A 30-year-old South Carolina bakery that launched a major expansion almost two years ago has filed for bankruptcy and closed, leaving more than 200 people out of work, The State reported. The Muffin Mam closed its 100,000-square-foot plant in Laurens after filing for bankruptcy in federal court. In a statement, the company blamed the “ongoing effects of COVID-19.” Bankruptcy court filings show the company owes almost $6 million to 189 creditors. When the expansion to Laurens was announced, it was estimated to be a $18.8 million investment. One secured creditor, Pinnacle Bank, is listed in the bankruptcy filing, but it does not say what is owed. The others are unsecured creditors. Among the largest unsecured creditors are Atlantic Corporation, owed $600,760; Hardman Distribution, $591,400; JWC Engineering, $447,447; and Creative Baking Solutions, $382,750. Creditors run the gamut of businesses such as janitorial services, insurance firms, staffing companies, septic systems, blueberry and egg cooperatives and technology companies. Baker Stephanie Croley started The Muffin Mam as a small cafe in Greenville in 1990. She chose the name in a nod to a favorite nursery rhyme “The Muffin Man.” Within two years, Croley expanded into the wholesale bakery industry, and within another year sales amounted to a half-million dollars. The company then bought a facility in Simpsonville. Croley died in 2014, and the company was bought by Azalea Capital, a Greenville investment firm, a few years later.
