The Company That's Actually Making Walmart's Great Value Bread

Whether it's groceries, clothes, or even household furnishings, Walmart has just about whatever you need. Alongside a wide selection of brand-name products, Walmart also offers private-label alternatives, such as Equate and Great Value, to help shoppers potentially save money. The comparability of these products is unsurprising, as Walmart and similar stores partner with major manufacturers to provide them. While it can be difficult to sniff out, one thing we can confirm is that Bimbo Bakeries USA, and more specifically, its Sara Lee subsidiary, is behind Great Value breads. 

Certainly, as a company, Walmart keeps quiet about the identities within its private-label partnerships. However, Redditors who are, or were at some point, employed by Walmart have pinpointed Sara Lee as the provider of most Great Value breads. Further investigation uncovered that Sara Lee provides Great Value's White, Wheat, and Sourdough Bread varieties. Great Value was also among the brands listed in a 2015 voluntary recall by Bimbo, as a possible risk of glass fragments, caused by a broken light bulb in one of its facilities, was found on the outside of several bread bags. Thankfully, the quick action that followed resulted in no injuries and all related products being pulled from store shelves. That recall aside, this stands as evidence that Great Value bread is certainly good quality, and matches the brand's claim within its name. 

In addition to Sara Lee and Great Value, the recall list also clarifies that Bimbo Bakeries USA is the parent company behind the Aldi L'Oven Fresh and Fit line (and very likely Aldi's other L'Oven Fresh bread products). This makes sense as partnerships with larger companies like Bimbo allow retailers to maintain better control over factors, including pricing, and gain more profit without worrying about production. While not the only factor, this likely plays a key role in Aldi's notoriety as the cheapest grocery store in America, and why it doesn't necessarily need in-store bakeries in all of its stores.

For retailers like Walmart, private labels like Great Value are such a driving force in profits that it recently introduced its first new private food label in 20 years: bettergoods. The chef-inspired food seeks to bring uniquely elevated culinary products to patrons at an affordable price, which is reflected in the average product cost ranging from only $2 to $15. While this may make shoppers want to leave some Great Value items on the shelves in comparison, shoppers can rest easy knowing that Great Value bread shouldn't be one of them.