Ninth St. Bakery

What Ninth St. Bakery does

Ninth Street Bakery (NSB) is an organic, handcrafted artisan bakery founded in 1981 in Durham, North Carolina, and acquired in Fall 2013 by owner Ari Berenbaum. The company operates a single retail cafe at the Five Points location in Durham (Mon-Sat 8am-5pm, Sun 9am-5pm) and produces a full line of breads (seven grain, sourdough, sweet wheat, challah, baguettes, country loaves, ciabatta), pastries (croissants, scones, muffins, danish, cookies, babka), rotating lunch items (sandwiches, soups, hand pies), and custom cakes. Production relies on traditional artisanal methods — natural sourdough fermentation, organic whole-grain flours sourced from Lindley Mills in Graham, NC, and spiral mixers in use since the 1970s — with no proprietary automation or digital production technology disclosed.

The business operates across four revenue channels: (1) direct-to-consumer retail cafe sales, (2) wholesale supply of breads and pastries to restaurants and cafes across the Triangle/Triad region (Greensboro to Raleigh, Durham to Chapel Hill and Carrboro), (3) corporate and event catering delivered via the EZCater platform and direct Square-based ordering, and (4) online ordering for curbside pickup/takeout plus gift cards through a Square storefront. Pricing is uniformly unit-based across the menu (e.g., $9.75 regular sandwiches, $11.95 sandwich kits, $24.95/airpot coffee service, $42.95–$79.95 fruit trays). Customer segments are horizontally distributed across local individual consumers, wholesale restaurant accounts, and corporate catering buyers; no anchor enterprise accounts are disclosed. The company employs 6 people, has no outside funding, and is privately held by Berenbaum. It has donated over $20,000 in cash and in-kind contributions to charitable organizations and partners with Transplanting Traditions Community Farm on a CSA pickup.

Name

Ninth St. Bakery

Legal name

Ninth Street Bakery

Website

https://ninthstbakery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ninth Street Bakery is an organic artisan bakery in Durham, NC, founded in 1981 and privately owned by Ari Berenbaum since 2013. It operates a single retail cafe plus wholesale, catering, and online ordering channels serving individual consumers, restaurants, and corporate catering clients across the Triangle/Triad region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Bakery

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery) (THAFAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Artisanal & Craft Bakeries (CRAHAGAA), Cafe-Bakeries (Bakery + Coffee/Foodservice) (THAFAFAG), Specialty Bakery Manufacturing (Gluten-Free, Artisan, Health-Focused) (AFAKAAAG), Wholesale / Commercial Bakeries (B2B Supply) (THAFAFAF)

Keywords

• Artisan bakery products
• Organic whole grain bread
• Bakery wholesale supply
• Cafe catering services
• Custom cake orders

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Cafe Sales: Direct sales of baked goods, pastries, sandwiches, and beverages to consumers at the Durham cafe location. Full service cafe with seating.
2. Wholesale Bakery Products: Supplies breads, pastries, and other bakery products to restaurants and cafes across the Triangle/Triad area (Greensboro to Raleigh, Durham to Chapel Hill and Carrboro).
3. Catering: Corporate breakfast, lunch catering with delivery options through EZCater platform. Items include continental breakfast, sandwich kits, and pastry trays.
4. Cake and Custom Orders: Custom cake orders including cupcakes, sheet cakes, and specialty cakes available in multiple sizes. Minimum 72 hours advance notice required.
5. Online Store: Online ordering through Square for curbside pickup or takeout, including gift cards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Ninth Street Bakery manufactures and sells handcrafted organic artisan breads, pastries, cookies, and custom cakes from a downtown Durham bakery plant, and operates a full-service cafe at Five Points in Durham. The business also distributes wholesale bakery products to restaurants and cafes across the Triangle/Triad region and provides catering services for corporate and private events, supplemented by branded merchandise.

