10 Largest Bagel Brands In The United States

It might not seem like it when you’re chowing down on your morning bagel before work, but the bagel and bialy industry is one of the most profitable elements of the bread and breakfast food market in the United States.

From fresh-baked, hot bagels to refrigerated and frozen ones, Americans buy bagels from grocery stores across the United States at unprecedented rates. Today, the bagel market is estimated to be worth a staggering $1.7 billion, representing a growth of 7.8 percent for this year alone.

Most recently, the tradition of eating bagels has been on the rise amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, as more and more people are stocking up on bread and bagels, contributing to such extensive market growth and increased revenue streams.

Supermarkets and mass grocery retailers continue to lead the path in bagel brand distribution across the United States.

Researchers estimate that fresh bagels account for $833.04 million in sales every year, while refrigerated bagel sales generate approximately $129.49 million and frozen bagels generate $27.55 million in annual sales at supermarkets, drugstores, and dollar retail chains across the nation.

With little more than water, yeast, flour, and salt, bagel brands appeal to wide audiences and enjoy an even wider profit margin. With top brands now offering specialty and seasonal flavors and health-conscious and gluten-free options in addition to classic bagel varieties, the popularity of the once basic bagel only continues to rise.

Across the country, several major brands are driving the impressive growth of the bagel industry. To break it down, we’ve assembled a list of the ten largest bagel brands in the United States, ranked in descending order by their average annual reported sales.

1. Einstein Bros Bagels Jobs (Overview)

2. Sara Lee International Jobs (Overview)

3. Trader Joe’s Jobs (Overview)

Top 10 Largest Bagel Brands Across the United States

If you’re looking for that perfect bagel for your Sunday brunch or on-the-go weekday breakfast, look no further. Here are the top 10 largest and most popular bagel brands in the United States:

1. Thomas’. Horsham, Pennsylvania

   Annual Sales: $419.6 million
   Number of Employees: 20,000

   When it comes to store-bought bagel brands in the United States, Thomas’ is just about the best you can get. Founded in 1880 by English immigrant Samuel Bath Thomas, the multi-million dollar bagel brand has grown to become an American favorite throughout its more than 140-year history.

   From classic plain, whole wheat, everything, and sesame bagels to specialty mini, thin cut, and cinnamon swirl bagels and popular seasonal flavors, like pumpkin spice, cranberry, and nooks and crannies bagels, the popular North American bread company offers dozens of bagel varieties for every person and palette.

   In addition to bagels, the Pennsylvania-based breakfast company also makes, markets, and manufactures an extensive line of English muffins, breads and specialty swirl loaves, pita breads, wraps, croissants, and other breakfast snacks.

   As the largest bagel brand in the United States in terms of total annual sales, Thomas’ has become a household name across the country. The booming business, which was originally founded in New York, is currently owned by Bimbo Bakeries USA, one of the largest and most profitable baking companies in the country.

2. Einstein Bros Bagels. Lakewood, Colorado

   Annual Sales: $400 million
   Number of Employees: 540

   Founded in December 1995 by restaurant chain Boston Market, Einstein Bros Bagels has grown considerably in its 25-year history and now ranks as the second-largest bagel brand in the United States in terms of average annual sales.

   Headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado, the breakfast chain specializes in coffee and bagels and prides itself on serving customers with hot and fresh bagels every day of the year. With nearly 700 locations across the United States, Einstein Bros Bagels serves hundreds of millions of Americans every year.

   In addition to its extensive menu of breakfast products and meals, Einstein Bros Bagels is best known for its classic and specialty bagels.

   The chain sells several party bagels, including a chocolate birthday cake bagel and a churro bagel, gourmet jalapeno bacon, apple cinnamon, spinach Florentine, and cheesy hash brown bagels, chocolate chip, and cinnamon sugar bagels, as well as classic cranberry, plain, poppyseed, pumpernickel, garlic, and ancient grain bagels.

