How a Massive Bread Factory Produces 150,000 Loaves per Week - Vendors

Nels Leader is the CEO of Bread Alone, an upstate New York bakery founded by his father. Today, the bakery is committed to the idea that everyone should have access to good bread - a goal it tries to achieve by baking 150,000 loaves every week.
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Credits:
Producer: Carla Francescutti
Directors: Carla Francescutti, Murilo Ferreira
Camera: Murilo Ferreira, Carla Francescutti
Production Coordinator: Nick Mazzocchi
Editor: Josh Dion
Executive Producer: Stephen Pelletteri
Supervising Producer, Operations: Stefania Orrù
Supervising Producer, Development: Gabriella Lewis
Audience Engagement: Avery Dalal
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[@Knitspin]

I love the episodes of these shows when the producers of the episode and owner(s) of the restaurants and bakeries actually allow the people who are doing the bulk of the work to speak. Sure, the owner my own, in this case, the bakery, but the person I actually want to hear from is the person who is hands on day to day and isn't always in the limelight. Thank you for allowing for that balance.

[@onemightymill]

couldn't agree more!!!

[@briansmithe3429]

Small world this internet! Circa 1982-83 my partner and I were running a small commercial painting company and got a job painting the first house of your father, Dan, who was leaving a position as Head Chef in a Nyack restaurant to open a bakery specializing in bread. We also painted the first building that housed the first wood-fired oven he had fabricated, ate a piece of the first loaf out of that oven and later (at the bequest of his customers) he purchased the first used bread slicing machine. Took the four of us a bit to figure out how to put it together, but when we finally had it working all sampled from the first loaf from it. French Peasant bread was all that was baked in those days and all loaves were made by by hand by Dan and his wife. He talked about one day looking to sell into New York City and when the opportunity came he'd drive a small van, filled with loaves, himself to his NYC customers - one day a week. It amazes me these days 40+ years later when I pass by the now sprawling facility that has replaced that simple one room building how far he took his dream. Dan didn't have much capital in those days so when we repainted the bakery a year or two later he could only pay us half and in the ensuing years my partner and I had an open tab for bread whenever we stopped by. Simpler, better times these were.

[@williammccarrick6554]

What a great story.

[@justinmadair]

Ha! I used to teach English at Heuft! It's in the Vulkaneifel and has been an oven manufacturer for a looong time. As a matter of fact, there is another Heuft oven-maker in the same area who is not connected to them, and uses the pumice from the area as it was once a very active volcano chain. I loved working with them. Very nice people. How cool to see this here!

[@PepeFamBam]

Shout out to all the bakers waking up early hours of the morning

[@alexis1156]

It's basically semi industrial high quality/artisanal bread. Looks good.

[@marioc63]

Yes, but one of their plastic bags says "San Francisco Sourdough"...fishy.

[@SFledz]

It's a style of bread. It's not actually from SF@@marioc63

[@icahopilm898]

@@marioc63 ...the label means San Francisco *style* sourdough... so it has the most tangy/sour flavor.

[@michaelvo]

Kind of interesting that they use La Milanaise, a flour from Quebec, Canada! It's funny because I always order Bob's Red Mill flour from the USA when I'm baking in Canada.

[@oRayka]

Why would you ever use any ingredients from US?

[@georgekibblin9924]

The only bread I eat is from BREAD ALONE! My favorite for making toast in the morning with my coffee is the San Francisco Sourdough.

[@habaristra6248]

This channel does amazing work. I was bowled over to see this video. When I was a kid in the 1950's every neighborhood in NYC had a family owned bakery. There were German, Italian, Hungarian, Lebanese, Spanish, Polish, French . . . . bakeries. Even commercial bakeries, like Entenmann's in Bay Shore Long Island, and Friehoffer's in Ulster County produced High Quality baked goods made available to supermarkets. (Now they're owned by BIG CORPORATION and have totally gone down hill) When all these family bakeries began to disappear Bread Alone took the community bakery to the next level. Pain Quotidien, the same. They created a bakery where people could sit, share a table, hang out, read the newspaper. And of course, the quality was phenomenal. Fort those travelling to or passing by Woodstock, N.Y. Bread Alone deems a mandatory visit.

[@CerealKiller669]

Sourdough is my absolute favorite bread in the world. 🍞🔥

[@Luna.3.3.3]

Beautiful bread with great ingredients, made with care on an industrial scale. Wow, I never thought those attributes could ever coexist. I _Love_ good bread & don't mind paying more. If I couldn't find it at an artisan independent baker, I'd definitely buy this. I don't think they distribute to Canada, unfortunately.

