WICHITA, KAN. — JTM Foods LLC, a manufacturer of handheld snack pies, celebrated the grand opening of its new manufacturing plant in Wichita on Aug. 29. The ceremony comes a year after the company broke ground on the facility.
The new 195,000-square-foot plant is expected to double JTM’s current manufacturing and distribution footprint, which is located in Erie, Pa. The expansion is JTM’s first outside of Pennsylvania and will allow the company to more easily serve its handheld snack pie retail partners in its Southern, Southwest and West Coast markets. The expansion also paves the way for more product innovation, the company noted.
Along with its financial partner Tenex Capital Management, JTM invested approximately $40 million in the expansion in Kansas.
“This is a monumental day for JTM Foods and its customers,” said Monty Pooley, president and chief executive officer of JTM Foods. “The Wichita facility provides increased production capacity while its central location and easy interstate access significantly improve our logistical capabilities. This ultimately will allow us to effectively and efficiently get pies into the hands of more consumers across North America.”
Founded in 1986 by Jeffrey T. McMillin, JTM Foods began making Crispy Rice Treats under the JJ’s brand in 1993. In 1996, the JJ’s Snacks and Treats brand was established, and in 2013 JJ’s was rebranded to JJ’s Bakery. Today, the company produces more than 350 million handheld snack pies a year in a variety of flavors, including apple, banana cream, blackberry, cherry, chocolate, lemon, lemon cream and peach. The company also offers Duos, which feature multiple fillings. Duos are available in Boston cream and strawberry and cream flavors. The company’s Crispy Rice Treats are crispy marshmallow rice treats that are available in two flavors: homestyle and birthday cake.