Cspanmpbell Snspancks is bringing production of its best-selling Goldfish bspanked trespant back to Lakeland, a company press release said. 

Five years ago, the iconic Goldfish crackers took a hiatus from the Lakeland bakery when the company stopped production of the snacking staple and moved production to Willard, Ohio.  

“A few years ago, from a business perspective, it made sense to have Willard focus on Goldfish production,” said Carolyn Mulvihill, a senior communications manager for Campbell Snacks. “But now, Goldfish demand has increased so much. It is actually our, on the snack side, our best performing product. So, now we are at a point where we are looking to solve for increase demand and we are looking at adding Goldfish production in other places like Lakeland.”

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Have you tried the Megabites Goldfish snack?

In addition to a favorite snack for kids, the company has realized Goldfish have become something for the whole family, Mulvihill said. Megabites Goldfish are a new larger sized snack.

To ramp up production, Campbell Snacks is looking for workers to join the team in Lakeland, the release said. The company held a recruitment event on Wednesday at CareerSource Polk to hire new workers and is still looking for additional hires.  

“Campbell Snacks is seeking individuals to fill temporary roles on its second and third shifts,” the release said. “These roles have the potential to go permanent as Goldfish production increases with demand.”  

Mulvihill said there are 25 open spots for new employees who can earn $15 per hour and new hires could land permanent positions within 30 days at $16 per hour. Currently, the bakery employs 320 people and the new production line for Goldfish will increase positions. 

A major employer in the Lakeland area, Campbell Snacks offers comprehensive training programs and career advancement, it said. 

Goldfish and TikTok? A look at an ad campaign

Recent ad campaigns have driven demand for Goldfish, including a TikTok hashtag and engagement campaign. The TikTok challenging asks Goldfish aficionados to try and pile as many Goldfish as possible in their hands to try to beat NBA basketball player Boban Marjanovic, who has the largest hands in NBA history, at about 10.75 inches long and 12 inches wide.

Marjanovic was able to place 301 pieces of the snack food in his hands. Snackers were encouraged to post their own videos filling their hands with Goldfish on TikTok with the hashtag #GoForTheHandful. 

Goldfish have evolved since they were first produced 60 years ago.

“In fact, today Goldfish has more than 25 flavors and formats with many of our new innovations launching this past year as part of a broader effort to expand our consumer base (i.e. Mega Bites, Limited Edition OLD BAY Seasoned Crackers and Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Grahams),” said Kara Colety, a company communications manager in Lakeland.

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A look at Campbell Snacks Lakeland Bakery’s products

The Campbell Snacks Lakeland Bakery has been making Pepperidge Farm products for the last 35 years in Lakeland.

Campbell Snacks brands also include Snyder’s of Hanover pretzels, Late July tortilla chips, Kettle Brand potato chips, Cape Cod potato chips, Pepperidge Farm cookies and bread, Lance cracker sandwiches and more.

The Campbell Snacks division represents nearly half of the company’s more than $8 billion in revenue. The division is part of the Campbell Soup Company, which produces its flagship canned soup products.

Through mergers and acquisitions, the Camden, New Jersey-based company has grown to become one of the largest processed food companies in the U.S. including brands such as V8 and Swanson. 

The company was started in 1869 by Joseph A. Campbell, a fruit merchant from Bridgeton, New Jersey, and Abraham Anderson, an icebox manufacturer from South Jersey.