The Wrexham-based bakery business will use the funding to double its workforce by hiring five new members of staff to support its continued growth.
Grazed planned to ramp up production with new equipment and new product lines at its 3,000 sq. ft. business unit on the Vauxhall Industrial Estate.
Commenting on the investment, owner Mark Thompson said: “We are very grateful to UKSE for this timely support. The funds will be used to buy new cutting equipment, allow us to look into new product development and take on five more staff.”
Brownies and blondies
Operating from its home on the Vauxhall Industrial Estate since 2022, Grazed produces a range of brownies and blondies that it supplies to the wholesale market to customers such as The Modern Milkman and Yumbles, as well as selling online across the UK.
UKSE provides loans and equity packages of up to £1m to Welsh businesses with ‘potential to create sustainable employment and prosperity’. In the past 50 years, UKSE has supported about 83,000 jobs in former steel areas around the UK.
Howard Thompson, UKSE regional executive, said he was delighted to have provided this support to Grazed as a springboard for growth: “Mark and Renee are totally dedicated to building the business, and have an uncompromising approach to the quality of their products.
Success for the future
“In particular it is good to see they plan to take on more staff and have a clear business plan to take the business forward. We wish them every success for the future.”
Meanwhile, crisp maker Fairfields Farm has expanded production with the installation of a new fryer, part of a multi-million-pound investment in the company over the past year.
Fairfields Farm has invested more than £2m into its in Wormingford factory over the past year in a bid to improve the quality of its products while exploring sustainable growth for the business.