Founded in 1952, Bauducco’s U.S. portfolio features wafer cookies available in chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and coconut flavors and multiple formats including a 40-gram single-serve, a 5-oz. multipack, a 9-oz. family pack, and a sugar-free line in 5 oz. and 4.2 oz. Bauducco’s wafers are made with a proprietary process that has remained largely unchanged since the brand's earliest days.

The plant brings Bauducco’s full wafer lineup under a Made in USA designation for the first time, operating at double the production capacity of what the brand previously had available for the American market.

The decision to build that infrastructure in the United States was not made quickly. For a family-owned company with deep roots in Brazil, it was a question of identity as much as strategy: was Bauducco ready to make the expansion and build out the portfolio? The answer, ultimately, was yes. And it's expanding with a bet on Florida.

Zephyrhills -- a growing community in the heart of Pasco County, northeast of Tampa -- offered the combination of infrastructure, workforce and community character that Bauducco's leadership was looking for. Pasco County's economic development team was a key partner in making the case, helping to connect the company's expansion vision with the resources and relationships needed to turn it into reality. Bauducco expects the facility will employ over 600 people at full production capacity, making it one of the more significant food manufacturing employers in Pasco County.

Bauducco products are available at major retailers across the country, with the Zephyrhills facility expected to support expanded distribution and shelf presence as domestic production capacity grows.