Many Floridians believe that Publix’s bakery is an important (and delicious) part of what makes the grocer so successful in Florida. However, some are not aware that the Publix bakery wasn’t always in-house. Not only does the Publix bakery have an interesting history, but it has just won a national award for its baked goods.
The History of The Publix Bakery: It would be easy to assume that Publix has always made its baked goods on-site. After all, its bakeries take up a good amount of space in the store itself and you can sometimes buy breads that have recently come out of the oven so that they are still hot and fresh.
However, in the 1950s, Publix had very limited baking capabilities on-site. In fact, most of its baked goods came from Lakeland’s Lundy’s Bakery, which Publix would eventually buy. By 1957 Publix would launch its Danish bakery stores, also in Lakeland. However, by the 1970s, the bakeries began to transition inside the Publix stores.
Today, the in-house Publix bakeries make a dozen different kinds of breads and desserts like cakes, cookies, and tarts. And one of its desserts – its pies – just won some awards at a national competition.
The 2024 American Pie Council Pie Championships: This event in Orlando was a good one for Publix. The company took home 8 Blue Ribbons. For its six-inch pies, Publix won ribbons in the flavors of apple, cherry, Key lime, mango Key lime, and no-sugar-added apple.
In the nine-inch pie category, Publix took home Blue ribbons for the flavors of cherry, Key lime, and mango Key lime (which Publix notes is hand-decorated daily.)
The competition had categories for amateur, professional, and commercial bakers. Publix was entered in the commercial category for both six and nine-inch pies. The company notes on its website that all award winners are “baked fresh daily” with quality ingredients.