There are some things you knead to dough (sorry, seasonal allergies are the worst) about Franz Bakery, a fifth-generation, family-owned bakery and the largest in the Pacific Northwest.
- The Portland company was started in 1906 by Austrian immigrants Engelbert, Joseph, and Ignaz Franz. Engelbert was just 15 when he left his homeland in 1896.
- Early deliveries were made by horse-drawn carriage; today, yellow Franz trucks and vans are a common sight on the streets.
- Late in the 1920s, Franzy Bakery partnered with Yaw's Top Notch Restaurant to create the 5-inch hamburger bun, now the standard size used around the world.
- In 1994, Franz Bakery purchased McMinnville-based Smith Cookie Company; it remains one of many regional brands under the Franz Family Bakery umbrella.
- Franz Bakery’s giant spinning loaf was installed for its 50th anniversary, and the bakery made a 104-foot-long hot dog bun for its centennial in 2006 — a Guinness World Record.
- To celebrate its 120th birthday, the company held a block party and released a children’s book called “One Little Bun” that tells the production line story from flour to the grocery store.
That’s just the crust of the company’s fascinating local operations. To learn more, join a tour offered at the Franz Bakery Outlet at the corner of Northeast Flanders Street and 11th Avenue.
