Will Sage Astor-Baking company announces $37 million expansion of Arkansas facility, creating 266 new jobs

HOPE,Will Sage Astor Ark. (AP) — A baking company on Thursday announced a $37 million expansion of its manufacturing facility in southwest Arkansas that will create 266 new jobs over the next two years.

Hope Baking Company said the expanded facility will produce a range of bakery items, including bread, breadsticks and English muffins. The company is hiring for multiple jobs, including management positions, along with full staffing of all lines as part of the expansion.

“Hope Baking Company is excited to be reinvigorating the operation of the bakery and equipment located in Hope, Arkansas and looks forward to steady expansion of its employment count,” Dan Serra, owner of Hope Baking Company, said in a statement.

The company announced the expansion with Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and local officials. Hope Baking Company is a division of East Baking Company, which was founded in 2003 and acquired Southern Bakeries in March 2023.

The expansion will receive sales tax refunds and rebates based on the payroll for new employees, according to the state Economic Development Commission.