Crusty. Still warm.
It’s Pittsburgh’s most famous Italian Bread– from Mancini’s Bakery in
McKees Rocks. Mary Mancini has run the family business for 4 decades, first
with her father and now with her son. “So
it’s actually baked on a stone…see corn meal to keep from sticking to the
bottom of the oven” Mary explains.
Many things have changed in the bakery industry since Mary
came to help her father in the late 70’s. “When I came to the bakery things
were changing quite a bit…computers, things were handled differently, much
more government regulation.”
Under Mary, deliveries expanded from a 15 mile radius to 40.
The company went from selling to Ma and Pa markets, to supermarkets,
restaurants and even opened Mancini Bread retail outlets.
But there were bumps in the road…like when the price of
flour rose faster than bread dough. “There was bad weather in Ukraine, lots of flour
exported, and a bad crop here. Flour prices just exploded. It was a very hard time for us and at the same
time energy prices quadrupled”, Mary recalled. To survive, Mancini’s was able
to invest in more energy efficient ovens while other bakeries were
closing. “I think something you have to
learn is you can’t spend everything you make. You have to save for a rainy day.”
Mary also remembers the hard times of the no-carb craze. “I
used to do demos in supermarkets and people would say how can you sell this? Its poison. It was a real hard time.”
But with superb quality, excellent taste and good
management, Mancini’s Bakery has passed the test of time. NFIB is proud to have
had Mancini’s Bakery as a member for 20 years!
