Baked in Tradition
El Bolillo Bakery is a beloved Houston institution—and long-time Stellar Bank customer—well known for its signature Latin pan dulce, pan salado, pastries, tres leches, and desserts all handmade fresh, daily. What started as a small Mexican bakery in 1998 on Airline Drive in the Greater Heights has now expanded to five locations across the metroplex. Today, El Bolillo Bakery is more than just a place to buy baked goods, it’s a symbol of Hispanic culture and community.
“Eating pan dulce—sweet bread—is a nostalgic, longstanding Mexican tradition. We help Houstonians remember fond times and continue to make new memories with their families,” said Joel Garza, Chief Financial Officer of El Bolillo Bakery.
Most recently, the bakery opened a location on Fountain View near the Houston Galleria. The new space offers the same menu as its other bakeries—including 150 varieties of bread, pan dulce, pastries, their famous tres leches, and desserts all handmade fresh daily.
"At the bakery, we believe in including everyone. No matter someone's situation in life or budget, everyone is equal at El Bolillo,” said Andrew Miller, Chief Operations Officer of El Bolillo Bakery. “The bakery offers something for everyone to enjoy, along with conversation and fellowship among patrons. We hope to grow and spread this culture and experience throughout the city and beyond."
Recipe for Success
El Bolillo Bakery attributes its success to its focus on quality products, hard work, and strategic partnerships.
“Stellar Bank has been our financial partner since day one,” said Garza. “We would not be here without them, plain and simple. Stellar Bank’s support and collaboration has been instrumental to our success. To us, they’re more than just a bank lender.”
Stellar Bank has a deep understanding of the business and works closely with the bakery to solve operational challenges and answer financial questions—ensuring the business continues running smoothly.
Despite its rapid growth, El Bolillo Bakery remains deeply committed to fostering tradition, quality, and community. The bakery’s relationship with Stellar Bank has allowed it to manage risks and expand responsibly, without compromising its values.
“Managing growth is challenging,” said Garza. “You need a good team behind you for expansion. From the team at Stellar Bank to our employees, every single person works hard and plays a crucial role in the success of the business.”
Kneading a Successful Team
El Bolillo Bakery is dedicated to nurturing the potential of its entire workforce. They take pride in cultivating an environment that promotes accountability and empowerment.
It begins with “Making sure those employees we've hired match the company culture, match the hospitality and welcoming of the guests, it’s crucial," said Miller.
“We now have a pipeline of people promoted from within, creating opportunities for upward mobility. People are seeing that this is a career, not just a job,” said Miller.
The company's commitment to strong relationships extends beyond its employees to its vendors. With 13 suppliers per location, cultivating positive partnerships is crucial for smooth daily operations.
“Just like our relationship with Stellar, which we see as a partnership, we see the same type of partnership with our vendors that we utilize day in and day out. It's extremely important that we do that because these are vendors that are going to be with us through the whole lifespan of the business,” said Garza.
A Houston Staple
Houstonians depend on El Bolillo Bakery for everything from their daily bread to desserts for major holidays. For example, on Epiphany, Three Kings’ Day on January 6, thousands of families gather to share Rosca de Reyes or “Wreath of the Kings” from El Bolillo Bakery. During this tradition, each person takes a turn slicing into the bejeweled, ring-shaped sweet bread to discover the hidden baby figurines tucked inside.
“Our rosca cakes have become a community staple. We have half the city coming out to get their Rosca de Reyes from us. Becoming a part of everyone’s celebration is something we hold near and dear to our hearts,” said Garza.
To meet growing customer demands, El Bolillo Bakery employs nearly 1,000 people and operates 10,000- to 12,000-ft2 production facilities at each location. Several facilities even work around the clock to ensure enough baked goods for the next day.
This commitment to hard work and customer service is supported by the bakery’s culture of accountability and empowerment for employees.
“I myself started as an hourly employee,” said Miller. “I stayed because of the growth opportunities within the company. That’s something we want to afford to every person who wants the opportunity to progress and achieve new heights. Because we believe that happy staff makes for happy guests.”
