Brothers Louis Cohen and Sam Okon bought Progressive Bakery from their older brother, Abe Cohen, in 1939. (Louis changed his name to Cohen to be the same as his brother Abe, while Sam kept the original family name.) The bakery was generally considered a commercial bakery, though individual customers also bought from Progressive. The bakery delivered bread to Notre Dame dining halls, Italian restaurants, immigrant bakeries, and many other businesses throughout the area. They operated the business until the mid-1970s, when they sold it to one of their employees.