Warburtons, Hovis, and Kingsmill are the stalwarts of the UK bread scene, accounting for nearly £1bn of supermarket sales, but there’s a host of well-funded brands eager to grab a slice.
From the sustainability-focused start-up founded by a musician and a TV presenter to a fourth generation-led family bakery, we take a closer look at the brands looking to prove they’re the best thing since sliced bread.
Wildfarmed
Wildfarmed had been making a name for itself in the bakery world thanks to its regeneratively-grown wheat used by a host of players including M&S, Higgidy, and Greggs. Wildfarmed’s plan was to build brand awareness and get consumers excited about regenerative farming before staking its claim on the bread aisles with a brand of its own.
In April this year it did just that. The business rolled out the Wildfarmed Life Changing range in Waitrose comprising a sliced white loaf, sliced seeded loaf, white rolls, sourdough, and seeded sourdough, followed by a baguette in June. All products are free from palm oil or fat, artificial preservatives, or emulsifiers.
Its maverick approach is backed up similarly bold packaging which co-founder Edd Lees describes as “bright green, full of life, and the only bread with a disco ball on it”.
Superloaf
Sales of Superloaf are double what was originally forecast, according to Modern Baker – the business behind the health-forward loaf. The first proof-of-concept product, Superloaf 5.0, hit shelves in April 2023. It’s manufactured by Hovis via the Chorleywood bread process to help boost consumers’ gut health via a mix of optimised fibres and fermented seeds.
As with any brand launch, consumer acceptance is never a given even after years of planning, Modern Baker said. That said, sales of Superloaf, without any paid-for marketing support, along with reviews, have shown that the concept of invisibly integrating nutrition-density into a consumer’s regular format is a viable concept, it added.
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. Modern Baker has also secured a £450,000 grant from Innovate UK to apply its Alt-Nutrition ingredient more widely in the formulation of other foods, including pastries, breakfast cereals, pasta, and ready meals.
Jason’s Sourdough
Jason’s Sourdough is proving so popular that manufacturer Geary’s Bakeries is investing £8m in a new manufacturing facility in Leicester to keep up with demand. Jason Geary, fourth generation master baker, said the brand’s products had grown exponentially over the past year adding that the investment will allow the business to future-proof its growth.
The brand first hit the scene in early 2020 with its range of first hit the market in early 2020 with a trio of ciabattin loaves (a mash-up of ciabatta and a sourdough process). Since then, the brand has undergone a rebrand and gained listings in nearly 3,000 supermarkets across the UK with major retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Morrisons, Ocado, and Booths.
Notably, Jason’s isn’t looking to take on the likes of Warburtons or Kingsmill – it is playing firmly in the supermarket premium pre-packed bread segment with its sales hitting £23.7m for the weeks ending 21 January 2024 (as per Kantar data), representing value growth of 132%. This puts it in strong contention to be Britain’s fifth biggest bread brand, behind the big three and Roberts.
Gail’s
Gail’s is on a mission to bring its neighbourhood bakeries to every community, as evidenced by its rapidly expanding estate which now includes more than 140 stores in England. It is also making a serious play for grocery having opened its first location inside a Waitrose earlier this year and extended its partnership with the retailer to get more of its loaves in more stores. The move is paying off as Gail’s lines within Waitrose stores are up 35% year on year. The bakery has a long-standing partnership with online retailer Ocado which stocks a range of its products, including White Sourdough, San Francisco Sourdough, and Mixed Olive Baguette.
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