Streit's

Streit's is the consumer-facing name of Aron Streit, Inc., a family-owned kosher food company founded in Manhattan in 1916 by Aron Streit, a Jewish immigrant from Austria. The company is principally associated with matzo, the unleavened bread eaten during Passover, and has built its identity around kosher production, Jewish food traditions, and continuity across several generations of the Streit family. The business began on Pitt Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side, where Aron Streit and Rabbi Weinberger made matzo by hand. In 1925, Streit and his sons Jack and Irving moved the operation to 150 Rivington Street. The company subsequently acquired adjoining buildings and developed a large integrated factory complex. For roughly nine decades, the Lower East Side site served as both a manufacturing facility and a visible reminder of the neighborhood's Jewish immigrant history. Alongside businesses such as Katz's Delicatessen and Yonah Schimmel's Knish Bakery, Streit's became one of the area's enduring food institutions. Matzo production is governed by strict religious requirements. During Passover, dough must be baked within 18 minutes of being mixed so that it does not rise and become chametz, which is not permissible for Passover. Streit's production is conducted under rabbinic supervision, and the company has stated that only shomer Shabbat Jews may handle the dough before baking. After the matzo has been baked, it may be handled by people who do not observe those restrictions. These procedures make the manufacturing process both a food-production operation and an expression of Jewish religious practice. The Lower East Side factory reportedly produced approximately 16,000 pounds of matzo on a typical day and could reach about 30,000 pounds per day during the Passover season, when the facility operated for as much as 20 hours daily. The site also became a cultural landmark as the surrounding neighborhood changed. Rising real-estate values, congestion, noise complaints, and the need for updated equipment contributed to the decision to relocate. The factory was put on the market in 2007 and was eventually sold in 2015. Streit's moved its principal manufacturing operation to a newer plant at 171 Route 303 in Orangeburg, New York. The relocation also consolidated activities that had previously been divided between the Manhattan factory and a warehouse and dry-pack facility in Moonachie, New Jersey. Some mixes and side products had already been produced in New Jersey for years. The former Lower East Side properties were acquired for redevelopment, with plans to convert the site into luxury condominiums while incorporating Streit's memorabilia into the project. Although matzo remains its flagship product, Streit's sells a broader assortment of kosher foods, including matzo meal, matzo ball and soup mixes, potato pancake mix, and other Passover or Jewish-style pantry products. The company also markets condiments and seasonings under the separate Ethnic Delights label. Its products are distributed primarily in the United States, with matzo also reaching selected international markets. Streit's competes most directly with Manischewitz; together, the two companies have been described as accounting for approximately 40 percent of the U.S. matzo market. Streit's remains differentiated by its family ownership, long New York history, religiously supervised manufacturing, and strong association with Passover.

Streit's traces its origins to Aron Streit, an Austrian Jewish immigrant who had made matzo before establishing the company in New York. In 1916, Streit founded the business on Pitt Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side. The early operation was small and labor-intensive: Streit and his business associate, Rabbi Weinberger, prepared each piece of matzo by hand. The location placed the company within one of the largest Jewish immigrant communities in the United States and gave it direct access to customers preparing for Passover. In 1925, Aron Streit moved the business with his sons, Jack and Irving, to 150 Rivington Street. The company later purchased neighboring buildings, creating a connected factory complex that remained in operation for approximately 90 years. The plant became part of the Lower East Side's Jewish commercial landscape, alongside other long-running food businesses. Its significance was not only industrial. The factory represented the persistence of Jewish immigrant foodways in a neighborhood whose population and physical character changed substantially during the twentieth century. The company's core product, matzo, must be produced under strict kosher controls. For Passover matzo, the dough must be baked within 18 minutes so that it does not rise. If the process takes longer, the dough is considered chametz and must be discarded. Streit's manufacturing takes place under rabbinic supervision. Before baking, dough handling is restricted to shomer Shabbat Jews according to the company's described procedures; after baking, the finished matzo may be handled more broadly. These rules shape the timing, staffing, inspection, and production layout of the operation. The Manhattan factory produced about 16,000 pounds of matzo on ordinary days and increased output substantially before and during Passover. At peak periods it could produce approximately 30,000 pounds per day while operating for as many as 20 hours. Over time, however, the original site became increasingly difficult to operate. The Lower East Side experienced major redevelopment and gentrification, bringing higher rents, heavier traffic, and changing expectations around industrial activity. Streit's also wanted more modern equipment and additional operating flexibility. The factory was announced for sale in December 2007. The property ultimately changed hands in 2015, when a real-estate developer acquired the factory buildings and associated properties for a condominium redevelopment. The planned project was expected to preserve some connection to the site through the use of Streit's memorabilia, even though food production would no longer take place there. Streit's established a replacement factory at 171 Route 303 in Orangeburg, New York. The new site replaced the Manhattan plant and the company's warehouse and dry-pack operation in Moonachie, New Jersey. Some bagged and boxed mixes, including matzo ball and soup mix and potato pancake mix, had already been produced in New Jersey. The move therefore represented both a physical relocation and a reorganization of manufacturing and distribution. The company expanded beyond plain matzo into a range of kosher packaged foods. Its assortment includes matzo meal, matzo-based mixes, soup products, potato pancake mix, and other side items associated with Jewish cooking and Passover. Streit's also operates the Ethnic Delights label, focused mainly on condiments and seasonings. The brand distributes primarily in the United States and sends matzo to selected international markets. Streit's remains a family-owned and operated matzo company and is commonly presented as the only such family-owned matzo manufacturer in the United States. Its principal U.S. competitor is Manischewitz, based in New Jersey. Together, Streit's and Manischewitz have been described as holding about 40 percent of the U.S. matzo market. Streit's current identity combines mass-market packaged-food distribution with a strong heritage position rooted in kosher practice, Passover observance, New York immigrant history, and multigenerational family management.

