Our Story
Joe Politano became a baker’s apprentice in Italy at age 11. In 1966, his family relocated to Long Island, New York where he continued to work in the baking industry. He advanced to the position of plant manager for a multimillion-dollar bread company and supervised over 100 employees. In the summer of 1984, Joe realized that there was a demand for quality bread products in the Northern Virginia area. It was then he decided to relocate his family to Sterling, Virginia, and soon after, Cardinal Bakery opened its doors in October of 1985.
From a humble beginning in Northern Virginia, Cardinal Bakery has relocated several times to allow for its present growth, future expansion, and better access to distribution routes throughout the Washington Metropolitan area. In 2015, Cardinal moved into its present location in Sterling, Virginia near Dulles Airport. This facility is almost twice the size of its previous establishment, showing the growth over the 35 years they have been in business.
In October of 2022, Cardinal Bakery will celebrate 37 years in business. Cardinal has established its reputation based on the finest quality, fresh-baked products, with daily deliveries to hundreds of customers. Over the past 37 years, the bakery has expanded its delivery territory to include Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC, creating widespread distribution of “Politano’s Famous Breads” around the entire DC Metropolitan area.
At present, Joe Politano remains company president, overseeing all day-to-day operations of the bakery. Cardinal Bakery prides itself on maintaining a great crew of long-term employees, some of whom have been part of the “family” for 20 years or more.
Today, Cardinal bakes and delivers over 6 tons of fresh bread daily to over 300 food establishments across the area. The success of Cardinal Bakery is due to the uncompromising level of quality products and outstanding service to their customers.