The wholesale food firm supplies bread, cakes and pastries to retailers and public sector catering in the north east through its Aspins Bakery division.
The new facility, which is being rented from Sunderland Council, will take on the production of pastries and cakes from the firm’s South Shields bakery.
“The South Shields bakery is a hundred-odd years old and has been running a 24 hour production schedule. However, things have got so busy, night and day shifts are starting to blend into each other,” said Lyons.
Production capacity
“The new bakery will allow us to concentrate on specific products at each bakery, increasing the overall production capacity.”
The South Shields bakery will concentrate solely on the production of bread, said Lyons.
Monument Foods has completed work on the interior of the new facility. It is waiting for Sunderland Council to give final approval before production begins, she added. No one from Sunderland Council was available for comment
The firm is also planning to re-launch its brand on February 6, with the introduction of new label designs and logos across its range. It is unclear whether the new facility will be ready in time for the re-launch.
No extra jobs
Although no extra jobs are expected to be created in the short term, as production grows, the firm hopes to add three or four new employees, said Lyons.
She declined to comment on the cost of the new facility.
Monument Foods purchased its South Shields facility from Rae’s Bakery in 2009 when its former managers retired.
The firm, which has a turnover of £2.5M, employs about 60 people.