Martin's broke ground on its new expansion project in Valdosta-Lowndes County, Ga., on Oct. 17.

VALDOSTA, GA. — Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe, Inc., a family-owned baker of bread and roll products, is expanding its baking plant in Valdosta-Lowndes County, Ga.

“We are excited about the expansion of the bakery, which adds an additional 119,379 square feet of production space,” said Tony Martin, executive vice-president of Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe, Inc. “We are moving to a higher level of business and operational sophistication. This will increase the ability to efficiently serve our customers on a larger scale as our markets continue to grow.”

Martin’s Famous Pastry said the expansion will be undertaken in a manner that will allow for future growth. The newest production line will be geared toward production efficiency, automation and verification processes that promote quality in food safety standards, the company said.

The bakery expansion will add 119,379 square feet of production space to the facility.

“We see this as not only as an investment in our company but also an investment in our employees and our community,” said Scott Munger, Martin’s director of production operations in Valdosta.  “The new capacity along with the additional technology aids in developing our workforce and brings additional revenues into our community.”

Freshness and quality are important to Martin’s Famous Potato Rolls and Bread. The company uses high protein wheat flour (and for whole wheat products, 100% stone-ground whole wheat), nonfat milk, potatoes, pure cane sugar, yeast, sunflower oil and butter in its bakery products. The company’s products contain no artificial colors or artificial sweeteners, and the company sources all non-G.M.O. ingredients.

“Quality is crucial to our brand, and the efficiency of our operations is essential, especially since Martin’s bakery products are only on the stores shelves for 3-4 days, which is a significantly shorter amount of time than our competitors’ products,” Mr. Martin said.

Martin's uses high protein wheat flour, nonfat milk, potatoes, pure cane sugar, yeast, sunflower oil and butter in its bakery products.

“We are thrilled that Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe, Inc., is nearly doubling their footprint in Georgia with this expansion,” said Pat Wilson, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “It’s a win for all of us when a company announces they are expanding to accommodate projected sales growth in the U.S. and around the world. I also commend our economic development partners in Valdosta who have supported their efforts.”

Tom Call, chairman of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority, described Martin’s as a hometown favorite known throughout the country for its “great-tasting, quality bread and rolls.”

“We are very pleased they are investing more into our community with more jobs and capital investment,” Mr. Call said.

The Martin’s Potato Roll and Bread bakery in Valdosta has been producing Martin’s products since 2008.

The Martin’s Potato Roll and Bread bakery in Valdosta has been producing Martin’s products since 2008. The design, build, and installation of the new production line is expected to be completed by February 2019.