Beloved bakery runs out of dough KUB’s closure leaves big hole in Winnipeggers' hearts (and stomachs) By: Martin Cash and Gabrielle Piché Posted: 4:50 PM CST Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022

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This article was published 15/11/2022 (673 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg socials may never recover.

KUB Bakery, the family owned, near-century-old bakery that produces the singular, chewy rye bread familiar to generations, reluctantly closed its doors this week, another victim of the pandemic and its high-inflation aftermath.

KUB — the name stands for Kucher’s Ukrainian Bakery, after founder Alex Kucher — had been dealing with declining sales and skyrocketing input costs. Added to that, the bakery’s retail store suffered a significant loss of business over the summer because of season-long road work on Erin Street.

Ross Einfeld, whose family bought the bakery in 1982, said he’s talking to prospective buyers; there’s a chance the 99-year-old name could live on.

“I don’t want to get people’s hopes up but I would like to see the brand continue even if I have no financial interest in (it),” Einfeld said Wednesday morning in the retail space, all but empty save for a few packages of cinnamon buns and rolls.

“I’d love it if it could make it to 100. I could say I worked there for 40 years.”

“I don’t want to get people’s hopes up but I would like to see the brand continue even if I have no financial interest in (it).”–Ross Einfeld

Einfeld said he hasn’t paid himself since May.

“I’ve been living off my credit card. We did our best to keep employees paid and suppliers paid. Sometimes we made it, sometimes we didn’t,” he said.

Einfeld’s family made it through difficult times in the past; a fire gutted KUB’s original location on Stella Avenue in 2008. “We were under-insured,” he said.

But that was then.

When the boiler exploded two weekends ago he paid $2,400 to get it fixed. Then, on Monday, the oven died.

“It was time to pull the plug. That’s why the closure was so abrupt,” he said.

At one time, KUB’s annual revenues were close to $4 million.

“When you think of bakery in Manitoba, literally, (KUB is) the first thing that comes to mind,” said Shaun Jeffrey, the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association’s CEO, who noted he ate salami on the rye bread with his father.

The closing is yet another example of the hardships the hospitality industry continues to face.

“It’s not even a two-headed monster; it’s a six-headed monster,” Jeffrey said, citing higher production costs, inflation-shocked customers buying less and companies still reeling from pandemic losses.

“The reality is, we’re not even close to back to normal.”

Winnipeggers shocked, saddened

Many Winnipeggers were saddened by the news.

Laurie Aftanas scarfed down her first slice of KUB cinnamon bread 25 years ago. Since then, it’s been a staple at her family’s Hawk Lake cabin.

“We’d eat that for breakfast like every day,” said Aftanas, 27.

There’s a photo of her holding a slice at two years of age on the fridge door at the cabin, she said, adding she’s broken KUB bread with friends and relatives from California.

“I’m sad… it was just such a nostalgic thing. I (told my mom), ‘You should stock your freezer up with cinnamon bread before they close,’” said Aftanas, who assumed she would be sharing the beloved loaves with her future children.

KUB rye has been a constant in Brad Murray’s life.

“Going to socials, (it) was always there,” Murray said. “I used to get exposed to it… all the time.”

Val Officer, 63, considered the bakery “an institution” that would be around forever.

“You used to always see people travelling back from Winnipeg to other places with KUB bread,” she said.

Einfeld is talking with others in the industry, trying to arrange work for his 30 employees, many who have been at KUB for decades.

“It’s sad. Many are making minimum wage, some with poor English, but they are good people and really good workers,” he said.

News of the closure upset Jon Hochman, owner of Selkirk Avenue’s Gunn’s Bakery, another city institution.

“Winnipeg’s known for rye bread, and KUB is definitely one of those businesses that had given the city that reputation,” Hochman said.

“Winnipeg’s known for rye bread, and KUB is definitely one of those businesses that had given the city that reputation.”–Jon Hochman

Hochman read of Manitobans’ anguish online.

“If people showed that support while these businesses were around, you’d have these businesses around for another 100 years,” he said, adding he’s watched the price of flour, yeast, seeds and twist-ties skyrocket.

And, the talent pool is “as shallow as it’s ever been,” he said.

Prospective buyer pulled out

Einfeld was in discussions for close to four weeks with a prospective buyer who pulled out at the last minute last week.

Elsewhere, profits were being cut every which way. His trucks were coming off lease in April and dealers were having trouble finding replacements, which would have cost him almost 50 per cent more than he was already paying.

KUB had been forced to raise its prices, but could only get away with so much of that.

Earlier this month Prairie Flour Mills filed a lawsuit against KUB seeking $34,129.60 in unpaid invoices, plus interest, in its statement of claim.

Einfeld is sorry he has to close with bills left unpaid.

“It does not look like we will be able to pay Prairie Flour. It’s a sad, harsh fact about business. We are no different. We have been burned by suppliers in the past,” he said.

A couple of years ago, KUB lost $60,000 when its former distributor who handled its Costco account went bankrupt. KUB bread was available in the three Winnipeg Costco stores and was the company’s largest account.

Neither Prairie Flour Mills nor its lawyer responded to requests for comment Wednesday.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca

gabrielle.piche@freepress.mb.ca