Roggenart To Open New Headquarters, Central Commissary In Columbia

COLUMBIA, MD — Roggenart European Bakery, Bistro and Café announced it will be converting the former Hysteria Brewing Co. building on Berger Road into the company's new central commissary and headquarters.

The company made the announcement on its website.

The new facility will consist of 11,000 square feet, which adds to the production space located at Savage Mill of 4,500 square feet.

Owners Nem Popov and Brody Tennant have been searching for the right spot since last year, and after working through permitting, they are ready to break ground in the coming weeks, they shared.

"The buildout is expected to take three to four months, and once it is done, this space will become the heartbeat behind everything we bake," the company stated.

Currently, Roggenart operates 12 locations across Maryland, Virginia and Chicago. With this new commissary, they aim to increase their locations to 30.

“The key to everything is this new central bakery. It is what will let us grow while still doing things the way we always have: from scratch, in small batches, with the same care every single day," Nem Popov stated.

The commissary also will create 20 new jobs, adding to their team of 170 employees companywide. Beyond supplying cafés, the Howard County space will enable the company to have a presence at farmers markets in Washington, D.C., and Virginia. They also plan to work with culinary students from Howard Community College to learn and bake with them, the company stated.

The company also announced that new cafés are on the horizon in Bel Air, Baltimore City and the D.C. suburbs, with a Montgomery County location planned before the year is out. They're also looking at starting a franchise program.

"From our first bakery on Falls Road in 2017 to today, Roggenart has always been about bringing people together over something made with care, whether that is a warm loaf of rye or our newest creation, the Bunssant. This commissary is the next chapter, and we cannot wait to bake it with you," the company stated.