The Di Camillo Legacy

Joe, Babe and the bread wagon (circa 1920)

The Di Camillo Bakery is a 104-year old legacy family bakery inspired by their Italian heritage and still owned and operated by the third and fourth generations of the Di Camillo family.

(Second, Third and fourth generation Di Camillo family 

Every family business has a story. The DiCamillo family’s North American adventure began in 1897, when Tomasso Di Camillo left the Abruzzo region of Italy and arrived in Niagara Falls, New York.

Tomasso Di Camillo (Circa 1900)

Addolorata & Tomasso Wedding Picture (1902)

In 1902, as planned, his wife to be Addolorata Iannotti arrived from their shared village of Vilamagana and they were married and began a family in Niagara Falls.

The Di Camillo Family at Home (1934)

It was In 1920, with the help of their eleven children that they opened their bakery in Niagara Falls. And it was from this store, with its basement ovens that they began baking bread and biscotti and delivering it to their neighbors. 

The Original 14^th Street Store & Bakery (Circa 1925

The Second Generation 1998

For the next 40 years the second generation stayed the course in an ever-changing market. They endured hardships and challenges, but they never gave up. They stayed current, exploring new markets and expanding their production facility to include sweet bakery products which were not bread related, but always holding on to their core products and traditions.

Third Generation

The Third Generation  circa 1998

By the 1970’s the third generation had made their entry with a dramatic contribution and combined their production into a new 30,000 SF facility - and a new chapter was born.

It was in 1979 that the Di Camillo family began shipping their seminal Biscotti Di Vino to gourmet shops in New York City. Zabars was their first NYC customer, and remain so 45 years later . This introduction effectively began the American awareness of biscotti. The New York Times was the first to take note and cited this new  contribution of “Biscotti” to a wider audience. It was this pioneering entry of the Di Camillo family’s biscotti that brought this cookie beyond its Italian origins and into the American national marketplace.  It is their lasting contribution to American cuisine. 

 Their tin collections of biscotti and cookies followed the European tradition of packing cookies in tin boxes. This began the celebrated collectability of the Di Camillo decorative tins, which now number nearly 35 different tin designs and shapes over the last 40 years. They can be routinely found in antique stores around the world. Their romantic design attracted customers across the country.

Neiman Marcus was one of the first national retailers to begin offering the Di Camillo brand in 1980. Later, it was at their urging that the Di Camillo family began marketing their products in Italian handmade ceramic jars. The Di Camillo line has been a part of the Neiman Marcus Christmas assortment for over forty years.

Matthew and Dan Di Camillo Fourth generation

With the fourth generation now firmly entrenched and involved in every aspect of the bakery, new horizons appear and new technologies are becoming integrated, but their core products remain the same.

SOFI awards

The DiCamillo product line is the recipient of over 19 awards from the Specialty Food Association for both their products and their graphic packaging designs.

Lewiston, New York Store 

One hundred and four years later, however, they remain the Western New York neighborhood bakery - making their signature Scaletta breads and biscotti 7 days a week.

 And thus, the legacy continues.

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