Bakery

Paris Baguette Corporate Office

Entrepreneur Hur Young-In founded Paris Baguette in 1986. The company operates a multi-national chain of high-end bakeries/cafes.

Once franchising began in 1988, the chain grew quickly. As of May 2022, the company had 3600 stores in South Korea, 100 stores in the USA, and 185 locations in China, Vietnam, Singapore and France.

In October of 2022, a boycott of Paris Baguette took off after a worker at a factory was fatally crushed by a sauce mixing machine. Employees state that the factory did not even close for the day and they were forced to work even as the body of their college was removed from the machine.

Shortly before the incident another worker at the factory had sustained an injury to their hand from a production machine but was not sent to the hospital since they were not a full-time worker. Various Korean trade unions have condemned the company due to a history of safety issues and union busting.

The company states that they intend to open 1,000 new locations in the US by 2030.

As of 2013, the company states that it had $1.51 billion (US Dollars) in revenue.

Paris Baguette maintains a corporate office in the USA in Moonachie, New Jersey.

Hive Bakery Corporate Office

Hive Bakery was founded in 2018 in Flower Mound, Texas. CEO and founder Haley Popp has had tremendous success despite being an outspoken liberal in a mostly conservative town.

Hive Bakery offers the usual bread, donuts, and cookies, but specializes in custom-made cakes.

After the Supreme Court decision that allowed states to make their own abortion laws, Popp began making cakes with the “My Body My Choice” slogan on them.

Trump supporters and Christian fundamentalists didn’t take to this lightly, threatening both Popp and the business itself.

Popp, whose vibrant red hair is instantly recognizable, has appeared on Food Network’s Halloween Wars and become, as her staff puts it, “Flower Mound famous.”

After receiving threats on Facebook, Popp began posting the names and the comments. Supporters have given her already thriving business a boost and nearly every day the bakery sells out before closing time.

In July 2022, the bakery posted on Facebook that it wasn’t in the mood to make festive 4th of July products when half of all Americans no longer have the right to their own bodies.

Hive Bakery maintains a corporate office in Flower Mound, Texas.

Panera Bread Corporate Office

Panera Bread got its start in 1993 when Au Bon Pain purchased the St. Louis Bread Company from its founder, Ken Rosenthal. In 1999, Au Bon Pain sold its other restaurants and renamed itself to Panera Bread Company, realizing the huge potential of the brand. The name comes from a Latin derivative meaning “bread basket.”

The company offers a wide variety of pastries and baked goods, such as muffins, bagels, and pasta, along with beverages, including tea, frozen smoothies, coffees, and lemonade.

Panera was one of the first companies to offer free wifi service, however, due to high demand, the company was forced to cut users time to 30-60 minutes only during peak hours.

In 2007, the chain purchased 70 stores from Paradise Bakery & Cafe, a Phoenix, AZ, based company. The company is the largest provider of free WiFi service in the country.

In 2008, Panera expanded operations into Canada.

In 2009 and again in 2011, Panera was sued in California for failure to pay overtime and give employees mandated breaks and lunches. The company paid $5 million to settle claims without admitting any wrongdoing.

In 2010, the company moved its headquarters to the Sunset Hills area of St. Louis.

In 2011, the company had $2.7 billion in revenue and almost 50,000 employees.

In 2015, the company announced plans to use 100% cage-free eggs by 2020.

In March 2016, the company opened its 2000th location in Elyria, Ohio. The company has stated that it intends to remove all artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives from its “At Home” line of grocery products by the end of 2016.

The company states that in 2016, they had annual revenue of $2.6 billion. That same year, the company was sued when an employee deliberately put peanut butter on a sandwich, even after being told that the customer was allergic to peanuts.

In 2017, subsidiaries that were named Paradise Bakery and Cafe were rebranded to the Panera Bread name.

The company was forced to recall the cream cheese they sell at all locations due to fear of listeria contamination in January 2018.

Panera ramped up their advertising for the new dinner menu in June 2019, in hopes of luring more customers who usually think of the chain only for breakfast or lunch.

After a public outcry, the company announced that they were returning French onion soup to the menu in early January 2020.

In January 2020, Panera announced a major overhaul to their menu, with at least 50% of their menu items being vegan, as well as using 30% less meat in the remaining menu items.

Panera currently has over 2100 locations in 41 US states and Canada. The Panera Bread corporate office is still located in St. Louis, Missouri, and locations that are in St Louis still operate under the name St. Louis Bread Company.

Gluten Free Gem Corporate Office

Gluten Free Gem is a bakery based out of Portland, Oregon. The company started when Anne and Mike Miller discovered that their daughter had celiac disease and was unable to eat gluten. The pair opened their own bakery in 2006.

Due to a growing demand, the company quickly outgrew their original bakery and moved several times over the years. The company moved to its current location, complete with a retail store, in early 2017. The company has also expanded to include offering their products in various stores throughout the greater Portland, Oregon, area.

Gluten Free Gem is a GFCO Certified bakery. This ensures that all products are not only gluten free, but free from any risk of cross contamination from other products or other known allergens, such as peanuts. The company also offers special orders and wedding cakes.

Brazi Bites Corporate Office

Brazi Bites was founded in 2010 in Portland, Oregon, by husband and wife team Cameron and Junea Rocha. Junea, a Brazilian native, was craving Pao de Queijo, a type of cheese bread, which is a popular snack in her native country. Unable to find any in the US, Junea decided to make her own from her mother’s recipe.

The company saw a huge increase in business after appearing on the television reality show Shark Tank in 2015. Within just days after the show aired, the company completely sold out of product. The 2017 Inc. 5000 list places Brazi Bites at #81 on their list of Fastest Growing Companies in America. In 2016, the company saw annual revenue of $8.5 million and a 3 year growth rate of 4,555%.

Brazi Bites also took the #1 position on the Inc. list of Top Portland (Oregon) Companies and #2 for Top Oregon Companies. Brazi Bites is sold in markets and in the frozen food aisles of numerous retailers across the US.