If you’ve ever been to the Mid-Atlantic region of the northeastern United States, you may have heard of the fabled Tastykake.
The pre-packaged line of individually-wrapped baked goods — think Little Debbie or Hostess, but better — has quite a cult following in its native Philadelphia and environs.
Now there’s a new reason to love them: parent company Tasty Baking Company on Thursday announced that it has transitioned its last two production lines in its Hunting Park facility to its LEED-registered bakery at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
Yes, that’s right: The maker of the Tastykake is now the world’s largest “green” bakery.
The new facility at the naval yard replaces its 88-year-old counterpart, consisting of seven production lines spread across 345,000 square feet. Inside, automated baking equipment and a direct flow of goods — the facility is one story — has helped the company be more efficient in making Krimpets, Kandy Kakes, Juniors and all the other cookies, cupcakes and pies the company is known for.
The LEED-registered building awaits official certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Still, the company has apparently done its homework: it’s stocked the new facility with considerations for water conservation, recycled building materials, daylight harvesting systems and energy-efficient HVAC systems.
