Bauducco Foods Begins Construction on New Plant in Zephyrhills, Florida

March 24, 2025

First phase of new facility is expected to be operational by mid-2026, with the total plant cost expected to be more than $200 million.

Andy Hanacek

Bauducco Foods has broken ground on its newest production facility in Zephyrhills, Fla., according to a release shared by the international baked goods manufacturer which produces more than 400,000 tons of baked goods per year.

The new facility is expected to cost the company more than $200 million to build and will produce Bauducco biscuits, wafers and panettones. It also will house a distribution facility, and is located on 72 acres. The development of the site is expected to be completed in three phases, with the first anticipated to be operational by mid-2026, the second by 2028 and third by 2030. The company says about 600 new jobs will be created in the Tampa Bay area once all three phases are open — with Phase One offering about 120 full-time roles.

Bauducco also believes the advanced technology planned for the facility will give it even greater flexibility to explore new product offerings in the future. The company was founded in 1952 by Italian immigrant Carlo Bauducco in São Paulo, Brazil, and today it is run by the third generation of Bauducco’s family. It has been doing business in the U.S. for more than 20 years, where the brand is best known for its panettone, cookies and wafers.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.