Enjoy Life Foods builds $39m ‘free-from' bakery to expand global footprint

14-Sep-2016 - Last updated on 16-Sep-2016 at 14:26 GMT

Enjoy Life Foods was sold to Mondelēz last year

Mondelēz-owned snack brand Enjoy Life Foods has doubled its capacity with the opening a new 200,000-square-foot free-from bakery in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

The new bakery mainly produces gluten-free and non-GMO snacks, including cookies, snack bars, chocolate bars, baking chocolate and baking mixes.

Expected to create 200 jobs

The $39m facility meets Enjoy Life Foods’ growing capacity and production needs, and reflects rising demand for allergy-friendly foods, the company’s chief marketing and innovation officer Joel Warady told BakeryandSnacks.

Enjoy Life Foods has so far created 100 new jobs for locals in Jeffersonville and the surrounding area at the new facility, said Warady.

“We will create a total of 200 [jobs] by the end of 2017,” he added.

Boost Mondelēz’s status in well-being snack segment

Enjoy Life Foods, which was sold to Mondelēz in February 2015, said all its products are gluten-free and are made without wheat or other sources of gluten, such as barley and rye.

Warady said the company’s products are “helping Mondelēz reach its goal to become a leader in well-being snacks".

“We bake all our products in a certified gluten-free bakery and require that all ingredient suppliers fill out non-contamination certificates. We also perform routine gluten rapid tests for extra assurance,” Warady added.

Expand footprint in Asia and the EU

Warady said the new bakery is the largest free-from facility in North America, adding that the business aims to expand Enjoy Life Foods’ distribution throughout the world.

“Allergy-friendly products are as in demand around the world as here in North America. With the resources of Mondelēz supporting us, our priority is to continue to expand worldwide and we are excited to introduce Enjoy Life products in select markets based on demand,” he said.

Enjoy Life Foods is currently available in the US, Canada, South Africa, Israel, Mexico and Singapore. It is expected to expand distribution throughout Asia and the EU in the near future.