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3. Sara Lee International. Horsham, Pennsylvania

   Annual Sales: $75.4 million
   Number of Employees: 20,000

   With a classic flavorful chewy on the inside, crunchy on the outside bagel taste, it’s no wonder that Sara Lee bagels rank third on the list of the ten largest bagel brands in the United States.

   Sara Lee — owned by Bimbo Bakeries USA and operated under the name Hillshire Brands, although the Sara Lee name is still used on most bakery, bread, and deli products — markets and manufacturers a line of bagels, bread, English muffins, buns, and rolls.

   Founded in 1939, the million-dollar brand’s bagel products include blueberry, cinnamon raisin, everything, onion, plain bagels, blueberry, cinnamon raisin, and plain toaster-size bagels.

   In addition to cooking up delicious bagels and breakfast staples, the Sara Lee brand is also committed to preserving Earth’s natural environment and, as such, has implemented several sustainability measures and initiatives.

   The company is applauded for being an energy star partner, implementing waste diversion and renewable energy programs, using sustainable, easy to recycle packaging, and reducing their carbon footprint through a fleet of company-owned vehicles that utilize alternative fuels, like compressed natural gas, and electric.

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4. Nature’s Own. Thomasville, Georgia

   Annual Sales: $21.9 million
   Number of Employees: 9,200

   Ranking as the fourth largest bagel brand in America is none other than Nature’s Own.

   Owned by Flowers Food Bakeries LLC, which encompasses an estimated 8.74% of the United State’s bagel and bread market, Nature’s Own makes and distributes a line of soft sandwich breads, fresh baked buns and rolls, low-calorie bread items, flatbreads, and bagels.

   Nature’s Own bagels are most popular among American consumers for their ingredients and health benefits. The brand’s products contain no high fructose corn syrup or artificial preservatives, colors, and flavors, and are marketed as being a good source of calcium and vitamins A, D, and E, as well as a low fat and cholesterol-free breakfast option.

   Founded in 1977, Nature’s Own has become one of the fastest-selling bagel brands in the United States. Today, in addition to being one of the best-selling bagel brands in the country, Nature’s Own also holds the title for being the number one selling bread brand in the country.

5. Pepperidge Farm. Norwalk, Connecticut

   Annual Sales: $13.2 million
   Number of Employees: 19,000

   Although you might know Pepperidge Farm for their line of best-selling snacks and cookies, the brand is also a leader in the bagel and bread markets across the United States. Selling an estimated $13.2 million of bagels each year, the brand made famous by Goldfish crackers is actually the fifth-largest bagel brand in the country.

   Founded in 1937 by Margaret Rudkin, Pepperidge Farm has grown considerably in its 84-year history and is now one of the most well-known and profitable commercial bakeries in America.

   Pepperidge Farm — which was named after a 123-acre family farm in Fairfield, Connecticut — makes and manufactures a wide variety of cookies, crackers, breads, bagels, and desserts.

   Pepperidge Farm is currently owned by the Campbell Soup Company, the billion-dollar American food and snack company best known for its famous red and white cans of soup.

   Among the brand’s most popular products is a line of boiled, baked, and golden brown bagels. Pepperidge Farm’s best-selling bagels include their Mini Brown Sugar Cinnamon Bagels, Everything Bagels, and Mini 100% Whole Wheat Bagels.

6. Udi’s. Boulder, Colorado

   Annual Sales: $11.8 million
   Number of Employees: 4,700

   Udi’s Health Foods, better known simply as Udi’s, is a gluten-free product brand owned by Boulder Brands, a vegan and gluten-free packaged food company based in Boulder, Colorado.

   The bagel and bread brand was originally started as a chain of cafes in Colorado, founded in 1994 by Udi Baron. By 2008 the company began producing and packaging gluten-free products and has since grown to become the sixth-largest bagel brand in the United States, as well as the largest gluten-free bread and bagel brand in the country.

