OREM — A family-owned Argentinian bakery in Utah County says it has no choice but to close after a decline in sales, keeping up with payroll and rising costs to continue producing fresh-baked goods.
Yamila Hernandez, store manager of La Brioche Argentine Bakery in Orem — and daughter of owner Leticia Silva — said the business was her mother’s dream, one built with love and a passion for sharing a taste of Argentina with the community.
However, after years of financial hurdles exacerbated by recent health regulations, the locally owned bakery will close up shop for the last time on Feb. 1.
Hernandez said there’s been an outpouring of support since making the announcement about the closure on social media.
“Today, I had two people that came in and were really sad, their eyes were like in tears,” she described.
Hernandez and Silva spoke with KSL last April after being notified by the Utah County Health Department that the bakery would be required to build a customer bathroom, despite operating for more than a decade without one while they were under the supervision of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.
“We were already in a tough spot back then where we were trying to survive basically, and then we had that whole issue where they wanted us to have the restroom,” Hernandez told KSL on Friday.
The new regulation put La Brioche Argentine Bakery on the brink of closure in 2025, as they grappled with how to pay to install a new bathroom.
Hernandez said they were able to raise a little more than $13,000 through a GoFundMe campaign that went toward building the restroom.
They lost nearly a month’s worth of business last summer while the bakery was closed for construction of the bathroom.
“We decided to do it because we were like, ‘Our community is believing in us; let’s just give it one more try,'” she said.
Silva previously told KSL the revenue challenges first started during the COVID-19 pandemic as they were only able to operate for three days a week. That led to the business racking up various debts as a means to remain open, post-pandemic.
Hernandez said seeking additional debts now isn’t a viable option.
“If we get more loans, it’ll be really bad for us. So the only option we see right now is to close,” she said.
The family hoped the recent holiday season would provide a financial boost to help keep the bakery afloat, according to Hernandez, but she said those sales fell short of what they were expecting.
“We were (thinking) maybe with Christmas we’ll be able to pick up a little bit, but it wasn’t what we were hoping for. And without that push that we were hoping for, there’s no way we can keep operating,” she explained.
Similar financial obstacles have also plagued other Utah bakery establishments.
In November, The Chubby Baker announced the closure all three of its locations citing the “rising costs of goods, payroll, and so many other expenses” and family obligations.
Roughly around the same time last fall, restaurants like Current Fish & Oyster, Charlotte-Rose’s Carolina BBQ in Millcreek and Laziz Kitchen in downtown Salt Lake City also closed their doors.
More than a bakery
La Brioche Argentine Bakery has been in the Orem community since 2008 when it opened under different ownership. Silva, who had been an employee at the bakery, took over the business in 2014 after the original owners could no longer operate it.
Beyond the pastries, sandwiches, pizzas and the customer favorite empanadas, Silva said La Brioche Bakery has been a place for community and connection.
“For a lot of people, it meant a little piece of Argentina, because they came here and they felt like they were transported back,” she said.
Hernandez said the bakery has been a hot spot for soccer fans during FIFA World Cup matches.
“Everybody just loves coming here for those games. And people were actually saying, ‘Well, what are we gonna do for the World Cup now?'” she said.
Silva became emotional as she reflected and expressed gratitude for the many customers and community members who have supported the family-owned bakery over the past 12 years.
While it will be difficult closing the bakery, Silva said she believes customers understand that they explored every option possible to avoid this moment.
“People know that we’ve tried everything we could to keep going,” she said.
As the sun sets on La Brioche Argentine Bakery, Hernandez hopes longtime customers and community members will stop in for homemade Argentinian baked goods and traditional foods one last time.
“We appreciate everybody and everything they’ve done for us, especially that time where we needed them and they were there for us,” she said.
La Brioche Argentine Bakery is located at 845 N. 100 West in Orem, and hours of operation can be found on its website.
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