social media, with a prize requiring following both accounts on Instagram.
- Channing Daughters VineyardcoreOrwashers uses all-natural sourdough starters derived from Cabernet and Chardonnay grapes harvested at Channing Daughters Vineyard on Long Island. These signature starters are used across the bread line to add depth, complexity, and distinctive flavor. This is a foundational ingredient relationship that defines Orwashers' unique bread character.
- GoldbellycoreNationwide shipping partnership through Goldbelly marketplace platform. Goldbelly enables Orwashers to sell and ship artisan breads to customers throughout the United States who are outside of the New York metro area, extending the brand's geographic reach significantly.
- ezCaterminorCatering orders for corporate events, weddings, Bar & Bat Mitzvahs, and celebrations are processed through the ezCater platform, enabling business catering customers to easily order Orwashers catering spreads online.
- Baldor Specialty FoodscoreOne of four national and regional distributors for Orwashers' Frozen & Refresh bread line. Baldor distributes par-baked frozen artisan breads to food service operators nationwide.
- SyscocoreNational food service distributor for Orwashers' Frozen & Refresh artisan bread line, enabling wide distribution of par-baked frozen products to restaurants and food service operators throughout the US.
- Gordon Food ServicecoreRegional and national food service distributor for Orwashers' Frozen & Refresh bread line, distributing par-baked frozen artisan breads to food service operators.
- Tony's Fine FoodscoreRegional and national food service distributor for Orwashers' Frozen & Refresh bread line, distributing par-baked frozen artisan breads to food service operators.
- UberEatsminorThird-party delivery platform available at all Orwashers locations for customers ordering for delivery.
- DoorDashminorThird-party delivery platform available at Orwashers locations for customers ordering for delivery.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Orwashers Bakery competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bread Alone Bakery: New York-state based artisan bakery with retail locations, wholesale distribution, and farmers market presence — directly comparable on regional craft bakery model.
- Levain Bakery: Iconic NYC bakery brand with multiple Manhattan locations, nationwide shipping, and strong cookie/baked-goods positioning — direct comparable on NYC heritage retail and DTC shipping.
- Boudin Bakery: Heritage California sourdough brand with retail locations, frozen dough wholesale, and a public history of commercial scaling — comparable on heritage brand + frozen wholesale model.
- Balthazar Bakery: Adjacent Balthazar restaurant/retail bakery operation in NYC supplying artisan breads and viennoiserie — comparable on NYC heritage, retail bakery, and foodservice supply.
- La Brea Bakery: Heritage artisan bread brand with national foodservice distribution and frozen par-baked lines — directly comparable to Orwashers' frozen wholesale and craft positioning.
- Pain D'Avignon: Specialty frozen artisan bread manufacturer serving foodservice and retail — direct comparable to Orwashers' Frozen & Refresh par-baked wholesale line.
- King Arthur Baking Company: Heritage US baking brand with retail stores, baking education, e-commerce, and national distribution of mixes/flours. Comparable on heritage positioning, multi-channel distribution, and craft credibility.
- Amy's Bread: NYC-based artisan bakery producing hand-crafted breads, pastries, and wholesale products. Direct comparable on craft, NYC retail/wholesale, and artisan positioning.
Others
- Goldbelly: National e-commerce marketplace for iconic regional foods. Orwashers is a Goldbelly seller, so the relationship is partner/ecosystem rather than direct competition, but Goldbelly defines the demand pool Orwashers' nationwide shipping business reaches.
Broad incumbents
- Bimbo Bakeries USA: US subsidiary of Grupo Bimbo and the dominant commercial bakery player (owns Thomas', Sara Lee, Entenmann's). Represents the scale, distribution, and pricing power Orwashers competes against in frozen and retail channels.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Orwashers Bakery social profiles
Digital presenceOrwashers Bakery compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Orwashers Bakery financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Orwashers Bakery leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Orwashers Bakery funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Orwashers Bakery M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Orwashers Bakery
What does Orwashers Bakery do?
Orwashers Bakery handcrafts artisan breads, bagels, pastries, cookies, and Jewish heritage baked goods (challah, rye, pumpernickel, rugelach, babka) using natural wine-grape sourdough starters. Products are sold through four retail bakery locations in Manhattan and Long Island, daily fresh wholesale to NYC restaurants, a par-baked frozen wholesale line distributed nationally through food service distributors, catering services, farmers markets, and nationwide shipping via Goldbelly.
Is Orwashers Bakery a public or private company?
Orwashers Bakery is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Orwashers Bakery founded?
Orwashers Bakery was founded in 1916. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Orwashers Bakery based?
Orwashers Bakery is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Orwashers Bakery make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Retail Bakery Sales are the primary driver. The others are fresh Wholesale, frozen Wholesale, catering and nationwide Shipping.
Who are Orwashers Bakery's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bread Alone Bakery, Levain Bakery, Boudin Bakery, Balthazar Bakery, La Brea Bakery, Pain D'Avignon, King Arthur Baking Company and Amy's Bread. Goldbelly is listed as an others. Bimbo Bakeries USA is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Orwashers Bakery have an API?
No public API is recorded for Orwashers Bakery.
What industry is Orwashers Bakery in?
Orwashers Bakery's product category is Artisan Bakery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAFAA, Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery), with a secondary code of AFAKAAAG, Specialty Bakery Manufacturing (Gluten-Free, Artisan, Health-Focused). Its NAICS code is 311812 and its SIC code is 2050.