Gwent-based bakery manufacturer Brace’s is launching a range of sourdough products at regional retailers under its new brand, Ernest 100%.
Available in four varieties including White, Malted Brown, Protein, and Crafted Rolls, the range will be rolled out at Tesco and Asda stores across South Wales from next month. More lines are said to be in the pipeline, with launches subject to the success of the initial line-up.
To support sourdough production, Brace’s revealed it has spent nearly £1m redeveloping part of its bakery plant in Croespenmaen. This included the creation of a temperature-controlled area to hold long-fermentation tubs and the conversion of an existing line . “We tried to retain the softness through the baking process, so it is more than just a toasting product,” said the company, adding that each loaf takes more than 24 hours to make.
Brace’s noted its investment gives it significant weekly sourdough capacity, “which bodes well for the future”. The sourdough category has continued to grow rapidly in recent years, with Circana data for the 12w/e 18 January 2025 showing 58% growth year on year. Jason’s Sourdough is the current frontrunner in wrapped sourdough, rising up to become the UK’s fourth biggest brand overall and set to overtake Kingsmill into third.
Brace’s booming
In its latest financial results, Brace’s reported that sales had leapt 21.7% to £37.1m while pre-tax profitability returned to end at £1.1m. The business also operates another bakery in nearby Pen-Y-Fan Industrial Estate in Crumlin, where its head office is located, with both sites adopting Cybake software to manage business operations last November. It previously invested £4m in a new production line for the manufacture of bread rolls, tea cakes and hot cross buns in 2022.
These products, along with Welsh cakes, crumpets and sliced bread (which had its packaging refreshed last August) are supplied in branded lines to supermarkets and convenience stores in South Wales and the west of England. Brace’s manufactures private label items too, as well as baked goods for the foodservice sector.
Honest crust
The name of the new sourdough range comes from Ernest Brace, the driving force of the family bakery business during the middle part of the 20th century.
Born in 1893, Ernest grew up in his father’s bakehouse ‘George Brace & Sons’ in Pontllanfraith, starting work at the age of 12. He joined the Royal Flying Corps in World War I and, after returning home, was tasked to open a new bakery a few miles away in the mining village of Oakdale.
Both businesses coexisted for a while before Ernest incorporated them in 1936 as ‘Ernest Brace’s of Oakdale’. Described as a “feisty character but honest as the day was long”, he continued working at the bakery until his passing in 1974.
Ernest was known to have always told the story of how, in the early days of his career, he would mix the bread dough in a wooden trough while drinking beer. Once he’d finished the mixing, he’d put the lid on and climb on top, going to sleep until the proving dough pushed the lid up and he would fall off – this was his way of knowing it was time for the next stage of baking.
The Ernest 100% range is launched with the slogan ‘Honest It’s Ernest’, said to reflect the honesty of the ingredients and the baking process used.
Jonathan Brace, the grandson of Ernest who currently serves as director, claimed the vision for the new brand was a mixture of “Harry Potter meets Miami Vice”. This was a reference to a surviving recipe book written by Ernest and including sourdough recipes being like a spellbook, while the branding design featured 1920s Art Deco Style fonts, shapes, and bright pastel colours, “much like that of the 1980s Cop TV Show”.
Welsh mining heritage has also been incorporated into the packaging, with a line drawing of Oakdale Colliery appearing in the background. “We wanted to make sure that Ernest 100% Sourdough stands out on the shelf by being disruptive with bright, noticeable colourways. We believe we have achieved this with a combination of both classic and contemporary design,” commented Brace.
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