Swiss retail and foodservice holding company Valora Group has revealed plans to invest $100m in the US and Germany to expand pretzel production. 

Ditsch, the company’s subsidiary specialising in soft-pretzel products, is poised to open a new bakery in Cincinnati in the US next month. The project has cost around $70m. 

In Germany, the company is planning to invest more than $30m to upgrade and expand its production facilities. 

Valora is aiming to expand capacity at the Oranienbaum bakery by the end of 2025 and is "optimising" buildings and production at its Mainz bakery.  

Ditsch, which was founded in Mainz in 1919, serves customers in 38 countries, sells over 900 million baked goods annually, and operates four production facilities. 

The Cincinnati plant is expected to create more than 150 new jobs within the next two years, adding to Ditsch's current global workforce of about 1,500 employees.  

Valora Group CEO Michael Mueller said: “Ditsch expertly combines tradition with innovativeness and has thus grown into the world market leader for pretzel bakery products.  

“With our new, second plant in the US and the capacity expansions in Germany, we are laying the foundation for further growth.”  

In the US, Valora supplies third-party retail and foodservice customers. In Germany, the company produces for foodservice clients and its own Ditsch outlets.

Sebastian Gooding, the CEO of Valora's B2B foodservice arm, said: “With our strong teams, we deliver great-tasting products, a strong and resilient supply chain and comprehensive food safety.  

“We are delighted to be able to supply the US wholesale market even more comprehensively thanks to our new plant. At the same time, the capacity expansion in Germany will enable us to better meet the high demand.”