Carolina Foods’ new baking facility in Pineville, NC, is a shining example of what is possible for bakery production with today’s technology and engineering. These days, constructing a facility from the ground up doesn’t happen very often. It’s expensive, and baking companies are often extending existing buildings with new production lines or construction or renovating old facilities into new bakeries. We’ve featured many of these facilities that are taking advantage of structures with great bones, as they say. But there’s an excitement that comes with the opportunity to design a facility from the ground up, one that will meet a bakery’s exact needs. 

The level of growth Carolina Foods was experiencing in its bakery in the South End neighborhood of Charlotte, NC, necessitated a move, and Falfurrias Capital Partners — the private equity firm that acquired the company in 2021 — was committed to building a new bakery that will replace the South End facility by the end of 2025. With this full commitment, Dan Myers, chief executive officer, Carolina Foods, said his team was able to work with its developer to design a building with a process flow that fit the bakery’s exact needs. 

This level of control, investment and a blank canvas in Pineville allowed Myers and his team to design and engineer a facility that would have the room necessary to grow with Carolina Foods’ projected business as well as features that could support the level of quality and food safety the bakery demands. The building is an impressive 428,000 square feet with 40 feet of clearance to the ceilings. Even when the facility is fully operational with seven production lines and 20 packaging lines, it will have space to expand inside as well as room externally to extend the building. 

Carolina Foods also engineered the negative and positive pressure into the design of the building and invested in air purification and ionization to ensure the air is as pure as possible. The facility is also climate controlled for both temperature and humidity. All of this fights mold growth and helps extend the products’ shelf life. And added bonus: Employees benefit from a well-lit comfortable work environment. 

“We have gone next level with this facility,” Myers said when speaking to the investments the company made to ensure the safety and quality of the products. 

In addition to food safety and quality, being able to make adjustments for temperature and humidity also means Carolina Foods has control over some of the variables that lead to product inconsistencies. Bakeries working with yeast-raised dough know the challenges of turning out a consistent product, and by controlling the ambient temperature and humidity, Carolina Foods has averted some of those concerns. Add in the investment in automation and controls, and Carolina Foods can deliver a precisely made honey bun to its customers.  

With a commitment to investment, Carolina Foods shows that the future of bakery can be high-tech, comfortable and reach a new level of food safety, product quality and employee comfort.