Southern Biscuit Co., now Interbake, production in Richmond, circa 1950. Richmond Times-Dispatch archives.
Reinventing the chocolate chip cookie after more than a century is no easy task, but Daryl Gormley hopes doing so will help carry Interbake Foods into its next chapter.
Gormley is four months into his role as the new president of the 116-year-old Richmond-based cookie and cracker manufacturer. He comes to Richmond after stints at Sara Lee Foods, Kraft Foods and Frito Lay and is tasked with leading Interbake on a plan of growth, modernization and what he said amounts to a massive rebranding.
Gormley said for the first time in more than 10 years, Interbake’s parent company, Canadian conglomerate George Weston Ltd., plans to ramp up its investments in Interbake’s equipment and workforce as the company transitions from a focus on low cost to faster growth rooted in innovation.
Daryl Gormley
“It’s 10 times what we’ve been spending in the past,” Gormley said. “We’ve got a 100-year heritage as bakers, but we want to apply that passion in a contemporary environment. We think there’s an opportunity to bring good food to the masses.”
As part of the plan, the company is rolling out two new product lines to attract new customers. One is a cracker line that draws on flavors from around the world. The other is a chocolate chip cookie intended to tap into consumers’ growing interest in where their food comes from.
Gormley, 52, said consumers are snacking more and demand is up for treats that are nutritious and have simple ingredients.
“For cookies and crackers, the categories are blurring,” Gormley said. “(Consumers) use cookies and crackers much differently than I did when I was kid.”
Those new products are a departure from the bulk of Interbake’s current business, which comes from making cookies for the in-house brands of retailers like Walmart, Kroger, and Aldi, as well as supplying cookies for the Girl Scouts and Mrs. Fields. That business, while lucrative, has kept the Interbake brand largely out of the spotlight.
The Weston family, which controls George Weston Ltd., launched what would become Interbake Foods in 1899 in Richmond. The company was originally called Southern Biscuit Works.
The former Interbake factory, now the Cookie Factory Lofts near the intersection of West Broad Street and Boulevard. Photo by Burl Rolett.
Interbake’s U.S. headquarters are at 3950 Westerre Parkway in Henrico, and it has seven bakeries in the U.S., Canada and Costa Rica. Of its 1,000-person workforce, Interbake has 50 employees in Richmond. Perhaps the most visible remnant of the company’s longtime presence in Richmond is the cookie factory visible from West Broad Street near the Science Museum of Virginia. Dormant for years as a factory, it was turned into loft apartments last year.
Gormley said much of Interbake’s business has grown over the years through acquisitions of companies like Norse Dairy Systems and Ace Baking Co. He said Interbake has received buyout offers itself over the years but has not found a compelling reason to accept any of them.
“We’ve resisted that because we have phenomenal support from George Weston,” Gormley said. “We don’t want to be the biggest company; we want to be the best.”
Gormley said Interbake makes about 6 billion cookies a year and does about $400 million in annual revenue – a figure he hopes to grow.
“We think $500 million is well within reach,” Gormley said. “We think we should be a $1 billion business.”
To help it reach those goals to Interbake has hired The Frontier Project, a Scott’s Addition-based consulting firm, to help it with business strategy and communications. And he said he entered his new role with a “change mandate.”
Gormley said one of his mantras is “It’s better to be a pirate than be part of the Navy.”
“It’s such a departure from where we’ve been,” he said.
As he leads Interbake into a new era, Gormley, who has an engineering degree from University of Michigan and an MBA from Northwestern University, will also use his taste buds to help evaluate market trends.
“I eat cookies and crackers everyday – its part of my nutrition,” Gormley said. “If you’re going to be true to your portfolio, you need to participate in it.”
Southern Biscuit Co., now Interbake, production in Richmond, circa 1950. Richmond Times-Dispatch archives.
Reinventing the chocolate chip cookie after more than a century is no easy task, but Daryl Gormley hopes doing so will help carry Interbake Foods into its next chapter.
Gormley is four months into his role as the new president of the 116-year-old Richmond-based cookie and cracker manufacturer. He comes to Richmond after stints at Sara Lee Foods, Kraft Foods and Frito Lay and is tasked with leading Interbake on a plan of growth, modernization and what he said amounts to a massive rebranding.
