emil's swiss pastry

What emil's swiss pastry does

Bit of Swiss Artisan Breads & Pastries is a family-owned, traditional artisan bakery headquartered at 4333 Ridge Road in Stevensville, Michigan, founded in 1967 by Emil Tosi when he hired former Whitcomb Hotel baker Hans Kottmann to operate the renovated facility. The company produces European-style artisan breads via slow fermentation with variety-specific starters, with no fats, eggs, oils, sugars, or preservatives added, alongside breakfast pastries, specialty pastries, cakes and tortes, custom wedding cakes, and sweets tables. Operations are anchored by a 40,000-pound French oven (built on-site in 2000) and specialized croissant/Danish lamination equipment, producing from scratch daily.

The business runs a hybrid go-to-market: a single direct-to-consumer retail storefront open Tuesday-Saturday 8 AM-4 PM, plus wholesale distribution to a regional account book in Southwest Michigan and Northwest Indiana — including Martin's Supermarket (3 locations), Four Winds Casino (2 locations), roughly 40 restaurants and cafes such as Silver Beach Pizza and Tosi's Restaurant, and a seasonal Chesterton, IN farmers market. Custom wedding cakes are ordered by phone with at least one week advance notice; there is no delivery or direct-to-consumer shipping. Revenue streams are transactional retail sales, wholesale supply agreements, and custom event orders. Pricing is not publicly disclosed.

The company is currently owned by Jessica and Pepe Hernandez, longtime employees who purchased it from Tim and Pat Foley in summer 2022; the Foleys had owned it since 1987. The bakery has earned international recognition including Gold (2005) and Silver (2002) medals at the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie in Paris, USA Today's Top 10 Artisan Bakeries (2007), and Modern Baking Magazine's 2012 Retail Bakery of the Year. The Hernandez ownership transition introduces no signs of capital infusion, geographic expansion beyond the seasonal farmers market, or new digital channels; the business remains a craft-driven regional bakery with a 55+ year heritage.

Name

emil's swiss pastry

Legal name

Bit of Swiss Artisan Breads & Pastries

Website

https://bitofswiss.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bit of Swiss Artisan Breads & Pastries is a family-owned, traditional artisan bakery founded in 1967 in Stevensville, Michigan, producing European-style breads, pastries, and custom wedding cakes for retail walk-in customers and wholesale restaurant, grocery, and casino accounts across Southwest Michigan and Northwest Indiana.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Bakery

NAICS

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

SIC

Bakery Products (2050), Retail-Food Stores (5400)

akta.pro primary industry

Bread & Pastry Specialty Stores (CRAHAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Dessert-First Bakeries (Cupcakes, Cookies, Brownies) (THAFAFAH)

Keywords

• Artisan bakery
• European breads
• Specialty pastries
• Custom wedding cakes
• Wholesale baked goods

Headquarters

HQ city

Stevensville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Bakery Sales: Direct walk-in sales of artisan breads, pastries, cakes, and specialty items from the physical storefront. Customers purchase products on-site during business hours (Tuesday-Saturday 8-4).
2. Wholesale Distribution: Supplying breads and pastries to grocery stores (Martin's Supermarket), restaurants, cafes, casinos, and farmers markets throughout Southwest Michigan and Northwest Indiana.
3. Custom Cake Orders: Wedding cakes, tiered cakes, single round cakes, and sheet cakes ordered in advance by phone. Orders require at least one week notice and are picked up at the bakery.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Bit of Swiss is a traditional artisan bakery producing European-style breads, breakfast pastries, specialty pastries, cakes and tortes, and custom wedding and celebration cakes from a single retail storefront in Stevensville, Michigan. Products are made daily from scratch using old-world methods, slow fermentation with unique starters per bread variety, and no added fats, eggs, oils, sugars, or preservatives, with distribution through direct retail, wholesale to restaurants/grocery/casinos, and a seasonal farmers market.

