Hope Baking Co. announced Thursday a $37 million expansion that is projected to create 266 new jobs over two years.
Hope Baking is a division of East Baking Co., which acquired Southern Bakeries in March 2023. Since the acquisition, the company has expanded the facility, adding a new production line.
The facility will produce a range of bakery items, including bread sticks, English muffins, fully baked breads, and seasonal brown and serve (B&S) rolls.
"South Arkansas has the workforce and resources that enable businesses to thrive, and we congratulate community leaders for creating an environment that attracts new industry and encourages reinvestment from existing companies," said Clint O'Neal, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission
Founded in 2003, East Baking Company offers a range of bakery items, including individually wrapped, bulk packed, bagged, boxed, and chip boarded products.
"Hope Baking Company is excited to be reinvigorating the operation of the bakery and equipment located in Hope, Arkansas, and looks forward to steady expansion of its employment count," Dan Serra, owner of Hope Baking Company, said in a news release.
"We're excited to see a local business expand," Hope Mayor Don Still said in the release. "We're glad Hope Baking Company believes in investing in our community."
The development in Hope comes after the opening of a Hostess Brands commercial bakery up Interstate 30 in Arkadelphia.
Hostess announced plans for an up to $140 million investment to convert a closed factory for snack cake production in 2022. The Arkadelphian, a local news organization, reported earlier in 2022 that Hostess was contractually obligated to create at least 150 jobs in Clark County, as the Economic Development Corporation of Clark County provided $2 million from the local half-cent economic development sales tax as part of the deal.
Plans for the bakery continued after the Ohio-based J.M. Smucker Co. acquired Hostess, based in the western Kansas City suburbs, in 2023.
"It's been an exciting time watching the Hostess facility get up and running," said Shelley Short, who heads the Economic Development Corporation of Clark County and the Arkadelphia Regional Economic Development Alliance, via email. "The 150-plus jobs they've created are transforming lives while helping elevate our local economy and fueling prosperity in the region. We could not be prouder of their investment in Clark County and the opportunities they are providing."
Information for this article was contributed by Andrew Moreau and Aaron Gettinger of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.