Bread, Italian style

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Anthony & Sons Bakery blends authenticity with state of the art freezer-to-oven technology, delivering crave-worthy loaves on demand

When a passion for baking bread is in your soul, it’s only natural to share that ardor with others. Since 1984, Anthony & Sons Bakery has done just that, building a small family bakery into a national leader in innovative artisanal bread production and sales.

Anthony Dattolo immigrated to the States with his wife and children from Sicily in 1952. After 32 years of developing an art for baking, Anthony and his two sons Baldo and Joseph became the founders of Anthony & Sons Bakery. The trio opened their first bakery, using recipes handed down from their European heritage; bringing the flavor of Little Italy to Denville, NJ.

In 1984 the family opened their first manufacturing plant in Fairfield, NJ, and in 2000, they opened a fully automated state-of-the-art production facility in Denville. The 65,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility serves large retailers, wholesalers, restaurants, and the top food distributors coast-to-coast with an endless variety of authentic Italian breads and rolls.

In 2008, Baldo and Joseph expanded the business to an onsite market and cafe, presenting an array of imported and domestic Italian specialties alongside a vibrant menu of gourmet dishes, salads, and hot and cold sandwiches. All prepared by their renowned chefs. The Market Cafe established a respected and reputable name throughout the community which encouraged the brothers to open a second location in Succasunna, NJ. Today the eatery has been recognized for delivering fine Italian foods and catering services, earning outstanding accolades for the authentic products found only in their markets.

Traditional tastes meet modern methods

Anthony & Sons Bakery supplies freshly baked breads to retailers throughout the Northeast, employing their 50-truck delivery fleet to deliver their daily offerings. In addition to the fresh loaves and rolls available in the New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania markets, the company provides a full line of frozen breads & rolls to in-store supermarket bakeries, hotels, restaurants, convenience stores, and institutions.

Their sophisticated manufacturing facility features fully custom automated and artisan lines as well as handmade bench capabilities. Their master bakers hand score the breads with precision and accuracy which delivers a true authentic appearance.

The inimitable textures and tastes of traditional artisan breads, from baguettes to rustic ciabatta and everything in between, are reproduced for mass distribution without artificial flavors or additives. “For over 35 years we have been producing products without artificial preservatives or hydrogenated fats. We are the leaders when it comes to developing products with clean, natural, non-GMO, and zero trans-fat ingredients,” said company VP of sales and marketing Ben Rizzitello.

Those ingredients are carefully sourced and of the highest quality. “We test our ingredients constantly,” said Rizzitello, a professional baker himself. “There’s so much to consider when sourcing out high-quality ingredients. We are extremely selective with what goes into our products, testing all of the components that give the breads and rolls their flavor, light crumb, and crisp crust. It’s very intricate.” Their in-house quality control and R&D operations assure that each recipe is designed for perfect execution, and that the end results match their customers’ needs.

A key aspect of product design is convenience. Retail bakery operations are expensive to maintain, often requiring costly skilled labor and specialty equipment to consistently and faithfully recreate the authentic crust, crumb, and overall appearance of home-baked treats. Anthony & Sons Bakery is positioned as the ideal baker’s apprentice, so to speak, developing a unique frozen product line that can be executed in any on-premise setting with ease.

At Anthony & Sons Bakery each customer is part of the family making the company small enough to customize product, becoming not only a partner to their customers but also a solutions provider. The company consistently brings innovation and the latest concepts to their customers. “With over 40 years of experience working with the in store bakeries, we understand the goals and objectives that our customers strive to achieve. We focus on ease of operation, reduce labor cost, and increasing margins while delivering the latest trends and market research,” Rizzitello said. The company is pushing the boundaries of convenience with their EZ FreeZer to Oven® line, which enables customers to produce fresh bread in less than 10 minutes, without the need for skilled labor, special ovens, or steam boxes.

“In addition to our Thaw & Sell line EZ FreeZer to Oven® bread is one of our most success product line in our frozen portfolio, we have perfected quality with ease of usage,” Rizzitello said. There is no need to set up the product the night before or fully defrost. A simple two-step process from the freezer to oven and ready within 3 to 8 minutes. “When the bread is pulled from the oven not only do you experience the aroma of fresh baked breads, it delivers a nice crispy crust on the outside and moist and tender crumb on the inside staying fresher longer. Another reason this category is so successful is it doesn't require experienced labor, a proof box or steam injected oven. Stores can have hot bread on demand throughout the day, and optimize sales with impulse shoppers. At the same time they can keep up with the movement of the products by replenishing them as needed.”

The freezer to oven technique is particularly appealing to restaurants, convenience stores, and in-store sandwich making setups, further expanding the company’s reach.

No small amount of social consciousness goes into the creation of Anthony & Sons Bakery products. In addition to embracing the Sustainable Forestry Initiative’s forest management standard, which protects wildlife habitats and promotes biodiversity, the company is a member of how2recycle, a  standardized smart packaging labeling system that encourages consumers to recycle. The company’s delivery fleet runs on clean burning fuels. “Anthony & Sons has proven to be the leader in innovation and has transformed the bread-baking industry. Our vision for the company is to continue to be the trendsetters and aggressively grow with the latest innovation, quality products, and service,” Rizzitello said.

It’s comforting to know that the ultimate comfort food—Anthony & Sons baked goods—are handled with love, care, and soul, every step of the way.