Gormley said for the first time in more than 10 years, Interbake’s parent company, Canadian conglomerate George Weston Ltd., plans to ramp up its investments in Interbake’s equipment and workforce as the company transitions from a focus on low cost to faster growth rooted in innovation.
Daryl Gormley
“It’s 10 times what we’ve been spending in the past,” Gormley said. “We’ve got a 100-year heritage as bakers, but we want to apply that passion in a contemporary environment. We think there’s an opportunity to bring good food to the masses.”
As part of the plan, the company is rolling out two new product lines to attract new customers. One is a cracker line that draws on flavors from around the world. The other is a chocolate chip cookie intended to tap into consumers’ growing interest in where their food comes from.
Gormley, 52, said consumers are snacking more and demand is up for treats that are nutritious and have simple ingredients.
“For cookies and crackers, the categories are blurring,” Gormley said. “(Consumers) use cookies and crackers much differently than I did when I was kid.”
Those new products are a departure from the bulk of Interbake’s current business, which comes from making cookies for the in-house brands of retailers like Walmart, Kroger, and Aldi, as well as supplying cookies for the Girl Scouts and Mrs. Fields. That business, while lucrative, has kept the Interbake brand largely out of the spotlight.
The Weston family, which controls George Weston Ltd., launched what would become Interbake Foods in 1899 in Richmond. The company was originally called Southern Biscuit Works.
The former Interbake factory, now the Cookie Factory Lofts near the intersection of West Broad Street and Boulevard. Photo by Burl Rolett.
Interbake’s U.S. headquarters are at 3950 Westerre Parkway in Henrico, and it has seven bakeries in the U.S., Canada and Costa Rica. Of its 1,000-person workforce, Interbake has 50 employees in Richmond. Perhaps the most visible remnant of the company’s longtime presence in Richmond is the cookie factory visible from West Broad Street near the Science Museum of Virginia. Dormant for years as a factory, it was turned into loft apartments last year.
Gormley said much of Interbake’s business has grown over the years through acquisitions of companies like Norse Dairy Systems and Ace Baking Co. He said Interbake has received buyout offers itself over the years but has not found a compelling reason to accept any of them.
“We’ve resisted that because we have phenomenal support from George Weston,” Gormley said. “We don’t want to be the biggest company; we want to be the best.”
Gormley said Interbake makes about 6 billion cookies a year and does about $400 million in annual revenue – a figure he hopes to grow.
“We think $500 million is well within reach,” Gormley said. “We think we should be a $1 billion business.”
To help it reach those goals to Interbake has hired The Frontier Project, a Scott’s Addition-based consulting firm, to help it with business strategy and communications. And he said he entered his new role with a “change mandate.”
Gormley said one of his mantras is “It’s better to be a pirate than be part of the Navy.”
“It’s such a departure from where we’ve been,” he said.
As he leads Interbake into a new era, Gormley, who has an engineering degree from University of Michigan and an MBA from Northwestern University, will also use his taste buds to help evaluate market trends.
“I eat cookies and crackers everyday – its part of my nutrition,” Gormley said. “If you’re going to be true to your portfolio, you need to participate in it.”
Grew up on FFV Cookies in the 40s & 50! My father John Kloss was the Purchasing Agent for 20+ years. He used my baby picture on the Arrowroot cookie wrapper because he designed it. I have framed the original picture and the wrapper together. He was also instrumental in the design of the “foil” type of box wrappers. The red striped wrapper was copied from my Mother’s house coat. We were proud to be part of the FFV Family. My favorite cookies were the Lemon Wafers. ? Congratulations and Best of Luck leading Interbake into the 21st century. Carolyn… Read more »
Mrs. Walker,
Thank-you for sharing your story! I loved it! Knowing and appreciating “where you have been,” is imperative for knownng “where you are growing!”
My favs were the Lemon Wafers! Nothing better to serve with a cup of tea in the south!
I too share in the excitement and vision of Daryl Gormley! The best advertisement and marketing is to catch a wiff of those chocolate chip cookies in the air while in Downtown RVA! Sold!
FWIW, the Weston Companies didn’t purchase the Southern Biscuit Company until WWII, so the sentence about the family forming the company in Richmond is not correct.