Bauducco grows U.S. footprint with Florida wafer facility
The plant will reportedly allow the company to respond to demand faster.
Bauducco International Business Unit CEO and Bauducco family members are joined by the Zephyrhills mayor and state and local officials for a ribbon cutting celebrating the grand opening of Bauducco's largest U.S. manufacturing facility in Zephyrhills, Florida.
Wafer producer Bauducco has officially opened its largest U.S. manufacturing facility in Zephyrhills, FL.
The 160,000-sq.-ft. facility brings double the manufacturing capacity previously available for the American market under one roof—reportedly streamlining the supply chain, shortening lead times, and allowing Bauducco to respond to retail demand with greater speed and precision. The campus is designed to scale beyond 1.2 million sq. ft. of production and distribution capacity as the company's U.S. footprint grows.
Founded in 1952, Bauducco’s U.S. portfolio features wafer cookies available in chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and coconut flavors, and multiple formats including a 40 g single-serve, a 5-oz multipack, a 9-oz family pack, and a sugar-free line in 5-oz and 4.2-oz. Bauducco’s wafers are made with a proprietary process that has remained largely unchanged since the brand's earliest days, the company says.
The plant brings Bauducco’s full wafer lineup under a Made in USA designation for the first time, reportedly operating at double the production capacity of what the brand previously had available for the American market.
The decision to build infrastructure in the U.S. was not made quickly, the company notes. For a family-owned company with deep roots in Brazil, it was a question of identity as much as strategy: was Bauducco ready to make the expansion and build out the portfolio? The answer, ultimately, was yes, it says. And it's expanding with a bet on Florida.
Zephyrhills—a growing community in the heart of Pasco County, northeast of Tampa—offered the combination of infrastructure, workforce, and community character that Bauducco's leadership was looking for, the company says. Pasco County's economic development team was a key partner in making the case, helping to connect the company's expansion vision with the resources and relationships needed to turn it into reality. Bauducco expects the facility will employ over 600 people at full production capacity, making it one of the more significant food manufacturing employers in Pasco County.
Bauducco products are available at major retailers across the country, with the Zephyrhills facility expected to support expanded distribution and shelf presence as domestic production capacity grows.
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!
