CARSON CITY, NEV. — Nature’s Bakery will start making certain products at its St. Louis bakery and reduce manufacturing operations in its Carson City bakery as the company rebalances its volume across facilities, said Tom Gentle, vice-president, supply chain and technical operations. Nature’s Bakery, which makes soft-baked snacks, is continuing to expand its product offerings and channels served, which requires changes to the operating model, he said.
Mr. Gentle declined to offer specific details on the planned expansion in St. Louis.
Work at the Carson City facility in February will drop to one shift a day from three shifts, and 80 positions will be eliminated. Affected employees will receive severance packages and job placement assistance through Nevada JobConnect. Nature’s Bakery has offered them opportunities to work in the St. Louis bakery.
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| Tom Gentle, vice-president of supply chain and technical operations for Nature's Bakery |
“It was an extremely difficult decision,” Mr. Gentle said. “We have great employees in Carson, but we have to make holistic business decisions as we continue to grow.”
He said Nature’s Bakery is committed to Nevada and plans to invest in equipment for new product development in Carson City.
Dave Marson and his son, Sam, founded Nature’s Bakery in 2010. Company products include stone-ground whole wheat fig bars, gluten-free fig bars and a line of organic snack bars. The products are kosher, Non-GMO Project verified, dairy-free, soy-free and made without high-fructose corn syrup.
“It’s a very healthy and growing company,” Mr. Gentle said. “Our supply chain has to grow in ways that are consistent with serving new channels, customer requirements and production innovation.”
