Honey Bun is positioning itself to capture a larger share of the US$700-billion global snacks and baked goods market as it moves closer to completing the build-out of its Angels production facility.

It it is part of a broader strategy to scale output and establish the Jamaican bakery company as a regional food manufacturing player.

Early signs of that strategy are already emerging. Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Dustin Chong said exports surged roughly 200 per cent during the first quarter, as the company expanded distribution across parts of North America.

“The growth mainly came from our distributors in Canada, Toronto, Florida, and New York,” Chong told the Jamaica Observer in an interview following the company’s annual general meeting at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel on Wednesday. “We got new distributors and got into more stores than we were in before, so that helped significantly with the growth of our export for the first quarter.”

The export push comes as Honey Bun begins ramping up production at its Angels industrial facility, a major investment designed to relieve capacity constraints that had long limited the company’s ability to expand both locally and overseas.

Chief Executive Officer Daniel Chong told shareholders that while the factory only began operations in September last year, additional capital spending will be required to bring the plant closer to optimal output.

“I would estimate about maybe US$2 million for additional equipment to fill out everything and achieve full capacity of the plant,” he said during the AGM discussion. The company has already invested roughly US$6.5 million into the facility that more than doubles the production capacity of its Kingston-based plant.

Much of that spending will focus on greater automation, allowing products to move through production lines with minimal manual handling. While Honey Bun has already modernised parts of its manufacturing process, the company is still transitioning from its origins as a smaller, labour-intensive bakery operation.

Executives say that shift should not only increase production volumes but also improve productivity and job quality across the organisation.

“We’ve become more automated and able to produce more goods, but we’re still not fully automated. The additional investment would be to become fully automated,” Dustin explained.

The automation push is unfolding alongside product development and marketing initiatives aimed at expanding Honey Bun’s footprint into the US$2.6-billion international snack and baked good market.

Among the products currently gaining traction overseas are the company’s spice bun, penny bun, and Buccaneer fruitcake, which have been performing particularly well in North America and the United Kingdom.

“The spice bun in particular has grown, and our Buccaneer fruitcake has been in demand,” Dustin told the Business Week, noting that distributors continue to report strong customer feedback.

Exports still account for a relatively small share of Honey Bun’s revenue — estimated at roughly five per cent of sales — but management believes the category has the potential to expand significantly as the new factory unlocks higher production capacity. The company is targeting a medium-term goal of 10 to 15 per cent of sales coming from exports, with expansion expected first in North America and the Caribbean before moving into more distant markets.

Honey Bun reported revenue of $4.18 billion for the 2025 financial year, its first time crossing the $4-billion mark. However, profits declined as the company absorbed the financial effects of its large capital expansion.

“We would love to get into places like Europe and Japan eventually,” Chong said, though he added that the immediate focus remains on deepening distribution across the United States and Caribbean markets.

As Honey Bun pushes further into overseas markets, management is also exploring new product formats designed to travel more efficiently across longer supply chains, including the potential development of frozen products. The approach would allow the company to broaden its export portfolio while maintaining product quality in distant markets.

“It takes time for shipments to reach some markets,” Dustin explained, noting that retailers abroad typically prefer goods with shelf lives of six months or more.

At the same time, the Angels facility is enabling Honey Bun to roll out products that had been in development but were previously constrained by limited production capacity at its older Retirement Crescent plant in Kingston.

Among the new launches already emerging from the upgraded operation are Hawaiian rolls and repackaged burger breads, with additional product lines expected in the coming months.

Executives say the combination of new manufacturing capacity, automation, and export expansion represents a critical turning point for the company as it moves beyond its traditional domestic market.

“We are building not just a bigger factory, but a stronger foundation for Honey Bun’s future. We now have the infrastructure to scale production far beyond our historic limits,” Daniel said.