British Baker profiles Cornwall-based Warrens Bakery and takes at look at the key areas where it excels.

HERITAGE:

Established in 1860, Warrens Bakery is the oldest bakery in Cornwall, the oldest Cornish pasty producer in the world and claims to be one of the original artisan bakers in the UK.

NEW LOOK:

Since 2013 the bakery chain has embarked on an ambitious refurbishment programme to give its estate of stores a new look. New chairman Mark Sullivan says the look is “contemporary heritage” and the aim of the company is to offer “affordable luxuries”. The chain experiences a huge uplift in sales (circa 30%) when it revamps a store.

NEW PRODUCTS:

Famous for its pasties, Warrens Bakery is not afraid of innovation, however, and is ably assisted in this by Jason Jobling, director and chief operating officer at the company. He recently developed a limited-edition mincemeat pasty for Christmas. The cocktail-sized pasties were filled with mincemeat and custard before being hand-crimped and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. The product was a huge success, with retailer interest and attention from as far away as Australia.

BRAND CORNWALL:

Quietly, the company has gone about building a portfolio of Cornish-related products thanks to Sullivan. It has links to the Cornish Sea Salt Company and, last year, Simply Cornish, the trade arm of Warrens, acquired the Cornish Crisp Company. A new launch of the crisps is due later this year and, together, the brands have a compelling Cornish provenance brand story.

INSPIRATION:

You can hear the chairman of Warrens Bakery talk about the journey of the brand in recent years – from store revamps to product development – at an upcoming British Baker online event. Sullivan is the keynote speaker on Insights from the Bakery Market Report. The event is being held on 4 March at 2pm. The event also includes a presentation by Amy Price, team co-ordinator, news and features, at Mintel on the bread and baked goods market.