[@Jtlvusa]

Amazing French brick oven 🤯 I wish I had that

[@angeliner59]

Should you ever visit Austria, go to Salzburg and buy a loave of bread from the bakery next to St. Peters church. It has been going for hundreds of years!

[@IxSuckxAtxXbox360x]

Great mission of providing great bread to as many people as possible. Wish I could try some

[@leszekkot3373]

nothing like a fresh warm bread. i used to also eat the inside, but then sometimes the crispy crust. always went for the end cut.

[@trooper1972]

He must be rich af ! .. I worked for a guy in Madrid with 3 small neighborhood bakeries and he became rich with that , imagine this guy ..🤯

[@spandex7055]

Too funny, he talks like they give it away and it’s actually too expensive for many people to purchase. What silliness

[@timbushnell8964]

Daniel Leaders books still rank among my favourites in my library of baking manuals 😊

[@jaykia]

This is artistry and passion rolled up in one video.

[@onegrapefruitlover]

And generational wealth

[@hu_b]

more factory than artistry

[@Lookingforwine]

A great job, both on the part of the bakers and Eater.

[@onemightymill]

Damn those loafs are getting us all hot and bothered...... come check out our mill next time for the entire FARM to BAKED process 🤝

[@michasosnowski5918]

I am impressed by the quality and attention to details. I follow some artisan sourdough bakery on youtube and I do my own sourdough bread at home. Its amazing that you can do great bread at scale. I really congratulate you and wish you further success. You are very conscious person.

[@marshallosantos9035]

The theory of the leisure class.

[@LucasTOrz]

Bread is Life

[@ilikechicken89]

i want to know how the engineers were able to build something that accomplished the bakers goals.

[@briansmithe3429]

The first oven was actually built from concrete blocks with a field stone face. Heat was retained over night by - of all things - commercial insulation batts that are used in house walls.

[@Joe-nb3fs]

Big props to this team for doing everything for real, though, for me, that crumb looks tight.

[@joeguzzo51]

The crumb is perfect, IMHO. As an amateur bread maker, I have explored various French, Italian, rye, and peasant recipes. Bread Alone is the gold standard to which I aspire.

[@SaraLoretta]

Incredible.

[@johnnyv303]

We need this in Miami!

[@PAVEL--JAKL]

I love bread especially European..🍞

[@kofManKan]

Great stuff, respect!

[@dateolate8725]

Great Clip, both on the part of the bakers and Eater. Bravo

[@souravagrawal382]

This is art!

[@kaiju_k5042]

Love Bread Alone, shopping for some today :)

[@sirmanni4534]

Very impressive plating 🍽️ and preparation. I have to eat here when I’m in town. Cheers 🥂

[@noobxbooster9823]

2:06 is the baker a giant holding a regular trash can or is he a regular baker holding a mini trash can?

[@pavelow235]

0:03 Rickrolled 😂😂

[@keremakaln6018]

Watching this labor already hurt my back

[@3DHP]

Love it, Thank you for sharing.

[@jtorola]

That brick oven is awesome

[@hulkslayer626]

Wow. Just goes to show, everything can be a rabbit hole if pursued far enough.

[@K9AF]

as Bud Abbott once opined: "Those people are REAL LOAFERS!"

[@mojacob5106]

great job

[@RamKumar-c6r8y]

Good work

[@jamesbaconreid]

Wow, that's amazing.

[@ILoveCHAVO]

Salute to Juan.. he is a pillar to the business.. I hope he's making $50+ dollars an hr..

[@pabloantoniomorenorobles5613]

Wow..!!! It's so Cool !!!

[@seattlerinis8249]

Proof Bread - eat your heart out.

[@flowtrotters12230]

dang, i like this episode

[@tosh8377]

They don’t use those yeti buckets on the regular.

[@nyustdent]

bet it smells amazing

[@breadhoodie]

This is the video for me 😃

[@etf42]

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on -every word that comes from the mouth of God- steak too.....

[@ifiokabasiokop]

😄😄😄

[@thedeeprot]

🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@SANDGLASSUS]

10:05 I will eat breakfast tomorrow

[@rehan8463]

I feel like having the part about the Nels' father at the start would have been better, I really bought into their history and the amazing story about the oven. Having the factory scene first made it feel emotionless. Otherwise, great video

[@ceceespejo5164]

The first big mistake, you need to take weeding rings

[@valentino8195]

Genuine question: Are there bakeries in the US, that sell high quality bread that is inspired by German baking?

