HARTFORD, CONN. — Bakery on Main, a Connecticut-based baker that specializes in gluten-free foods, has been approved for funding that will allow the company to relocate to a larger facility. The company, which was founded in 2004 by Michael Smulders, makes granola, oatmeal, granola bars and energy bars.
The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development will provide a $3 million, 10-year loan at 2% interest to Bakery On Main for the construction of a new 111,000-square-foot facility and new machinery and bakery equipment. Bakery on Main will contribute $600,000 of its own funding and has secured another $5 million in bank financing.
The company currently has 59 employees at its 26,000-square-foot facility. If it adds 70 new jobs over the next four years, the D.E.C.D. said it will forgive $1.5 million of the loan principal.
“Bakery on Main has really become a specialist in gluten-free foods, which is a multi-billion dollar market in the United States,” said Senator Gary LeBeau of Connecticut. “I’m happy to see them staying and growing right here in East Hartford.”