Aspire Bakeries has announced the expansion of its Newark, California, bakery, with the addition of a new frozen cookie dough line for its popular Otis Spunkmeyer cookies. As the #1 brand in foodservice frozen cookie dough, Otis Spunkmeyer continues to grow sales within the cookie category, and in foodservice, convenience and retail channels.

“Our Newark bakery is expanding following a surge in demand for our delicious Otis Spunkmeyer cookies,” said Laura Shannon, chief operations officer of Aspire Bakeries. The new cookie line increases Aspire Bakeries’ capacity for its highly popular Otis Spunkmeyer branded and custom frozen cookie dough, which is sold to foodservice, retail, and convenience operators in frozen pucks and baked fresh on-site. This boost in capacity will enable Aspire Bakeries to increase the company’s frozen cookie dough supply to meet its increasing customer demand. Production will start in the fall. In preparation, the Newark bakery is hiring new employees from the community to start later this month.

Work is also underway to build a Sweet Baked Goods Innovation lab at the Newark bakery. The lab will be filled with invigorating natural light and some of the finest product developers in our industry, whom will use the latest commercial equipment, including combination microwave/convection/radiant heat ovens and state-of-the-art analytical instruments, to create the next generation of cookies, muffins, bars, and cakes for Otis Spunkmeyer and its customers. From ideation, through commercialization, and to sensory evaluation, Aspire Bakeries’ Sweet Goods Innovation lab will be an all-encompassing center of creation.

“Aspire Bakeries is committed to the expansion of its cookie business and responding to increased customer demand for our popular Otis Spunkmeyer cookies,” said Beau Netzer, president of foodservice for Aspire Bakeries. “We continue to invest in our bakeries to prioritize and support our growth, innovation capabilities, and supply capacity, with the ultimate goal of ensuring our customers gain competitive advantage and achieve success.”