[@DoctorMcHerp]

It depends on the state. Pennsylvania, for example, has some parts of it that are clearly more German-influenced when it comes to locally baked bread, whereas New York City has a heavier Italian influence.

[@geraldmatthes9947]

Go to The Give Thanks Bakery in Rochester, Michigan. Google it first to learn about its German heritage. Their hand crafted bread is superlative !!!

[@nathancastleman1614]

Carbon neutral wood burning oven??

[@jamiebrotherston2241]

Imagine folks 100 years ago having a laugh at flour & water concepts of today.

[@hanneswelthagen9747]

I wish that people who work with food would stop wearing rings.

[@alanberickson]

Interesting. Place where I used to work used to allow plain bands (no stones), and then they went to no rings at all a few years ago.

[@edwardranno7119]

Never wear any jewelry when manufacturing anything

[@sarajaszewski8527]

You can wear a plain band. No stones or engravings.

[@HotEnclave]

Bread 👍

[@brianmoody2549]

Learning how bead is made ,then baked.it’s takes lot of work to get the beard.all beard haves its own style.

[@CindiByTheBook]

it's 'bread'. Not bead. Not beard. BREAD!!!

[@brianmoody2549]

@@CindiByTheBook okay I need to look over what l type from now on.

[@larrylitmanen9877]

I had their bread, it's excellent. The Spanish speaking dude is a real pro.

[@pavelow235]

He is wasting his skills, he should run a boulangerie in NYC.

[@eilois]

i think they didn't need those mask while preparing the dough, meanwhile the guy who handle bread AFTER the oven which kills most unwanted microorganisms didn't wear anything.

[@arizandyv13]

As a baker. Some people wear those masks to avoid breathing in flour. White lung is a thing even if you're only breathing in flour. But after doing it all day everyday it can lead to health complications.

[@OlivierL.27]

Québec best flour of america l milanaise 🎉🎉

[@larryslobster7881]

cool

[@dailyfermentations7197]

Juan is the head baker and is an amazing dude, along with his crew. The CEO however is just a business man. He took over for his father Dan who is a great bread maker and a great man. Too bad his son didn't follow in his path.

[@michaelwalsh5997]

How do you know that.. it may take him time to achieve & become as good as his father , but the business also may have changed over the years. If they stick with good people and quality they may prevail & hopefully he learns along the way. Eunning any business on this scale takes multiple levels of planning & Management skills. Wishing them the best to succeed!

[@dailyfermentations7197]

He's not a baker and has no intention of becoming one. He assumes that by having read his father's books, that makes him a baker. Been on the inside, got to know them both. The CEO is a sociopath, dude has to read books on how to act human in front of humans.

[@tyleroneill2636]

I used to work for a guy like that. He also took over for his dad and has done tons of therapy on how to act. He was really hard to work for

[@jasperjimenez9817]

The racists came out to play in this comment section Great looking bread though

[@barankarpat3327]

Where is this facility

[@eater]

They are located in Upstate New York. Check them out here: instagram.com/breadalonebakery/

[@Datikaworld]

💘

[@trooper1972]

😮

[@Adi-ev1uh]

Personally i think Nicoleti brick ovens are muxh much better than the Andrew ones . Nicoleti is most popular in Europe

[@NormalTheBand]

Every episode of Vendor is the same. Hi, I'm the owner of the shop, and here is my manager Juan/Hector/Jose/etc... Every single time

[@julietphillips1991]

And your point being??

[@SidTheGamer0]

What do you mean by that? 🤨

[@flipcoin6301]

Immigrants work harder than non-immigrants. Stronger work ethic.

[@bstives58]

This sounds so much like Merzbachers

[@juanlui284]

🤤

[@TheNinjappa]

when is it not organic?

[@onemightymill]

DOWN WITH WHITE FLOUR!!!!!!!

[@armuk]

shame i hate the taste of sourdough nice episode though

[@ThadonutRs]

It isn't "artisanal" anymore when you make 150k loaves of bread in a week.

[@KounosukeKuri]

You could argue mass production is its own form of art though.

