Schwebel’s − the Youngstown-based baking company best known for its grocery store sandwich bread − is liquidating operations after 120 years in business, according to a press release.
Slices of the company’s giant loaves of soft, white bread were the base of millions of PBJs, bologna and grilled cheese sandwiches.
Many Northeast Ohioans grew up with the company’s earworm jingle that begins with children singing the words: “We want Schwebel’s. We want Schwebel’s. No other labels will do.”
Schwebel Baking Company announced its liquidation this week in a press release, saying it is winding down its bakeries in Youngstown and Hebron and stores and distribution centers in Ohio and two other states.
The release says the company faced significant operational and financial constraints for years, including aging manufacturing facilities and equipment, labor costs and pension obligations, and consumer trends.
Steve Cooper, a professional baker and chief executive officer of Schwebel, said in the release that company officials they couldn’t find a buyer who wanted to keep the bakery going.
Schwebel’s − known in the Mahoning Valley by the slogan “Youngstown Born, Youngstown Bread”− will continue operating through July 4, but is already being mourned.
Congressman Michael Rulli, serving Ohio’s 6th District, called the loss “horrific,” according to Fox News 8 in Cleveland.
“I grew up on Schwebel’s bread. It’s always been my number one favorite, go-to bread and butter for my family. It’s devastating because we’ve been buying Schwebel’s bread since my grandfather started [Rulli Brothers] in ’19,” said Rulli, whose family runs a grocery.
Rulli said he’s had many friends work there.
“It was part of my childhood. It’s very, it’s unbelievable. I wish they would stay,” he said.
It’s not clear how many employees will be impacted by the closure.
Schwebel Baking Co. had operated a bread-making plant in Cuyahoga Falls, near state Route 8, until 2013, where much of its operations were moved to Solon. The Solon location closed in 2019, according to the Beacon Journal’s news partner News 5 Cleveland.
Schwebel purchased the property from Lawson Milk in 1981. Schwebel operates an outlet store, at 406 Reed Ave., near where the plant was.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: We (don’t) want Schwebel’s: Ohio bakery closing after 120 years
Reporting by Amanda Garrett, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Amanda Garrett, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
