Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Department of Neighborhood Development (DND) Director Sheila Dillon, and swissbäkers owners Helene and Thomas Stohr hosted the Grand Opening of the 14,000 square-foot swissbäkers, a European-style bakery and café located on Western Avenue in Allston. As the new flagship for the family-owned swissbäkers, the Allston bakery will produce wholesale Swiss baked goods, coffee, sandwiches, and other delicacies. The bakery and café were made possible in part by and investment by the City of Boston’s Office of Business Development (OBD), which helped create more than 50 new jobs in Boston.
“What a great addition to this neighborhood,” said Mayor Thomas Menino. “We thank the Stohrs family for investing in the future of this community, and congratulate everyone who worked so hard to make this Barry’s Corner store a reality.”
Swissbäkers is located in an expanded and renovated previously vacant 14,000 square-foot car dealership, acquired by Harvard University as part of their Allston Campus expansion. The redevelopment of this parcel into a commercial bakery and café took three years, and was a collaboration between the City of Boston and Harvard University.
The new bakery seats about 100 people and features a fireplace, a space for children, a private room for meetings, and a seasonal patio that seats 40 with an outdoor playground. In order to represent the Swiss nation, the owners installed an iconic red cow statue atop the building, along with murals of the Swiss Alps on the exterior walls. Swissbäkers is known for their commitment to serving fresh all-natural products, and strives to ensure that its actions are "grandchild-sustainable," meaning that all operations should have a positive or no impact on the environment for future generations. These operations include using local ingredients and adhering to a diligent recycling system. These green policies have enabled them to sell their products at various farmers markets and at Whole Foods Markets.
Thomas and Helene Stohr founded swissbäkers after spending over 20 years in the hospitality industry, managing hotel start-ups around the world. The family chose to settle in Boston after their two sons asked to move to the city for its friendly, familiar setting, which reminded them of their Swiss homeland.
Source: City of Boston