Anytime a baking company changes hands, there’s an opportunity that some employees are lost to the change, but that hasn’t been the case at Carolina Foods. Chief Executive Officer Dan Myers said the company is very aware of the value of the institutional knowledge its workforce holds. 

It was critical that the site for the new building was close enough to the South End bakery that the company’s 400 to 450 employees could transition to the new bakery when South End eventually closes. A new facility also means new hires. Thankfully, a state-of-the-art bakery that’s well-lit, climate-controlled and features high-tech automation makes hiring easier. 

“We do bring potential candidates to the new facility, and they recognize that there aren’t a lot of opportunities to work in a facility like this,” Myers said. “We’re growing, and I like to think that people want to work for a growing company.” 

When hiring, Carolina Foods looks for people with technical expertise, but cultural fit is key: The company wants people who are inquisitive and team players. All team members are onboarded with a multi-week orientation with training on food and employee safety. More technical roles like engineering and maintenance are provided with further education. 

The company also prioritizes internal promotions when positions are open. This empowers employees to visualize a future career with Carolina Foods. 

“We have a lot of management who started out as frontline employees,” said Sonya Yalla, director of quality assurance and R&D, who started her career at the company on the production room floor.  

To create a sense of unity, Stuart Smith, vice president of operations, pointed out that even salaried hires spend time working on the production room floor learning the ins and outs of honey buns as a part of their training. This not only connects them to what Carolina Foods does, but it fosters empathy with hourly employees.

This article is an excerpt from the July 2024 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Carolina Foods, click here.