A process for producing crystalline sodium bicarbonate, comprising: providing an aqueous sodium-bicarbonate containing liquor originating from a reactive crystallization step in which first sodium bicarbonate crystals are produced and recovered; feeding at least a portion of said aqueous sodium-bicarbonate containing liquor to a cooling crystallization unit to form second sodium bicarbonate crystals and produce a crystals slurry comprising the second sodium bicarbonate crystals; and withdrawing a portion of the crystals slurry from the cooling crystallization unit for the withdrawn second sodium bicarbonate crystals to be further processed. A portion of the second sodium bicarbonate crystals withdrawn from the cooling crystallization unit may be fed to a sodium bicarbonate reactive crystallization unit, to a caustic unit, or may be separated and dried. The reactive crystallization, separation and/or drying units where the second sodium bicarbonate crystals are further processed may be the same units where the first sodium bicarbonate crystals are processed.