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THE HISTORY OF
SCHMIDT BAKING COMPANY
"Shnell! Heinz...Kinder... das Schiff Kommt!" This announcement was echoed in unison all along the the piers of Baltimore's bustling port. It was a grand welcome for another ship laden with German immigrants. It was being made by other German immigrants who had already found their way to America's open door."
"One such German immigrant who experienced that never-to-be forgotten moment was a 17-year old girl named Elizabeth Mimms. As she disembarked down the gangplank, Elizabeth carried more than a few precious belongings. She brought a special knowledge and skill for the baking of bread."
"In 1874, Elizabeth married another German immigrant, Peter Schmidt, at the (German) Imanuel Reformed Church on Schroeder Street. It was a prosperous marriage, with six children as evidence."
"The year 1886 was a mile stone for the Schmidt family. The Statue of Liberty, a symbol for all immigrants, was erected in New York Harbor. And, it was also the year Elizabeth and Peter Schmidt went into the baking business. Elizabeth baked the bread in the kitchen of her Baltimore home, and Peter sold and delivered it."
"The rest is an American story of German immigrants who came to this country and launched a successful business which today is still owned and managed by their direct descendants. From that modest beginning in 1886, the Schmidt Baking Company has grown to become one of the largest independent bakeries in the nation. And during the past 111 years, Schmidt family members have been instrumental in its never-imagined success."
"Today the Schmidt Baking Company employs approximately 860 people with 11 distribution centers, making it the largest independent premium line wholesale baker in the mid-Atlantic region. From its two bakeries located in Baltimore, MD and Fullerton, MD , the Schmidt Baking Company produces 130 million bakery items annually."
Schmidt president Pete Smith sums it up this way. "Peter and Elizabeth Schmidt, my great-great grandparents came to this country from Germany in the mid-1800's. Like many other immigrants, they came to America looking for opportunity. Great-great-grandmother Schmidt was known for the skill, care and love she put into baking a loaf of bread. Those ingredients were as important as the flour, shortening fresh eggs and milk she put into her homemade bread. Although we've grown beyond her wildest dreams, one thing hasn't changed. We still care about the quality of our products. And each day we try to measure up to the standards of Elizabeth Schmidt. We'd like her to know that
Our customers still value a good loaf of Schmidt's bread."
