FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Aunt Millie’s will close its Fort Wayne Bakery. The phased closing will begin this month, and be completed by April, 2018. About 91 bakery employees will be affected. The company will continue to operate six other bakeries in the Midwest, and the Aunt Millie’s headquarters will remain in Fort Wayne, with about 120 administrative employees.

Today, company leaders informed employees of the closing, and announced they will work with the bakery union to offer transitional assistance to those affected.

“Due to the current business environment and after undertaking a capacity and logistical analysis, we determined we need to close our Fort Wayne bakery,” said John F. Popp, company president. “This is a critical step in reducing excess capacity and costs, to allow ourselves to maintain our leadership position in the baking industry. We reached this extremely difficult but necessary decision after thoroughly exploring other options.”

“Aunt Millie’s and Sunbeam high-quality products will continue to be baked at our other six bakeries. Our customers will still be able to find their favorite bread at grocery stores throughout the Midwest,” said Jay Miller, company CFO.

Aunt Millie’s operates bakeries in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, producing bread and bakery products that are distributed throughout the Midwest, and nationally. The company has been family-owned since 1901; President John F. Popp is the grandson of the company founder. Aunt Millie’s employs about 1,600 people company-wide.