Carolina Foods, a Southeastern staple with 90 years of experience, has been producing popular products such as Duchess honey buns and GEM mini doughnuts for retailers across North America. However, the company faced a challenge at its 100,000-sq.-ft. bakery in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood – it was out of space. CEO Dan Myers recognized the need for a new, state-of-the-art bakery to accommodate the company’s growth and operations.
In 2021, Falfurrias Capital Partners acquired Carolina Foods from its founders and committed to building a new plant. After an extensive effort involving various partners, the company successfully opened a 425,000-sq.-ft., fully automated bakery and packaging facility in Pineville, a suburb of Charlotte. This new facility, designed to address the challenges faced at the original bakery, was recognized as FOOD ENGINEERING’s 2025 Plant of the Year.
Rebecca Babyak, the director of continuous improvement, expressed pride in the team’s hard work and dedication to the new facility. She emphasized the significance of the award and the recognition it brought to the team’s efforts in creating something remarkable.
Carolina Foods explored several locations before choosing the site in Pineville, determined to remain in the Charlotte area. The 40-acre parcel in Pineville’s Carolina Logistics Park, developed by Beacon Partners, offered the company the perfect opportunity to build a facility tailored to its needs. The strategic location, situated between Interstate 77 and Interstate 485, ensured optimal logistics and employee retention, with 89% of employees expressing willingness to commute to the new facility.
Collaboration with partners such as Cushman & Wakefield, Stellar Group, and Whiting-Turner was crucial in the successful development of the new facility. Close coordination among all parties was essential to ensure minimal disruption to customer service during construction while maintaining high-quality product standards and service levels.
The project commenced in August 2022, with the bakery upfit progressing alongside the core and shell construction provided by Beacon Partners. The first honey bun line became operational in March 2024, marking a significant milestone for Carolina Foods.
The plant and process design at the new facility were centered around operational efficiency and production processes. Learnings from the original bakery guided the company in defining a “state-of-the-art” production environment. The linear layout of the new facility allowed for streamlined honey bun and doughnut production processes, eliminating the need for multiple levels and ensuring clear line of sight for optimal efficiency.
Carolina Foods’ commitment to innovation and excellence in its new facility reflects the company’s dedication to growth and continuous improvement. The collaborative efforts with various partners and the meticulous planning involved in the project underscore Carolina Foods’ determination to deliver exceptional products while expanding its operations. The award-winning new bakery stands as a testament to Carolina Foods’ legacy and its vision for the future of food production. Carolina Foods is a company that prides itself on being a continuous flow operation, allowing for better management of both the workforce and product quality. This approach has proven to be successful for the company, as they have made significant investments in their facilities and equipment to ensure efficiency and excellence in their production processes.
One of the key decisions Carolina Foods made was to elevate its utilities, ensuring that the majority of piping was above a hung ceiling rather than around the production floor. This not only created a cleaner look but also allowed for better control of the production environment and easier cleaning processes. By enclosing their Moline electric fryers in negative-pressure rooms with stainless steel walls and ceilings, Carolina Foods improved control over temperature, energy usage, and dough processing.
The decision to separate the fryer rooms from the rest of the production area was a strategic one, as it not only improved temperature control but also employee comfort. At their South Tryon facility, where the fryers were open to the production area, employees struggled with heat and climate control issues. By creating separate rooms with controlled air pressure, Carolina Foods was able to address these issues and create a more comfortable working environment.
Employee welfare was also a priority for Carolina Foods, as they designed facilities that allowed for rest and gathering spaces while also controlling the flow of people within the plant. By creating a smaller, air-conditioned breakroom under a production-area mezzanine, the company was able to save employees time and walking distance, ultimately increasing productivity on the production line.
In addition to facility improvements, Carolina Foods also invested in their equipment to ensure top-notch quality and efficiency in their production processes. Partnering with suppliers like the Fred D. Pfening Company, Carolina Foods implemented fully automated ingredient handling systems and industrial sugar mills to streamline their operations and reduce manual handling of ingredients.
For their honey bun and doughnut lines, Carolina Foods installed state-of-the-art mixers, handling systems, and fryers to ensure consistent and high-quality products. By incorporating systems like the Oberlin circulating oil filtration system, the company was able to continuously fry products for longer periods without interruption, leading to cost savings and improved efficiency.
Automation was a key focus for Carolina Foods, particularly in their packaging processes. By partnering with Schubert for a high-speed, robot-based packaging system, the company was able to streamline their packaging operations and ensure efficient and gentle handling of their products.
Overall, Carolina Foods’ commitment to continuous improvement and investment in their facilities and equipment has allowed them to achieve high levels of efficiency, quality, and employee satisfaction. By prioritizing cleanliness, control, and automation in their processes, the company has positioned itself as a leader in the food manufacturing industry. Carolina Foods, a leading food manufacturer, has implemented state-of-the-art technology to enhance its production process. One such innovation is the use of a Flowmodul to wrap individual honey buns before they are processed through a Mettler Toledo metal detector and checkweigher. This ensures the quality and safety of the products before they are packaged.
The wrapped honey buns then enter a tray packer where Schubert’s F2 and F4 robots work seamlessly to build Duchess-branded trays and place the honey buns inside. Once the trays are loaded, they are closed and transferred to a discharge belt for palletization. The compact footprint of the Schubert system has played a crucial role in designing the packaging process, as it provides efficiency and flexibility in a limited space.
In another innovative move, Carolina Foods has partnered with Royal Houdijk from the Netherlands to implement the GEMBot system for their GEM doughnuts. This vision-guided, robotic pick-and-place system allows the company to fill doughnut sleeves with precision. Special grippers are used to build rolls of doughnuts which are then fed into an SPS wrapper for packaging. This marks the first time the Houdijk system has been applied to doughnuts, showcasing Carolina Foods’ commitment to embracing new technology in their operations.
The company’s dedication to innovation doesn’t stop there. Carolina Foods has commissioned three production lines in 2024, with plans to commission three more this year and one more in the first quarter of 2026. Construction is underway to consolidate all operations under one roof by the first part of next year. Operating two bakeries simultaneously has presented challenges, but the team at Carolina Foods is determined to overcome them through creativity and teamwork.
Despite the challenges, the Carolina Foods team believes that the effort put into these advancements is worthwhile for their employees and for building strong customer relationships. The investment in cutting-edge technology and streamlined processes demonstrates their commitment to being a reliable long-term partner for their customers.
In conclusion, Carolina Foods’ adoption of advanced technology in their production processes has not only improved efficiency and quality control but has also showcased their commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction. By investing in state-of-the-art systems like the Flowmodul, Schubert robots, and the GEMBot, Carolina Foods is setting a high standard for the food manufacturing industry. Their future plans for expansion and consolidation further demonstrate their dedication to continuous improvement and growth.
