Milling & Baking News - December 24, 2013 - 9

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Bimbo Bakeries to close Kansas
baking plant early next year
WICHITA, KAS. - Bimbo Bakeries USA plans to cease production at
its plant in Wichita early next year,
shifting production to other more
modern facilities, including a Topeka,
Kas., bakery that opened in 2011. The
closing will affect more than 100 employees at the plant, which once was
known as the Rainbo Bakery.
B.B.U. said the Wichita facility will
shut down on Feb. 24. The company acquired the plant as part of its acquisition
of the North American Fresh Bakery
business of Sara Lee Corp. that closed in

November 2011. The plant makes bread
and buns under the Rainbo, Ironkids
and Grant's Farm brands, according to
the 2013 Directory & Buyers Guide published by Sosland Publishing Co.
"This was a difficult decision because of the highly capable team of
associates at the Wichita bakery," said
Didier Moleres, regional vice-president of operations for B.B.U.'s Central
region. "However, after an extensive
assessment, we concluded that the age
of the equipment and building and the
outdated level of technology make the

bakery unable to compete effectively
in the marketplace going forward."
B.B.U. said the changes will not impact
its customer service or the availability of
its fresh-baked products, which will continue to be distributed across the state.
It is the third baking plant closing
announced by Horsham, Pa.-based
B.B.U. this year. In September, B.B.U.
announced plans to shutter its baking
plant in Elk Grove, Calif., and shift production to other facilities by Nov. 8. The
plant made bread products and tortillas.
In August, B.B.U. said it would
close its baking plant in Easton, Pa., by
the end of the year. The plant, which
employs 200, makes hamburger and
hot dog buns. MBN

Hostess Brands expanding
Kansas snack cakes plant
EMPORIA, KAS. - Six months after
holding a ribbon cutting at the facility,
Hostess Brands L.L.C. said it will expand its plant in Emporia. The Kansas
City-based snack cakes maker submitted its expansion plans to the board of
directors of the Regional Development
Association of East Central Kansas,
who in turn presented its recommendations for the project to the Emporia City
Commission on Dec. 11.
"Emporia is an important facility for

Hostess," said Richard Seban, president
of Hostess Brands L.L.C. "We are very appreciative of the ongoing support of the
local authorities, and we are delighted
to be making additional investments in
this great community. The expansion and
upgrades will enable Hostess to increase
production capacity for our iconic snack
cakes and enhance overall efficiencies as
we move forward."
Mr. Seban said plans call for the addition
of an approximately 36,000-square-foot

Land O'Lakes acquires technology company
ARDEN HILLS, MINN. - Land O'Lakes,
Inc. has acquired Geosys, a company that
provides satellite imaging and insights
to agribusiness. The acquisition caps a
multi-year relationship between Geosys
and Land O'Lakes through its WinField
division, which uses Geosys technologies
in the United States.

Business

"This acquisition further cements Land
O'Lakes' position as a leader in agribusiness," said Chris Policinski, president and
chief executive officer of Land O'Lakes.
"We are developing tomorrow's agricultural technology today, and this acquisition fits that strategic drive. Today's
purchase demonstrates Land O'Lakes'

warehouse building, the installation of a
new Auto-Bake production line, and additional equipment upgrades and purchases. The total investment is expected to
exceed $30 million, he said, and an additional 50 full-time employees will be hired.
The Emporia plant was one of four
acquired by Apollo Global Management
L.L.C. and Metropoulos & Co. earlier
this year as part of a purchase of selected
Hostess assets. In April, Mr. Seban said
capacity at Emporia had been increased
significantly ahead of the company's return to the marketplace.The other plants
are in Columbus, Ga.; Schiller Park, Ill.;
and Indianapolis. MBN
leadership in helping to build the farm of
the future with cutting-edge concepts and
technologies. These industry-leading technologies give farmers the tools to make
critical decisions to improve yields while
reducing their environmental footprint
and further help our member cooperatives
to leverage proven tools that turn data into
decision enablers that drive productivity
and sustainable agricultural practices." MBN

Corbion partners with Harvesters in holiday effort
KANSAS CITY - Many companies in the
grain-based foods industry took time during
the holidays to find ways to help their communities. In November, more than 200 employees
of Corbion (formerly Caravan Ingredients and
Purac) combined forces to pack 8,000 boxes of
food to be distributed to families in need during
the holiday season. Working in conjunction
with Harvesters, a Kansas City area food bank
that is part of the Feeding America network,
the Corbion employees gathered in the parking
lot of the company's Grandview, Mo., distribution center to pack the boxes. The effort was
completed in about two hours. MBN
bakingbusiness.com / world-grain.com

Milling & Baking News December 24, 2013 / 9

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Milling & Baking News - December 24, 2013

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