Think of an oven as long as a football field, now, multiply that by 14. That gives you an idea of what you'll find at Hearthside Food Solutions McComb Ohio plant. Ovens there can turn out about 3 million pounds a week in a combination of crackers and cookies.
Vice President of manufacturing at Hearthside in McComb John Aldrich says it's the 2nd largest bakery in North America, and they like to think of it as the largest privately owned bakery in North America
Each of the production lines at the plant, starts with a mixing process. Pre-measured and tested ingredients are turned into dough, each batch is allowed to "rest" for just the right amount of time. The dough is then formed into shape and baked. It is virtually an art to turn out the perfect cookie. And that process takes place under the watchful eye of employees like line supervisor Molly Henry.
She is responsible all the way from the raw product to the finished good. Henry says it's her job to make sure it's a quality product, every time. Hearthside's McComb facility, is a contract manufacturer - meaning they produce some of the best known baked goods in the county, for several different brands. When the baked item is finished, conveyer lines cool it down, and there is a final quality control step. That's where workers sort the cookie, and hand pack them before they are shipped off to a store near you.
Officials at Hearthside say their business remained stable during the recent recession. The average employee at the McComb plant has been there 20 years, and they've been building up their workforce. Director of Employee and Community relations, Santo Atkinson, says they've set records in the past year for production, and are always looking for good people. Workers we talked with, say you get used to the novelty and aroma of working at a cookie factory. They say people still react with surprise when you tell they what you do.
