Milling & Baking News - January 28, 2020 - 11

Business

Flowers investing $25 million to
expand Virginia baking facility
RICHMOND, VA. - Flowers Foods, Inc.
has unveiled plans to invest $25 million to
expand and transform its Lynchburg, Va.,
baking facility into an organic plant. The
facility operated for more than 40 years.
"This expansion represents a tremendous opportunity for us to meet the increasing demand for our Dave's Killer
Bread (D.K.B.) organic, Non-GMO Project verified bread," said Bradley K. Alexander, chief operating officer of Flowers
Foods. "We chose to convert our Lynchburg bakery for a number of reasons, including its geographic location, access to
key interstate highways, and the partnership we have with local and state agencies. However, one of the more compelling reasons was the outstanding team

of individuals we have at our bakery. We
look forward to the successful completion of this project by late summer."
The conversion of the plant is expected to be similar to that done to Flowers
Foods' Tuscaloosa, Ala., baking facility
back in 2016, the company said.
Flowers Foods said the expansion will
create 15 new jobs at the baking plant.
The converted facility will serve the midAtlantic market, Flowers Foods said.
Flowers Foods acquired the D.K.B.
brand in the fall of 2015 for approximately $275 million. At the time, Flowers Foods said the acquisition of D.K.B.
would give it an organic baking presence
in the northwest U.S., a region where the
company had a limited presence. Over

the past several years company executives have talked openly about expanding the D.K.B. brand into a more national brand via Flowers Foods' expansive
distribution network.
In addition to D.K.B., which is certified organic by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture in accordance with the National Organic Program and verified nonG.M.O. by the Non-GMO Project, Flowers
Foods' organic portfolio includes Alpine
Valley Bakery products and Barowsky's
Organic bread, buns and rolls.
News of the expansion was welcomed
by government officials in Virginia,
which successfully competed with other
states to get Flowers Foods to make the
changes to its Virginia plant.
Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia
approved a $250,000 performance-based
grant from the Virginia Investment Partnership program to assist with the project. MBN

Chocolate chip cookies become
first items baked in outer space

NASA

minutes and at 325 degrees for 130 minutes,
respectively, were the most successful.
Before the experiment, there was speculation the space cookies would be more
MCLEAN, VA. - Humans now have a Fahrenheit. On the International Space Sta- spherical due to the lack of gravity in
recipe for chocolate chip cookies in outer tion, the first cookie baked at 300 degrees space. The experiment revealed the initial
shape and consistency of the Doublespace: Bake at 325 degrees FahrenTree chocolate chip cookies appeared
heit for 130 minutes. While baking
the same in space as on Earth.
in space for the first time ever, astroLuca Parmitano, commander of the
nauts aboard the International Space
ISS and a member of the European
Station found this tactic produced a
Space Agency, baked the cookies. Feldesirable chocolate chip cookie.
low crew members, including NASA
Learning how to bake cookies in
astronaut Christina Koch, checked
space should help in making space
on their progress. Three of the cooktravel more hospitable.
ies returned to Earth on Jan. 7 on the
The astronauts baked DoubleTree
SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Food sciby Hilton chocolate chip cookies.
ence professionals planned to further
The experiment was made possible
test the cookies.
through a partnership involving Dou"Perfecting the baking process for
bleTree by Hilton; Zero G Kitchen,
our DoubleTree cookies took time,
proprietors of the first space oven; and
even on earth," said Shawn McAteer,
Nanoracks, a provider of commercial
access to space. Following a Nov. 2, Luca Parmitano, left, commander of the International senior vice-president and global head
2019, launch from NASA's Wallops Space Station, and Christina Koch, a NASA astronaut, for McLean-based DoubleTree by Hilton, a portfolio of 580 hotels across
Flight Facility in Virginia, the baking present a chocolate chip cookie baked in space.
46 countries. "So we were excited to
took place over several days.
The average DoubleTree chocolate for 25 minutes and was under-baked. learn that our cookies appear to look and
chip cookie bakes in a convection oven The experiment found the fourth and smell the same on the I.S.S. as they do in
for 16 to 18 minutes at 300 degrees fifth cookies, baked at 300 degrees for 120 our hotels." MBN

Conagra launches Duncan Hines
keto-friendly cake cups
CHICAGO - Duncan Hines has introduced a new line of snacks customized
to those seeking keto-friendly treats. The
Keto Friendly Cups have a suggested
retail price of $2.15 and come in three
flavors: walnut fudge brownie, birthday
cake and double chocolate cake.

bakingbusiness.com / world-grain.com

The keto diet has grown more popular in recent years, with keto products being 4 of the top 10 2018 Google
searches in the food category.
"People following a keto-friendly
diet still want to enjoy delicious sweet
treats, and we're excited to provide

them with satisfying new options,"
said Audrey Ingersoll, senior director
at Duncan Hines. "Our new cake cups
deliver the warmth and indulgence you
expect from Duncan Hines with a recipe that's on trend with contemporary
diets."
The single-serve keto cups designed
by Duncan Hines, a brand of Conagra
Brands, contain five grams of net carbs
and no added sugar. MBN
Milling & Baking News

January 28, 2020 / 11

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Milling & Baking News - January 28, 2020

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