[@ThadonutRs]

Oh yeah for sure! But it's no longer artisanal as the title claims it is. You can still produce amazing things like these guys do @@KounosukeKuri

[@ElliottRodgers]

I disagree. Artisanal is a method for making bread as opposed to using fast processes like Chorleywood method.

[@ThadonutRs]

Artisanal means using no or almost none machines to make a product. @@ElliottRodgers

[@Galipettevintage]

Maybe you should actually watch the video before making false statements. They are absolutely artisanal.

[@TheGrace020]

😻😻😻😻😻

[@Gunner-ll1zd]

Usa company outsources to mexico/central American location?

[@zachariusziegler]

Why the annoying music?

[@TaylorBills]

History of the company is great. Can you call it artisan bread when everything is automated? The bake is done by a computer. What does the baker need to know other than pushing the right button?

[@moparwoman2355]

Im here to check for green cards

[@i_dont_live_here]

You’re fired.

[@isabeaoctel]

Learn a new aberration: levan.

[@vbg345]

Bread Alone used to make the MOST AMAZING "Fruit and Nut" whole grain sourdough that was LOADED with nuts, currants, and apricots. They've discontinued it, and I've lost interest in the brand. It made them so unique. Now, they're just another bread company to me.

[@hugespicyhuge]

Wearing a mask below your nose should be criminal. 😂

[@timbushnell8964]

Pretty sure it's a beard net 😂

[@infinitehealth2024]

🔥🔥🔥💪💪💪💪🔥🔥🔥💪💪💪💪💪💪

[@qwerty112311]

Ironic that the guy says the goal is to make the bread available to as many people as possible, while using more expensive and lower yielding organic flour.

[@hu_b]

the guy said the goal was making quality bread widely available not low quality garbage as fast and cheap as possible

[@explorewithme4707]

Massive family owned business. Only one guy in that family oversees. A bunch of immigrants doing the work.

[@gravity00x]

Mhhh! Yummy yumyum! Sugar with 1% bread dough. American food is a treasure to behold!

[@hu_b]

oh oh someone left a comment without watching the video

[@peterlundberg7680]

way is he speaking Spanish ?????

[@subressor1]

I love that no matter where it is in the US, the workers inside these places are always foreigners who can't speak English America baby!

[@DrGrandemange]

And as a genuine foreigner, I can't understand how it is possible! Couldn't even be possible in any european country for them to find any work if they can't at least communicate correctly in the country language, whatever it could be. Let's say it's a cultural shock ^^

[@arizandyv13]

😂Juan knows English. They asked him, that if he felt more comfortable he could do it in Spanish. How do you think he manages a facility with English speakers?

[@stewartstewartstewart]

lol. The baker guy thinks white bread is nourishing 😂

[@pizzapilgrim6525]

Your bread look great! But if its not hands all the way its not traditional Artisan sourdough in my books. I don't use that word lightly! We put love of the culture And tradition in our bread, Your workers would lose touch with that in that Kind of setting. ✌️ but it is amazing what you've have achieved 💪

[@joegadget670]

It’s a shame they have wood fired ovens. It would be better for the environment to have a solar powered oven. They probably use gasoline or diesel powered trucks to deliver all that bread too.

[@shabushabu1453]

🤡

[@Iggygonecatchen]

Quiet, Francis

[@ihsan75y]

is this sillicon valley or what ? too much science and tech

[@secretlook9218]

boooooring

[@thereissomecoolstuff]

The bread looks great. I don’t know why it bothers me that long term residents in this country refuse to learn the native language. The acceptance of this practice will ultimately lead to our nations downfall.

[@KJNZ2011]

You know why it bothers you

[@thereissomecoolstuff]

@@KJNZ2011 Yeah I know why it bothers me. Does it bother you comrade?

[@marioncarini]

Native language of the nation? Yes. Native language of the land? No. This is someone who is clearly dedicated to doing their work and if they find it more comfortable to describe this in their native tongue there shouldn’t be an issue with that. Accusing of “refusal” is a judgement you don’t have right to pass on someone you don’t know at all.

[@thereissomecoolstuff]

@@marioncarini have they bothered to learn the language of the land or country? After years and years. I am a sovereign citizen. I do have the 1st Amendment right to not like it. It is dividing our nation, not unifying it. I have a great deal of respect for the people that at least try and learn. Sorry comrade. Can’t agree with you.

[@Giveme100ksubs]

Now this is the 2000th video!!!

[@somervillettv2272]

laziest bakers ever all done by machine except hauling the sack of flour