Miller Baking Company

Miller Baking Company was founded in 1923 as Miller's Bakery,{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4T3klMRB7AkC&q=Miller+Baking|title=Biographical|last=Godcharles|first=Frederic Antes|date=1933|publisher=American Historical Society, Incorporated|language=en}} a storefront kosher bakery. Richard Miller purchased the firm in 1970 from an unrelated family with the same Miller surname. During his time, the firm grew into a supplier of fresh bakery products to local Milwaukee outlets. Through 2017, these bakery products included donuts, rye, challah, Ciabatta, sourdough, and many more. He built the company's headquarters in downtown Milwaukee in 1976.

The current owner, Brian Miller, took over management of the firm from his father in 1997 and introduced the Pretzilla brand of soft pretzel products.{{cite web |url= https://onmilwaukee.com/dining/articles/pretzilla2011.html | title= Pretzel logic: Miller Baking scores with its unusual rolls and buns | first= Damien |last=Jaques | date = February 21, 2011 | newspaper = On Milwaukee | access-date= June 18, 2018 |publisher= OnMilwaukee.com }}{{cite web|url=http://fox6now.com/2014/04/25/ready-to-devour-a-pretzel-roll-from-miller-baking-company/ |title=Ready to devour a pretzel roll from Miller Baking Company? |publisher=Fox 6 Now |date=April 25, 2014|first=Cary |last=Docter |location=Milwaukee}}

The Pretzilla brand was released initially in 2007 as a pretzel bun for hamburgers or sandwiches.Overfelt, Maggie. [https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/22/main-street-bull-95-year-old-business-bets-it-all-on-pretzel-bun.html “Whole Foods, Costco success story: 95-year-old business bets it all on the pretzel bun”], "CNBC.com" February 23, 2018 The brand has seen significant growth and in 2017 made up about 90 percent of the firm's revenues. Sales of Pretzilla products in 2017 were up 40 percent.

Brian Miller is the owner and CEO of Miller Baking Company.{{Cite web |url=https://www.pretzilla.com/about/about-brian/ |title="About Brian" |access-date=May 23, 2018 |archive-date=June 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618230215/https://www.pretzilla.com/about/about-brian/ |url-status=dead }} As of 2018, the firm employed 120 people, the vast majority living in the Milwaukee area.

In July 2012, Miller Baking was running out of space at its downtown facility. It purchased a second building in Milwaukee, primarily for freezing and shipping product.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/blog/2013/09/miller-baking-rising-fast-off-soft.html|title=Pretzilla vs. the nation: Miller Baking business rises fast off soft pretzel bun |first1=Jeff |last1=Engel |work=Milwaukee Business Journal|date=September 19, 2013|access-date=2018-06-25}}{{Cite news|url=http://archive.jsonline.com/business/miller-bakery-buys-building-as-pretzilla-sales-rise-rk6q6on-169254526.html/|title=Miller Bakery buys building as Pretzilla sales rise|date=September 10, 2012|first1=Tom|last1=Daykin |work=Journal Sentinel

|access-date=2018-06-25|language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Leary |first1=Patrick |title=Miller Baking adding second production site, 30 jobs |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2018/01/05/miller-baking-adding-second-production-site-30.html |access-date=11 July 2018 |work=Milwaukee Business Journal |agency=Milwaukee Business Journal |date=5 January 2018}}

In January 2018, Miller Baking announced it sold its fresh route bakery business, so all its manufacturing would focus solely on the firm's Pretzilla brand of products.Taschler, Joe. [https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2018/01/17/miller-baking-expanding-pretzilla-production/1041264001/ “Miller Baking expanding Pretzilla production”], "Journal Sentinel Online" January 17, 2018

In November 2020, Miller Baking announced it had been sold to Benestar Brands, a portfolio company of Highlander Partners, L.P. and producer of snack product brands Mac's, Cazo de Oro, Turkey Creek, PORQ, and Chicas Chips. [https://apnews.com/press-release/pr-newswire/business-corporate-news-north-america-wisconsin-snacks-manufacturing-472779b334437d13eb8a84130a75e72b],"AP News" November 3, 2020

Historically, the company produced more than 175 products.{{cite news|url=https://onmilwaukee.com/dining/articles/bacon-co-pop-ups.html|title=The Bacon Co. pop-ups are all about the pig |first=Lori |last=Fredrich |work=On Milwaukee |date=July 19, 2017 |quote=...piled atop a custom-made Hawaiian style roll from Miller Baking Company.}} Miller Baking introduced the Pretzilla soft pretzel bun in 2007 and was initially making about 35 pounds of the dough daily. It trademarked the name and the tagline – "Tastes so big, other buns may go extinct" – in 2010. As of 2018, the company now produces more than 12,000 pounds of Pretzilla dough per day.

This line of products consists of pretzel bun-style rolls including hamburger buns, mini-buns for sandwiches such as sliders, sausage buns, and Pretzilla bites, a separate line of snacks made from the company's proprietary pretzel bun recipe.{{Cite news|url=https://www.delimarketnews.com/bread-bakery/pretzilla-owner-brian-miller-discusses-product-offerings/melissa-de-leon/tue-08012017-1247/4857|title=Pretzilla Owner Brian Miller Discusses Product Offerings|date=2017-08-01|work=Deli Market News|access-date=2018-06-25|language=en}} Most Pretzilla products are kosher, vegan, allergen-friendly, and clean label. The Bites with Cheese Dip are not kosher. In addition, all Miller Baking production facilities are nut-free.{{cite web|url=https://www.pretzilla.com/about/attribute-information/ |title=Attributes|publisher=Miller Baking Company}}

This line of products has been featured in several news and media outlets, including inclusion in a January 2018 episode of the popular cooking show Top Chef,[https://www.facebook.com/Pretzilla/photos/a.675011342546466.1073741825.166380303409575/1562845470429711/?type=3 “ICYMI: As seen on last night’s episode of Top Chef! Cheftestant Chris Scott’s Sausage Slider on a Pretzilla Bun!”], Facebook January 12, 2018 as well as being showcased in The New York Times within a feature on the restaurant Tetsu.Fabricant, Florence. [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/14/dining/tetsu-nyc-restaurant-news.html “Tetsu, Japanese Comfort Food from Masa Chef, Opens”] "The New York Times, Off the Menu" November 17, 2017

In January 2018, Miller Baking Company made the announcement that it will discontinue all non-Pretzilla products and focus solely on the Pretzilla brand.[http://www.jewishchronicle.org/2018/02/12/miller-baking-to-focus-on-pretzel-bread/ “Miller Baking to focus on pretzel bread”] "The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle" February 12, 2018

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• [https://www.pretzilla.com/ Pretzilla]

Category:Companies based in Milwaukee

Category:Bakeries of Wisconsin

Category:Kosher bakeries