Pittsfield Rye and Specialty Breads' new business model may seem like a complete 180. But, that implies a lack of planning and potential loss of key elements that made the bakery successful in the first place, which is not the case for Pittsfield co-owners Rick and Renee Robbins. When the husband and wife team purchased the bakery six years ago, the couple knew the business needed to change — and change big. The Robbins researched new market potential, invested heavily in new equipment and infrastructure and overhauled the bakery's production process with new focus on frozen and par-baked specialty breads. All the planning not only set up the bakery for future growth, but the company also has maintained the history and product integrity with which it was founded.

: Rick and Renee Robbins, third generation owners of Pittsfield Rye and Specialty Breads Co., recently moved into a new facility that will accommodate the significant growth of their bakery’s wholesale products.

In 1929, Charlie and Tillie Robbins opened a full-line retail bakery in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. Particularly popular was the rye bread made from a recipe Charlie had brought from Brooklyn. In fact, the bread earned such a widespread following, the Robbins named their bakery after it.

When third generation baker Rick and his wife bought Pittsfield Rye from his parents, Arnie and Linda, the couple almost immediately eliminated all of the pastry items to focus on fewer and unique types of breads and rolls, and renamed the bakery Pittsfield Rye and Specialty Breads Co. to emphasize its core product line.

Pittsfield Rye generates more than $2 million annually, but with the new production facility recently in full operation, the Robbins expect annual sales to more than double by the end of this year. The company also maintains a small retail storefront, which accounts for about 10 percent of sales. Product mix for the bakery is about 60 percent frozen dough and 40 percent par-baked and fully-baked artisan breads.

Expanding market reach

Making the move from retail to wholesale first required researching the market area. The company saw potential in supplying breads to supermarkets, restaurants, delis and other wholesale accounts, but Berkshire County has a limited number of these types of operations. Becoming a frozen dough and par-baked bread manufacturer allowed the company to expand its reach.

Its sales area has expanded further into Massachusetts and Connecticut. And, by partnering with a bakery distributor, the bakery's market recently has grown to include New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.

“It wasn't like one day we said we were going to get into frozen products, and the next day we were fully ready to go,” Robbins says. “We spent a lot of time training, product developing and researching the frozen dough process — how to implement it, what types of products could or couldn't be used and where the market place was.”

To ramp up for expansion, the Robbins moved their operation from its original 8,000-sq.-ft. Pittsfield facility to a 10,000-sq.-ft. building on 14 acres, less than three miles away, and invested about $2.5 million in the new property and equipment.