At Klosterman Baking Co., actions speak louder than words, but then again, it always helps to have an open line of communication when it comes to customer service.

“The whole bakery is an open door. You can get to anybody you need any time day or night,” explained Kim Klosterman, chairman and chief executive officer of the Cincinnati-based company, one of the largest family-owned bakeries in the Midwest. “That’s something we pride ourselves in.”

Klosterman’s 100% commitment to customer service over the last 127 years has led to its steady growth. To meet the rising demand for its products, 7 bakeries and 11 distribution centers now deliver baked foods to more than 4,000 retail and food service outlets. Its newest Boone county, Ky., bakery opened in January with three high-speed lines producing bread, buns and donuts.

“This bakery was designed to be a work horse with long runs of high-tonnage volume, but flexibility was added to accommodate future customer requests like toppings on products, split tops, shine and steam capabilities,” Kevin Stevens, vice-president of operations, told Baking & Snack for its exclusive report in the August issue.

Ramping up the Boone county bakery has created a positive ripple effect across the entire operation.

“This plant was able to give relief to two of our other plants that feed high-speed retail bread and bun products into our system,” Mr. Stevens added. “By taking on retail capacity, that allows other bakeries to add more restaurant-style products and enhance their capacity at the same time.”

Planning for tomorrow is one way to meet the customer service demands of today.