• 2015

  Production moves to Orangeburg

  [1]Streit'sen.wikipedia.org

  A new factory at 171 Route 303 in Orangeburg, New York, replaced the Manhattan manufacturing site and was associated with the consolidation of New Jersey operations.

• 2015

  Former factory sold for condominium development

  [1]Streit'sen.wikipedia.org

  The former factory properties were sold to a developer for a planned condominium project, with Streit's memorabilia proposed for the lobby.

• 2007

  Historic factory placed on the market

  [1]Streit'sen.wikipedia.org

  The company announced that its long-running Lower East Side factory had been listed for sale, citing operating constraints and the need to modernize.

• 1925

  Factory moves to Rivington Street

  [1]Streit'sen.wikipedia.org

  Aron Streit and his sons Jack and Irving moved the operation to 150 Rivington Street as the business grew within the Lower East Side's Jewish community.

• 1916

  Aron Streit establishes the company

  [1]Streit'sen.wikipedia.org

  Aron Streit founded the kosher food business on Pitt Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side, initially producing matzo by hand with Rabbi Weinberger.

A heritage American kosher-food brand centered on matzo, Passover traditions, family ownership, and rabbinically supervised production.

• Kosher unleavened bread · 1916

  Matzo

  Streit's best-known product is matzo, the unleavened bread traditionally eaten during Passover. Production is carried out under rabbinic supervision and is timed so that the dough is baked within 18 minutes, before it can rise and become unsuitable for Passover use. The brand's matzo is sold primarily in the United States and in selected international markets.

• Kosher baking and cooking ingredient

  Matzo meal

  Matzo meal is a ground matzo ingredient used in Jewish and Passover cooking. It extends Streit's core matzo expertise into a pantry format suitable for recipes and preparations that require a coarse or fine unleavened-bread meal rather than whole sheets of matzo.

• Kosher packaged meal mix

  Matzo ball and soup mix

  This packaged mix is one of Streit's established side-product lines. It is associated with matzo-ball preparation and soup, and forms part of the company's broader range of bagged and boxed kosher products. Such mixes had been produced in New Jersey before the company's main factory relocation.

• Kosher packaged cooking mix

  Potato pancake mix

  Streit's potato pancake mix is part of the brand's broader assortment of Jewish-style and Passover-oriented pantry products. It represents the company's expansion beyond matzo into convenient dry mixes for home preparation.

• Condiments and seasonings

  Ethnic Delights

  Ethnic Delights is a separate label operated by the company. Its assortment is described mainly as condiments and seasonings, giving Aron Streit, Inc. a product identity beyond the Streit's-branded matzo and Passover range.

• 2015

  Opening of the Orangeburg factoryStrategy

  Background

  Streit's needed a modern replacement for its Lower East Side factory and sought to reorganize manufacturing activities that had been split between Manhattan and a New Jersey warehouse and dry-pack facility.

  Action taken

  The company established a new factory at 171 Route 303 in Orangeburg, New York, replacing the Manhattan plant and consolidating related production and distribution arrangements.

  Aftermath

  The company left its historic neighborhood factory while continuing to sell matzo and a broader range of kosher packaged foods under the Streit's and Ethnic Delights labels.

  Source

• 2007

  Decision to relocate from the Lower East SideStrategy

  Background

  The historic Manhattan factory had become harder to operate as the Lower East Side underwent intensive redevelopment. The family cited noise complaints, congested streets, rising development pressure, and the need to modernize production equipment.

  Action taken

  Streit's placed the factory properties on the market and pursued a move to a newer manufacturing facility outside Manhattan.

  Aftermath

  Production ultimately moved to Orangeburg, New York, while the former Manhattan site was sold for condominium redevelopment.

  Source

• 2015

  Streit's relocates production to Orangeburg[1]Streit'sen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Streit's moved its main manufacturing operation from Manhattan to a new facility in Orangeburg, New York, replacing the former factory and consolidating production activities previously associated with a New Jersey warehouse and dry-pack site.

• 2015

  Historic Streit's factory sold for redevelopment[1]Streit'sen.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Other

  The former Lower East Side factory properties were sold to a real-estate developer for conversion into a condominium project. Plans called for Streit's memorabilia to be displayed in the development's lobby.

• 2007

  Streit's Lower East Side factory listed for sale[1]Streit'sen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The company's historic Manhattan factory was placed on the market as Streit's considered relocating because of neighborhood congestion, noise complaints, rising development pressure, and the need to modernize production equipment.

1. 1Streit'sen.wikipedia.org