What Macrina Bakery does

Macrina Bakery is a privately held, Seattle-based artisan bakery founded in 1993 by Leslie Mackie. The company produces and sells handcrafted breads, pastries, cakes, pies, and savory items across eight café locations in the Seattle metropolitan area (Belltown, McGraw, Maple Leaf, Mercer Island, Aloha, Sodo, and two Kent sites), supported by a dedicated central production bakery in Kent, WA. Its core technical asset is a portfolio of living natural sourdough starters maintained daily since 1991—including the proprietary Casera starter developed from grapes and Cabernet Sauvignon-derived starters from Hightower Cellars—that underpin its signature breads such as Pane Francese and Macrina Casera.

The company operates a multi-channel commercial model. Direct-to-consumer retail is delivered through company-owned cafés, an online ordering platform (order.macrinabakery.com) for pickup and delivery, and a Monthly Subscription Club ($50/month for two people, $95/month for four) distributed via Table22. Wholesale B2B distribution supplies artisan breads and pastries to restaurant and hospitality accounts across the Pacific Northwest, including Skillet Street Food, The Swinery, Re:Public, Monorail Espresso, and the Dilettante Mocha Café at Sea-Tac International Airport. Delivery to nearby wholesale accounts is conducted using Ford E-Transit electric vehicles, reflecting an environmental sustainability commitment that also doubles as a branding asset.

Macrina is founder-controlled with no disclosed external institutional investment, and Leslie Mackie remains the principal brand ambassador and recipe developer. Customer segments are horizontally diversified across individual consumers (primary), restaurant/food-service wholesale buyers, and event/gift customers purchasing items such as holiday cookie boxes, flavored butters, smoked salmon spreads, and seasonal pies. Marketing emphasizes a 30+ year heritage profile—anchored by Leslie Mackie's appearance on PBS's Baking with Julia (1996) and the bakery's James Beard and Sunset Magazine recognition—community programming (loyalty rewards, Recipe of the Month Club, nonprofit tie-ins with Plymouth Housing and Queer Power Alliance), and seasonal menu storytelling. Headcount is reported in the 501–1,000 range.

Name

Macrina Bakery

Legal name

Macrina Bakery

Website

https://macrinabakery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Macrina Bakery is a privately held, Seattle-based artisan bakery founded in 1993 by Leslie Mackie, producing sourdough breads, pastries, and seasonal specialties across eight cafés, a central production bakery, wholesale distribution, and a monthly subscription box.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Bakery

NAICS

Bread and Bakery Product Manufacturing (31181), Retail Bakeries (311811), Baked Goods Retailers (445291), Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing (311821)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050), Cookies & Crackers (2052)

akta.pro primary industry

Cafe-Bakeries (Bakery + Coffee/Foodservice) (THAFAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery) (THAFAFAA), Bakery & Desserts Distribution (CRAOABAE)

Keywords

• Artisan bread baking
• Specialty pastries
• Wholesale bakery products
• Bakery cafe operations
• Subscription bakery box

Headquarters

HQ city

Kent

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 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 Café Sales: Direct sales of baked goods, pastries, breads, sandwiches, and beverages through company-owned café locations.
2. Wholesale Bakery: B2B sales of artisan breads and pastries to restaurants and food service establishments.
3. Online Ordering: Direct online ordering system for pickup and delivery from cafés.
4. Subscription Box: Monthly subscription club delivering curated selections of baked goods to subscribers' doors or for pickup.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Macrina Bakery produces and sells artisan breads, pastries, cakes, seasonal pies, specialty butters and spreads, and holiday cookie boxes through eight company-owned cafés, wholesale foodservice accounts, an online ordering platform, and a monthly subscription club. The company emphasizes traditional sourdough baking techniques built on proprietary starters maintained since 1991, seasonally rotating menus with locally sourced ingredients, and broad community engagement across the Seattle metropolitan area.

