On Friday, global bakery manufacturer and ingredients supplier Dawn Foods announced it has entered into an agreement to sell its North American frozen manufacturing business to Rise Baking Company. This strategic business decision allows Dawn to focus on its core ingredients business and concentrate its investment and execution on delivering growth and product innovation across its ingredients portfolio.

“This year marks Dawn’s 100th anniversary, a testament to our brand, high-quality products and exceptional customer service,” says Carrie Jones-Barber, CEO of Dawn Foods. “As we prepare for the next 100 years, our ingredients business, which has been the foundation for Dawn’s growth, is at the center of our long-term strategy. The sale of our frozen manufacturing business in North America to Rise Baking Company is the right move for Dawn and enables us to continue to leverage our insights to develop groundbreaking bakery ingredient innovations and invest in our ingredient plants and digital future. For some time, the frozen bakery market has been consolidating and this sale gives our frozen business and team members a new home at a company where frozen bakery is the focus.”

The sale includes Dawn’s North America frozen plants in York, Pennsylvania; Atlanta, Georgia; Manteno, Illinois; and Mexico, Missouri. Team members at those facilities, as well as the team members leading and supporting the business and associated customer relationships, will all transition to the Rise Baking Company.  

“Rise prides itself on a culture of customer focus, teamwork and innovation,” says Mike Schultz, CEO of Rise Baking Company. “The Dawn frozen bakery division is a perfect fit for Rise as we look to bring additional products and innovation to the marketplace. We look forward to welcoming our new teammates to Rise Baking.”