Puratos’ Bakery Ingredients Facility

Rendering of the Puratos' Pennsauken bakery ingredients facility. Puratos began the expansion of the Pennsauken facility in November 2011. Image courtesy of New Jersey Government.

Lt Governor Kim Guadagno participates in the groundbreaking ceremony for Puratos Corporation USA in Pennsauken on 9 November 2011. Image courtesy of New Jersey Government.

Matt Crumpton, Puratos' VP of Marketing, speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Pennsauken plant expansion. Image courtesy of the State of New Jersey.

The plant is being built on a ten acre site in Pennsauken Township, Camden County. Image courtesy of New Jersey Government.

The new facility will produce a variety of ingredients for the bakery, patisserie and chocolate industries. Image courtesy of New Jersey Government.

Puratos is a Belgian international group specialised in producing bakery, patisserie and chocolate ingredients. The main value added ingredients produced by the company include cake mixes, bio-fermented sourdoughs and finishers and fillings made with fruits, crème and chocolate.

The company supplies these ingredients to a range of bakeries, from corner stores to supermarket chains to restaurants. The products are marketed in more than 100 countries worldwide.

Puratos owns a bakery ingredients production facility at Pennsauken Township, in Camden County in the state of New Jersey, US. In 2011, the company decided to expand the facility in order to meet the high demand for its products in the US domestic market. The expansion is underway and will be completed by 2012.

The expansion project involves construction of a new ingredients production facility at the existing site. It is estimated to cost $42m (€30m) and is the largest single investment made by Puratos since the company’s establishment in 1919.

The project will provide employment to 40 people, increasing the total number of employees at the company’s headquarters in Cherry Hill and the plant in Pennsauken to about 200.

Expansion of the Pennsauken bakery ingredients production facility

The company undertook the expansion project in view of the strong sales growth in the US. The expansion will nearly double the plant’s size to 15,900m2 (171,146ft2).

The project has received good support from the local and state governments. New Jersey’s Business Action Center collaborated with the officials of Camden county and Pennsauken Township to support Puratos’ efforts to expand the plant.

The facility has also received a Business Retention and Relocation Assistance Grant of $371,000 from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. In addition, it can benefit from training grants and other services such as recruitment support from the Camden County.

Construction of the Pennsauken Township facility

The company broke ground for the expansion of the facility on 9 November 2011. Puratos expects to complete the construction of the facility by autumn 2012. The construction cost is estimated at $5m.

The plant is being built on a 10-acre site in Pennsauken Township. The location has advantages of good logistics facilities.

Capacity and design features of Puratos’ new complex

The new facility will have a production capacity of about 90,000t (180 million pounds).

The new facility will produce bakery improvers, bases, mixes, bio-fermented sourdoughs, icings, glazes and fruit and cream fillings. The company ferments a few select starter cultures and regional flour varieties from around the globe.

Popular brands include Sapore bread flavours, Puravita bakery mixes, Belcolade Belgian chocolates, Carat compound chocolates and fillings, PatisFrance patisseries, Acti-Fresh cake improver and Cremfil cream fillings.

The facility is designed with several sustainability features including green and energy-saving elements. The components of the plant will be designed for high energy efficiency.

An internal water usage recovery system will be established to reduce wastage of water. Advanced air quality controls will be installed, plus a superior waste water treatment and recycling programme will be adopted.

Technology incorporated into the New Jersey complex

Puratos aims to build a state-of-the-art facility at Pennsauken by adopting advanced technology, with a major focus on quality and safety aspects.

The company expects the new facility to exceed the GFSI safe quality food (SQF) certification standards. Allergen management will be improved for all the products made in the facility by use of contemporary technologies.

The company is already implementing integrated total quality management (TQM) programme at all its facilities to achieve high standards in the quality of its products and services. The same will be implemented at the new plant as well.