Manitowoc bakery closer to reopening after July fire, plus more local business news in your latest Streetwise roundup.
MANITOWOC - While you are enjoying the unusually pleasant November weather, here are a few business tidbits for your reading pleasure.
Hartman’s Bakery hopes to open soon
We’ve all been waiting since summer for news on when we can buy our favorite frosted cookie or warm loaf of bread from Hartman’s Bakery and pastry shop after it closed after a kitchen fire in late July.
Co-owner Austin Rehrauer told Streetwise on Monday that reconstruction started over the weekend. There’s no timeline on when the store will reopen, but he hopes to have a date very soon.
“We are getting anxious to get back in there,” he said.
Meanwhile, the store posted an item on Facebook asking if local businesses have any temporary work for bakery employees so they can earn income while waiting for Hartman’s to reopen. Visit https://www.facebook.com/hartmansbakery/ for more.
Rehraur, who owns the bakery with his wife Luisa, bought the bakery, 901 N. 11th St., in summer 2019 and had it up and running for a few months before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
They expanded their business to Two Rivers in late 2020 and opened a third location with family in Plymouth in 2021.
The original bakery caught on fire July 27. The fire started in the kitchen vents, and the worst damage happened in the kitchen area. All baked items, thousands of dollars in ingredients and much of the equipment in the immediate area of the fire were thrown out.
Austin and Luisa were forced to close all three locations while the kitchen is renovated and the building cleaned. Baking for all three sites is done at that location.
“It hasn’t been easy,” Austin said. “We have been working hard every day to get the bakery reopened as soon as we can.”
The couple said they hope to have the bakery reopened in time for the busy holiday season.
Streetwise will keep you posted as soon as we hear of an opening date.
Manitowoc County cheesemaker wins prestigious award
Phil and Mary Lindemann of Pine River Pre-Pack cheese spread received a Lifetime Membership Award from the Eastern Wisconsin Cheesemakers and Buttermakers Association.
Each year, the organization honors a member who goes above and beyond in their dedication in the cheese and dairy industry.
The Lindemanns have done that with more than 40 years of hard work growing their business and promoting their award-winning cheese spreads across the U.S., the association said in a news release.
Pine River will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2023.
“My dad would be so proud of how the company has grown,” said CEO Phil Lendemann in the release. “Today, we are the most awarded cheese spread in the world. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
Endries International grows
Endries International recently acquired Alliance Nut and Bolt, LLC.
Alliance was founded in 1978 by Leon and Kevin Oshman and has facilities in Kansas and Oklahoma.
Fastener distributor Endries is based in Brillion and has 11 distribution centers around the U.S. and world. This is the third acquisition this year for the company, which acquired Old Dominion Fasteners in April and Store Room Fasteners in June. The company also announced that Steve Endries will step down as president later this year.
“Endries is excited to expand our footprint in the heartland of the United States and have the opportunity to meet the needs of the customers in the region,” Endries said in a news release.
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Got a tip, question or comment for Streetwise Manitowoc? Contact reporter Patti Zarling at pzarling@gannett.com or call 920-606-2586. Follow her on Twitter @PGPattiZarling.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Hartman's Bakery fire: Manitowoc bakery to reopen soon, owner says
