Gardenia investing P2 B for new plant

Bread maker Gardenia Bakeries is investing an additional P2 billion for a new plant in North Luzon, the company announced yesterday.

The investment is on top of a P1-billion bread plant being put up in Mindanao.

Gardenia said the P2billion North Luzon plant would be a world class, fully automated bread manufacturing facility designed to serve growing demand in the Central and North Luzon markets, as well as ensure adequate bread supply in Metro Manila.

The factory will be located in a four-hectare land in the TECO Industrial Park in Mabalacat City, Pampanga.

“This new bread plant is accessible for direct logistics connections. With its strategic location, it can easily supply freshly-baked breads to North Luzon consumers and provide support to Metro Manila requirements,” Gardenia president Jun Umali said.

He said the plant would be Gardenia’s second largest facility, next to its Laguna plant, with a production capacity of more than 200,000 loaves and buns per day.

Once operational, it will ensure customers in Metro Manila and the northern part of the country of increased and sufficient supply of freshly baked Gardenia products, especially during peak demand seasons like Christmas and holidays.

Despite its expanded Laguna operations in 2016, Umali said Gardenia’s rapid sales growth makes it necessary to add more plant facilities to cater to the increasing bread demand in the country.

“We are a rice-eating country, but due to lifestyle changes and increased health consciousness of Filipinos, bread consumption is growing,” he said.

Gardenia is the dominant leader in the packaged bread industry in the country with more than a 50 percent market share.

The company’s new fully automated bread manufacturing plant in Mindanao will be operational within the third quarter.