Flowers Baking Co. of Henderson, L.L.C., a subsidiary of Thomasville, Ga.-based Flowers Foods, Inc., will restart production later this year. The bakery closed in November 2012 when Old HB, Inc. (formerly Hostess Brands) began liquidation.
The Henderson bakery is the first of 20 plants acquired earlier this year by Flowers from Hostess slated to open. Flowers has said in recent months that it plans to open acquired bakeries as sales grow and additional production capacity is needed.
“We are pleased to announce the opening of the bakery in Henderson, and we look forward to being part of the southern Nevada business community,” said Tom Wilson, president of Flowers Baking Co. of Henderson. “The bakery will employ 60 team members at the outset and perhaps more over time as consumer demand drives the need for additional production.”
He noted the bakery, which is currently in a gradual start-up phase, will produce Nature’s Own for markets in southern Nevada and parts of California.
Mr. Wilson said Flowers Baking Co. of Henderson will operate in a similar manner to other Flowers Foods bakeries around the country.
“Our first priorities are to provide good jobs, benefits, and opportunities for team members and to deliver fresh and delicious baked foods for consumers,” he said. “We also support our local bakery communities through charitable giving, volunteerism and stewardship of resources.”
Built in 2004, the Henderson facility is the newest of the former Hostess plants acquired by Flowers. Estimated project capitalization was $6 million for the plant and property and $30 million for equipment and conversion, according to a February 2004 feature that appeared in Baking & Snack magazine, a sister publication to Milling & Baking News. The plant was established with the intent to run 52 routes directly from the bakery while supplying another 4 depots around Las Vegas. The plant shipped fresh bread and buns throughout Nevada and to 7 depots in Arizona. The facility also made croutons and stuffing for national distribution.
The building in Henderson originally was built in 1977 by Levi Strauss & Co. as a distribution facility. It stood vacant for several years before the former Hostess Brands acquired it and began renovations in May 2002. According to the 2004 Baking & Snack article, the building sits on a 27-acre site and covers 243,000 square feet, not counting an 80,000-square-foot mezzanine, which Hostess used to house bread and bun cooling, the catalytic oxidizer system and onsite storage for finished dry products. Processing occupied about 85,000 square feet and packaging 25,000 square feet. Storage areas encompassed 30,000 square feet for ingredients. Shipping used 25,000 square feet, plus 5,000 square feet for maintenance and garage facilities. Offices occupied 22,000 square feet, and the main floor used 50,000 square feet for additional dry product storage.
