PEMBROKE, N.C. — North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue said the One North Carolina Fund has awarded $392,000 to Steven Roberts Original Desserts and its subsidiary Ticklebelly Desserts for the construction of a new bakery in Robeson county. The company plans to create 342 jobs and invest $4 million during the next five years in Pembroke.

Steven Roberts Original Desserts develops and produces a broad line of premium frozen desserts, selling them directly to restaurants, hotels, theaters and grocery stores.

Ticklebelly Desserts offers products for the consumer marketplace, including dessert shots, cake pops, dessert minis, cupcakes, molten cakes, cheesecakes and infused cakes. The company plans to purchase and renovate a building in Pembroke to become its third bakery. The new facility will allow expanded production, add manufacturing and shipping redundancy and facilitate scaling dessert production to each client’s needs.

“Steven Roberts Original Desserts and Ticklebelly are thrilled to be a part of the Pembroke community,” said Charles Kosmont, chairman. “Innovation is at the heart of everything we do, and we look forward to having our Pembroke team members help us to continue to be first to market with innovative, trendsetting desserts.”