The facility is targeted for completion by April 2023.
Bakerly LLC, maker of French-style breads and pastries, plans to expand its footprint with the construction of a $35 million production center in Southeast San Antonio on the Brooks campus.
Officials with the company confirmed the planned Alamo City entry, which will bring more jobs and investment to an area of San Antonio that continues to attract new economic activity.
“We’re proud to expand our footprint with a second U.S. location at Brooks, a thriving community in San Antonio’s South Side,” Bakerly CEO Julien Caron said. “The opportunity to develop new partnerships, grow our operations and recruit from a burgeoning workforce are some of the many reasons we’re excited about our decision.”
The first phase of the project, according to a state filing, includes a more than 137,000-square-foot structure that will house production operations and administrative offices. The facility is targeted for completion by April 2023.
Cleary Zimmermann Engineers is listed as the design firm for the San Antonio project.
Tom Long, managing director for industrial for greater:SATX, an economic development organization, said Bakerly’s investment in San Antonio is further indication that the city has become a more appealing home for food and beverage manufacturers.
“With our partners at Brooks, we’ve worked with the company to ensure they will be able to meet the needs of their customers from day one by assembling the development team to build the facilities at Brooks, and connecting them to workforce resources like SA WORX and Alamo Colleges,” Long said.
The Bakerly facility is slated for a site along Research Plaza, near the heart of the Brooks campus.
Brooks, a former Air Force base, is a 1,308-acre mixed-use community, owned and managed by the Brooks Development Authority. The development will now be home to five international companies. There are more than 50 businesses at Brooks in industries like medical, retail, light industrial, and technology, according to its website.
“With the addition of Bakerly, we welcome our second French-based company,” Brooks President and CEO Leo Gomez said, noting that the campus is gaining “hundreds more jobs.”
In May, The French ambassador to the U.S. visited the campus to celebrate the opening of Cuisine Solutions, a manufacturer of prepackaged sous vide meals for hotel chains, airlines and restaurants. Sous vide is a cooking method involving the vacuum sealing of food.
In 2018, Brooks landed the Nissei America, Inc. (formerly Nissei Plastic Machinery America Inc.) plant. Roughly eight months ago, the Japanese company announced it was moving its U.S. headquarters from California to San Antonio.
OKIN Process, a Czech-based business services company, has continued to expand operations at its U.S. headquarters at Brooks since confirming in 2018 plans to establish a presence in the Alamo City.
Bakerly manufactures an assortment of French-inspired products. The company was cofounded by Fabian Milon and Caron, who are from Northwestern France.
“We are thrilled to see more jobs coming to Brooks,” South San Antonio Chamber President and CEO Al Arreola said. “That’s why we need to keep investing in infrastructure around this thriving regional center.”
Article originally published here: French-based pastry company to build $35M facility at Brooks
MySA: Bakerly baking up plans for $35 million commercial bakery in Southside San Antonio