The Company Believed To Be Behind Aldi's Bread May Also Bake For Sara Lee, Oroweat, And More

Aldi's in-house baked good brands, like L'Oven Fresh, have many dedicated fans who love the brand for its high quality, minimal ingredients, and low price. We've even done a roundup on which Aldi breads you should buy. However, it's rumored that Aldi doesn't make its in-house baked goods. While confirmation can be tough to obtain, sources indicate that L'Oven Fresh — under which Aldi sells staples like hamburger and hotdog buns, and sliced bread — is a private label brand made by Bimbo Bakery, a juggernaut responsible for many baked goods sold in stores across America.

While private label products are common at grocery stores, the information behind who produces those items is usually kept under lock and key. However, in 2015, Bimbo Bakeries issued a voluntary recall for many of its multigrain bread brands, including Aldi's L'Oven Fresh. The recall also revealed Bimbo as the manufacturer for brands like Sara Lee, Kroger, and Nature's Harvest. The possible presence of glass fragments caused by a broken light bulb at one of its bakeries was the reason for the recall. In addition to preventing consumers from ingesting contaminated bread, the recall gave customers insight about who made their favorite baked goods. 

Even though the information originally came out over 10 years ago, customers are still learning the truth behind Bimbo and Aldi. Back in January, Karen Butcher wrote on Facebook's Aldi Aisle of Shame community, "I now know why I love this sourdough bread so much ... I wondered who made this bread for Aldi so I did a little bit of research and found out that Bimbo Bakeries makes this sourdough."

Bimbo Bakeries is the American division of Grupo Bimbo, the world's largest baking company. It has operations in 39 countries and it's estimated that 83% of U.S. homes have a Bimbo Bakeries USA product. Bimbo began as Panificación Bimbo in 1945 in Mexico City, and by the '70s it grew to be the largest bakery in Latin America. Over time it expanded to Asia and Europe, and from 2010 to 2020 it went on a consolidation spree of other bakeries to become the world's largest baked goods company.

While there are internet breadcrumbs pointing to L'Oven Fresh being produced by Bimbo, Aldi has other in-house brands like Specially Selected, which features artisan breads like sourdough and brioche, as well as Bake Shop, which covers cookies, cakes, and brownies. There's a good chance those products are also made by Bimbo.

Whether you shop at Aldi or not, chances are you've eaten something made by Grupo Bimbo, as it's behind many of your favorite grocery brands. It also makes products for Entenmann's, Arnold's, Little Bites, Thomas', Sara Lee, and Ballpark, among others. And while they don't share which private label brands they make, Walmart gave them an award for "Excellence Supplier in Perishables," meaning they may also provide baked goods for Walmart's in-house brands, including Great Value. 

Chances are you've seen its logo before, as well as its mascot, Osito Bimbo, which is a plush white bear wearing a chef's hat. And of course, there's a very high chance you've eaten Grupo Bimbo's baked goods, whether you makes sandwiches with the L'Oven Fresh multigrain or have treated yourself to a box of Entenmann's chocolate-covered donuts.