Sourdough specialist Luke’s Bakery has welcomed backing from two established food entrepreneurs as it moves into a new, larger production space.
The Brough-based artisan bakery supplies a range of signature and flavoured sourdough loaves to farm shops, garden centres, cafes, and restaurants across East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.
It was founded in 2022 by banker-turned-baker Luke Jenneson, who is one of the finalists for the Rising Star Award at the upcoming Baking Industry Awards 2025.
Supporting its next stage of growth are Alex Albone and James Sweetings, co-founders of Lincolnshire crisp brand Pipers. Both men were said to have provided “invaluable counsel” during the bakery’s journey so far with their “significant investment” helping it move into a new 6,500 sq ft space in the heart of Brough town.
Jenneson told British Baker that he hoped to more than double production at the new bakery, which is around three times the size of the old site where his team of 12 were forced to do “quite a bit of working on top of one another”.
“Due to our previous bakery size, we were limited by the number of days we could fulfil deliveries,” he noted. “In the short term, we would like to develop this further by offering more delivery days. Further to this, we would like to expand our reach and deliver to additional customers in the wider Yorkshire and Lincolnshire region.”
The baker said there were no immediate plans to alter the product range, focussing instead on maintaining high levels of standard and continuing to deliver for customers. It was this quality that attracted the local investors.
“I knew when I first tasted one of Luke’s loaves that he was onto something,” commented Sweeting, who is also co-founder of private label coffee supplier Lincoln & York Coffee. “The market for fresh, local bread made with simple ingredients is growing, and Luke’s baking skills and business brain are impressive. I’m thrilled to be involved and look forward to playing a part in the brand’s next chapter.”
The new bakery has space to house an additional deck oven to compliment the existing one in use, with “maybe another one a couple of years down the line”, according to Jenneson. New recruits are also expected to be hired for production and delivery processes, with the young owner admitting it is a challenging time as an employer at present. “But I’m confident that as a growing business we have something positive to offer the job market,” he adds.
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