What Are The Most Popular Bread Companies?

From sandwiches and bagels, to burgers, toast, and baguettes, bread is one of the biggest food staples within the western diet. It’s estimated that 326.91 million people in the US ate bread in 2020. With a total population of 331 million, that means that 99% of North Americans eat bread. 

That’s a pretty huge market. 

Depending on whether you’re team brown bread or team white bread this may or may not surprise you, but over 192 million people in the US consumed wholemeal or multigrain bread in 2020. It does make a lot of sense when you consider all the nutritional benefits of eating whole grains, especially when the health and wellness food market is set to grow at a CAGR of 9.3% by 2029.

The bread industry is anything but stale. Shorter loaves are the best thing since sliced bread — literally — with the innovation seeing a rapid uptake amongst consumers. It’s particularly useful within smaller households, where they just don’t have the time to get through a larger loaf before the expiration date. 

We’re going to explore which bread consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands are growing in popularity that you knead to get in your stores, as well as how to get them there in the first place.

B-ready? Let’s roll. 

How bread gets from bakers to customers

We’ve seen how bread in particular is a grocery essential for US consumers. Each day, customers will come to your stores not looking for just bread in general but for their favorite brands and products. So you not only need to be able to cope with this naturally high demand, but also with unpredictable surges in popularity triggered by social media trends and influencers.

So what kind of supply chain do you need to have in place to withstand this volatile consumer behavior? In terms of distribution channels, you really have four choices:

Wholesale distributors

Buy in bulk from the CPG to sell on to retailers or consumers. 

Cash and carry distributors

Don’t handle transportation of goods. Instead, customers visit warehouses to purchase the products that they need and leave with them on the same day. These types of distributors are usually used by food service operators such as local restaurants or institutions. 

Broadline distributors

Mainly work with large-scale stores or retailers, offering very general mainstream products. 

Specialty distributors 

Work in a market niche. They’ll discover the latest innovations within a specialized segment of the market — whether that be natural and organic foods, snacks, meats, or perhaps a specific cultural cuisine such as Italian brands — and matchmake them with the right stores or food service operators. 

Specialty distributors are experts within their niche, so they’ll have their finger on the pulse for any relative consumer trends, popular ingredients, up-and-coming brands, and more. 

With this in mind, specialty food distributors are often the best bet for stores and retailers. Not only can they take care of the logistics side of handling and transporting the products, they’ll also assist buyers in the search for the hottest products on the market.

Speaking of which, shall we find out which bread brands will bring your store the most dough? 

What are the most popular bread brands?

Below, you’ll discover a list of some of the best bread brands in the US right now.

Inked Bread is an artisan bread that’s baked with organic ingredients. They’re on a mission to ‘make the best bread possible’ using high-quality ingredients to bake great-tasting bread. 

They manufacture a range of bread flavors, including more common loaves such as sourdough, white bread, and multigrain. They also produce some newer, more bold flavors such as honey whole wheat, cinnamon flavored, and even one with raisins and streusel on top.

Inked Bread listens to their customers' wants and needs, so they’ve produced a keto-certified bread to help their customers stay on track. 

Where are they sold? Inked Bread is sold in Costco, Whole Foods, Walmart, Safeway, and more. 

Dave’s Killer Bread

Dave’s Killer bread has a fantastic story behind the brand. Dave himself has spent some time in prison, using baking as his focus to turn his life around when he got out. He worked tirelessly on this family-run bakery to prove himself and have a positive impact. 

Today, they’re proud to say that they’re a second chance employer, hiring employees regardless of criminal history to give everyone a chance to become a ‘Good Seed.’

They use organic, whole grain ingredients for nutritional bread that doesn’t compromise on taste. Their range includes products such as White Bread Done Right, 21 Whole Grains and Seeds, Righteous Rye, and other flavors, as well as thin-slice, breakfast breads, English muffins, bagels, and burger bun products.

Where are they sold? Dave’s Killer Bread is sold in Whole Foods, Ralphs Fresh Fare, Target, Food 4 Less, Lassens Natural Foods and Vitamins, and more.

Martin’s Famous Potato Rolls and Bread

Martin’s Famous Potato Rolls and Bread (Martin’s, for short) is a family-owned business that started in Pennsylvania, before expanding into the rest of the US.

As the name would suggest, Martin’s uses potatoes to bring a unique twist to their bread products. Their products include the original potato rolls and bread, as well as butter bread, hoagie rolls, whole wheat potato rolls, cinnamon-raisin swirl potato bread, and even ‘Potatobred stuffing.’ 

Where are they sold? Martin’s products are sold in Target, Key Food, Gristedes, Associated Twin Pines, America's Food Basket, and more.

Who are the most popular bread suppliers?

Now that you’ve gotten a taste of the most popular bread brands, it’s time to take a look at who’s serving them up. 

Buffalo Market

Now, we might be biased but we reckon Buffalo Market are the leading distributor of food and beverage brands with a greater purpose. We specialize in distributing products that are Good for the Earth, Good for You, organic, or plant-based. 

We work with bread brands that are the ‘future of food’ whether that relates to wellness or sustainability and connect them with retailers and restaurants. The retailers that we work with vary from niche indie stores, to the bigger scale major chains that are based throughout the US. 

Buffalo Market operates on a direct-store-delivery method, bringing products from the manufacturer straight to the retailers’ shelves — even taking care to shelve and merchandise products in an optimized way. 

Flowers Foods

Flowers Foods is the company behind many major label bread brands, including brands such as Dave’s Killer bread, Nature’s Own, and Wonder. What began as an individual bakery has grown and expanded to become one of the largest baking companies in the US. 

Flowers Foods works with a network of independent distributors who distribute their products, rather than having their own transportation system. 

Franz Bakery

Franz Bakery started out as the United States Bakery all the way back in 1896. On their 100th birthday, Franz celebrated by breaking a Guinness World Record. They baked the world’s longest hot dog bun of 104 feet!

Today, the company produces USDA-certified organic products as well as gluten-free fare. They’re the umbrella company for several baked goods brands, including Western Farms, Alaska Grains Baking Company, Naked Bread, and more. 

Stock the best breads in your store

Are you scouting for the most popular bread brands to sell in your store or supermarket? You’re in the right place. 

Buffalo Market are experts in mission-driven brands. So if you’re looking for a bread brand that does some good for people and the planet, rest assured knowing that we can bring them straight to your store’s shelves quickly and efficiently. 

To get started, get in touch with our friendly team today!