Our History

OUR PASSION SINCE DAY ONE: To hand-craft true artisan bread with care and patience, delivering
deliciousness in every bite and elevating everyday experiences.

In 1989, when chefs at the soon-to-open Campanile restaurant in Los Angeles couldn’t find bread that they considered good enough to serve to their patrons, they made it their mission to craft the perfect recipe. It would be a bread with a caramelized, golden crust, soft interior, and rustic appearance. It would use a living sourdough starter consisting of flour, water, and wild yeasts from the skin of organic Concord grapes.

The chefs eventually succeeded in creating the bread they wanted. In fact, the bread was so good, they opened the bakery five months before the restaurant. La Brea Bakery, which was conveniently situated next door to Campanile on La Brea Avenue, opened its doors to the people of Los Angeles in 1989 with one goal: to offer high-quality, homemade artisan bread.

It didn’t take long for Los Angeles’ residents and tourists alike to find out about the bread being offered at La Brea Bakery. Lines formed early in the morning, with the breads historically selling out by 11 a.m. each day.

In the years since the doors first opened in 1989, La Brea Bakery has reached numerous milestones on its path to where it is today. We still believe that great bread can elevate any meal and every experience. It’s why, from the very beginning, we have maintained our passion and craftsmanship. It’s who we are as people, as bakers, and as family.

“La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles is where the La Brea Bakery magic started. Our humble beginnings are an integral
part of the brand history, and we will forever be grateful to the local community for their support over the years.”
- Tyson Yu, CEO of Aspire Bakeries

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  1989:La Brea Bakery opens its doors on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles. The six original artisan bread offerings included: Sourdough Baguette, Country White Sourdough Loaf, Whole Wheat Boule, Normandy Rye, Olive Loaf, and Rosemary Olive Oil Round Loaf.

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  1991:La Brea Bakery wins “Best French Bread” in Los Angeles in a blind taste test hosted by The Food Paper.

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  1992:We open a larger bakery in Los Angeles to serve the growing demand for La Brea Bakery breads and pastries across Southern California.

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  1995:A new par-baking process enables us to distribute La Brea Bakery breads across the country for grocery store bakeries and restaurants to “finish” baking the breads onsite, providing a fresh-baked experience.

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  1997:In a taste test conducted by the San Francisco Chronicle, La Brea Bakery’s par-baked Sourdough Baguette wins the Taster’s Choice competition.

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  1998:La Brea Bakery opens a baking facility in Van Nuys, California to support the decision to take the breads nationwide.

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  2001:The Washington Post awards La Brea Bakery Sourdough Baguette with first place in its artisan bread round-up.

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  2001:La Brea Bakery opens a baking facility in Swedesboro, New Jersey, its first location on the east coast, to support nationwide growth.

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  2004:The Los Angeles Times declares La Brea Bakery its breadwinner in the “Best of Everything” issue.

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  2005:La Brea Bakery’s Van Nuys, California, and Swedesboro, New Jersey bakeries receive the highest possible ratings from the American Institute of Baking (AIB International, Inc.) and NSF-Cook & Thurber.

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  2007:La Brea Bakery is chosen “Baker of the Year” by Sosland Publications’ Baking & Snack and Baking Management.

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  2009:La Brea Bakery introduces a line of Take & Bake breads, enabling consumers to easily make fresh-baked artisan bread at home anytime.

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  2016:La Brea Bakery becomes Non-GMO Project verified on nearly all its breads.

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  2016:La Brea Bakery is named Bakery of the Year by Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery.

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  2019:La Brea Bakery celebrates its 30-year anniversary with a refreshed logo and new packaging.

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  2020:La Brea Bakery is recognized as “Best Bread in Los Angeles” by Los Angeles Magazine Best of L.A. Readers’ Poll.

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  2022:La Brea Bakery 36 Hour Seeded Sourdough wins Gold at the World Bread Awards.

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  2023:La Brea Bakery’s new plant-based brioche bun for restaurants is first to market.

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  2023:La Brea Bakery releases a new cookbook: From Starter to Finish: Sourdough Breadmaking and Culinary Inspirations.

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  2023:La Brea Bakery Country White Sourdough Loaf is ranked #1 Sourdough Bread from the Grocery Store by Sporked.

Today, more than 35 years after our founding, La Brea Bakery offers more than 80 varieties of award-winning artisan breads with our Original
Sourdough Starter as the foundation. While La Brea Bakery makes many different artisan breads, every day we make another very important thing:

A Commitment:

To you
To never settle
To remain curious
To create the best, with the best people
To responsible ingredients
To an old-world process that doesn’t rush the rise or cut corners

It’s the only way we know how to authentically transform ingredients, patience, and passion into something that’s truly memorable and delicious.