Hatboro Spot Named 'Sweetest Bakery In America'

HATBORO, PA — The sweetest bakery in the United States is right here in Hatboro. For the second year in a row, Lochel's Bakery has won that title in a contest sponsored by an industry food supplier.

Nearly 900 bakeries in the U.S. and 300 in Canada participated in the competition by Dawn Foods.

Dawn asked community members to cast their votes for their favorites between March and July, receiving more than 2.1 million votes in stores and online. That's three times more votes than the 2017 contest, but the result was the same — Lochel's came out on top.

"As a small business, the outpouring of support and recognition we’ve received from our customers has been overwhelming – we’re absolutely speechless," said Kathleen Lochel, owner of Lochel’s. "This contest has had a tremendous impact on our business and we’re incredibly appreciative to all those who came out to support us."

The Hatboro bakery is a third generation, family-owned business. Originally opened in south Philadelphia in 1942, Lochel’s has been serving hungry Pennsylvania customers for over 75 years.

Clayton Bakery of Clayton, N.C., was the second-place winner, while Sweet Crunch Bakery of Hyde Park, Vt., claimed third place.

"Dawn Foods is inspired by all the dedicated, hardworking bakeries that took part in our second annual Sweetest Bakery competition and we congratulate the outstanding bakeries that won this year’s national, state and regional titles," said Angie Goldberg, chief marketing officer for Dawn Foods. "As part of our longstanding commitment to helping our customers grow their business, the goal of this friendly competition is to help boost sales, drive traffic in-store and make our customers’ bakeries top of mind in their local communities."

Photo courtesy Lochel's Bakery. Used with permission.