FITCHBURG, WI — When David Payne, co-owner and general manager of Potter’s Crackers, took the helm, he had a five-year plan to move Potter’s out of incubator space and into its own production facility. But volume increased so rapidly that the goal was met in only three. Last year, Potter’s moved into a 12,000-sq.-ft. facility.
The new bakery was a big step, but it was critical, especially in terms of efficiency. Production flow was a big challenge, and Payne noted that new equipment and a linear design has streamlined what was once a relatively chaotic process.
The foray into capital investments started with the Fritsch VarioFlex M makeup line, the first big game-changer in terms of scale.
The line cuts and trays the cracker dough, exponentially increasing capacity. With a guillotine chopper that can easily be swapped out for a stamper, the possibilities are virtually limitless for the product varieties Potter’s can create, whether it’s crackers, crisps or oysters.
“I was the one cutting the dough by hand for years,” Payne said. “We did thousands of trays a day, and I know how hard it is. Getting the dough onto the trays is the hardest part of the process, so we are happy to have the machine here.”
Additionally, through Multivac/Fritsch, the bakery invested in a Daub portioning system, which can chunk out 25 to 30 lbs. of dough into rectangular blocks, as opposed to the old system, which did roughly 24 individual chunks at a time and required several passes of folding to get that rectangular shape.
The rectangles run through a Rondo sheeter, which rolls them out to 20-foot-long bands that are reeled up onto the Fritsch line, then de-reeled through a calibration head and sent through a series of cutters, sprayers and finally a guillotine before being placed on racks and rolled into four Hobart ovens.
The rectangles run through a Rondo sheeter, which rolls them out to 20-foot-long bands that are reeled up onto the Fritsch line, then de-reeled through a calibration head and sent through a series of cutters, sprayers and finally a guillotine before being placed on racks and rolled into four Hobart ovens.
Automation is taking the bakery in the right direction, not only allowing for increased volume but also making life easier for the Potter’s team. Every day, the crew is making crackers to a rock-n-roll soundtrack playing overhead as the process runs smoother than ever.
Relative to Payne’s previous life in meat processing, cracker production is a pretty low-risk environment. It’s a low-moisture product with significantly less microbial risk, but food safety is always critical, especially from an allergen standpoint. That’s where Payne’s experience with USDA, FSMA and HACCP comes into play.
As a former HACCP controller from his meat processing days, Payne applies the same high standards of food safety to cracker production.
“I brought a lot of that seriousness here,” he said. “The standards are high in our bakery environment, to the point that we can have full traceability in a matter of seconds.”
Traceability doesn’t just come from the food safety protocols. Potter’s focuses on locality, even as the brand increases its reach and expands its consumer base.
“That idea of small scale, agriculture and organic was something that Nancy created, especially around Wisconsin,” Payne said. “That was something that drew me to Potter’s in the first place, and I want to keep those ideals here. It’s easy to say, ‘We want to scale and not lose track of our history,’ but for me, it’s very much ingrained.”
With organic being a pillar of the brand, 99% of Potter’s products are certified organic. To maintain that status, the bakery is intentional with not only ingredient suppliers but also agricultural partners, focusing on local whenever possible. That includes using organic milk and butter from Wisconsin dairy farms.
“Our wheats, rye flours, oats, flaxseeds,” Payne said, “they’re all grown in Wisconsin, and they’re all organic.”
From a socio-economic perspective, the bakery enjoys the benefit of stable commodity pricing thanks to that proximity. And participating in that supply chain benefits the local agricultural system for generations.
What was born to be little more than a staple in local farmers markets has grown into a brand without borders. It’s what American dreams are made of.
“In five to 10 years, we want to be considered a national brand,” Payne said. “We’re going to watch the consumer trends and build our manufacturing around that. We are a gourmet cracker brand, and we want to be the highest quality cracker that is sought out for entertaining. Nancy and Peter had a brilliant idea: Sell crackers from the cheese state.”
Perhaps Peter Webber, son of Nancy Webber, founder of Potter’s Crackers, was onto something with that second bakery in California. If the growth happens, and with the right automation, Wisconsin is just the beginning, and the sky is truly the limit.
This story has been adapted from the 2023 Innovations Annual of Commercial Baking. Read the full story in the digital edition here.
