PENICHE, PORTUGAL — Baker & Baker has acquired Portuguese bakery Peipen, located in Peniche, Portugal, just to the north of Lisbon. Peipen manufactures authentic, largely handcrafted pastel de nata, a Portuguese egg custard tart pastry.

Peipen had been a direct supplier to Baker & Baker for several years, according to the company. The acquisition will allow the company to bring production in-house, facilitating further capacity for pastel de nata while providing space for expansion with the installation of additional sweet bakery lines, Baker & Baker said.   

The Peipen facility, formerly owned by Unilever, has a total footprint just over 14,000 square feet. The plant currently produces around 1,000 tonnes a year, and the company said there is scope for Baker & Baker to introduce additional product lines and equipment.

The site currently manufactures other non-bakery product lines that will be discontinued by the end of 2022, as the company said it plans for the facility to become fully focused on specialty bakery products.

“We’re thrilled to have concluded the acquisition of Peipen,” said John Lindsay, European chief executive officer at Baker & Baker. “It’s a strong business that has supported us as a supplier for many years.

“The facility complements our existing portfolio by adding an attractive, core bakery line and supports our move toward developing our specialty laminated business in our growing Iberian market and quickly adds much needed capacity.”

Peipen is the third manufacturing location operated by Baker & Baker in Portugal, in addition to Santo Tirso and Sāo Joāo da Talha.

Baker & Baker is a European leader in the bakery convenience segment. The company manufactures 2,500 different bakery stock-keeping units for more than 500 customers under private label brands and licensed portfolios.