Flowers Foods to expand baked foods facility in Pennsylvania

US bakery foods producer Flower Foods plans to invest $31m to expand its facility in Oxford, Pennsylvania, to add a new bread production line.

Flowers Foods chairman and CEO George E Deese said the company’s plan is in line with its growth strategy to reach 75% of the US population with its fresh baked foods and to grow sales from 5% to 10% annually.

The project will add 8,361.27m² to the Oxford facility to house a high-speed bread line, which will produce soft variety and specialty breads under Nature’s Own and other company brands.

The current 15,979.32m² Oxford plant has five production lines for donuts, honey buns and cakes, sold under the Tastykake brand.

The construction is expected to begin this summer and the bread line is likely to go onstream by summer 2013. The project is expected to gain economic assistance from the Pennsylvania’s government.

By the end of April 2012, Flowers Foods plans to introduce Nature’s Own bread at supermarkets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which will increase the company’s reach to an additional 1% of the US population.

The breads will be shipped from its other bakeries to Philadelphia, until the Oxford bread line is operational.

In the future, Flowers Foods also plans to add a bun production line at the facility with an investment of $18m. The company acquired the Oxford facility when it completed the acquisition of Tasty Baking last May.

Image: The $31m expansion project will add a high-speed bread line for the production of soft variety and specialty breads. Photo: kspoddar