Genius Food, the gluten-free bakery, has bought frozen pie-producer Chapel Foods in a £3.5m deal.

Genius is acquiring the operations of Chapel Foods and its gluten-free plant in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire. The company will also create 30 jobs and boost production capacity, allowing it to add new frozen products to its range in the future.

The move comes in the wake of Genius seeing strong growth in the frozen sector after launching a range of gluten-free pies with Chapel Foods in 2014.

Roz Cuschieri, chief executive at Genius, said: “The acquisition of Chapel Foods will allow us to accelerate our growth strategy in the frozen free-from sector, as we continue to respond to consumer demand for gluten-free convenience foods in line with those available in the mainstream aisle.

“We’re confident that the combination of Chapel Foods’ manufacturing expertise and established distribution network, coupled with Genius’ product innovation and investment in the site, will pave the way for future success.”