In 1882 baker Léon Souren opened the doors of his bakery in Burgundian Maastricht. From the narrow Vijfharingenstraat he sells delicious bread and buns. One of the specialties is the delicious, risen rye bread, baked in the floor oven on coals. Besides potatoes, nutritious rye bread has long been the staple food among the Dutch population, so the demand is high. Souren Bakery delivers the "wegskes" - small rye bread rolls that people cut into slices at home - with an authentic bakery cart.
Shortly after the war, the bakery was taken over and the economy flourished. Our bakery is also getting better and better. They work hard until late at night and the demand for rye bread is increasing. When the demand for sliced rye bread arises from Belgium, the rye bread is packed in silver wrappers bearing the name: SOMA (SOuren MAastricht).
We keep growing and we need a place where we can bake, cut and pack more rye bread. In 1952 the doors of SOMA in Gronsveld are opened. The demand for SOMA's bread continues to rise, as a result of the emerging supermarkets. The bakery in Maastricht is sold and from now on we will only focus on rye bread. SOMA's bread can no longer be ignored in the Limburg dining tables and the passion of our bakers has led to a number of special variations on the traditional rye bread.
We continue to grow in Limburg, Belgium and also in Germany. Every day our employees drive around in company buses to deliver, take orders and set up the shelves in the supermarkets. Everything is still done manually, with pen and paper and cash.
In 1994, the Rovers family takes over SOMA and the bakery is revived. New innovations are being devised to make the bread production process even better. In 2003 we move from Gronsveld to the current location in Echt.
In 2016, we changed our name from SOMA Rye Bread Bakery to 'Brood van SOMA / SOMA Bakery', because we are now much more than a rye bread bakery.
In 2020, we have developed into the absolute market leader in the Netherlands when it comes to risen, firmly baked rye bread. Our varied range of breads can also be found in Belgium, Germany, England, France and Italy!
The difference with the past? An innovative range made in a more innovative and sustainable production process, but still with the familiar taste of SOMA.
What once started as a passion for the baking trade is now a successful brand. And it is still only about one thing: baking the tastiest bread with the purest ingredients.
Tasty & Healthy, that's SOMA Bakery
