CINCINNATI — In an approximately $70 million project, pretzel baked foods maker Ditsch USA has opened a new production facility in Springdale, Ohio.

The Cincinnati-based company said it has spent the past year on construction at the 1100 E. Kemper Road site, a former Costco Wholesale club acquired in 2023, to convert the space for new production lines and technology as well as to add office, manufacturing and loading space to the existing building.

Ditsch USA already operates a plant several miles away at 311 Northland Boulevard. The company said that with the additional Springdale facility, it will double its production capacity over the next three years to meet the rising demand for pretzel baked foods.

“Our commitment to the Springdale community is strong,” said Ditsch USA president and chief executive officer Thorsten Schroeder, who took part in an Oct. 22 ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new plant. “Between the two Ditsch USA factories located in Springdale, Ditsch USA employs over 180 people, with 80 new jobs having been added in the last three years alone. We will continue to invest in our associates through advanced training, education and career advancement opportunities.”

The new plant also stands to add 150 new jobs to the Springdale community over the next two years, according to Ditsch USA.

“The city of Springdale is excited to see the expansion of the business and the creation of more jobs,” said Springdale Mayor Lawrence Hawkins III, who also attended the ribbon-cutting. “Ditsch is making Springdale the ‘Pretzel Capital’ of the world.”

Part of Mainz, Germany-based Brezelbäckerei Ditsch GmbH, Ditsch USA offers a range of bulk and retail-ready, German-style soft pretzel twists, bits and sticks, as well as pretzel rolls and slider buns. Overall, Ditsch — a subsidiary of Valora Group, a Swiss retail and foodservice company — operates 20 production lines at its two sites in Mainz and Oranienbaum, Germany, and its two US sites in the Cincinnati area.

Also participating in the Springdale ribbon-cutting event were Michael Mueller, CEO of Valora Group; Sebastian Gooding, CEO of Foodservice B2B at Valora; Kimm Lauterbach, president and CEO of REDI Cincinnati; and Marianne Bernadotte, honorary consul of Switzerland in Ohio.