A commercial baking company broke ground on a nearly $22 million manufacturing facility in Boone County that will eventually provide retailers like Wawa convenience stores with baked goods.
The company, Bakery Express, is building a 50,000-square-foot facility off Dixon Drive in unincorporated Boone County. The facility will serve retailers in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. Construction is estimated to finish by December of this year, with the facility becoming fully operational by April 2025. Cincinnati-based Geis Companies is the firm in charge of the project’s construction.
On Friday, representatives from Bakery Express, BE NKY Growth Partnership and Wawa joined Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Boone County Judge/Executive Gary Moore at a groundbreaking ceremony.
“This new Bakery Express Midwest project represents a significant commitment from the leaders in this company’s future as well as in the future of Northern Kentucky,” Beshear said. “This facility is going to make sure 220-plus Kentucky families are able to put food on their table, that are able to provide more opportunities for their kids and will have the dignity that comes with a really good job.”
Last June, LINK nky reported the project would cost approximately $10 million. Charlie Burman, the founder of Bakery Express, announced the company would be increasing its investment from $10 million to nearly $22 million. Additionally, the scope of the facility is increasing from 35,000 to 50,000 square feet.
“Today, after we’ve reviewed what we think the opportunity here is, we’ve expanded the scope of the project so that we are now going to build a 50,000 square foot facility rather than 30 to 35,” Burman said. “The investment now looks like $22 million instead of $10 million.”
In total, the project is expected to create nearly 175 full-time jobs, according to a press release from the governor’s office.
Last year, Wawa, a longtime customer of Bakery Express, announced its intention to expand into Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee. Bakery Express’ Boone County facility will provide Wawa with a logistically convenient baked goods supplier for that expansion.
“We couldn’t serve nearly 2 million people every day without partners like Bakery Express,” said Jerome Hunsinger, marketing brand manager at Wawa. “As we expand into the Midwest, with hundreds of new stores planned for Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee over the next eight to 10 years, we couldn’t do that without partners like Bakery Express. We are going to need you guys more than ever.”
Last August, a representative from Wawa presented plans to open a new store at the corner of Burlington Pike and Cardinal Drive during a Boone County Planning Commission meeting.
However, the plug was pulled on the plans after Boone County residents, the City of Florence, and the state of Kentucky expressed concerns over how the convenience store would impact traffic on Burlington Pike, also known as KY-18.
Wawa pivoted, setting their sights on a 2.6-acre piece of land at the intersection of Dixie Highway and Mt. Zion Road. Wawa sought approval from the Boone County Fiscal Court to amend the land’s zoning designation from industrial to commercial. On Nov. 28, the fiscal court voted in favor of the zoning amendment.
“We know we’ve approved the first zoning change for the Wawa a half mile from here, and we’re excited about that coming out of the ground as well,” Moore said.
Bakery Express provides over 4,000 retail outlets nationwide with manufactured baked goods, including donuts, muffins, cookies, brownies, croissants, bagels, pastries and cupcakes. Besides the Midwest, the company has a presence in central Florida, central Texas and southern California.