Celebrate the finalists for Supplier of the Year 2026

Last year’s winner is back as a finalist, with suppliers of flour, bakeware, and bakery ingredients looking to seize the crown at the Baking Industry Awards 2026.

The Supplier of the Year category seeks out firms with excellent levels of service and fulfilment, and genuine contributions to the longevity of the industry, as well as collaborative efforts to help drive innovation and efficiency.

Discover more about the four finalists this year below:

Bako

The supplier hasn’t rested on its laurels since triumphing in the debut year of the category in 2025. Its significant business growth has been primarily driven by a successful acquisition and integration of Devon-based Bako Western, alongside continued gains across core bakery and foodservice sectors.

It delivers commodities, chilled and frozen products, bakery ingredients, confectionery, packaging solutions and a growing Bako Select own-label range to around 6,500 customers nationwide. Fulfilment rates exceeding 99.5% are supported by ERP systems, voice-pick technology, and highly experienced operational teams.

Bako has invested heavily in infrastructure and customer service, with 16 new multi-temperature vehicles added to its existing fleet of 88. An additional 5,000 pallet capacity has also been created to support future growth plans across its five sites located in Preston, Durham, Wimbledon, Cullompton, and Belfast.

Supporting future talent is also central to Bako’s strategy, with its Young Bakers Initiative – now in its second year – seeing profits from product sales help fund future programmes, creating a sustainable pipeline of industry talent.

Judges described Bako as a “very strong, professional, and baker-led business”, and praised its customer service and focus on training staff. It has a “real belief in the future of the baking industry,” said one judge.

British Bakels

Having provided technical bakery solutions for over eight decades, Bakels now supplies more than 850 product lines to 250 direct customers with further reach across the baking industry via wholesalers and distributors. The company operates two manufacturing sites, in Bicester and Liverpool (the latter acquired from Renshaw in 2023), as well as a national distribution centre less than a mile from the Bicester facility.

Bakels supports customers not only with consistent supply of ingredients – Easter service levels hit 99.4% – it also provides hands-on knowledge and expertise. Technical support managers either work inside a client’s bakery or alongside them at one of Bakels’ baking centres. It analyses consumer behaviour too, which recently led it to launch 25 home baking kits into supermarkets, under both own-label ranges and the Renshaw brand.

Indeed, the business has worked over the past year to move Renshaw from recovery to growth. This includes securing major listings for 10 branded lines with Tesco and relaunching the Renshaw Cup after a 21-year hiatus.

A first Sustainability Report for Bakels helped examine operations and set out strategies for emissions reductions, while 2,000 solar panels now supply around 30% of the Bicester site’s electricity requirements and almost all of its company car fleet has transitioned to electric vehicles. It also supports students and early-career bakers through industry events, college engagement, practical demonstrations and work with organisations such as the Alliance for Bakery Students and Trainees and The Worshipful Company of Bakers.

Judges recognised how Bakels demonstrates “a commitment to customer satisfaction over rigid efficiency”, as well as noting its Renshaw rescue deal “protected another aspect of the baking industry for years to come”. The resilience shown to market changes together with investment in future growth also impressed.

Invicta Bakeware

Despite rising material, energy, and operational costs, Invicta has remained resolute in its support of customers through competitive pricing, responsive service, and dependable lead times wherever possible. The North Yorkshire-based bakeware manufacturer invested in product and staff development, manufacturing capacity, and more throughout the past year.

Invicta highlighted how, rather than simply supplying products, it worked closely with bakeries to improve efficiency, solve operational challenges and support business growth. This includes creating bespoke products and suggesting new bakery layouts and workflow enhancements. The supplier can also provide rapid-turnaround solutions when urgent operational issues arise – personal service and direct support are said to be key factors behind its long-standing customer relationships.

Since becoming employee-owned in 2020, Invicta has fostered a culture where its staff take real pride in delivering high standards of service, quality and responsiveness − helping bakeries of all sizes operate more efficiently, competitively, and successfully. Its sustainable approach involves manufacturing durable, long-lasting bakeware that reduces waste and replacement frequency.

Judges remarked how Invicta has clearly gone from strength to strength and kept “baking the key cornerstone of all that they do”. One judge pointed to a customer-focussed culture, and gave thumbs up to the firm’s apprenticeships, succession planning, and sustainability which demonstrated a view beyond short-term performance.

Whitworth Bros

The UK’s largest flour miller encountered top-line pressure from a decline in global commodity prices but still managed to significantly improve its profitability, demonstrating the strength of its operating model and ability to flex effectively in a changing market environment.

Operating within a highly competitive flour milling market, Whitworth continued to differentiate through a commitment to production excellence, quality and customer service. This was supported by investment in excess of £40m during the past year focussed on enhancing production capability, resilience, and product quality, ensuring it remains well-positioned for long-term growth.

Having been established in Wellingborough back in 1886, the family-owned company now operates seven milling sites across the UK including in Holbeach, Peterborough, Manchester, Selby, Worksop, and Whitley Bridge. It describes the latter location as one of the world’s most technologically advanced mills, delivering exceptional quality, consistency and food safety standards.

In addition to wheat, Whitworth produces bulk and bagged specialty flours for applications such as pizza, chapatti, batter, and cakes, serving customers ranging from large-scale commercial manufacturers to supermarkets to small local bakers and biscuit makers. Of its total volume, 70% is sold to customers of more than 10 years. In August 2025, it launched ‘Rooted in Soil’ – a farmer incentive programme to improve the land where its wheat is grown on.

“Whitworth is an impressive supplier with some fantastic achievements,” expressed a judge, with another noting how it “demonstrated significant operational capability, long-term investment, and a clear commitment to supporting both its customers and the future of British milling”.