U.S. bakery in Europe saves you dough, feeds force

by Staff Sgt. Ryan Crane
U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa

5/7/2014 - RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- With more than 60,000 U.S. military members and their families stationed throughout Europe, feeding them could be a daunting task, but the Army & Air Force Exchange Service bakery in Gruenstadt has been doing so since 1953.

On April 30, ten Chief Master Sergeants from Ramstein Air Base toured the facility to gain insight into how the process works. They learned that the factory not only provides food and water families need, but also supply many of the companies operating on military bases in Europe.

"You will not find another production facility in the world that produces for more companies," said Mathias Baum, bakery manager. "We produce for Wonder Bread, Cinnabon, Anthony's Pizza, Macaroni Grill, Chili's and many more."

Baum explained that the bakery itself produces more than seven million pounds of food each year between their 250 different products.

With production levels like that and such a wide variety of baked goods created, one might begin to feel like they are buying an inferior product compared to what they may receive back in the U.S., but Baum assured the group that they knead not worry

"In order to retain the contract to produce these products, we have to maintain a certain quality level dictated by the company," said Baum.

He explained that when they are graded on their products, they come back with a 95 percent quality rating, which rivals even the U.S.-based production facilities.

"We are proud of our ratings," said Baum "but we always try to make it better. Quality is never compromised."

To ensure the quality of the product, the plant has its own laboratory that runs a myriad of quality control tests.

"They run tests to control everything from the color of the bread to the size and weight," said Baum. "They even send samples off to the headquarters in the U.S. for the tests to be validated by another party. We need to produce the highest quality product that will be safe for our customers."

The bakery doesn't just make bread, though. Like any bakery, they rise to the occasion by offering sweet treats in the form of donuts, cakes, cookies and pastries.

"We negotiate contracts and produce items based on customer feedback," said Baum. "For example, we heard about this donut sold in New York for $5 each. It was a cream filled coffee donut with coffee flavored icing. We recreated it here and it flew off the shelves. We are able to produce that donut in our facility for $1.95 cost to the customer."

After the bakery, the Chiefs toured the Culligan water facility located in the same compound. This facility produces more than five million gallons of Culligan water every year that is distributed throughout Europe.

In 2011, the facility purchased a bottle making machine that cost $1.4 million. While the initial investment was costly, it paid for itself after just two years in operation while reducing carbon emissions by eliminating the need to ship in premade bottles.

Just like the bread factory, the water facility is also regulated and required to undergo extensive quality testing. In their most recent test, they were awarded a 99.2 percent rating, which is essentially perfect according to the rating system.

The tour culminated with some final thoughts from Chief Master Sgt. James E. Davis, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa command chief.

"As we toured this facility," Davis said, "in every process, I saw our Air Force core values. The people working in this facility demonstrate integrity to their product, service to their company, and excellence in everything they do. I want to thank everyone for this opportunity."