A family-owned bakery in East Sussex has won a contract with Sainsbury’s as part of the retailer’s Supply Something New initiative.

Battle Bake House in Bexhill won a listing to supply three of its own-brand cakes to 60 Sainsbury’s stores in the south east under the scheme, launched last year, which is designed to help smaller companies find wider markets and enable the supermarket’s customers to buy "uniquely British" local foods.

Sainsbury’s bakery category product manager Debra Wharton said Battle Bake House is exactly the type of company it is looking for under the Supply Something New scheme. Under the terms of the contract, the own-brand cakes are exclusive to the supermarket, although Battle does supply biscuits to Waitrose and Budgens.

To date, Sainsbury’s has contracted 25 suppliers under the Supply Something New initiative. The only other bakery, and the first company to be contracted under the scheme, is Organic Patisserie, which impressed the supermarket with its artisan production techniques and is now supplying cheesecakes to 120 stores.

Battle Bake House is supplying three products: chocolate and beetroot cake; carrot cake; and Molly’s Cake - a rich fruit recipe that is fat free.

The owner of Battle Bake House, Kate Kent, said: "Sainsbury’s has given us a lot of support. The arrangement will give us the stability we need in order to grow further."

The company recently moved to larger premises, with two full-time and three part-time staff. All three cakes are sweetener- and sugar-free. Retail prices are £2.89-£2.99.