The investment into its foodservice site, Kara, is part of the manufacturer’s plan to grow its out-of-home and wholesale bakery markets.
The Whitefield, Manchester-based factory makes a range of floured baps, brioche style buns and ready to roll pizza doughballs. It currently produces more than 1.2 million bread rolls per day, supplying key national wholesalers and end-users across hospitality, healthcare, education and the quick serve grab-and-go industry.
The investment will be rolled out over the next 12 months. The first phase is already underway and is focusing on product consistency and quality, as the factory has a robotic water splitter installed. This technology is designed to offer Kara greater variety of designs and finishes on rolls and loaves.
This stage will also include significant asset upgrades across the proofing and packing areas.
Phase two will commence in 2026 and will look to enhance product presentation, and optimise quality and efficiencies throughout the end-to-end process. Part of this will include a major upgrade to its pizza doughball production line as demand for frozen dough balls from the quick serve sector increases. This line will feature a new divider and line setup, which is expected to increase capacity.
“This is a transformative time for Kara, we’re upgrading almost every part of our production process, from proofing and slicing, to packing and wrapping, to improve quality, drive efficiency and unlock innovation for our customers. From advanced robotics to new packaging lines, this investment is a major vote of confidence from Finsbury in the future of Kara and the wider foodservice market,” commented Suzanne Cooper, site operations manager at Kara.
The site will also see sustainability improvements due to energy efficiency gains via the upgrades. Recent initatives include the adoption of smart LED lighting, better internal temperature controls to significantly reduce heat loss and the rollout of a site-wide energy management system.
Originally acquired by Finsbury in 2014 as part of Fletchers Group of Bakeries, Kara is Finsbury’s only site dedicated exclusively to foodservice.
