You might not think about the Orlando Baking Company much in your day-to-day life, but this Northeast Ohio institution has an extraordinarily rich history well worth a deeper look.
The History of the Orlando Baking Company
The company’s origins are traced all the way back to 1872 in Castel di Sangro, Italy where it was founded by Giustino Orlando. Orlando's beginnings in the United States were very humble. Two of Giustino’s seven sons, Giuseppe and Vincenzo, came to America to get things off the ground in 1906. Another son, Alfonso, remained behind in Italy to run those operations and did so for the family until his death in the 1970s.
The brothers' beginnings were a small bakery at 1341 Central Avenue in Cleveland, but very quickly the operations were moved to 2411 Scovill where the business operated out of a residence.
The Cleveland operations began as a bakery/pasta enterprise with Giuseppe heading the bakery side and Vincenzo the pasta side of things. Together they introduced the area to old world, European-style baking and their creations were delivered throughout town by horse and buggy.
Vincenzo died suddenly around 1912, and Giuseppe, who by this time preferred to go by Joe, ended the pasta side of the business while also renaming it J. Orlando and recruiting his son Emilio to become the company’s first truck delivery driver. Today, as you can see below, they have a pretty good-sized fleet of vehicles that carry the proud Orlando name and image all over Greater Cleveland.
Sadly, Emilio was killed in World War I, which prompted Joe to reach out to yet another brother in Italy, Nicola, for help in running the Cleveland operations.
A small new plant was constructed, and they moved into it in 1918 as the company’s fortunes continued to grow. When Nicola and his four sons took over in 1923, the family lived right next door to the new plant facilities. In 1946, after Nicola’s death, what was always known simply as Orlando Family Baking took on an official business name: N. Orlando & Sons Bakery. The Woodland location continued serving the family well until 1980.
The next phase in the development was a new plant that opened in 1979 at 7777 Grand Avenue, near Woodland. It was a tough decision for the family, as a possible move to the suburbs provided many advantages but ultimately the loyalty to the city that had been so good to them kept the company within the Cleveland limits. And, you guessed it, after this latest move came another name change that remains until today: Orlando Baking Company.
The Innovations of the Orlando Baking Company
Orlando has introduced many different innovations throughout its 120+ years in business in Cleveland. One such innovation was the introduction of ciabatta bread. This style of bread has always been a favorite in Italy and was very well received, and you will be happy to know that Orlando still sticks to the 24-hour prep time required prior to baking.
Today, settled in their brand-new headquarters along the Opportunity Corridor, Orlando remains the largest wholesale bakery between New York and Chicago, and in 2005 the family-owned and operated business was being run by a fifth generation of the Orlando family.
From their humble beginnings to where they proudly reside in their new 175,000 square-foot facility today, Orlando has no doubt been a true source of pride for Cleveland. So, with the holidays coming up, and you are preparing for your family holiday get-togethers, don't forget about supporting the Orlando family, who has proudly called Cleveland their home for 120 years and counting.
(Top image credit: Google Street View)