Martin's Announces Expansion at the Valdosta Bakery
Staff Report From Valdosta CEO
Wednesday, October 18th, 2017
Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe, Inc., home of the number one branded hamburger roll in the United States, is expanding their bakery in Valdosta-Lowndes County, Georgia, to add additional production capacity.
Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe, Inc., has been known for their continual pursuit of a higher level of service and best practices in the baking industry. The upcoming construction project includes a major expansion of the bakery.
“Martin’s expansion in our community will account for a multimillion-dollar capital investment, adding an estimated 36 new jobs with continued market growth,” said Andrea Schruijer, executive director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority. “Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe, Inc., is an example of the positive economic impact companies have here in Valdosta-Lowndes County. We are thrilled they are expanding,” said Schruijer.
“We are excited about the expansion of the bakery, which adds an additional 119,379 square feet of production space,” said Tony Martin, executive vice president of Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe, Inc. “We are moving to a higher level of business and operational sophistication. This will increase the ability to efficiently serve our customers on a larger scale as our markets continue to grow.”
Freshness and quality are important to Martin’s Famous Potato Rolls and Bread. The company uses high protein wheat flour (and for whole wheat products, 100 percent stone-ground whole wheat), nonfat milk, potatoes, pure cane sugar, yeast, sunflower oil, and real butter in their bakery products. Their products contain no artificial colors or artificial sweeteners, and they source all non-Genetically Modified Organism (non-GMO) ingredients.
“Quality is crucial to our brand, and the efficiency of our operations is essential, especially since Martin’s bakery products are only on the stores shelves for 3-4 days, which is a significantly shorter amount of time than our competitors’ products,” Martin said.
The new production space is designed with the future in mind so that production capacity in this space can be increased as the market dictates. The newest line will encompass state-of-the-art baking technology that includes production efficiency, automation, and verification processes that promote the highest quality in food safety standards.
“We see this as not only as an investment in our company but also an investment in our employees and our community,” said Scott Munger, Martin’s director of production operations in Valdosta. “The new capacity along with the additional technology aids in developing our workforce and brings additional revenues into our community.”
“We are thrilled that Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe, Inc., is nearly doubling their footprint in Georgia with this expansion,” said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson. “It’s a win for all of us when a company announces they are expanding to accommodate projected sales growth in the U.S. and around the world. I also commend our economic development partners in Valdosta who have supported their efforts.”
“Martin’s is a hometown favorite and is known throughout the country for its great-tasting, quality breads and rolls,” said Tom Call, chairman of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority. “We are very pleased they are investing more into our community with more jobs and capital investment.”
The Martin’s Potato Roll and Bread bakery in Valdosta has been producing Martin’s products since 2008. The design, build, and installation of this new production line will be completed by February 2019.