Ole and Steen company history
Why it all started
We started with an ambition and a dream of spreading our rustic yet refined pastries and breads to more neighborhoods all around the world. Because we think that all people should have access to better morning coffee, better breakfasts, better lunches and better birthdays. We wish to supply the world with the bread and pastries for this to happen.
How it all started
It all started in 1991. Ole Kristoffersen and Jane Borup opened the first bakery on the ground floor in Copenhagen, more specifically Christianshavns Torv. If you stand on Christianshavns Torv and look up and down the building, you will see why we are called Lagkagehuset in Denmark. Lagkagehuset means “layer-cake” in Danish so the name came quite naturally, because the beautiful square building from 1930 looks like a giant layer cake with the alternating whipped cream and cream-colored layers. When we opened our first stores outside Denmark in 2016 in London we named our stores “Ole & Steen” abroad likewise when we first opened in New york.
Arkitekt: Edvard Thomsen
Opført: 1929-1931
Let’s Break Bread….
We are Lagkagehuset / Ole & Steen and after 30 years, we are still dedicated to innovating rustic recipes and giving them finesse. With the best ingredients and some of the country's most talented bakers and confectioners, we strive to create a beautiful balance between quality and simplicity. That is why we are opening our bakeries in more local areas all around the world, because we dream that even more people should wake up to better baked goods.
Big Plans for Expansion
Lagkagehuset opened in 2016 for the first time outside Denmark in London under the name "Ole & Steen". Especially our cinnamon stick, which in English is called a Cinnamon Social™ is a big hit among the British. By the end of 2021, we will have 16 stores in London.
In early 2019, we opened our first store in New York at Union Square in Manhattan. The opening also marked Lagkagehuset store no.100 across national borders and was followed by two more openings in Manhattan during 2019 and are the stores you know today.
Why We Opened in NYC
New York City is a melting pot of many different cultures and we had the dream of wanting to bring our Danish culture and traditions to one of the greatest cities in the world and educate our US customers on the Danish ways. New Yorkers immediately fell in love with our traditional breads, pastries and our famous Cinnamon Social™.
Our Goals for NYC & Beyond
We want to become the world’s most loved bakery and to be a better bakery for all. This goal is bold and ambitious but we believe that if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing with heart. A simple belief but a powerful one, that carries through in everything we do.
That is why we use real honest ingredients, why we invest in long lasting quality design and furniture, and why we are conscious about the environment.
We look for the extraordinary in the ordinary, and we want everyone that set foot through our doors to feel that we are that extra special spark in their day. To us, a bakery is a place where simple magic happens. It’s where all our passion is displayed. And we want you to savour the atmosphere as much as our baking and brews.
That’s why we’re bringing our bakeries to more local communities - making a better bakery for all.
So, come on in and enjoy.