Product overview

Macrina Bakery operates as a Seattle-based artisan bakery founded in 1993, offering a comprehensive portfolio of baked goods through eight café locations and online ordering. Core products include artisan breads (sourdoughs, specialty loaves), pastries, cakes, pies, and seasonal offerings. The business model combines retail café operations with wholesale bakery production, supported by subscription services (Monthly Subscription Club, Recipe of the Month Club), e-commerce ordering, and merchandise. The company also produces specialty items including frozen pie dough, holiday cookie boxes, flavored butters, and smoked salmon spreads. Founder Leslie Mackie's recipes are available through cookbooks and a monthly digital recipe club.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Artisan Breads A full line of artisan breads including naturally leavened sourdoughs such as the Macrina Casera (house bread), Rustic Potato loaf, Pane Francese, Skagit Sourdough, rye bread, and seasonal specialty loaves, baked daily from proprietary starters and sold through Macrina cafés and wholesale accounts.
• Pastries and Cakes Fresh pastries including muffins, coffee cakes, tarts, cheesecakes, seasonal fruit crisps, and celebratory cakes such as Chocolate Raspberry, Carrot, Tuxedo, Red Velvet, Lemon Butter, and gluten-free options, sold at Macrina cafés and through online pre-orders.
• Seasonal Pies and Tarts Handmade pies and tarts including Maple Apple Pie, Very Berry Pie, Coconut Cream Tart, Chocolate Banana Cream Tart, and seasonal varieties for Thanksgiving and other holidays, available at cafés and for special order.
• Online Ordering System Direct-to-consumer web ordering platform (order.macrinabakery.com) that lets customers pre-order café menu items for pickup or delivery from any of the eight Macrina locations, with a 2-day advance notice requirement for special orders.
• Monthly Subscription Club Monthly subscription delivering curated selections of savory and sweet baked goods including artisan breads, pastries, quiches, bagels, and jams, with options for 2-person ($50/month) or 4-person ($95/month) tiers, home delivery or café pickup, and the ability to skip, pause, or cancel.
• Holiday Cookie Boxes Assorted holiday cookie boxes featuring family recipes since 1994, including Gingerbread, Chocolate Crinkle, Mexican Wedding Balls, Cranberry Orange Biscotti, Pecan Rosemary Shortbread, and Rugelach, available for pre-order during the holiday season.
• Holiday Butters (Herbed, Truffle, Honey) European-style compound butters whipped with flavor additions - Herbed (rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano), Truffle (truffle sauce and salt), or Honey (with hint of salt) - sold seasonally for holiday entertaining.
• Smoked Salmon and Specialty Spreads House-made savory spreads including Smoked Salmon Spread, Smoked Trout Spread, Kale & Roasted Artichoke Spread, and Fig & Olive Tapenade, sold at cafés and via online ordering.
• Gift Cards Macrina Bakery gift cards available in any denomination, redeemable across café locations and online orders.
• Wholesale Bakery Distribution B2B wholesale supply of artisan breads and pastries to Seattle-area restaurants and foodservice partners including Skillet Street Food, The Swinery, Re:Public, Monorail Espresso, and Dilettante Mocha Café (Sea-Tac), with electric vehicle delivery.
• Macrina Café Locations Eight company-owned café locations across the Seattle metro area — Belltown (original, 1993), McGraw (Queen Anne, 2001), Kent (with production facility), Maple Leaf (opened June 30, 2023), Aloha, Mercer Island, Sodo, and a Kent wholesale bakery café — serving dine-in, takeaway, and pickup customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Featured on Baking with Julia (PBS) in 1996, winning Emmy and James Beard Awards
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Queer Power AllianceminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 June 2026From June 22-28, net proceeds from the sale of Macrina's large Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookie go to Queer Power Alliance, a Seattle nonprofit advancing LGBTQIA+ liberation through advocacy, education, and community organizing.
• Plymouth HousingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMacrina donates cookies to Plymouth Housing's annual cookie drive, supporting their 1,400 residents who have experienced homelessness. Macrina donated 500 cookies as a top sponsor.
• Dilettante Mocha Café (Sea-Tac)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAirport café that sells Macrina pastries daily, receiving fresh deliveries at 3 a.m. Macrina products sell out by 10 or 11 a.m.
• Monorail EspressocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLongstanding partnership where Monorail pairs their espresso with Macrina baked goods. Aimee Peck describes the partnership as 'dependable and uncompromising,' noting the quality is 'super consistent' and Macrina shows up 'every day, week in and week out.'
• Skillet Street FoodminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholesale customer for Macrina's Brioche Burger Buns.
• The SwineryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholesale customer for Macrina's Brioche Burger Buns.
• Re:PublicminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholesale customer for Macrina's Brioche Burger Buns.
• Project BarnstormminorOthersSupplier of fruit spreads and conserves used in Macrina recipes, including Apricot Conserve and Plum Conserve.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• La Brea Bakery: National artisan bread manufacturer with broad retail and foodservice distribution under the Aryzta umbrella. Comparable in artisan bread product line and wholesale channel, though operating at significantly larger scale across multiple categories.
• Le Pain Quotidien: International bakery-café chain with communal dining and artisan bread offerings. Comparable café-bakery format and artisan positioning, though operating at significantly broader geographic and operational scale.
• Panera Bread: National café-bakery chain combining bakery items with café dining and digital ordering. Overlaps with Macrina's café-bakery model and online ordering platform, though at vastly larger scale and with a more standardized, mass-market positioning.
• Whole Foods Market Bakery: In-store bakery division of a national grocery retailer offering artisan-style breads and pastries. Comparable in product category and competes for the same consumer occasions (artisan bread, pastries, café-style baked goods), though as part of a much broader grocery and foodservice portfolio.

Direct peers

• Breadfarm: Washington State artisan bakery producing sourdough breads and pastries with wholesale and direct retail channels. Comparable artisan baking focus, regional Pacific Northwest distribution, and B2B wholesale customer base.
• Grand Central Bakery: Pacific Northwest bakery and café chain operating multiple retail locations across Seattle and Portland with wholesale distribution. Most directly comparable to Macrina in product mix (artisan breads, pastries), café-bakery model, geographic overlap, and wholesale channel.
• Bakery Nouveau: Seattle artisan bakery and café known for French-inspired pastries, breads, and cakes with multiple locations. Closely mirrors Macrina's café-bakery model, premium artisan positioning, and Seattle metro customer base.
• Essential Baking Company: Seattle-based artisan bakery producing organic sourdough breads and pastries, with wholesale distribution to regional restaurants and grocery. Directly comparable to Macrina in artisan bread focus, Seattle base, and B2B/wholesale channel orientation.
• Café Besalu: Seattle neighborhood bakery and café specializing in pastries and breads. Operates a smaller-scale but directly comparable café-bakery model in the same Seattle market.

Emerging players

• Tartine Bakery: San Francisco-based artisan bakery and café with national brand recognition through cookbook publications and chef-founder visibility. Comparable in premium artisan positioning, café-bakery model, and brand-driven growth, though operating in a different primary geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MacrinaBakery
• Facebookfacebook.com/macrinabakery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/macrina-bakery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Macrina Bakery