The Original Cakerie has announced a major expansion of its London plant.
Officials say the project will consist of adding a new building onto the existing structure at 2825 Innovation Dr. in London as well as investments in new production lines.
Kapil Lakhotia, president and CEO of London Economic Development Corporation, says The Original Cakerie has helped London solidify itself as an industry leader in food processing.
“The Cakerie really solidified our approach in the food and processing space,” said Lakhotia, whose company aims to attract business development to the area.
“We picked food processing as a target sector following that announcement, and since then, over the last 10 years, many companies have arrived in London, like Dr. Oetker, Natra and Maple Leaf Foods, showing that the food and beverage industry in London is on its way up.”
The company expects to hire roughly 100 additional workers over the next year.
Lakhotia says he’s not surprised to see the expansion of the London plant.
“When you look at our location, our access to raw materials, our access to the final marketplaces, the logistics set up in London with the access to a million square feet of cold storage, all those are vital ingredients to a successful food-processing sector,” he said.
Construction of the plant expansion is expected to be complete by fall 2020.
“In the last four years, we have experienced sizable growth as demand for our premium, innovative products remains strong with our existing customers and we continue to add new customers as well,” said Paul Lapadat, CEO of Dessert Holdings, The Original Cakerie’s parent company.
“We have made significant investments over the last three years, which have allowed us to meet this demand, and this additional capacity will enable us to continue doing so in a category that is expected to maintain strong growth.”
The Original Cakerie produces more than 350 products, including layer cakes, bars and brownies, at the London plant and an additional state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Delta, B.C.