All baking moving to O&H Danish Bakery’s new $5 million store and HQ (2024)

MOUNT PLEASANT — As O&H Danish Bakery moves into its new $5 million headquarters, bakery and future store along Highway 20 the latest development there will be a substantial solar-panel array on the roof.

This week, O&H is moving the company offices into the new 44,000-square-foot building at 5910 Washington Ave., and on June 7 the company started its kringle-baking there. Within about three weeks all other baking will be moved there as well, and the 1,800-square-foot store — the company’s fifth — should open in mid-to-late July, O&H owner and President Eric Olesen said.

With the opening of the new, central bakery — which is running on two shifts and one sanitation shift in between — O&H’s entire baking operation and workforce at the Rapids Business Center, 1509 Rapids Drive, are being moved to the new building. Baking operations at the O&H store at 1841 Douglas Ave. will also move to the new headquarters building, although the store will remain open.

When the new headquarters building is fully occupied and operational, it will employ about 75 people in the bakery, a dozen in the office except for additional seasonal help, and about 10 full-time and about 10 part-time in the store, O&H Vice President Peter Olesen said.

The new bakery will increase manufacturing capacity by 40 percent, the Olesens said, and they expect to add about 25 full-time positions within three years as a result — mostly in the bakery and store.

Solar energy panels

The Olesens recently added another facet to the new bakery and headquarters building, the former and now expanded Towne Ford: a decision to mount solar panels on 40 to 50 percent of the roof. Peter Olesen said it will be a 152-kilowatt system with an estimated annual production of 180,000 kwh. The system, which should be operating by October, should offset 25 to 35 percent of the building’s electricity usage.

“We have a lot of energy use just from the freezers which run 24 hours a day,” he remarked.

On Wednesday, the Mount Pleasant Plan Commission unanimously approved the solar project.

“Mount Pleasant is excited to see the proposed inclusion of solar panels to the new O&H Danish Bakery flagship and headquarters,” Village Community Development Director Logan Martin said. “This will be the first solar project of this magnitude within in the Village.

“The project as a whole has turned out really great, and will be something local residents and tourists seeking our state pastry will enjoy for decades to come,” Martin continued. “The O&H development, paired with Northterra’s Pleasant Pointe Commons one block to the west, brings a much-needed facelift to that section of Washington Avenue — our official Main Street.”

If the building’s face looks rugged and rather nautical, that’s no accident. Both the coming retail store and façade design honor the Olesen family’s Scandinavian heritage, top company officials said. Vice President of Marketing Matt Horton said the façade is made from “really robust cedar” lumber and stone for a rustic, Viking look, meant to evoke images of the bow of a ship.

That theme will continue inside the store with more wood and stone, and the check-out counter will be built in the shape of a Viking ship. Eric Olesen described the future store’s look as “very earthy and natural.”

“It will be a whole different experience” than O&H’s Durand Avenue or Douglas Avenue stores, he said. It will have seating for 16 people, sandwiches and other fare, Collectivo coffees and presentations about the company for visiting groups.

“We hope this store will kind of make a statement about our heritage.”