Streit's
Aron Streit, Inc. (sold under the name Streit's) is a kosher food company founded in Manhattan, New York City, best known for its product Streit's Matzo. It is the only family-owned and operated matzo company in the United States, and distributes matzo in select international markets.[1] It holds about 40 percent of the United States matzo market with its major competitor, New Jersey based Manischewitz.[2]
 | |
| Private | |
| Industry | Food |
| Founded | Manhattan, New York City, U.S. (1916) |
| Founder | Aron Streit |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | United States Other International Cities |
| Products | Kosher Food Products |
| Website | StreitsMatzo.com |
The factory follows strict kosher laws. Only shomer Shabbat (Sabbath-observing) Jews are allowed to touch the dough. However, once the dough is baked, people of any religion and non-shomer Shabbat Jews are allowed to touch the matzo.[3] The entire process of making the matzo is under Rabbinic supervision. In particular, they time the matzo-making process, checking to see it does not exceed 18 minutes. Otherwise, the batch would be considered not kosher for Passover and discarded.[4]
History
The company was founded in 1916 by Aron Streit, a Jewish immigrant from Austria who had made matzo there in the late 1800s.[5] Its first factory was on Pitt Street in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. There, Streit and his business associate Rabbi Weinberger made each piece of matzo by hand. In 1925, with the growing number of Jewish immigrants congregating in the Lower East Side, Streit, along with his two sons, Jack and Irving, moved his business to nearby 150 Rivington Street.[6] Soon thereafter they bought the adjacent buildings, where the company [7] operated for 90 years, before moving in 2015.
Lower East Side factory
Streit's 47,000-square-foot (4,400 m2) matzo factory, along with Katz's Delicatessen and Yonah Schimmel's Knish Bakery, was a surviving piece of the Lower East Side's Jewish heritage.[8] At the turn of the 20th century, Jews, along with other European immigrants, were crammed into the many unsanitary tenements of the Lower East Side. In 1915 they made up 60 percent of the Lower East Side population. Because of the large Jewish presence, Jewish-centric businesses like Streit's opened and flourished. However, because of the poor living conditions, as soon as they financially could, many Jewish families moved out of the tenements to new areas of industry in New York City, namely uptown and Brooklyn, slowly making Streit's a relic of the past.[9]
Streit's Lower East Side matzo factory usually baked about 16,000 pounds (7,300 kg) of matzo each day.[2] In preparation for Passover the factory ran 20 hours a day, testing its 30,000 pounds (14,000 kg) per day capacity.[10]
New factory
Since the 1980s the Lower East Side has experienced hyper-gentrification. The neighborhood is now a burgeoning area for glass luxury high-rise buildings such as the Blue Condo and the Hotel on Rivington, a stark contrast to Streit's modest brick factory.[3][11] The Streit family even considered at one point opening a café or bar that serves matzo, to go with the Lower East Side's new nightlife scene.[4]
On December 20, 2007, it was announced that the factory had been listed for sale for $25,000,000.[12] The Streit's family cited noise complaints, congested streets, and their desire to modernize its equipment, as the reasons for their eventual move. Its realtor, Massey Knakel Realty Services, commented "the building will most likely be torn down and converted into luxury condominiums."[8]
Midtown East-based Cogswell Realty bought the factory for $30.5 million in 2015. Cogswell closed on the properties, which together span roughly 50,000 square feet, in May 2015.[13] Cogswell Lee Development and Gluck+, which is also the project's architect, are developing the condo building, and plan to festoon the lobby with Streit's memorabilia[13]
The new Streit's factory at 171 Route 303, Orangeburg, New York, replaced the matzo factory in Manhattan and warehouse and dry pack facility in Moonachie, New Jersey. Bag-and-box mixes like the matzo ball and soup mix, potato pancake mix, and most of the other side items were made in New Jersey for years.[14]
Products
Besides matzo, Streit's produces many other kosher products under its name. There are two lines of products: Year Round Products and Budget Products. They also operate a separate label of foods called Ethnic Delights, which is mainly condiments and seasonings.[1]
List of Products
Year Round Products
- Lightly Salted
- Unsalted
- Flour/Water
- Moonstrip
- Egg/Onion
- Whole Wheat
- Matzo Meal
- Mediterranean
- Fine
- Medium
- Broad
- Bows
- Medley
- Flakes
- Barley
- Toasted Barley
Soup Mixes
- Mushroom-Barley
- Split Pea
- Variety
- Minestrone
- Lima Bean
- Cup A Soup
- Beef Noodle
- Chicken Noodle
- Mushroom Barley
- Garden Vegetable
- Chili/Bean
