Stephanie Wells (left) and Sarah Vaughan assemble an order of coconut cream mini pies in 3 Fellers’ new Henrico bakery. Photos by Michael Thompson.
In a bid to make more dough, a local baked goods manufacturer has moved from Goochland to Henrico.
3 Fellers Bakery moved last month to a new facility at 6010 N. Crestwood Ave., just off West Broad Street in Henrico County. The company has a three-year lease on the 4,000-square-foot property that is nearly twice the size of its original home in Goochland County.
3 Fellers manufactures and wholesales gluten-free baked goods like desserts, bread and pizza crusts.
Susan Feller launched the venture from her kitchen in 2007, inspired by her own allergy to gluten. She moved the business in 2009 to a 1920s Goochland County farmhouse that she eventually bought and is now looking to sell.
Her sons, Michael and Brian Feller both work for the company as president and vice-president, respectively.
The need for more space arose as the bakery’s orders and customer list have continued to grow.
“It wasn’t the most efficient work space for us,” Michael Feller said of the farmhouse. “We’ve been landing big accounts that are driving the move.”
Susan and Brian Feller
Susan Feller said the company’s products will hit the shelves of the Wegmans grocery chain this month in Virginia and Maryland. The gluten-free goods will also be cropping up in October in about 700 Kroger stores along the West Coast. Its products are already sold in 30 Krogers in the Mid-Atlantic.
The company’s largest single purchase was a $60,000 order this year that eclipsed its previous record of $10,000.
3 Fellers has sold more than 1,000 cases of its chocolate peanut butter brownie this year; each case comes with 12 brownies.
The bakery has eight employees and is gearing up for another round of hiring.
It has invested in new automated equipment to ramp up production volume. Feller said she is financing the expansion with company money and an SBA loan from local bank EVB.
Susan Feller said the new Henrico facility, formerly home to a digital photography business, was attractive because it is near interstates 64 and 95 and gives shipping trucks easier access.
3 Fellers is certified by the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America. Gluten is the protein in barley, rye and wheat that gives dough its elasticity. While about 1 percent of Americans are allergic to gluten, eating gluten-free has become popular, and the gluten-free retail market is predicted to grow to $15 billion in annual sales by 2016, according to a New York Times report.
Today even Girl Scout cookies are sold in gluten-free versions.
Susan Feller said her company’s focus now is to get its products on as many shelves across the country as possible.
“We are right now prepared and ready to expand very rapidly,” she said.
Stephanie Wells (left) and Sarah Vaughan assemble an order of coconut cream mini pies in 3 Fellers’ new Henrico bakery. Photos by Michael Thompson.
In a bid to make more dough, a local baked goods manufacturer has moved from Goochland to Henrico.
3 Fellers Bakery moved last month to a new facility at 6010 N. Crestwood Ave., just off West Broad Street in Henrico County. The company has a three-year lease on the 4,000-square-foot property that is nearly twice the size of its original home in Goochland County.
3 Fellers manufactures and wholesales gluten-free baked goods like desserts, bread and pizza crusts.
Susan Feller launched the venture from her kitchen in 2007, inspired by her own allergy to gluten. She moved the business in 2009 to a 1920s Goochland County farmhouse that she eventually bought and is now looking to sell.
Her sons, Michael and Brian Feller both work for the company as president and vice-president, respectively.
The need for more space arose as the bakery’s orders and customer list have continued to grow.
“It wasn’t the most efficient work space for us,” Michael Feller said of the farmhouse. “We’ve been landing big accounts that are driving the move.”
Susan and Brian Feller
Susan Feller said the company’s products will hit the shelves of the Wegmans grocery chain this month in Virginia and Maryland. The gluten-free goods will also be cropping up in October in about 700 Kroger stores along the West Coast. Its products are already sold in 30 Krogers in the Mid-Atlantic.
The company’s largest single purchase was a $60,000 order this year that eclipsed its previous record of $10,000.
3 Fellers has sold more than 1,000 cases of its chocolate peanut butter brownie this year; each case comes with 12 brownies.
The bakery has eight employees and is gearing up for another round of hiring.
It has invested in new automated equipment to ramp up production volume. Feller said she is financing the expansion with company money and an SBA loan from local bank EVB.
Susan Feller said the new Henrico facility, formerly home to a digital photography business, was attractive because it is near interstates 64 and 95 and gives shipping trucks easier access.
3 Fellers is certified by the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America. Gluten is the protein in barley, rye and wheat that gives dough its elasticity. While about 1 percent of Americans are allergic to gluten, eating gluten-free has become popular, and the gluten-free retail market is predicted to grow to $15 billion in annual sales by 2016, according to a New York Times report.
Today even Girl Scout cookies are sold in gluten-free versions.
Susan Feller said her company’s focus now is to get its products on as many shelves across the country as possible.
“We are right now prepared and ready to expand very rapidly,” she said.