Functional bakery specialist ANR-Probake is looking to introduce new products and increase capacity after purchasing a new factory in South Wales.
The 70,000 sq ft site is located just a few hundred metres from the manufacturer’s existing bakery (of a similar size) on Oakwood Close in Crumlin. Operations are expected to begin at the new factory before the end of Q2 next year.
ANR-Probake also operates a 12,500 sq ft facility less than a mile away at Oakdale Business Park, where it is nextdoor neighbours to free-from bakery specialist Just Love Food Company.
In the short term, the manufacturer plans to continue producing its private label range of nutritionally enriched baked goods (such as protein cookies and flapjacks) out of its two current sites whilst it begins a transition to merge production lines at the newest factory.
Commenting on the investment, ANR-Probake managing director Dan Jones told British Baker: “We’ve seen a strong increase in the demand for nutritional baked goods over the last five years. Consumers are more health conscious now more than ever and are constantly looking for healthier alternatives in the snacking space.”
Jones noted that the protein bar market is an extremely competitive landscape with barriers to entry increasing year on year. “However, consumers like choice and our baked goods offer a point of difference,” he said.
The MD confirmed a move into healthier snacking in general as well as identifying gaps within the savoury and breakfast categories. “We’re continuously focusing on innovation and NPD and have some really exciting products due to launch in the new year that complement the changing needs of the consumer,” added Jones.
ANR-Probake founder and owner Mathew Richardson amassed over 14 years of experience in the nutrition market prior to establishing the firm 2008 in the northeast of England. ANR stands for Applied Nutritional Research, with its first project being to develop an ultra-high protein cookie (up to 50% protein) with reduced fat and sugar that offered the same taste and texture as a standard cookie.
This was followed by a relocation to Oakdale Business Park in 2011, where the business started producing own-brand cookies. The popularity of this range saw the company seize on an opportunity to made goods in a white label capacity, and it took on a second factory. It currently supplies over 130 different ‘healthy junk food’ SKUs – including protein-rich cookies, flapjacks, and brownies – to customers ranging from start-ups to publicly listed companies in the UK, Europe, and the Middle East. A recent initiative saw ANR-Probake turn to Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Zero2Five Food Industry Centre to help better understand the waste produced by its bakery processes.
Sales have now grown to reach around £17m in turnover, with revenue expected to increase further through the additional product lines and capacity afforded by the new facility. Jones said it will also allow the company to improve on its supply chain and focus on vertical integration by bringing some key processes inhouse for the first time – new roles are to be recruited where possible too.
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