A burst of energy for local economy – Bar manufacturer to locate in Bedford Township
The Bedford County Development Association is pleased to announce the addition of a new manufacturing company, Tram Bar Co-Packing, LLC, to the Bedford County Business Park.
Bruce Thaler, co-owner of Kate’s Real Food, is expanding production of its line of organic energy bars from Victor, Idaho to the central Pennsylvania region. Thaler is a developer, business owner and former dentist residing in Altoona. He is projecting 36 new jobs with the potential for significant growth.
“We have limited production capacity at our Idaho facility. With our expansion into the grocery store market, we need to produce millions of bars annually. This move will greatly enhance our production capabilities and enable us to meet our growing demand,” Thaler explained.
The new 20,000 sq. ft. facility will be located on a 3.24-acre lot in Bedford County Business Park. The total project cost for real estate, machinery and equipment is $4,126,000.
Kate’s Real Food produces hand-rolled, organic energy bars in six flavors. “What distinguishes Kate’s from the competition is the use of certified organic ingredients, sweetening the bars with all-natural honey, unlike the artificial sweeteners that are pervasive in the industry, and, keeping our ingredient list short and understandable. And it all comes with a Great Taste Guarantee,” says Thaler. The bars are currently sold on Amazon, in specialty and convenience stores, at ski resorts, in bicycle shops and direct from katesrealfood.com.
“We are very excited to have this young, high-growth company coming to Bedford County. Bruce Thaler has a successful track record as an entrepreneur and Tram Bars will fit right in to our region’s outdoor lifestyle. We look forward to working with Bruce and his team. It’s a tremendous fit and offers diversity to our workforce,” noted Mark Bollman, Chair, Bedford County Development Association.
Construction will be performed by Ventura Construction Services. It is expected to commence this fall with completion in 2020.
“Kate’s Real Food bars are delicious, healthy bars. Once our customers taste them, they become repeat buyers. We are eager to have this new facility in operation with increased production capacity. It will enable us to be more aggressive with our marketing efforts and meet the stringent demands of high-volume customers.” noted Thaler. The company also plans to market its services to similar companies who desire to hire a co-packer to produce food products like Kate’s.
The project will be funded through a combination of equity, bank financing and state programs. Enterprise Bank, Hometown Bank and Marion Center Bank will all be participating in the private bank financing. The Altoona Blair County Development Corporation secured a PA Industrial Development Corporation low-interest loan for the project. The Governor’s Action Team was also instrumental in the project’s development.