Following the sale of ANA for $850m to private equity firm Lindsay Goldberg in March, the business unit of the embattled company is determined to cement its position as a major supplier to the retail, foodservice, convenience and QSR sectors.
The company's three core brands have recently innovated with new offerings: Otis Spunkmeyer launched a hybrid version of its muffin loaves and introduced frozen edible cookie dough; Oakrun Farm Bakery, which until now has only served the Canadian markets, introduced a Cinnamon & Maple Belgian Waffles in Walmart stores across North America; and La Brea Bakery expanded its Take & Bake portfolio to six flavours, also available nationwide in grocery stores and on Amazon Fresh.
“Our brands established our North American business as a leader in baked goods, as they all have strong, long-standing reputations of providing customers with delectable foods across the artisan bread and baked goods categories,” said Tyson Yu, CEO of Aspire Bakeries.
“Aspire Bakeries will execute a business strategy that focuses on continued innovation and growth across our beloved brands.”
The company’s 4,500-strong workforce had a hand in selecting the new name. The company received a flood of suggestions, with the recommendation of Aspire coming from Alex Gillis, a bakery supervisor at one of its bakeries in Ontario, Canada.
Aspire to be the best
“As we ‘aspire’ to be the best bakery in North America, what better name than aspire to represent our desire to not only achieve our goals but exceed them,” said Gillis.
Added Christine Prociv, senior VP of marketing, innovation and R&D, “We’re lucky to have such hardworking, motivated and creative employees working for us across North America, some of whom have been with the company for decades.
“We wanted a truly collaborative experience when it came time to create a new name, and what better way than to involve all of our associates.
“Aspire means to ascend, to soar, and that’s what we are aiming to do for our customers and our business,” said Prociv.
“We want to continue to grow so that we’re exceeding our potential to deliver high-quality baked goods to our retail and foodservice customers and to our loyal consumers who have played an integral part in our evolution.”
