Exeter Bakery To Open This Summer
They have owned the former Dixie Yarns manufacturing plant in Exeter since 1992 but have waited 20 years to make their own products here. No longer spinning any yarn, to figure out what’s cooking – soon all you will have to do is follow your nose.
We are talking about national sweet roll baker Svenhard’s Swedish Bakery who now says they will begin hiring by July and test baking by late August preparing for a single line of production to begin by September/October in Exeter.
The recession has slowed Svenhard’s plans. “It has taken a little longer than we thought to begin operations in this tough financial market. We had some lender problems but that’s all behind us now” says the company’s chief operating officer David Kunkel.
Kunkel says the first line to begin production will be a 16 and 32 roll variety pack sent daily to over 600 Sam’s Club locations around the nation and baked right here. Varieties will range from big packages of their famous bear claws, to raisin snails to cinnamon rolls.
“We will do all our bulk item baking and distribution from Exeter” says Kunkel, adding that this first phase will require 40 new employees in addition to the 20 people working there now. The numbers would increase to about 120 more by this time next year when all bulk lines will be in production.
The sprawling 40 acre property on Industrial Ave has not registered much on the local radar screen for most of two decades because the company has delayed any plan to relocate all operations from their Oakland facility, their only bakery.
But several years ago the concept changed to maintain two plants in California – one for single baked items, Oakland and the new bulk item plant in Exeter. They began talking to the city and other agencies about permits to move forward.
Kunkel says an extensive remodel of the manufacturing area has been underway for the past year, a new roof as well as electrical and plumbing work along with the addition of automated manufacturing equipment, mixers and packaging machines. An oven was installed some time ago.
Kunkel himself says he will have an office in Exeter and will hire a plant manager soon to oversee operations. ”I love Exeter and look forward to working there“ says Kunkel, noting Svenhard’s family members still live in the area and Kunkel’s nephew John Kunkel was formerly the police chief in town.
“The state EDD will handle all our hiring” says Kunkel suggesting people interested in jobs contact EDD by the end of June.
Look for a formal ribbon cutting in September he adds.