Semifreddi's Bakery
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 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Bread |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Headquarters | Alameda, CA |
Area served | San Francisco Bay Area |
Key people | Tom Frainier, President and CEO; Mike Rose; John Tredgold |
| Revenue | ~15 million |
| Owner | Tom Frainier (aka Chief Boot Licker), Barbara Rose, and Michael Rose |
Number of employees | ~125 |
| Website | www |
Semifreddi's Bakery is an Alameda-based artisan bakery that serves the entire San Francisco Bay Area.[1][2][3] The name Semifreddi means "half-frozen" in Italian.
In 1984, Eric and Carole Sartenaer, ex-Cheese Board Collective members, opened shop in a 450-square-foot "hole in the wall" bakery in Kensington, California.[4] In January 1987, Barbara Frainier (one of their first employees) took over the business with her husband Michael Rose. In 1988, Tom Frainier (Barbara’s brother) joined the Semifreddi's team. In order to save money, Tom, Barbara, and Michael, lived together in a small flat in Berkeley, California.[5] Tom, who holds an MBA from Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, left an upper management position at Clorox to join his sister and brother in law, both UC Berkeley alumni, in the bread and pastry-making business.[6][7] When asked about his exit strategy, Frainier replies, "death".[5] After Frainier took the helm as President, CEO, and self-proclaimed, "Chief Boot Licker", Semifreddi's rapidly expanded throughout the San Francisco Bay, while maintaining its emphasis on baking high-quality, European-style artisan bread and pastries.[7]
