From South Korea to the United States

A humble Spanish bakery that is a success around the world

A worker at Obando Bakery prepares dough for his bread.

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Jimmy Obando, 44, remembers the time when the famous “chef”, José Andres, tried his famous product, the baked sticks that became famous throughout the country and were served in restaurants all over Andalusia.

Another thing that Obando realized was that his bakery had become the sole supplier of baked goods to Andres' chain of restaurants in the US, which includes Gallo's in Washington.

That was 10 years ago, and it marked the first foray of this small family business in Otera, in the province of Seville, into international markets.

Since then, Obando has made forays into the Asian market, and has established itself particularly in the South Korean market.

Founded in 1965 by Francisco Obando, who inherited a dilapidated establishment from his father-in-law, Obando operated modestly for several decades.

“In those days, they used to knead the dough with a donkey-driven machine,” said Jimmy Obando.

It was all handmade.

My father and another worker used to knead 50 kilograms of flour per day, which is enough to produce about 250 traditional loaves, all by hand.” Jamie, the youngest of his six siblings, took over the bakery with his brother Victor.

Jamie managed to turn this simple bakery in the village of Otera, 30 kilometers from Seville, into a worldwide attraction.

“My father was able to slowly but surely develop the company, turning it from an absolutely local bakery, into a company that distributes products to several towns in the region,” Obando said. Which now makes up 80% of production.

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