ARYZTA North America becomes Aspire Bakeries

ARYZTA North America changes its name to Aspire Bakeries. Following the sale to private equity firm Lindsay Goldberg earlier this year, the company set out to reintroduce itself with a new name while continuing to focus on growth across its three core brands of La Brea Bakery, Otis Spunkmeyer and Oakrun Farm Bakery.

“Our brands established our North American business as a leader in baked goods, as they all have strong, long-standing reputations of providing customers with delectable foods across the artisan bread and baked goods categories,” said Tyson Yu, CEO of Aspire Bakeries. “Aspire Bakeries will execute a business strategy that focuses on continued innovation and growth across our beloved brands.”

When it came to creating a name, Aspire Bakeries engaged its 4,500 employees, who were asked for their suggestions. With over 150 ideas, Alex Gillis, a bakery supervisor at the bakery in Brantford, Ont., recommended the name Aspire, saying, “As we Aspire to be the best bakery in North America, what better name than aspire to represent our desire to not only achieve our goals but exceed them.”

“We’re lucky to have such hardworking, motivated and creative employees working for us across North America, some of whom have been with the company for decades,” said Christine Prociv, senior vice-president of marketing, innovation and R&D. “We wanted a truly collaborative experience when it came time to create a new name, and what better way than to involve all of our associates.”