Sara Lee owner Grupo Bimbo to spend more than $600M to build 2 new plants

Grupo Bimbo, the maker of Sara Lee, Entenmann’s and Thomas’ English Muffins, is investing more than $600 million to build two plants in the U.S.

A facility in Valdosta, Georgia, will cost at least $200 million and have nearly 300 new jobs. It will be the second plant run by Grupo Bimbo in the city. A $431 million plant in Zanesville, Ohio, will create at least 320 jobs. The facilities in Ohio and Georgia were announced by the governors of each state. 

Bimbo Bakeries, the Mexico-based company’s U.S. arm, declined to comment, according to a firm representing the company. The Mexico-based company has 203 plants and more than 1,700 sales centers around the world.

Grupo Bimbo makes foods including bread, buns, cookies, snack cakes, English muffins, bagels and tortillas. In the last year, it has bulked up its portfolio, adding popcorn maker Popcornopolis and cookie manufacturer Emmy’s Organics.

It was not disclosed what products would be made at the new Ohio and Georgia outlets. 

Grupo Bimbo’s decision to build new plants is the latest in a string of recent announcements from large CPGs. Many companies have said the facilities are being constructed now to meet expected growth in their food and beverage offerings in the future.

PepsiCo’s beverage division, for example, plans to build a 1.2 million-square-foot manufacturing facility in Colorado that will be its largest plant in the U.S. when it opens next summer. Nestlé plans to spend $675 million on a facility in Arizona to make creamers for its Coffee mate, Coffee mate Natural Bliss and Starbucks brands. And J.M. Smucker committed $1.1 billion to build a new manufacturing facility and distribution center in Alabama for its Uncrustables sandwich line.