Immigrant's Baking Job Leads to Family Fortune
By Kirk Bangstad
kirk.bangstad@chefschoolreview.com
Chef School Review Columnist
The Holsum Bakery in Arizona currently turns out 400 varieties of bread, buns and rolls each week throughout Arizona and surrounding states. Its current owner is the grandson of Edward Eisele, the German immigrant who founded the company in 1884.
First Baking Jobs on Wagon Trains and Steam Ships
The Arizona Republic recently published an article about the Holsum Bakery in Phoenix. Edward landed in Phoenix in 1881 after spending several years holding baking jobs on wagon trains and steam ships. He immediately sought a baking job in Phoenix, and landed one at a bakery owned by a fellow German. Three years later, Edward used the earnings from his baking job to by the bakery from its owner.
Bakery in Eisele Family for Three Generations
With the same dogged industriousness that led many immigrant frontiersmen to business success, Edward grew the Phoenix Bakery into a profitable venture. His son Lloyd took over the business after Eisele’s death in 1928, and bought the rights to a national bread brand named Holsum. Lloyd’s son, another Edward, is now the president of the company. Eisele landed his first baking job in the family business in the seventh grade, and was delivering bread as soon as he was old enough to drive.
Living the American Dream
The history of Holsum Bakery is a story of a family living the American dream. A hardworking immigrant with nothing but ambition turned a baking job into a family business. His son and grandson grew that family business into one of the largest wholesale bakeries in the country, and managed to reap some profits along the way.
Sources
Arizona Republic
Holsum Bakery, Inc
About the Author
Kirk Bangstad is a singer living in Chicago, IL. Having received his B.A. in Government at Harvard, Kirk previously worked as a management consultant.
Posted on June 21, 2006 at 2:18 PM
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