Oakland, CA – DoBake Bakeries Inc, which currently operates manufacturing facilities in West Oakland and Hayward, will be moving into the currently vacant Mother’s Cookies site on 81st Avenue in Oakland in April 2007.
DoBake will consolidate its operation from the West Oakland and Hayward facilities and establish a new state of the art bakery in the building. Other space in the renovated structure is expected to be marketed to other food service companies.
DoBake’s General Manager Mark Carlson credits the City of Oakland’s Community and Economic Development Agency with making the deal happen. “The City was significantly involved in motivating us to stay in Oakland,” said Carlson.
Anticipating growth and needing a more automated, state of the art facility, DoBake had struggled to find a desirable site in the Bay Area and was looking in surrounding counties in Northern California. When Mother’s Cookies recently decided to shut down and sell the factory it had built and operated since the 1940s, a team effort between new owners Ellis Partners LLC, broker John McManus of Cushman and Wakefield, and DoBake’s representative, Paul Mueller of NAIBT, made the deal happen.
DoBake’s Carlson expects that the deal will generate much-needed new jobs for Oakland and boost the profile of the 81st Avenue corridor. “We expect DoBake’s growth to generate new jobs, adding incrementally from the current labor force size up to 100 additional employees over the next 3 to 5 years – jobs which will most likely go to Oakland residents,” said Carlson.
Ellis Partners LLC is performing a major renovation and multi tenanting of the 81st Avenue factory, where DoBake will occupy 120,000 of the building’s 185,000 square feet. Construction will add exterior cosmetic upgrades, installing loading docks, major interior demolition and reconstruction including new office space, new lighting, new electricals and new plumbing. “We are excited about being a part of the revitalization of this district and recycling a factory that might have otherwise sat vacant for a long period of time,” said Jim Ellis, Principal of Ellis Partners. Ellis Partners is currently in negotiations with other food related businesses to take most of the remaining space.
DoBake Bakeries Inc. (pronounced “dough bake”) is a wholesale bakery, primarily focused on baked sweet goods such as croissants, rolls, bread, muffins, loafcakes, and brownies (www.dobake.com). DoBake produces under their own labels (Elegant Pastries, Dobake’s Fantastic, Bakery New Orleans) and distributes through in-store bakeries of retail supermarkets, convenience stores, 7-11, and membership stores such as Costco.
DoBake distributes to retail chains and convenience chains nationwide. They are the “fresh bakery” operating partner for 7-11 in Nor Cal; and also distribute through the state of California’s prison and school systems.
About Ellis Partners:
Ellis Partners LLC was founded in 1993 for the purpose of acquiring and developing commercial real estate properties. The firm has a long history of championing and completing architecturally significant renovation projects.