New cheesecake facility opens on Boblett Street

Chuckanut Bay Foods is hoping to use their new facility in Blaine as a jumping-off point for more growth.

The locally-based dessert manufacturer opened a new baking center at 1649 Boblett Street on March 25.

The company will be baking and processing their signature baked goods, which are sold to over 6,000 retailers across North America. They previously operated out of two facilities in Ferndale, which have since been closed.

“Many of our crew members already live in north Whatcom County and after evaluating all the different sites, we found Blaine to be the most accommodating to our needs,” said Jim Gibson, co-owner of Chuckanut Bay Foods.

Nearly 100 employees from the Ferndale facilities were transferred to the new location in Blaine. Gibson said five new employees started with the opening of the new bakery. Due to the seasonal nature of the dessert industry, he said they are almost always hiring and there is a drop box to submit applications on-site, for those who are interested.

The new facility totals 20,000 square feet, nearly double the combined space of their former two locations in Ferndale. Gibson said the location also provides plenty of space for expansion in the future.

“Not only is there twice as much space, but we’re completely revising the layout to make our bakery more efficient, easier to work in, and more pleasant for our crew,” Gibson said.

The new facility will also include a large, sunlit lunchroom, many nearby parking stalls and an outdoor space for breaks. There is more space for the company’s delivery and receiving trucks and Gibson said having the site near the freeway was convenient for their needs.

Chuckanut Bay Foods started in 2008 when the brand was bought from a local boutique bakery then known as Chuckanut Cheesecake. The business has grown over the past decade to be able to produce desserts on an industrial scale. They now make a variety of cheesecakes, tiramisus and fruitcakes, using hands-on techniques in the hopes of preserving the boutique style.

According to Gibson, Chuckanut Bay Foods has been growing at a rate of about 20 percent per year.

“We’ve had to be increasingly selective about new customer opportunities in the old space, but now we can pursue all that new business,” Gibson said.

He said he hopes with the move to this new facility, the company will see significant growth. He’s also looking to find some more consistency for the business and its employees.

“We’re looking to find customers to fill in the peaks and valleys of our seasons,” Gibson said.

In addition to hiring for seasonally busy times, Gibson said Chuckanut Bay Foods will be hiring new full-time staff to keep up with growth.

An open house for employees and their families is scheduled for Saturday, March 30 at the new facility. There will also be an open house for commercial customers, vendors and local community leaders on Friday, May 10.