This is the third facility in the Geary’s Bakery portfolio, with the family-run baker set to double production capacity and create 380 new jobs once the facility is fully up and running.
Total headcount at the business is on course to hit 950 members of staff by the end of the year, which would represent a quadrupling on the firm’s workforce in just four years.
“This allows our business to move to the next chapter of our growth,” said Jason Geary, fourth generation master baker at Geary’s Bakery and Jason’s Sourdough.
“The demand for Jason’s Sourdough and real artisanal bread continues to grow, and we are constantly inspired by how much people love our bread. This new site enables us to get our products into more stores and in more homes – while staying true to the quality and craft that set us apart.”
Jason’s Sourdough is now available in 4,000 stores nationwide, while the brand has achieved 107% value growth in the past 12 months.
It now accounts for around half of the company’s turnover and Geary’s is keen to further scale-up capacity across both its branded and own-label bakery operations with this investment.
The new bakery will ramp up in two phases, with phase one just opened and phase two coming on-board in September of this year.
Geary’s is also continuing to invest in the skills of its workforce and currently has 13 apprentices enrolled across bakery, engineering and operations, while it is recruiting eight new lead bakers. Geary’s is currently the fourth largest bakery firm in the UK.
“This new facility is a vital part of achieving our ambition to make proper bread more accessible to more people,” added Geary.
In related news, Iceland is recalling one batch of a bread roll product because it may contain an undeclared allergen.
