Food distribution company invests $35M in Spartanburg expansion

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Highland Baking Co., a wholesale bread baking company, is expanding its existing facility in Spartanburg County.

The company’s $35 million investment will create approximately 80 new jobs, according to a news release from the South Carolina governor’s office.

Located at 7001 Asheville Highway in Spartanburg, the company will upgrade its existing building and infrastructure to support a new full production line, the release stated. The expansion will also allow for a potential additional production line in the future to ensure the company efficiently meets increasing supply demands.

“Our home in Spartanburg, South Carolina has been a central part of our success over the last decade,” Highland Baking CEO Stu Rosen said in the release. “This additional investment demonstrates not only our belief in the business moving forward, but our confidence in the staff of our Spartanburg bakery and the community in which it resides.”

Established in 1984 and based in Northbrook, Ill., Highland Baking Co. specializes in producing and distributing custom bread products for national and international restaurant chains, according to the release. The Spartanburg facility, in operation for 10 years, currently produces 17 different bakery products including pan bread varieties, buns and sub rolls.

In addition to serving some of the company’s largest customers on the East Coast of the United States, products from the Spartanburg plant are also exported to Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico and South America, the release stated.

The expansion is expected to be complete by October 2023.

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development awarded a $100,000 Set-Aside grant to Spartanburg County to assist with costs of site preparation and building improvements, the release stated.

“There’s something special about announcing business expansions, and celebrating companies that have found success here in Spartanburg,” David, Britt, chairman of the Spartanburg County Councilman and Economic Development Committee, said in the release. “And the facility where Highland Baking is holds a special place for me, as it was where I worked during my first job in Spartanburg, as a management trainee and division HR manager. I speak for many people when I say we’re happy Highland Baking will expand its national reach of products made right here in Spartanburg County.”