Carmine's Italian Bakery, based on Jesse Hartley Way in Liverpool, has secured the biggest client in the city. Owner Carmine Cillo will now supply Liverpool FC's hospitality restaurant with sourdough, focaccia, buns and more, following what he described as a "huge announcement".
A baker's journey from Potenza to Liverpool
Carmine began his career as a pizza maker at the age of 13 in the Italian city of Potenza. After working in various eateries, he started studying at the school of Italian Pizzeria at 21. He later moved to Liverpool, where he began baking sourdough and other Italian bakes for his brothers, Paolo and Donato, at their P&D cafe (now Gran Caffe) on Tarleton Street.
In 2023, he opened his own venue, Carmine's Italian Bakery on Jesse Hartley Way. Since then, he and his team have served authentic Italian focaccia sandwiches and sourdough loaves.
Supplying the city's favourite venues
The bakery already supplies bread to several of the city's favourite venues, including Derek's across its four locations, Bamboo, Emily's in Crosby, Penelope in Formby, Carlisi, Il Forno, Panoramic 34, Brunch Club and more.
In a celebratory Instagram post, Carmine said: "Huge announcement! We have landed the biggest client in the city… Liverpool FC. We will now be supplying their hospitality restaurant with the best Italian sourdough, focaccia, buns and more!"
Carmine previously told the ECHO: "The relationship with the customers who we serve outside my shop is also really nice. Sometimes collaborations are formed, like Derek's, who opened his first shop with my bread. We made this bread especially for him, and he's now opened four shops. This is just one example."
Growing demand and future plans
The bakery's popularity has also drawn interest from further afield, with loaves now shipped around 100 miles away to customers in the Isle of Man. Carmine said: "Our bakery is very close to the Isle of Man Steam Packet Terminal so it's quite handy for them. They usually call up a few days earlier and message us via Instagram and order a few hundred loaves of bread that lasts them a while, as you can freeze them, some also get our sandwiches."
Carmine is supported by his family, with his wife Antonella promoting the business to potential new clients, his eldest son Andrea helping run the Jesse Hartley Way bakery, and his eldest daughter Elena overseeing social media. He said: "My family's support is really important for my growth right now. My wife helps me run the business, my son, Andrea, helps me. As for my expansion outside of Liverpool, she's spreading the word about me to other venues, carrying samples of my brochures, promoting my products to other venues, and my daughter helps me with social media, which is really important now."
Looking ahead, Carmine has full focus on the future. He said: "My plans for the future are to continue expanding my bakery, expanding my production throughout the UK, and expanding another very important concept: gluten-free, which has become a major demand among the population today. This means developing new gluten-free breads, pizzas, and focaccias. This is a very, very important path."
