Gluten-free leader Enjoy Life Foods cut the ribbon on Sept. 8 at its new dedicated allergy-friendly bakery in Jeffersonville, Indiana—which at 200,000 square feet is said to be the largest such facility in the country. The maker of gluten-free, milk-free, nut-free, shellfish-free and other allergen-free cookies, snack bars, chocolate, baking mixes and savory snacks will now produce and package products at the facility for the retail as well as wholesale markets.
The company says the new facility will help the company expand operations, in terms of both its product line and its geographic reach. The facility produces 1,500 tons of baking chocolate per year, and 780,000 feet of snack bars and 7.1 million cookies per month.
In addition to the U.S., Enjoy Life Foods sells to global markets including Canada, South Africa, Israel, Mexico, and Singapore, and will soon expand throughout the EU and Asia.
Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer Joel Warady hinted at new products in the pipeline, with a likely launch of a snack-pack of mini cookies later this month. He also said they plan to experiment with seasonal holiday products and to expect a first run with that in the next 14 months, although he wouldn’t say which holiday or which season. Despite the popularity of gluten-free bread, that is not something Enjoy Life is currently pursuing.
The new bakery now employs more than 100 employees from Jeffersonville and the area, and is expected to bring on an 100 additional employees by the end of next year.
“This is a historic milestone for our company and for the allergy-friendly community as a whole,” Warady said. “With our new bakery, we have the opportunity to provide our many loyal fans with delicious free-from products they have come to know and love.”
