Come next year, one Morris County town may be in line to vie for the title of "doughnut capital of America."
Rockaway Holding Group LLC recently announced that it had signed a 15-year lease for a 125,000-square-foot property on Green Pond Road in Rockaway Township, where it intends to produce "over 1 million donuts a day," to a news release said.
The company will move from its current 40,000-square-foot bakery in Lodi to expand operations and become "one of the largest donut manufacturing facilities in North America," the statement said.
"This facility will serve as a transformative hub for Rockaway Holding Group, enabling them to support their client at an even greater scale," said Daniel Foley, executive managing director for Savills, a real estate services company that represented Rockaway Holding in the transaction.
"That's a lot of doughnuts," he added in an interview.
Foley would not reveal the name of the company that will sell the doughnuts but told the Daily Record, "These doughnuts are being manufactured for one company, one brand name."
Notably, perhaps, the announcement spelled the end product "donut," as does doughnut industry leader Dunkin'.
An email to the Dunkin' corporate office in Canton, Massachusetts, on Monday was not immediately returned.
No dates are available on when the current facility will close and the new one will open, Foley said.
Why did doughnut maker choose Rockaway?
The move marks a significant expansion for Rockaway Holding Group, which will transfer employees from Lodi and create new jobs in Rockaway Township. Overall, "hundreds" of employees will work at the site at 25 Green Pond Road, which is next to The Barn restaurant and near a Route 80 interchange.
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"The building really checked a lot of boxes," Foley said. "It has heavy power coming in, which they require, also a significant portion of the building has air conditioning, which is required. The 300-car parking was also important for them to execute and expand their operation. They will be able to add a few loading docks. It's a great location."
After learning of the deal for a major property in town, Mayor Joe Jackson said Rockaway Township "is very excited to have them opening and creating job opportunities."
The 13.7-acre property is zoned for industrial use.
The owners of the property, 25 Green Pond Investors LLC, were represented by Stephen Sander and Steve Elman of Cushman & Wakefield.
William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com; Twitter/X: @wwesthoven