Thanks to West Chester-based QVC and online shoppers, 5 Generation Bakers’ popular Jenny Lee Swirl Bread is now known nationwide, writes Kristy Locklin for the Pittsburgh Magazine.
5 Generation Bakers, formerly Jenny Lee Bakery, began as one of the off-shoots of the original culinary enterprise built by Michael Baker in 1875. Today, the Pennsylvania bakery creates 8,000 of the crimped, cylindrical loaves it is known for each day.
The bakery ships to restaurants, supermarkets, and to homes in all 50 states. This nationwide success came with the help of QVC and the changing shopping habits during the pandemic, which made online ordering the norm.
“Our e-commerce sales were up 1,000 percent during the first six months of COVID,” said owner Scott Baker. “QVC food sales skyrocketed as well. By November of 2020, I went on-air for our first QVC sales. I was on a total of 11 times before the end of February 2021.”
While Baker has made the drive to West Chester several times for those appearances, mostly he films the 8-minute segments at his bakery via Skype.
“We are up over 300 percent from last year, and that’s just QVC sales,” he said. “Overall sales are up 20 percent.”
Read more about 5 Generation Bakers in the Pittsburgh Magazine.