   In addition to whole grain, plain, cinnamon raisin, and everything bagels, Udi’s also makes and manufactures a wide variety of English muffins, breads, frozen meals, granola, muffins, and mug cakes.

7. Franz Family Bakeries. Portland, Oregon

   Annual Sales: $11 million
   Number of Employees: 3,000

   Franz Family Bakeries, also commonly referred to as the United States Bakery, has been boiling and baking bagels since 1906 and now ranks as the seventh-largest bagel brand in the United States in terms of average annual sales.

   Founded in 1906, Franz has been serving bagels and breads for well over 100 years. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, the bagel baking empire also owns the Williams’, Gai’s, and Snyder’s bread brands and is now considered to be one of the most successful bakeries in the United States.

   The family-owned company sells an extensive line of organic and gluten-free bread products, premium breads, classic sandwich breads, buns and rolls, bagels, English muffins, and dessert sweets.

   Some of the brand’s best-selling bagels include premium original bagels, onion bagels, blueberry bagels, Hawaiian bagels, jalapeno cheddar bagels, and mini original bagels.

8. Trader Joe’s. Monrovia, California

   Annual Sales: $7 million
   Number of Employees: 50,000

   Believe it or not, Trader Joe’s own brand of bagels has quickly grown in popularity and now ranks as the eighth-largest bagel brand in the United States.

   The private retail grocery store — which operates more than 520 locations across the United States and largely specializes in organic and specialty food products — is now celebrated for its extensive store-branded products, including their line of bagels, breads, and other breakfast foods.

   The California-based grocery store’s bagels are largely marketed under the Baker Josef’s label and include pretzel bagels, artisan bagels, plain bagels, and a variety of other specialty and seasonal bagel flavors.

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9. Lender’s Bagels. Horsham, Pennsylvania

   Annual Sales: $5 million
   Number of Employees: 20,000

   Although Lender’s Bagels once topped the charts as the best selling and most profitable bagel brand in the United States, the age-old bagel brand continues to sell about $5 million in bagels each and every year and now ranks as the eighth-largest bagel brand in the country.

   Owned by Bimbo Bakeries USA, one of the largest baking corporations in America, Lender’s Bagels is best known for pioneering the pre-packaged bagel industry.

   Founded by Harry Lender in 1927 in New Haven, Connecticut, the million-dollar bagel brand was one of the first North American companies to mass market, make, and manufacture bagels. In fact, the company became the world’s biggest bagel brand after introducing frozen bagels to American supermarkets in the late 1900s.

   Today, Lender’s continues to rank as one of the best-tasting bagels in the United States and is best known for their french toast, egg, and cinnamon raisin swirl refrigerated bagels, as well as their New York-style onion, blueberry, and plain frozen bagels.

10. Ray’s New York Bagels. Sharon, Massachusetts

    Annual Sales: $3.8 million
    Number of Employees: 850

    New York bagels are celebrated around the world for their tender, chewy texture and refined taste, so it’s no surprise that Ray’s New York Bagels is one of the top 10 largest bagel brands in the United States.

    The secret to delicious New York bagels is the water, so Ray’s bagels are boiled in New York water, which is celebrated among bagel bakers for its low concentrations of calcium and magnesium, and then shipped and sold at stores across the country.

    Since its inception in 1999, Ray’s New York Bagels has grown considerably. Ray’s bagels can now be found in more than 10,000 supermarkets and grocery stores in the United States and are quickly expanding across the globe.

    Ray’s best-selling products include plain, poppyseed, onion, asiago cheese, cinnamon raisin, everything, wheat, and multigrain authentic kettle boiled bagels.

Author

Elsie Boskamp

Elsie is an experienced writer, reporter, and content creator. As a leader in her field, Elsie is best known for her work as a Reporter for The Southampton Press, but she can also be credited with contributions to Long Island Pulse Magazine and Hamptons Online. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Stony Brook University and currently resides in Franklin, Tennessee.