Lenexa, Kansas – Hostess Brands first announced acquiring a facility in Arkadelphia, Arkansas in March 2022 with the intention to transform it into an innovative bakery.
Over the course of fifteen months, the anticipation surrounding this project and its impact on the entire snack company has been steadily growing.
Travis Leonard, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Hostess Brands, expresses his excitement about the new bakery whose iconic snack foods includes Donettes, Twinkies, CupCakes, Ding Dongs and Coortman cookies and wafers.
The company plans to invest between 120 million and $140 million in three aspects of the 330,000 square foot plant.
The plant is expected to increase Hostess’ cake and Donette platforms’ capacity by approximately 20%. This will enable the company to accommodate production growth in the future.
In addition, the facility will also potentially incorporate automation, exploring how digital tools can enhance the efficiency of large-scale baking processes. The knowledge gained from this endeavor will then be applied to other bakeries, leading to increased efficiency throughout their network.
Lastly, Hostess Brands’ decision to renovate an existing building will reduce the company’s cost for the new bakery, while minimizing environmental impacts.
"We are emphasizing a sustainability-first approach to this project while leveraging best practices from across our network of bakeries and we anticipate this bakery will be our most efficient and greenest operation yet," states Andy Callahan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hostess Brands.
Hostess Brands aims to bring the Arkadelphia plant online in the fourth quarter of this year. It will create 150 new jobs in south Arkansas that will have a lasting impact on the local economy.
To view current jobs at Hostess Brands, visit https://www.careersinfood.com/hostess-brands-company-42319.htm
Photo by: hostessbrands.com