Vendor Spotlight: Orlando's Bakery

Robert Kovacs and his wife Laura bought Orlando’s, a struggling Italian bakery in 2016. This was not their first foray into baking, however. Rob had been a Wall Street trader for many years. After the economic downturn of 2008, he was more than ready to make a new life for himself, and after leaving his job in 2009, he turned to baking.

Not your traditional bakery

This wasn’t a traditional baking experience, however. Rob had discovered a research product, developed in Europe, that was creating a low-carb baking flour suitable for diabetics. Rob purchased a patent for the product and began working on his own to learn how to manufacture it into a great tasting bread. Once he was successful in the recipe, the Alma Baking line was born. 

“The [European] research institute decided not to join us on this journey,” Rob said. “I did it on my own and it’s fully owned by me and my wife.”

The Kovac’s purchase of Orlando’s became a way to bring Alma Baking to life, but more importantly, it became a way for the couple to meet with their customers and make personal one-on-one connections that Robert had been so removed from in his “prior life” on Wall Street. 

Redefining Orlando’s

Orlando’s had made its name and built its reputation on traditional Italian breads and sweets. When the Kovacs took over, they made some minor changes to the product line, keeping the more popular items that were thriving and letting go of others that weren’t doing as well. Alongside the traditional Italian goods, Rob has brought in his Alma Baking bread line. 

“It’s been a very fulfilling journey,” Rob said.

Discover Orlando’s at Market

The Kovac’s focus at the West Milford Farmers Market is their traditional Italian baked goods. These include a three-day, all-natural sourdough bread, also formulated by Rob, which is the basis of many of the Italian sausage and cheese style breads they sell. They also have sweetbreads and desserts available. 

Since Laura is Lebanese, they’ve begun to add more middle eastern products to the line as well. However, the low-carb, diabetic-friendly Alma line is always available. In addition to the Alma Baking breads and pizzas, customers can potentially look forward to a future waffle formulation and soft/wheat tortilla down the line.