A trio of bakery manufacturers were among those crowned winners at the 2015 Food and Drink Federation Awards. 

Delicious Alchemy, The Bread Factory in Worcestershire and Orchard Valley each scooped ‘growth business’ accolades at the annual event, which celebrates the best businesses across the food and drink industry.

Sheffield-based Delicious Alchemy impressed judges with a 40% increase in sales achieved through a focus on product quality, innovation and additional listings with major retailers, including Sainsbury’s.

Speaking about the brand, which started in 2006 by Emma Killilea, FDF’s director of economics and commercial services Steve Barnes said: “Delicious Alchemy aims to continue to develop products that are equal to, or better than, mainstream equivalents. The company’s strategic commitment and bold decisions, such as growing their own oats and setting up their own factory, stand Delicious Alchemy in good stead to enjoy continued growth in the future.”

Worcestershire-based Orchard Valley, which produces powder food ingredients including blended cake and bakery mixes and has grown 37% year-on-year, had an “‘impressive rate” of new product development with more than 100 new products, launching an average of two per week over the last year, the FDF said.

Meanwhile, London-based wholesale artisan bakery The Bread Factory, which supplies businesses including Michelin-starred restaurants, five-star hotels and nationwide retail, restaurant pub and coffee chains was recognised for bringing together “‘traditional craft baking methods with modern technology”, enabling it to produce and deliver products “at scale, while never compromising on artisan quality”.

Warburtons walked away with the ‘health and wellbeing’ award for its schools workshop scheme, which has helped educate almost 30,000 children about the importance of a balanced diet.

“Schools and food industry partnerships like this help young people to learn about food and nutrition from the experts in a fun, practical and engaging way,” Barnes added. 

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