Product overview

Ninth Street Bakery is an organic artisan bakery founded in 1981, operating as a single-location bakery with cafe, catering, and wholesale operations. The core product offering consists of handcrafted breads and pastries made with organic whole grains, supplemented by a rotating lunch menu, custom cakes, and branded merchandise. The business operates through multiple channels: a retail cafe with seating, online ordering via Square, catering services for events, and wholesale distribution to restaurants throughout the Triangle area (Durham, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Greensboro).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fresh Artisan Bread Handcrafted artisan breads including seven grain, three-seed, sunflower, sourdough French, sweet wheat, challah, chocolate babka, baguettes, country loaves, country miche, ciabatta, and country batard, made with organic whole grains and traditional fermentation methods.
• Pastries Assorted pastries including almond croissants, butter croissants, asiago cheese scones, cranberry scones, carrot muffins, blueberry muffins, morning buns, cinnamon buns, danish, bear claws, cookies, biscotti, brownies, macaroons, and seasonal offerings.
• Lunch Items Rotating lunch menu featuring sandwiches (Veggie Melt, Spicy Pulled Chicken, Hot Sliced Turkey, Avocado Toast), soups (Thai Curry, Black Bean Chili, Indian Lentil Dal), savory hand pies, and vegetarian/vegan options.
• Custom Cakes Custom cakes including cupcakes (6-count at $39.95, 10-count at $59.95, 14-count at $74.95), full sheet cake at $105.95, and specialty cakes with vegan and gluten-free options. Minimum 72 hours advance notice required.
• Catering Services Catering packages for corporate events including Breakfast Continental ($9.95/person), Rustic Pastries ($5.95/person), Coffee Service ($24.95/airpot), Sandwich Kits ($11.95–$13.95/person), specialty sandwiches, Fresh Fruit Tray, Cookie Tray, Brownie Tray, and bottled drinks. Delivery available via EZCater and direct Square ordering.
• Wholesale Bakery Products Wholesale supply of artisan bakery products (breads, pastries, cookies) to restaurants and cafes across the Triangle/Triad area from Greensboro to Raleigh, Durham to Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Wholesale pricing includes chocolate chip shortbread cookies at $7.95 per tin (1 pound).
• NSB Branded Merchandise NSB branded merchandise including NSB T-Shirt ($24), NSB Tote ($15), 5 Panel Caps ($24), and Bull Durham Shirt ($24).

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• EZCaterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCatering platform partnership allowing customers to order Ninth Street Bakery catering through the EZCater website. Provides additional distribution channel for catering orders.
• SquarecoreTechnology or IntegrationSquare payment and online ordering platform powers the online store, gift cards, and catering ordering system. Essential infrastructure for e-commerce operations.
• Transplanting Traditions Community FarmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity farm hosting a CSA pickup at Ninth Street Bakery's porch. Non-profit farm serving refugee families from Burma. Partnership supports local food security initiatives.
• Lindley MillscoreOthersSupplier of organic wholegrain wheat from Graham, NC. Used for signature products like Sweet Wheat bread. Represents commitment to local, quality sourcing.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Panera Bread: National bakery-cafe chain with a broad menu of soups, sandwiches, and baked goods. Competes with Ninth Street Bakery for breakfast/lunch traffic in the Triangle and across the broader U.S., though at a more mass-market price point.
• Nothing Bundt Cakes: National bakery franchise specializing in bundt cakes and event/celebration cakes. Overlaps with Ninth Street Bakery's custom-cake and catering-tray business, particularly for birthdays, weddings, and corporate events.
• Whole Foods Market Bakery: In-store supermarket bakery at Whole Foods Market locations offering organic and artisan breads and pastries. Indirectly competes with Ninth Street Bakery on the organic/wholegrain positioning and supplies similar Triangle-area grocery shoppers.
• Great Harvest Bread Co. Franchise bakery-cafe concept built around freshly milled whole-grain breads and cafe items. Comparable in the wholegrain/hearty-bread niche to Ninth Street Bakery, but operates at a national scale through franchising.
• Brioche Doree: French bakery-cafe chain offering viennoiserie, sandwiches, and coffee. Comparable as a French-influenced cafe-bakery concept with similar product categories (croissants, pastries, baguette sandwiches) to Ninth Street Bakery's cafe.
• Harris Teeter Bakery: In-store supermarket bakery at Harris Teeter, a major Triangle-area grocery chain. Competes with Ninth Street Bakery on commodity bread, pastries, and cake categories at lower price points across the same Triangle customer base.

Direct peers

• Guglhupf Bakery & Cafe: Durham-based artisan bakery and cafe serving scratch breads, pastries, and European-style cafe fare. Directly competes for the same Durham foot traffic, cafe seating, and local wholesale customers as Ninth Street Bakery.
• La Farm Bakery: Artisanal bakery and cafe in Cary, NC founded by Lionel Vatinet. Comparable to Ninth Street Bakery as a French-influenced, scratch bakery with a full cafe, retail counter, custom cakes, and wholesale-to-restaurants program across the Triangle region.
• Loaf: Durham-based artisan bakery and cafe focused on naturally leavened breads and pastries. Directly comparable to Ninth Street Bakery's sourdough/levain-driven, organic-leaning scratch baking approach and competes for the same Durham wholesale and cafe customers.
• Foster's Market: Durham cafe and market known for scratch prepared foods, baked goods, and catering. Comparable to Ninth Street Bakery's Durham cafe + catering model and competes for the same local lunch, breakfast, and catering customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ninthstbakery
• Facebookfacebook.com/Ninthstbakery
• Instagraminstagram.com/ninthstreetbakery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ninth-st.-bakery

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 Ninth St. Bakery