New Apostolic Church’s Bielefeld Hosting Plant Expands with Modern Production Facility (Bielefeld, Germany)

The New Apostolic Church’s Bielefeld Hosting Plant in Germany is undergoing a significant transformation as it moves to a new facility just 150 metres away. The 4.5 million euro investment aims to modernize operations and meet the needs of its 60-country supply network. The current facility, a former sewing plant dating back to the 1970s, has aged and is set to be demolished. The new production site, located on the former community site of Bielefeld-Kammerratsheide, will include a modern hall with storage, office, and social spaces.

Michael Block, a key figure in the project, explains that the old church building was too small to accommodate the cooking facility and was demolished in April 2023. Construction of the new facility has since begun, with work expected to conclude by the end of November. Block emphasizes the importance of the new building, noting it will provide a reliable cooking technique and meet current standards.

The new facility will also feature a photovoltaic system to maximize self-consumption. For the first time, a dedicated production area for gluten-free hosts will be included. Although this production will continue manually due to the low demand, the New Apostolic Church has offered gluten-free hosts for over 38 years, catering to those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.

Part of the existing facility, completed in 2016, will be repurposed. The cooking facility and conditioning channel, which humidifies the hosts to prevent breakage during testing, will be replaced. A new silo system will also be installed. Test production is set to begin in January, with full operations resuming as soon as possible.

The transition raises questions about whether the hosts themselves will change with the new automatic oven. These details will become clear only after the first tests are conducted.

Source: Read the original report (translated from French)