Brace’s Bakery has given its Ernest 100% sourdough range a makeover whilst discontinuing the Protein variant.
The Gwent-based manufacturer said it had taken the opportunity to reevaluate the packaging before the 5 January when its White and Malted Brown loaves (rsp: £2, 450g) were being rolled out at 200 Sainsbury’s stores nationwide.
These were unveiled alongside the Protein loaves and Crafted Rolls in the Ernest 100% sourdough brand launch last July, with the range rolled at Tesco and Asda stores across South Wales.
Previously wrapped completely in plastic, the White and Malted Brown loaves are now in paper with a plastic window in the centre. They also follow the same blue and pink colourways of the previous wraps.
“Paper is preserved by the consumer to denote a premium product which Ernest certainly is,” commented Brace’s director Jonathan Brace. “We believe the paper bag gives better shelf stand out and we want to be at the for front of the consumers mind when they are shopping for sourdough and the paper bag does this.”
As before, the ingredients of the loaves are listed prominently on the front along with an added ‘24 hours from start to finish’ message to confirm the extended production time. In addition, the white sourdough proclaims ‘Only four ingredients’ in enlarged font, mirroring the ‘Only…. Ingredients’ range launched by M&S last year against the backdrop of the ultra-processed food (UPF) debate.
Brace admitted to British Baker that “we don’t understand but no one wants Protein”, indicating that poor sales of the variant had led to the decision to not include it in the range update. He revealed the company was now looking to redevelop the Protein sourdough recipe, likely to be high in fibre to tap into the health trend that appears to be taking the lead over protein-rich claims.
The Ernest 100% Protein sourdough loaf contained sunflower and linseeds, which could be retained for their fibre content, while Brace’s also produces the Vortigern loaf made with the same seeds that offers 4.7g fibre per 44g slice.
In October, Brace’s announced the closure of its site on Pen-Y-Fan Industrial Estate in Caerphilly with the downsizing in response to declining demand for wrapped bread. It had previously invested £1m at its main bakery in Croespenmaen to support production of the new Ernest 100% sourdough range.
Rival sourdough brand Jason’s Sourdough – which has risen to become the third biggest bread brand in the country – unveiled plans last month to launch a 100% wholemeal loaf due to demand for bread without folic acid. The Ernest 100% Malted Brown loaf contains 80% wholemeal flour and 20% white flour meaning it should contain some folic acid due to the legal requirement for fortification of non-wholemeal flour.
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