Product overview

Bit of Swiss Artisan Breads & Pastries operates as a traditional artisan bakery offering a comprehensive portfolio of products including Breads (made with old world methods and slow fermentation), Breakfast Pastries (croissants, cinnamon rolls, coffee cakes, seasonal items), Specialty Pastries (European-inspired desserts including Tiramisu, Creme Brûlée, French macarons), Cakes & Tortes (available in 6 and 8 inch sizes, Bavarian cream, triple mousse, cheesecake varieties), Wedding Cakes (custom tiered or single round/sheet cakes), and Sweets Tables (mini pastries and cookies for events). The company also features a monthly rotating Bread of the Month special. Products are available at the Stevensville, MI bakery location, local farmers markets, Martin's Supermarket locations, and numerous restaurants and cafes throughout Southwest Michigan and Northwest Indiana.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Artisan Breads
• Breakfast Pastries
• Specialty Pastries
• Cakes and Tortes
• Wedding Cakes
• Sweets Table
• Bread of the Month

Quantifiable outcome

• Gold Medal at World Championship of Baking (Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie), Paris 2005
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Martin's SupermarketcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDaily wholesale distribution partnership supplying artisan breads to three Martin's Supermarket locations in Granger IN, St Joseph MI, and Stevensville MI.
• Tosi's RestaurantcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLongstanding restaurant partner serving Bit of Swiss breads to dining customers at their Stevensville location.
• Silver Beach PizzaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal restaurant partnership supplying breads for pizza and other menu items.
• Four Winds CasinocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholesale supply partnership for Four Winds Casinos in New Buffalo and South Bend locations.
• Bread Bakers Guild of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTim Foley was actively involved in the Bread Bakers Guild of America, modeled after French bakers, which shared ideas and sponsored baking trips and competitions.
• Didier RosadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaster baker mentor and friend of Tim Foley who helped coach the 2005 US Baking Team to gold medal at World Championship of Baking.
• Mick Klug FarmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal farm partnership for seasonal ingredients supporting Michigan produce initiatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bread Alone Bakery: Upstate NY artisan bakery combining retail cafés, wholesale to grocery and foodservice, and organic ingredient sourcing — comparable craft positioning and multi-channel distribution model.
• Amy's Bread: NYC artisan bakery producing European-style breads, pastries, and custom cakes with wholesale distribution to restaurants and grocers — highly comparable product mix and GTM.
• Boudin Bakery: Long-running California sourdough bakery with both retail storefronts and wholesale distribution, comparable in combining artisan breads with cafés and packaged retail — a direct craft-bakery comparator.
• Tartine Bakery: San Francisco-based artisan bakery renowned for sourdough breads and European-style pastries; closest analog to Bit of Swiss in craft, traditional methods, and award-winning reputation.
• Great Harvest Bread Company: National franchise of scratch bakeries producing artisan breads and pastries with whole-grain focus; comparable direct-to-consumer artisan bakery model at broader geographic scale.

Broad incumbents

• Brioche Pasquier: French industrial bakery with significant U.S. distribution of viennoiseries (croissants, Danish) and breads; comparable European-style artisanal roots but operates at industrial wholesale scale versus Bit of Swiss's craft-scratch model.
• Panera Bread: National bakery-café chain selling breads, pastries, and custom cakes; comparable product mix and bakery-café model but mass-market positioning rather than premium artisan.
• La Brea Bakery: Large-scale artisan bread manufacturer distributing through grocery, foodservice, and retail nationwide; comparable product category but operates at significantly greater scale via industrial baking.
• Pain Quotidien: International bakery-café chain featuring European-style artisan breads, pastries, and organic offerings; overlaps with Bit of Swiss on European artisan positioning but at far greater distribution scale.

Others

• King Arthur Baking Company: Premium baking brand selling flour, mixes, and baked goods plus a baking school; comparable craft-baking authority and national consumer brand association, but operates as supplier/educator rather than retail bakery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bit-of-swiss-pastry-shoppe

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 emil's swiss pastry