Baptista’s Bakery Inc. announced recently it plans to expand its Franklin plant by 120,000 square feet and add 200 jobs. The company plans to invest $75 million in the project, which includes the purchase of production equipment for its existing facility and the cost to build and equip the expansion space.
The private label baked snacks maker was founded by the Gardetto family in 1999 after Gardetto’s Bakery Inc. was sold to General Mills. It now has one building at 4625 W. Oakwood Park Drive in Franklin.
Baptista’s currently has 160 employees and plans to hire 75 new employees as soon as possible. The remaining 125 jobs will be added once the addition is completed.
The expansion plan will go before the Franklin Community Development Authority for Approval on Sept. 21. Construction would begin in October and the new portion is expected to open in spring of 2012.
“We’re very pleased to be in a position of expanding our business in the community of Franklin, and the great state of Wisconsin, both of whom my family has been committed to helping grow,” said Nan Gardetto, owner and CEO of Baptista’s. “We believe the continued expansion of our business reflects a renewed focus on quality and healthy eating in today’s health-conscious society and we expect that trend to continue.”
The company will be eligible for an allocation of up to $2.26 million under the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.’s economic development tax credit program.
