Gail’s has introduced The Wheat Project, an initiative championing bread made from wheat that supports biodiversity and restores soil health while delivering nutrition and taste.
The bakery chain stated it was grounded in the belief that great bread starts with responsible farming, and that its project highlights the urgent need for a shift towards regenerative agriculture.
“At a time when British farmers face mounting challenges – from industrial farming pressures to soil depletion, biodiversity loss, and financial instability – The Wheat Project shines a light on how better farming can build a more resilient future for both people and the planet,” said Gail’s.
The company – which unveiled its most sustainable bakery shop earlier this year – revealed it is working with farmers to grow wheat in ways which support and regenerate the soil rather than stripping away its goodness.
The first loaf to emerge from The Wheat Project’s inaugural harvest will be the Bruern Farms Sourdough, a loaf enriched further by a blend of heritage emmer, wholemeal spelt, and rye flours. It is created in partnership with farmer and miller Henry Astor, who has dedicated 40 acres of his family’s farm in the Cotswolds towards cultivating diverse wheat varieties with a range of different qualities, such as disease resistance and high protein content. His approach is said to align with Gail’s commitment to nutrient-dense grains that require no pesticides or chemical fertilisers.
“The sourdough Gail’s created with the wheat from my farm is the output of something pretty radical,” commented Astor. “Gail’s is using its scale for good – not just baking a loaf of bread for someone to eat, but contributing to an ecosystem, increasing biodiversity, and building community by being a part of that system.
“By bringing this across the UK, they are revitalising a broken farming system and high street. I’m really proud of what we’ve created together and the hope it gives to British farmers in these precarious times,” he added.
Gail’s is estimating to make around 200 of the limited-edition loaves per day, which will be sold across 54 selected shops focussed in the south-west from 7 May until October. They will be available in two sizes – 1kg (rsp: £7.50) and 750g (rsp: £4). The company’s retail estate has now surpassed the 170-mark including latest site additions in Ely and Macclesfield.
Despite the unpredictable yield and low gluten content, Gail’s executive master baker Anomarel Ogen was confident in his team’s ability to create a delicious loaves that allows customers to “eat the field”.
“We’re bringing farmers, millers, and bakers together to revive heritage grains and regenerative farming practices,” said Ogen. “The flour I use isn’t just a product – it’s the flavour of the land, expressed through farming and milling. My job is to honour that flavour, and turn it into bread that respects the soil, the grower, and the eater.”
In addition, Gail’s is also partnering with 10 other regenerative farmers across the UK to produce a range of heritage grain sourdough, shortbread, and crispbreads, which will be available in all Gail’s bakeries later in the spring.
In other related news, regeneratively food and farming company Wildfarmed has joined the latest Tesco Accelerator Programme, Hobbs House Bakery has unveiled a mission to source 100% of its grain from healthy soils by 2032, and Eurostar Commodities has rolled out a line of regenerative flours.
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