In the award-winning FX television drama The Bear, bread plays a crucial roll—namely, the hinged Italian rolls used in crafting Chef Carmen Berzatto’s famous beef sandwiches. On the program, said rolls are baked in-house of the Chicago restaurant where Carmy and his crew work their magic. However, in copycat recipes crafted by real-world chefs for home cooks looking to recreate the sandwiches at home, rolls made by Gonnella Baking Co. are at the top of the very short list of acceptable choices of rolls chosen to hug the seasoned meat. For many families that go meatless during the Lenten season and whip up pepper and egg sandwiches for Friday night dinners, it’s Gonnella’s rolls or nothing.

There are numerous reasons that could be pinpointed as to why both families and foodservice professionals express fondness and loyalty for Gonnella’s products. Since it started nearly 140 years ago, the company’s leaders and employees have built upon tradition, maintained high quality standards, pursued thoughtful innovation, and forged close relationships with customers and community alike.

History
Back in 1886, Alessandro opened a storefront bakery on DeKoven Street in Chicago. In the early days, the modest operation had a workforce of one—Alessandro mixed the dough, baked the bread, delivered the bread to customers, and kept the books. His hard work paid off, and the business—like its breads—rose. A decade later, he moved Gonnella Bakery to a bigger building (on Sangamon Street, near Ohio Street) and brought his wife Marianna (nee Marcucci) from his home village of Barga, Italy. By the early 1900s, his brothers in law—Lawrence, Nicholas, and Luigi Marcucci—also made the trip across the ocean to pitch in.

In the subsequent decades, Gonnella continued to grow. By 1915, another plant was built, and a fleet of industrious horse-drawn wagons were executing more than 200 deliveries every day. Then more plants were put to work; by the end of World War II, the bakery’s business with grocery and foodservice customers outpaced home deliveries. In the mid-1970s, Gonnella launched into the frozen dough market and soon grew a reputation for high-quality doughs used by in-store bakeries. In 1980, the company opened the doors to a sizable plant Schaumburg, IL—where its current headquarters stand—with the sole purpose of producing its popular frozen products. Today, these frozen items are distributed across the country.

“Despite its humble beginnings, Gonnella has consistently evolved and embraced innovation,” boasts Molly Marcucci, director of foodservice sales for the company. “The transition from a small storefront bakery to modern facilities equipped with sophisticated production capabilities demonstrates the company's adaptability to changing market demands.

Today, the Gonnella Baking Co. produces more than 4 million pounds of its various bread products each week, with production at its flagship facility in Schaumburg; Aurora, IL; and Hazle Township, PA. Its frozen dough production takes place at the Schaumburg and Hazle Township facilities, and the fresh-baked frozen items are made in Aurora. The Gonnella and Marcucci families continue to be as much a driving force in the operation as they were in the early days. Nearly 35 members of the family, including Molly, work for the company in various departments and capacities, adhering to the same work ethic and product standards of the company’s beginnings.

“Overall, Gonnella’s success can be attributed to a combination of quality, consistency, innovation, superior customer service, and a strong commitment to its heritage and traditions,” says Marcucci. “These factors have enabled Gonnella to thrive and endure for over a century.”

Service and quality
Today, Gonnella provides a wide variety of products for customers across the U.S. Its lineup includes doughs and finished items for a long list of markets.

“Gonnella serves retailers across the country including in-store bakeries, grocers, delis, and convenience stores as well as the food service industry including restaurants, QSRs, and concessions,” relates Marcucci. “We also provide contract baking, private label products and custom baking solutions—working in collaboration with clients to bring their ideas, opportunities and concepts to fruition.”

According to Marcucci, Gonnella’s team across the board prides itself with its customer service, working closely with clients to ensure their needs are met and that their satisfaction continues.

“Our company focuses on the ever-changing needs, growth and well-being of our customers; their needs are reflective of consumer trends and preferences as well as operational challenges and improvements,” she says. “The move into the frozen dough market made it possible to deliver fresh bakery products on demand at a national level while improving flexibility and operational efficiencies for our customers.”

The close relationships with customers is mirrored by a tight-knit workforce, and close partnerships with community organizations. It is not uncommon for long-time employees to retire after spending several decades on staff. For example, baker Romano Dal Palo recently retired after working for the company a total of 34 years; and director Michael Lucchesi signed off after 53 years working there. Also, employees at the various Gonnella facilities are encouraged to pitch in and support local and national charities. Organizations the company has supported throughout the years include Make-A-Wish, United Way, Little Sisters of the Poor, Easter Seals, Misericordia, and others.

Pursuit of innovation
Gonnella has a history dating back nearly a century and a half, but it also constantly looks toward the future with development of new and innovative products.

“As a leader in research and development for frozen dough and baked items, we focus innovation that will drive business forward,” Marcucci says. “Our team approach from marketing insights, sales, research and development, project management, regulatory and quality, and manufacturing work together to ensure consistent, quality, and innovative products that meet and exceed market demands.”

Gonnella’s Schaumburg facility features a state-of-the-art R&D research center, and test kitchens designed to mimic as closely as possible the environment that its customers work in day to day, including back-of-the-house and front-of-house foodservice conditions.

“Our products are tested in these environments to ensure success in all channels of business,” Marcucci shares.

One of Gonnella’s most recent innovations is a premium brioche bun geared toward foodservice customers. The vegan and kosher-certified product—which reportedly delivers the soft texture and rich taste expected of freshly baked brioche—was the result of extensive market research, thought, and trial and error, according to Marcucci. The effort started with a Gonnella staffers noticing “uniqueness scores” declining at restaurant chains, signifying a need for a higher degree of quality and differentiation.

“Operators can improve on uniqueness of menu offerings with a simple change of bun type with crave-worthy flavor that happens to be trending,” she says. “The brioche category has been growing +21% as of August of this year according to Datassential’s market research.”

Marcucci boasts that the brioche Gonnella came up with (offered in a slider size as well as 4-inch split-top buns) offers authentic flavor, with a vegan recipe making it a more inclusive menu option. “The new brioche is versatile across all dayparts to serve anything from brioche breakfast sandwiches to hamburgers, veggie burgers, chicken, and BBQ brioche offerings.”


Last words
Gonnella Baking Co. employees spend their entire work days thinking about bread, but that focus on loaves, buns, and other baked items doesn’t stop at the end of the workday. They frequently bring the fruits of their labor home for school lunches and family dinners.

“My personal favorite is our ciabatta,” shares Marcucci. “Our ciabatta has tons of floor time. It's a no-stress line. It's very authentically made. You just can't get those pockets and those nooks and crannies without that floor time. And then for the kids, Gonnella Sliced Wheat Bread, is my go-to, now that I'm making two lunches every day.”

And, Marcucci says, the passion that permeates the company is something the previous generations of Gonnella workers would likely be pleased with.

“I think Alessandro would be proud that his company’s commitment to quality, strong business ethic, and dedication to authentic, high-quality products laid a solid foundation from which the company has grown,” Marcucci surmises. “He would be honored to see the progress and innovations brought forth by hard-working employees and five generations of family.” SF&WB