SPRINGDALE, ARKANSAS, U.S. — The Hillshire Brands Co., a subsidiary of Tyson Foods, Inc., said it is investing more than $28 million to improve its Tarboro, North Carolina, U.S., baking facility. The company said the project is part of an ongoing plan to meet growing demand for its products and to maximize efficiencies.

The plant makes croissants, biscuits, layer cakes, sheet cakes, muffins, pound cakes and cobblers under the Sara Lee brand. In addition to expanding capacity to produce more of these baked goods, the project will add lines for gluten-free and non-bioengineered waffles produced for retail customers, the company said.

“We’re glad to invest in our Tarboro plant, which will mean more jobs for the city,” said Wes Morris, president of prepared foods for Tyson Foods. “The existing infrastructure, location and availability of a qualified workforce make the plant ideal for this expansion project.”

Tyson Foods is receiving assistance with the expansion from the North Carolina Department of Commerce, which is providing a performance-based grant from the One North Carolina Fund, Edgecombe County and the town of Tarboro. The One North Carolina Fund provides financial assistance, through local governments, to attract business projects that will stimulate economic activity and create new jobs in the state.

“We’re grateful to the North Carolina Department of Commerce and everything it has done to make this project possible,” Morris said. “We appreciate doing business in North Carolina and are glad to invest there.”

The Tarboro plant opened in 2000 as part of the Sara Lee Corp., which became The Hillshire Brands Co. in 2011. Tyson Foods acquired Hillshire Brands in 2014. The facility employs nearly 700 people, with an annual payroll of more than $22.3 million. The expansion is expected to add another 100 jobs.