Baking Industry Awards 2024: Jason’s Sourdough named first-ever Bakery Brand of the Year

Thanks to our category sponsor

Bakery Brand of the Year is brand-new for the Baking Industry Awards 2024. It looks to celebrate brands from across the baking industry that are at the top of their game, rolling out innovative NPD, engaging marketing strategies, and excellent in-store execution to help their sales soar.

Winner: Jason’s Sourdough

Having burst onto the scene in 2020, Jason’s Sourdough has quickly secured itself a decent slice of the UK bread market, drawing in consumers with a range of unique sourdough loaves in brightly coloured packaging with a solid story behind them.

Its line-up includes ciabattin loaves (described as a mash-up of ciabatta and sourdough process) in white, malted, grains & seeds, and wholemeal variants as well as ‘straight up’ sourdough loaves, rolls, and the recently launched protein loaf. Notably, its ingredients list is minimal – the white ciabattin, for example, features only wheat flour, water, salt, and fermented wheat flour – meaning it not only delivers for customers wanting sourdough in a sandwich friendly format but also for those that are looking for products with only ‘store cupboard-friendly’ ingredients in them.

Jason’s Sourdough objectives for the past year were to increase availability, awareness, and penetration in order to grow retail sales values, something it has undoubtedly achieved. Its products are now in more than 3,000 stores nationwide and the brand has proved so popular that owner Geary’s Bakeries is investing £8m in a new manufacturing facility in Leicester to keep up with demand.

Even though Jason’s is playing firmly in the supermarket pre-packed bread segment, it is quickly climbing the list of the bestselling bread brands and currently sits in fifth place behind Roberts Bakery.

The brand wowed the judges with its “fantastic brand story” and how quickly it made its mark on the highly competitive bread category with “simple but standout packaging and delicious products”.

“Jason’s Sourdough has proven that there is room for innovation in markets with high household penetration, such as the bread market, you just need to be able to spot and take advantage of the gaps,” said on of the category judges.

The brand does not stand still. Since entering the Baking Industry Awards, Jason’s Sourdough has sought to expand its market presence by venturing into the food-to-go category with a range of top-notch toasties and hot rolls. Made with Jason’s ciabattin and sourdough rolls, they are manufactured under a strategic partnership with food-to-go specialist Around Noon and feature on-trend fillings such as kimchi and nduja as well as classics like ham and cheese & onion.

Finalist: Deli Kitchen

Flatbread and wraps specialist Deli Kitchen first hit shelves in 2016. Made by Signature Flatbreads, which was named Bakery Manufacturer of the Year 2023, its line-up now comprises 15 SKUs including a Lebanese Style Flatbread, Indian Spiced Wraps, and Sliced Focaccia designed to meet a range of consumer needs and meal occasions.

The brand’s sales are on an impressive upward trajectory with a 45% increase vs last year aided by NPD, increased distribution of existing lines and marketing. It recently launched a playful campaign encouraging consumers to ‘Go Flat’ with a 20-second TV and social film which will be displayed OOH, digital OOH, and on social media until the end of August, while decals can be found in stores.

The judges applauded the strong growth seen across Deli Kitchen’s portfolio, noting that “the numbers speak for themselves”. They also enjoyed the strides made with marketing and on social which has greatly improved brand awareness.

Finalist: Ginsters

Ginsters has been on a mission to re-educate consumers about its quality and taste credentials as well as its use of British ingredients over the past year. It kicked off a programme of activity in August 2023 with a bold redesign followed by a £4m media campaign called ‘Taste the Effort’ which told through the story of brand champion and Cornish farmer ‘Merryn’.

Ginsters also turned up the dial on NPD by tapping into food trends with extensions to its core range as well as limited-edition seasonal launches to excite customers and draw new consumers to the category. This included a Chicken Fajita Slice, Hunters BBQ Chicken Slice, and Breakfast Roll. Its innovation has delivered nearly £8m in incremental sales for the category over the last two years.

“Ginsters knows who its customers are and how to find more of them,” said the judges, who were impressed by the seasonal NPD strategy which is helping to bring new shoppers to the brand.

Finalist: Modern Baker Superloaf

Modern Baker is on a mission to create baked goods that are actively good for human health while resembling regular, scalable brands. Superloaf 5.0, which hit shelves in April 2023, is the first proof-of-concept product to be rolled out with other categories lined up for the future.

Made via the Chorleywood bread process, the loaf features optimised fibres and fermented seeds designed to boost gut health and offer immune support.

Sales of Superloaf are double what was originally forecast, particularly gaining traction with families, and the launch has proved so successful that Hovis recently signed an exclusive three-year licensing deal with Modern Baker to help it growth the range and innovate with new products.

“Love the whole ethos and execution,” said the judges who were impressed by the impact Superloaf has had so far with only one SKU and also applauded Modern Baker for the in-depth research that has gone into developing the product.

Finalist: St Pierre

Brioche specialist St Pierre has been on an upward trajectory for several years but it now has the might of Grupo Bimbo behind it, having been acquired in October 2022. The premium brand aims to bring the quality of out-of-home dining to at-home occasions, with a line-up of products which caters to meal occasions throughout the day. This includes burger buns, waffles, and French-style pastries in its line-up alongside brioche loaves, buns, and more.

It has strong stand-out on shelf thanks to its signature orange packaging and equally strong visuals which are engaging users on social media. To build on this further, the brand also launched its first above-the-line marketing campaign called ‘Eat Avec Respect’ which features a tongue-in-cheek take on French superiority that highlights the quality of its range.

St Pierre has a “proven track record, proven product, and strong brand proposition”, according to the judges who commended the brand’s “out of the box thinking” and in-store execution, particularly the Eiffel Tower displays.

Finalist: We Love Cake

Bold, bright, and youthful – this is how We Love Cake owner Bells of Lazonby describes the free-from cake brand. The brand underwent a strategic refresh earlier this year to accomplish this, moving away from the typical hearts, handwriting and pastels synonymous with free-from to reinvigorate it and make it relevant to a younger audience.

Its line-up includes vegan-friendly products which are also gluten- and wheat-free, including Lemon Tarts (which were named New Bakery Product of the Year in 2022), Apple Crumble Slices, Chocolate Salted Caramel Tarts, and Sticky Toffee Slices.

As well as the refresh, We Love Cake also sought to extend its reach from the cake aisles into the frozen ones with new lines including Sticky Toffee Pudding and Chocolate Pudding, as well as engaging with social media influencers to help spread the message.

“A really great brand,” commented the judges, adding that the revamp has “really paid off” when it comes to stand out on shelf and drawing consumers in.