Upper Crust Bakery USA

Introduction / Overview: A Major Player in Commercial Baking

Located in Phoenix, Arizona, Upper Crust Bakery USA operates on a scale far beyond that of a neighborhood retail shop. It is primarily identified as a Wholesale bakery, specializing in large-scale food manufacturing and distribution. Established in 1980, this Phoenix-born operation has evolved into a national and international brand, recognized for its production of specialty baked goods designed for wholesale markets, food service industries, and retail distribution worldwide.

This business occupies a massive, state-of-the-art 175,000 square foot facility on West Washington Street, underscoring its significant role as a commercial food manufacturer in the region. The goal of Upper Crust Bakery USA is to produce a wide range of products—including breads, morning pastries, cakes, croissants, muffins, and their renowned Mini-Cinnamon Rolls and Mini-Lemon Bites—while adhering to the highest standards of food safety and production consistency. They proudly operate at a high level of operational excellence, including high safety certifications, which is a critical factor for wholesale clients like grocery chains and food service providers.

For residents of Arizona, the most common interaction with this bakery’s products is through pre-packaged items found on local grocery store shelves, such as Fry's. The public perception of this mass-market retail side, however, is complex. One consumer review concerning the pre-packaged lemon bites purchased at a Fry’s store described them as "HORRIBLE," criticizing the "essay of an ingredient list" and stating that the chemical flavor caused a "red alert alarm," concluding that the product was "processed garbage." This critical feedback highlights the common tension between large-scale manufacturing (necessary for a wholesale model) and the customer expectation of "real" or "homemade" baking often associated with smaller retail bakeries.

Similarly, the logistical side of their wholesale operation, which primarily deals with commercial truck drivers, has faced severe criticism. One driver reported significant operational delays for picking up a load, noting an appointment time of 1 pm, a dock assignment at 12:45 pm, but no actual loading until 3:15 pm, all while having to keep refrigerated trailer doors open. This operational friction has led to a strong recommendation against using the facility for pickups. These two distinct critiques—the quality of the end-product in retail settings and the efficiency of the wholesale shipping logistics—represent key areas of focus for a commercial enterprise of this size.

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Location and Accessibility in West Phoenix

Upper Crust Bakery USA is positioned in a strategic commercial area of West Phoenix, optimizing its function as a central production and distribution hub for the Southwestern United States.

• Physical Address: 3655 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ 85009, USA

The location on West Washington Street, near major freight corridors, is ideal for a Wholesale bakery that requires extensive logistics for shipping its products nationwide. Access to the facility is designed to accommodate the demands of a large-scale manufacturing and distribution environment, catering primarily to business partners and commercial vehicles rather than casual foot traffic.

The facility maintains high standards of commercial accessibility:

• Wheelchair Accessible Entrance: The main entrance ensures easy access for all visitors, including delivery personnel and authorized commercial clients.
• Wheelchair Accessible Parking Lot: Dedicated parking areas are provided for accessibility, adhering to modern commercial standards.

It is important for local users to understand that while the facility is physically accessible, its function is industrial. It is not designed or intended to serve as a retail cafe or small bakery stop for the general public, but rather as a hub for its commercial operations.

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Services Offered: Wholesale and Manufacturing Focus

The services offered by Upper Crust Bakery USA reflect its core business model as a wholesale and mass-production bakery, distinct from a standard retail establishment.

• Wholesale Manufacturing: Mass production of a wide array of baked goods including cakes, muffins, croissants, Danish, and specialty items like mini-cinnamon rolls and lemon bites.
• National and International Distribution: Supplying baked goods to a vast network of customers across Food Service, Wholesale Markets, and Retail Markets (i.e., grocery stores) globally.
• Commercial Logistics Operations: Managing the substantial logistics required for distributing fresh and frozen products from their Phoenix facility to commercial partners via freight and trucking routes.
• Advanced Food Safety & QA: Maintaining rigorous quality assurance and food safety standards, including certification under high-level programs like SQF Level 3.
• Payment Acceptance: Facilitating commercial transactions primarily, with acceptance of Debit cards noted.

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Features / Highlights: Scale, Safety, and Scope

The defining features of Upper Crust Bakery USA are its impressive industrial scale, its commitment to safety certification, and its extensive market reach, all of which are critical to its wholesale clients.

• Vast Production Facility: The bakery operates from a sprawling 175,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility in Phoenix, allowing for high-volume, automated, and consistent production necessary for national supply chains.
• High Food Safety Ratings: The operation is certified under rigorous food safety standards, including a perfect 100/100 score in its SQF Level 3 audit for multiple years, a significant assurance for wholesale partners regarding product integrity.
• Extensive Product Portfolio: The product line is diverse, encompassing a wide range of specialty and gourmet baked items, demonstrating a capacity to cater to varied market demands, from artisan danish to specialty cakes.
• Wholesale Logistical Challenges: It is a key highlight to note the reported difficulties in commercial freight operations. The detailed customer review from a trucker regarding the prolonged wait times and operational inefficiencies at the loading dock—with loading beginning hours after the scheduled appointment—indicates a significant pain point in the wholesale logistics chain that could affect the company’s B2B performance.
• Retail Product Quality Concerns: Despite being lauded for its "Artisan / Gourmet taste" and quality *by the company itself*, the severe negative retail review regarding the "horrible" chemical taste and long preservative-heavy ingredient list of a pre-packaged grocery product highlights a substantial discrepancy between the wholesale promise and the consumer's experience with the final, mass-market item.

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Contact Information

As a wholesale operation, contact is typically for business inquiries, distribution, and commercial logistics.

• Address: 3655 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ 85009, USA
• Phone: (602) 255-0464

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What is Worth Choosing

For Arizona businesses, rather than individual retail customers, Upper Crust Bakery USA is worth choosing primarily for its capacity as a major, high-volume manufacturing partner. The sheer size of the 175,000 square foot facility and its stringent, perfect food safety certifications (SQF Level 3 with a 100/100 score) demonstrate a capability for consistent, safe, and large-scale supply that is unmatched by smaller local bakeries.

Wholesale Clients (e.g., grocery chains, hospitals, large corporate food services) who prioritize product consistency, national distribution capability, and critical safety compliance will find Upper Crust’s industrial-scale operations and certifications to be its most compelling asset. The investment in a state-of-the-art facility is a testament to its commitment to long-term commercial partnership.

Retail Consumers in Arizona, however, should approach this establishment with clear expectations. As a wholesale manufacturer, the company’s core focus is mass production and shelf-stability for grocery store distribution. Consumers seeking the experience of scratch-made, non-processed, small-batch baking should understand that the products designed for the long shelf-life retail market may not align with those expectations, as evidenced by the severe critique regarding the ingredients and taste of the pre-packaged items available in local grocery stores.

In summary, Upper Crust Bakery USA is best chosen by commercial entities that require the industrial scale, safety compliance, and expansive reach of a dedicated national wholesale partner, rather than by individual consumers seeking a traditional, small-scale retail bakery experience. The company’s value lies in its professional capacity to sustain vast commercial operations from the heart of Phoenix.

Upper Crust Bakery USA

3655 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ 85009, USA