NEWARK, CALIF. — FullBloom Baking Co. recently had its 95,000-square-foot manufacturing plant recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council as the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum certified private label bakery. The commercial artisan baking company makes wholesale and private label natural and organic baked foods.

“This certification speaks to the contributions made by the entire FullBloom team — from our management team to our bakery employees — all of whom remain committed to the vision I had for my company 21 years ago,” said Karen Trilevsky, founder and chief executive officer.

FullBloom cited several initiatives that helped the company earn the certification, including:

• landscaping of the existing site was increased by 300% with low-water use plants, to increase groundwater recharge;
• Water usage at the facility is 30% below the benchmark of standard use;
• Energy usage is 18% below the Title 24 limit;
• Twenty-five per cent of material for the facility was manufactured within 500 miles; and
• One hundred per cent of the office spaces allow for occupant controllability of temperature and lighting.