LAWRENCE, Mass. — Joseph’s Bakery, the leading selling brand of pita and lavash flatbreads in the U.S., is celebrating its 50th year of business with a nationwide expansion highlighted by new partnerships with Kroger, including more than 1,200 locations, and new item additions in 3,000 Walmart stores and multiple Albertsons Safeway divisions. The Original Pita, a white traditional pita bread and Joseph’s initial product offering that was first delivered fresh to Demoulas Market Basket stores in New England, has expanded in recent years to include all Ahold Delhaize USA banners, eight Albertson Safeway divisions, Meijer, Publix, Southeastern Grocers, and WinCo stores. Joseph’s top-selling Flax, Oat Bran and Whole Wheat line of pita, wraps and lavash are available for purchase throughout the U.S.
Joseph’s is selling the Original Pita that started it all in 1972 at over 15,000 stores globally. “For the past 50 years, Joseph’s has been relying on our centuries-old family recipes to craft the freshest, healthiest products for our customers, and the demand continues to grow,” said Joseph Boghos, Chief Baker, and third generation owner. “To see our traditional pita bread, the first product my grandfather Joseph made from my grandmother’s recipe, continuing to build momentum globally is a testament to our quality and timeless recipes. We could not have achieved this success without our family, dedicated employees, and our loyal customer base.”
“With our family recipes, updated modern ingredients, and technical innovation, we’ve been making authentic Middle Eastern breads for half a century. We bake in our Massachusetts headquarters and deliver around New England and the country 7 days a week, so you know your favorite Joseph’s products will be fresh, soft, and tasty, straight out of the package-and they’ll stay that way throughout their shelf life,” says Stephen Boghos, third generation owner, and Vice President of Business Development
Syria to America
In 1952, Joseph Boghos immigrated with his family from Damascus, Syria, to the greater Boston area. Missing the flavors of home, he recreated some of his favorite dishes in his kitchen. One of these was an authentic pita bread made from a recipe handed down through his family. In 1972, his neighbors, fascinated with the portable sandwich pocket, started asking for pita of their own. To meet the demand, he founded Joseph’s Bakery in 1972. It wasn’t long before grocery stores around New England could barely keep the bread on their shelves. After three years in a small attic apartment in Lowell, MA, the operation moved to Riverside Drive in Methuen, MA, until 1984. Joseph’s products expanded to include lavash, tortillas, wraps, pancakes, pizza dough and flatbread in a variety of grain styles from Whole Wheat to Flax, Oat Bran and Whole Wheat.
To commemorate the milestone, Joseph’s is committing to donating 50,000 packages of flatbread, pita and wraps over the next year to Lazarus House Ministries in Lawrence, MA, which provides food, shelter, clothing and advocacy services to families and individuals throughout the Merrimack Valley. The donations will support the organization’s food pantry program, which helps provide up to 1,500 families with nourishing food each week. Joseph’s has donated more than 100,000 packages of food to the organization since August 2020.
