Hope Baking Co. announced a $37 million expansion of its manufacturing facility in southwest Arkansas that is expected to create 266 new jobs over the next two years.
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 staffing of all lines as part of the expansion.
“Hope Baking Co. 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 Co., said in a statement.
The company announced the expansion with Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and local officials. Hope Baking Co. is a division of East Baking Co., 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.
