The Business Lessons of a Bakery Founded in 1879

Said Abulafia, who helps lead Jaffa's Abulafia bakery—operating continuously since 1879 – says the secret to nearly 150 years of survival isn't bold reinvention but consistency and simplicity. Having moved from corporate M&A law into the family business, he focuses on preserving what already works rather than chasing growth for its own sake. His core lesson: consistency compounds, and lasting success comes from showing up and doing the right things repeatedly over time.

What running a historic family bakery has taught him about longevity

In business, everyone talks about growth. Few talk about longevity.

Yet longevity is what makes a business truly remarkable. New companies open every day. Very few are still serving customers a century later.

That reality is what makes Said Abulafia's story different.

Based in Tel Aviv–Jaffa, Abulafia helps lead a historic Arab family-owned bakery that has been operating since 1879. The bakery has existed through the Ottoman Empire, the British Mandate, the founding of Israel, wars, economic changes, tourism booms, and global disruptions. It has served generations of families while remaining a fixture of life in Jaffa.

For Abulafia, the challenge is not creating something new. It is about preserving something that has already proven its value while ensuring it continues to thrive.

"When people hear 1879, they think about history," he says. "I think about responsibility. Every generation had to make decisions that kept the business going. Now it's our turn."

Growing up around a business that was bigger than one person

Abulafia grew up in Jaffa as the eldest of five children. From an early age, he understood that the bakery was more than a business.

It was part of the neighborhood.

Generations of customers had their own memories connected to it. Some came as children and later brought their own children and grandchildren.

"When you grow up around a place like that, you realize you're not just selling a product," he says. "You're becoming part of people's routines and family traditions."

That perspective would later influence how he approached leadership.

From corporate law to a historic family business

His professional career started far from hospitality.

After school, he worked in the mergers and acquisitions department of what was then Israel's largest law firm. The work exposed him to transactions, strategy, and the mechanics of business operations.

It also showed him something else.

Many companies focus heavily on growth but struggle to build staying power.

Eventually, he decided to join the family business.

"The bakery had already survived for well over a century before I arrived," he says. "My job wasn't to reinvent it. It was to understand why it lasted and build on that."

That shift changed how he viewed success.

What keeps a bakery open for nearly 150 years?

According to Abulafia, the answer is not innovation alone.

It is consistency.

Many businesses chase attention. The bakery focused on earning trust.

Customers return because they know what to expect. They know the quality. They know the experience.

"We've had customers tell us they remember coming here with their grandparents," he says. "When someone has that connection, you understand how important consistency really is."

That lesson became even more important during periods of uncertainty.

Leading through disruption

The past few years brought challenges that few business owners could have predicted.

COVID-19 disrupted customer behavior. Supply chains became less reliable. Costs increased. Demand shifted.

For a business built on consistency, those disruptions created pressure.

At one point, Abulafia found himself evaluating operations almost daily.

"There were times when supplier costs changed constantly and customer patterns became difficult to predict," he says. "You couldn't wait for things to settle down. You had to adapt while protecting the experience customers expected."

The solution was not dramatic.

Instead, the team focused on strengthening the fundamentals. They simplified operations, improved efficiency, and worked closely with suppliers. They focused on maintaining quality rather than chasing short-term opportunities.

Those decisions helped the bakery remain stable during a period when many businesses struggled.

Why simplicity still works

One idea appears repeatedly throughout Abulafia's approach: simplicity.

He believes businesses often become less effective when they add unnecessary complexity.

Whether it's operations, decision-making, or customer experience, simpler systems are usually easier to manage and easier to improve.

"People often think success comes from adding more," he says. "A lot of the time it comes from removing things that aren't helping."

That mindset has shaped how he approaches both leadership and operations.

Balancing heritage and the future

Leading a historic business comes with a unique challenge.

Customers value tradition, but businesses still need to evolve.

Abulafia sees his role as finding that balance.

The goal is not to preserve the past exactly as it was. The goal is to preserve the values that made the business successful while adapting to changing conditions.

"You have to respect what came before you," he says. "But you also have to make decisions that allow the business to keep moving forward."

The real legacy

When people talk about businesses that have lasted for generations, they often focus on history.

Abulafia focuses on continuity.

For him, the bakery's greatest achievement is not that it has existed since 1879. It is that customers still choose to visit today.

That continued trust is the result of thousands of small decisions made over decades.

"The biggest lesson I've learned is that consistency compounds," he says. "One good day doesn't matter very much. What matters is showing up and doing the right things over and over again."

In an era obsessed with rapid growth and constant change, that may be one of the most valuable business lessons a 146-year-old bakery can teach.