Cidrines is known for producing world-class, high-quality bread and pastries. Its signature product is its pan “sobao”, a subtly sweet, soft bread, shaped as a baguette. The famed “quesito”, a flaky, elongated sweet pastry stuffed with cream cheese or a combination of cream cheese and guava, is also one of their most popular products.
Cidrines was founded in 1978 by brothers Manuel and Guillermo Cidre in the town of Arecibo, in the Northwest coast of Puerto Rico. That same year, the Cidre brothers opened their first retail store specializing in bread, pastries and sandwiches.
Cidrines launched its first manufacturing operation in 1990 in Arecibo in order to support its own retail stores, as well as other retail and food service clients throughout the island. The USDA approved manufacturing plant in Puerto Rico produces 500,000 pounds of bread every week and a full line of pastries.
Cidrines initiated its stateside expansion in 2016 in Florida and since then has experienced dramatic growth. Up until now, it has been exporting between 40%-50% of its total production in Puerto Rico to fulfill the demand in the U.S. mainland markets like Florida, Texas and the Northeast.
The company will open its first production facility in the continental U.S. this summer in Lakeland, Florida. With an investment of $8.1 million, the 44,000-square-foot commercial bakery will boost product production to an estimated 400,000 to 700,000 pounds of bread per month, allowing the company to enter new markets and to expand its product line.
The new manufacturing plant will create approximately 25-35 new direct jobs. This will enable Cidrines to deliver fresh, quality products to millions of families throughout their retail customers that include Walmart, Winn Dixie, Kroger, Sedano’s Supermarkets and other retail establishments in the United States.
