March 5, 2020 - Norwich, Ontario
Established in 1984, Schep's Bakeries Ltd. (Schep's) is a family-owned manufacturer of Double Dutch Syrup Waffles and other private label waffle cookies, operating in the rural Township of Norwich. After moving to Canada from Holland over 35 years ago, founder Arie Schep set up a small syrup waffle baking operation for local Dutch specialty stores and markets. With Arie as the driving force behind Schep's growth, the company now sells its sought-after syrup waffle products in many of Canada's largest grocery store chains and exports millions of syrup waffles to the United States each year.
Arie Schep and his sons Jacco, Peter and Jonathan, are working to drive the company forward by implementing a four-year growth plan to scale up production capacity. This began in 2017 with the addition of 32,000 square feet of production space and two advanced waffle cookie production and packaging lines. Today, Schep's Bakeries Ltd. operates from its 52,000-square-foot processing facility, employing over 60 workers.
An appetite for continued growth
Schep's will further automate its production process by acquiring an advanced waffle production and packaging line that will quadruple its current output. The dynamic capabilities of this leading-edge line will allow Schep's to manufacture and package customized products, and diversify its product offerings. This project supports the company's efforts to fulfill larger orders, and increase its market reach both domestically and internationally.
Today, Kate Young, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (FedDev Ontario), announced a FedDev Ontario contribution of more than $1.9 million to Schep's Bakeries Ltd. to support this growth project.
Creating jobs and strengthening the supply chain locally
With Government of Canada support, Schep's anticipates creating 17 new full-time jobs, and nearly tripling its supply chain spending in southwestern Ontario by 2021. This project supports the diversification of rural Oxford County's economic base by enhancing the export competitiveness of southern Ontario's growing food and beverage cluster.
Quotes
"Today's announcement was a great opportunity to meet with the employees and see Schep's Bakeries' initial facility expansion and its production lines in action. This investment supports a company that is embracing growth to diversify and meet growing demand, while also strengthening the local supply chain and creating jobs here in Norwich."
- Kate Young, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (FedDev Ontario)
"Schep's Bakeries is an excellent example of a rural manufacturer scaling up its production capacity to reach both domestic and global markets. This company is contributing to the growing food and beverage cluster in southwestern Ontario, and creating quality jobs in Oxford County."
- The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages
"With this project, we can capitalize on significant opportunities to grow our business within the bakery and snack industry of North America. We want to thank Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario for sharing our vision for growth and supporting this important project and milestone in our company's history."
- Jacco Schep, President, Schep's Bakeries Ltd.
Quick facts
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Schep's Bakeries Ltd. produces syrup waffles (widely known as stroopwaffles) using a closely guarded recipe from Holland and in the original Dutch method from the early 1800s. A syrup waffle is baked by pressing two waffles together using an iron, then slicing the waffle through the middle while still steaming hot to fill it with a special syrup filling.
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FedDev Ontario's repayable contribution will leverage an additional $7.7 million in private sector and other investment.
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FedDev Ontario recognizes the vital role rural communities play in the region's economy, and is demonstrating support through an initial $100 million allocation for projects that drive innovation and growth in rural communities.
