Spiral Cooler at Calise Bakery

Family bakery does it ‘the Calise Way’

By Dan Malovany
04.12.2021

Calise Bakery operates like an old-fashioned “baker’s bakery” with a heavy emphasis on food safety, production and distribution. However, it’s the Lincoln, RI-based company’s culture that drives every aspect of the business from its day-to-day customer service to all-about-tomorrow, noted Michael R. Calise, attorney and fourth-generation president of the family bakery that’s been around for more than 100 years.

From the first day on the job, Mr. Calise said, employees are taught about “the Calise Way,” which was initially inspired by his uncle, Michael R. Calise, who’s chairman of the company, and his father, Robert L. Calise, who serves as vice-chairman.

Overall, its Lincoln facility operates two roll lines and a single bread line with 50,000 square feet dedicated to processing; 12,000 square feet for packaging; 8,000 for warehousing; and 15,000 for offices and support departments.

About 200 people work at the bakery with two shifts running five days a week and another shift working six days to meet customer demands.

Loaves travel on an IJ White spiral cooler for 50 minutes, but the bakery is adding another system to extend it to 1.5 hours.

Mr. Calise noted the bakery has always been committed to food safety and quality, achieving HACCP certification in 2012 and current BRC-AA certification that dates to 2013.

“In the next five years, we want to strengthen our presence in the Northeast and beyond,” Mr. Calise explained. “We want to be a strong force along the East Coast and bring our brand to more customers so they can experience the Calise Way outside of Rhode Island, where we are famous for it.”

For Mr. Calise, maintaining the family culture, its work ethic and its passion for baking remain critical to its future success.

Calise Bakery is forging ahead by making all the right moves and doing it their own way.

https://www.bakingbusiness.com/articles/53436-family-bakery-does-it-the-calise-way