Since 1904, Amoroso’s Baking Co. has served fresh bread and rolls to customers throughout Philadelphia.

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With its hearth-baked bread and rolls, Amoroso’s Baking Co. has established itself as a local institution in Philadelphia, Sales and Marketing Associate Jesse Amoroso says. “People associate the Amoroso name with Philadelphia,” he says, noting that the company is as widely known as the city’s sports teams. “People have been eating our bread and rolls for generations.”

Amoroso’s great-, great-grandfather, Vincenzo Amoroso, founded the company in Philadelphia in 1904. With his two sons, Salvatore and Joseph, Amoroso produced loaves of Italian bread using his family’s recipe. Currently, the company occupies a location at 845 S. 55 St. in Philadelphia that has undergone four expansions. “We probably produce over 3 million rolls individually in a week,” Jesse Amoroso says.

In addition, “We make the rolls that make Philly sandwiches world famous,” he says, referring to the Philadelphia Cheesesteak, adding that today the company serves approximately 3,500 accounts in Pennsylvania, New Jersey Delaware and Maryland.

“That ranges from supermarkets and convenience stores to hoagie [and] cheesesteak shops and restaurants,” he says. The company’s products are available in 38 additional states, as well as Canada, Guam, Bermuda and Puerto Rico.

Director of Frozen Sales Bob Rector adds that the company also has its frozen products line produced in a state-of-the-art bakery in Vineland, N.J., which is  complete with an inline blast freezer so that the fresh baked goodness of Amoroso rolls are locked in immediately after baking. The company offers fully baked and par-baked products in its frozen line. “We can handle anyone’s needs that wants to come our way,” Rector says.

Part of the Family
While Rector joined the company seven years ago, he is a longtime friend of Amoroso’s father, co-owner and President Leonard Amoroso Jr. “I love what I do,” Rector declares. “I tell [Leonard] each holiday, ‘Thanks for letting me work here.’”

Jesse Amoroso joined the company last year, but he grew up in his family’s business. “I would work with my dad, following him around [doing] different odd jobs,” he says.
The family ownership has enabled the company to continue its philosophy of consistency in its products, Rector says. “There’s a lot of integrity with a family owned bakery,” he says. “It’s not a corporation, where you get lost.”

Amoroso’s Baking Co. enjoys longevity in its workers, including some that have been with the company more than 50 years.

Growing Amoroso’s
Although Amoroso’s Baking Co. has continued producing its original product lines, it always looks at adding new items, Amoroso says. “[We] want to meet the needs of every possible customer,” he says, noting that the company introduced special items when the Atkins Diet was popular.

“Most recently, we’ve developed whole wheat [and] whole grain products,” he says. Also, the company will be ready to launch a new Hispanic product in the next few months, which will be available both fresh and frozen.   

Rector and Amoroso predict continued growth for the company. “[We] have not put that Philly cheesesteak on every table yet, so I see [more] growth,” Rector says. “I just think we should take a piece of Philadelphia all over.”