ST. LOUIS — Haas Baking Co., which opened in 1925 as a baker of bread and rolls and eventually grew to become a supplier of frozen bakery products to the food service industry, has closed.

Haas was known for its Gooey Butter Cake and was one of the first bakeries in St. Louis to offer the product. The company also made hamburger and hot dog buns, sweet yeast goods, cake-type donuts, yeast-raised donuts, cakes and muffins.

“Declining sales, the economic downturn, increased production and ingredient costs, shifting customer preferences and resistance to price increases, and the presence of many new and aggressive competitors have all conspired together to make the profitable operation of Haas’ business impossible going forward,” Joseph F. Haas, president, wrote in a letter to customers.

Mr. Haas specifically mentioned a difficult past 10 years and said it was only because of loyal customers that the company was able to remain in business as long as it did.

According to the 2011 Directory & Buyers Guide, Haas had 99 employees and sales of approximately $12 million.