United States Bakery, better known as Franz Family Bakeries, is located in Portland, Oregon. Franz Bakery was founded in 1906. U.S. Bakery also owns the Northwest regional bread brands Williams', Gai's, and Snyder's.
History
A delivery wagon painted to look like the wagons at Williams BakeryA Franz Bakery truck in Seattle
In collaboration with E. E. Franz of Franz Bakery, W.P. Yaw of Yaw's Top Notch Restaurant invented the 5-inch (130 mm) diameter hamburger bun in the late 1920s.[1] Though others are credited with creating a bread product to use for the first hamburgers known to the world, Franz is credited for inventing the hamburger bun in its current worldwide accepted form.[citation needed]
Acquisitions
United States Bakery has a long history of growth through acquisition. [2]
Date
Company
1906
Ann Arbor Bakery, Portland Oregon
1907
United States Bakery (namesake), Portland Oregon
1976
Buttercup Bakery, Gresham Oregon
1977
Pioneer Bakery, Bend Oregon
1979
Snyder's Bakery, Yakima Washington
1980
Langendorf Bakery, Portland Oregon
1981
Smith Bakery, Salem Oregon
1985
Boge Bakery, Spokane Washington
1991
William's Bakery, Eugene Oregon
1994
Smith Cookie Company, McMinnville Oregon
1997
Gai's Bakery, Seattle Washington
2010
Harvest Classic Bakery, Nampa Idaho
In 2006, the Williams' factory, which had operated on the same site near the University of Oregon (UO) since 1908, was closed and the site sold to the UO, which as of 2007 planned to use it as the location of a new basketball arena.[3][4] Williams' relocated to a new plant in the Glenwood area of neighboring Springfield.[4] It was the first new bakery the firm had built from the ground up since 1906.[5]
It was announced January 28, 2013, that United States Bakery will pay $28.85 million dollars for Hostess' Sweetheart, Eddy's, Standish Farms, and Grandma Emilie's brands.[6]
Guinness World Record
A hot dog and bun 104 ft (32 m) long in front of Franz Bakery at NE 12th and Flanders in Portland
In July 2006, Franz successfully baked a hot dog bun 104 feet 9.5 inches (31.941 m) long in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the World's longest hot dog. The previous record was just over 57 feet (17 m) and set in 2005.[7]