Northern Irish bakery Irwin’s has invested £350,000 in rebranding its Rankin Selection range of traditional Irish breads. 

The breads are created with celebrity chef Paul Rankin and the rebrand includes a packaging makeover to promote the products’ artisan feel and heritage, according to the company.

John Hopkins, sales director, said: “The Rankin Selection bread range has been an enormous success story for Irwin’s, creating a significant increase in trade with major retailers in GB.

“Each pack now features indicators communicating key attributes of the product, such as a shamrock depicting Irish ingredients, a toaster indicating the product tastes best toasted, and a slice of bread illustrating the product is yeast-free.

“We have also refreshed some of the product names in the range, making it easier for consumers to identify exactly which bread suits their individual tastes and needs.

“We are confident the rebrand will promote further growth within a competitive market place by reminding consumers of the quality of Rankin Selection products, as well as attracting new consumers to trial the range.”

The range is the best-selling Irish bread selection in the UK, growing by almost 30% in Great Britain since 2005 and now worth £9m. It is available in major retailers across the UK including Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s.

The range includes brown soda bread (£1.20), stoneground wheaten (£1.44), buttermilk soda bread (£1.00), potato slims (£1.20), fruit soda bread (£1.69), barmbrack (£1.80) and Rankin fruit loaf (£1.50).