FAIRFIELD, CALIF. — Just Desserts, an artisan baking company that makes desserts and sweet snacks that are sold in grocery and convenience retailers, is opening a 75,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Fairfield in May. The Fairfield location will house the company’s production facility, an innovation center (including a test kitchen) and some administrative offices.
“Our business enjoyed double-digit growth in 2014 through the introduction of our new organic and vegan product offerings,” said Michael J. Mendes, chief executive officer of Just Desserts. “With the introduction of new products, our new proprietary-packaging platform and expanded production facility, we expect accelerated growth in the future.”
Mr. Mendes said Just Desserts is relocating from Oakland, Calif., to Fairfield because of its need for a larger facility. The Fairfield site is double the size of Just Desserts’ current bakery in Oakland. He said the facility is being designed and equipped to handle the company’s new organic and premium vegan baked items and will have enhanced production capabilities, as well as an in-house quality control laboratory.
Mr. Mendes said Fairfield was chosen for the new site after an exhaustive search.
“We chose Fairfield because of the value of real estate, the city’s business-friendly environment, and the fact that the transportation lanes are attractive for shipping and transporting product, “ Mr. Mendes said. “We also found that the access to skilled workers in the area is well-suited to our needs.”
Just Desserts said it expects to create more than 100 new jobs at the Fairfield facility when the facility reaches full production.