- Split/Pea
- Tomato/Couscous
- Couscous
Assorted Matzo Products
- Matzo Ball Mix
- Onion Soup Mix
- Matzo Ball Soup Mix
- Vegetable Soup Mix
- Stuffing Mix
- Soup Nuts
Potato Products
- Potato starch
- Potato Kugel
- Potato Pancake Mix
- Vegetable Potato Pancake Mix
- Ready to Serve Canned Soups
- Chunky Chicken Noodle
- Chicken Consommé
- Hearty Vegetable
- Mushroom & Barley
- Minestrone
- Vanilla
- Chocolate
- Lemon
Dessert Jel
- Tropical/Punch
- Pineapple/Orange
- Strawberry/Banana
- Strawberry/Cranberry
Chanukah Products
- Candles
- Milk Chocolate Coins
- Dark Chocolate Coins
Specialty
- Kishka
- Vegetable Quiche
- Fried Rice
- Old Fashion Farfel
- Bag n' Bake
- Honey-Glazed Bag n' Bake
- Barbecue Bag n' Bake
- Griddle Mix
- Blueberry Pancake Mix
- Chicken Flavored Rice with Vermicelli
- Beef Falvored Rice with Vermicelli
- Brown Gravy
- Onion Gravy
- Family Skillet Dinner - Chili
- Family Skillet Dinner - Pasta Sauce
- Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup
- Chow Mein Noodles
- Couscous
Kosher for Passover Products
Matzo
- Passover Matzo
- Egg Matzo
- Whole Wheat
- Schmura
- Meal
- Farfel
- Cake Meal
Macaroons
- Coconut
- Chocolate
- Almond
- Brownie Crunch
- Chocolate Chip
- Bananarama
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip
- Honey Nut
Cookies
- Chocolate Chip
- Jelly Tart
- Chocolate Nut
- Diet
- Egg Kichel
- Diet Kichel
- Jumbo Kichel
Mandel Toast
- Marble Mandel
- Plain Mandel
- Almond Mandel
- Chocolate Nut Mandel
Mandel Loaf
- Chocolate Chip
- Cinnamon Raisin
- Potato Chips
- Salted
- Unsalted
- Salt Ripple
- Sponge
- Honey
- Chocolate
- Coffee
- Chocolate Chip Loaf
- Chocolate Chip Crumb
- Chocolate Brownie
- Chocolate Cupcake
- Vanilla Cupcake
- Honey Raisin Muffin
- Blueberry Muffin
Chocolates
- Lollycones
- Chocolate Covered Macaroons
- Milk Chocolate Carmel
Cashew Clusters - Milk Chocolate Covered Matzo
- Festival Pop
- Chocolate Covered Egg Matzo
- Thin Mints
- Pepper Mints
- Almond Krunch
Condiments
- Mayonnaise
- Lite Mayonnaise
- Ketchup
- Apple Sauce
- Apple Sauce-Unsweetened
- Honey
- Brown Gravy
- Onion Gravy
- Family Skillet Dinner
Dessert Jel
- Tropical/Punch
- Pineapple/Orange
- Strawberry/Banana
- Strawberry/Cranberry
Preserves
- Strawberry
- Cherry
- Orange
- Apricot
- Raspberry
Cup/Farfel Soup
- Vegetable
- Chicken
- Onion
- Tomato/Beef
Pickled Products
- Mannhattan Style Pickles
- Sweet and Sour Mushrooms
- Hungarian Style Onions
- Sweet and Sour Pattypan Squash
Gourmet Cake Mix
- Fudge Brownie
- Chocolate
- Coffee
- Honey
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
- Chocolate Fudge Cookie Mix
Assorted Products
- Kishke
- Vegetable Quiche
- Bag n' Bake
- Honey-Glazed Bag n' Bake
- Barbecue Bag n' Bake
- Stuffing Mix
- Potato Pancake
- Vegetable Potato Pancake
- Potato Kugel
- Vegetable Soup Mix with
Matzo Ball Mix - Onion Soup Mix with Matzo
Ball Mix - Matzo Ball & Soup Mix
- Potato Starch
- Muesli Cereal
- Griddle Mix
- Blueberry Pancake Mix
- Soup Nuts
- Mashed Potatoes in a Cup
- No Salt Potato Pancake Mix
- Passover Noodles with Chicken
Flavor Sauce - Passover Noodles with Mushroom
Flavor Sauce
Ethnic Delight Products
- Manhattan Style Pickles with Hot Peppers
- Three Color Peppers
- Black Peppercorns
- Chicken Seasoning
- Garlic & Herb Seasoning
- Organic Herb Salt
- Roasted Garlic
- Sea Salt
- Green Olive Spread
- Black Olive Spread
- Pesto Sauce
- Garlic Aioli with Dill
- Sun Dried Tomatoes
- Sun Dried Tomato Morsels
See also
References
- "Streit's Matzos - Official Website". Aron Streit, Inc. 2008. Retrieved March 3, 2008.
- Dobnik, Verona (December 28, 2007). "Lower East Side matzo factory for sale". USA Today. Retrieved March 3, 2008.
- Kolben, Deborah (January 6, 2008). "The Matzo Show on Rivington Street". The New York Times. Retrieved March 3, 2008.
- Shamberg, Caitlin (2006). "Streit's Matzo Factory". Retrieved March 3, 2008.
- "Aron Streit's Inc. - Information". Aron Streit, Inc. 2008. Archived from the original on February 12, 2008. Retrieved March 3, 2008.
- Snyder, Tamar (2007). "Streit's Leaving Lower East Side". The Jewish Week News. Archived from the original on February 21, 2008. Retrieved March 3, 2008.
- "Lower East Side Tenant Museum: Chapter 12 - Jews". Lower East Side Tenement Museum. 2008. Archived from the original on February 17, 2008. Retrieved March 3, 2008.
- Lukas, Paul (2007). "Bread and Circus". The New York Sun. Retrieved March 3, 2008.
- "AAI at HOWL! 04". Artists Alliance Inc. 2004. Retrieved March 3, 2008.
- "EXCLUSIVE: Streit's Matzo Leaving LES, Wants $25M for Building". Curbed.com. 2007. Archived from the original on February 25, 2008. Retrieved March 3, 2008.
- From matzos to condos: LES project rising at 150 Rivington The Real Deal. April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- It’s Official: Streit’s Matzo is now in Rockland County Rockland County Times. Rosman, Janie. October 1, 2015. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
