Georgia firm acquires 150-employee Bradenton baking business

A Bradenton-based commercial bakery has been sold to an out-of-state company.

St. Armands Baking Co., which was founded in Sarasota and ultimately landed in Bradenton due to the need for more space, has been acquired by Engelman’s Bakery of Norcross, Georgia. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

The Bradenton bakery sells artisan bread, sandwich bread, hoagies, hot dog and hamburger rolls, wraps, and dinner rolls that are either fresh or frozen. While restaurants represent a large portion of its clientele, St. Armands Baking Co. also serves schools, hospitals, country clubs, sporting venues, nursing homes and offices with its wholesale operation. In addition to baking and delivering bread, it packs and brands bread for other companies. It has about 150 employees.

“Since 1981, our employees, customers and suppliers have transformed St. Armands from a mom-and-pop bakery into the company it is today, serving thousands of customers with quality organic and specialty breads,” owner of St. Armands Baking Company Bernard Vroom says in a statement. 

“We are thrilled to partner with Engelman’s. Both companies have similar backstories and share the same high standards. Strategically, we will be able to expand our footprint in the Southeast and beyond,” Vroom says. “Joining forces with Engelman’s will provide us with the resources and capabilities needed to accelerate our growth.”

Engelman’s, a wholesale bakery founded in 1982 that provides fresh and frozen bread to retail and food service clients, will have an expanded manufacturing and customer footprint due to the acquisition, according to a statement.

“Bernard and the St. Armands team have done a terrific job building the business over the years,” President and CFO of Engelman’s Bakery Paul Bell says in a statement. “This partnership strengthens our national footprint and creates significant commercial opportunities for both businesses.”

Hyde Park Capital of Tampa served as the exclusive investment banker to St. Armands Baking Company in the acquisition, while Shutts & Bowen served as legal counsel.

Engelman’s is a portfolio company of Shoreline Equity Partners, based in Neptune Beach.