Monks' Bread is changing how it reaches its customers

BY DIANA CARTER

Trappist monks at the Abbey of the Genesee in Piffard, Livingston County, recently switched the distributor that delivers the bread they bake, as well as other specialties, to stores.

That switch means that as of last week, Wegmans stores in Western and Central New York are currently the exclusive retail outlet for Monks' Bread beyond the abbey’s own online and bricks-and-mortar store.

“We will continue to bake the distinctive premium sliced breads for which we are known, from scratch, by monks. We are pleased to maintain our long-standing relationship with Wegmans, are deeply appreciative of their support and thank our loyal customers,” said Rev. Gerard D’Souza, Abbot of The Abbey of the Genesee.

The monks have also redesigned their online store, which is running a half-off sale in September, and in March opened a renovated and expanded store at the monastery.

The switch to Rochester-based Lanovara Specialty Foods from an international baked good distributor is part of the abbey’s efforts to deal with a changing market, said Father Isaac Slater, who is vice president of the abbey and developed several of its specialty baked products.

“We’re really interested in developing our relationships with the customer and selling our product more directly,” Slater said.

Monks Bread produces eight types of bread year-round, special holiday bread, and a line of other baked goods including biscotti, cheese crisps, and fruit-and-nut bars. The bread factory attached to the monastery is a result of the vow Trappist monks take to sustain their way of life through manual labor. The vows are the same reason some other Trappist orders make fruitcakes, jam, cheese or fudge.

Slater said the international bread distributor that was handling Monks' Bread in the past wasn’t interested in dealing with small, independent stores that want to carry to the locally made bread, he said.

At the same time, some larger stores were changing how much of the Monks' Bread line they were carrying.

“Several varieties were discontinued in the grocery aisle and that’s caused some frustration, that they can’t find the maple bread or the rye bread,” Slater said. He noted that the online store and the monastery store provide a way for customers to get whatever specific Monks' Bread products they’d like.

Many years ago Monks' Bread had a franchise in Florida and the enterprise still has a loyal following there serviced by its online store. Monks' Bread has been made since 1953, when loaves were first distributed in the parking lots of local Catholic churches.

The change in distribution means that Tops will no longer be selling Monks' Bread, though Slater said sales in those stores had been declining.

“Wegmans has historically been our biggest customer,” Slater said. Wegmans reports that it sells three varieties of Monks' Bread in 46 stores in the Rochester, Buffalo and Syracuse areas. Though Wegmans is currently the exclusive seller of Monks' Bread, Slater said there’s no prohibition on selling Monks' Bread through other outlets.  

“Exactly which smaller independent grocers will continue to stock the product is still in the works,” Slater said. “People can speak with (store) managers and we’ll try to work it out.”

Slater said the bread aisle of commercially produced products isn’t the best match for Monks' Bread’s premium loaf. The person who puts two loaves of bread into their cart at the grocery store is a different customer than the one who orders Monks' Bread online, he said.

“We’re not pulling out of the grocery aisle altogether…. Our goal being to keep that more direct contact with our customer so we can meet their need better.”

Sales of sliced bread are down as a category, he noted. And the way shoppers get their groceries is undergoing a massive change with online ordering, home delivery and curbside pickup becoming more commonplace.   

 “For a small local food manufacturer, there are a lot of changes going on in the market place,” Slater said. “We’re trying to find creative ways to adapt.”

The abbey is also trying to adapt its product line to an aging population of monks. While it has hired several employees to help make the bread and run the abbey’s store, it developed the specialty line at least in part to be able to continue to provide work for its contemplative monks.

“At a certain point, a number of monks weren’t able to work in the bread bakery,” Slater said, because they need to sit or rely on walkers while working. “The specialty baker is lower impact and much quieter.”

Slater mentioned one monk, Brother Alberic, who at 95 is still an active part of the product line.  “He’s in there every day, packing biscotti.”

dcarter@bridgetowermedia.com/ (585) 363-7275