Genesis Crafty, the Northern Irish craft bakery, has announced plans to invest £1.4m to help drive sales faster in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.
The family-owned business – run by the five McErlain brothers, all qualified bakers – is aiming to build on 60% growth in the past three years and to grow a further 20% annually within the UK and Ireland.
The expansion will create 100 new jobs and the investment is being assisted by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and Invest Northern Ireland.
The bakery, based in Magherafelt, Co Derry, already supplies its Genesis Crafty branded and own-brand breads, such as scones, pancakes, traditional Irish breads and cakes, to Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Musgrave Group. It is seeking to grow this business and to add other retailers.
The expansion will see the artisan bakery add new plant to scale up production and to extend its new product development activities. It will also see the appointment of brand and account managers to help grow business in its target markets,
Brian McErlain, Genesis Crafty managing director, said: “We recognise the need to further expand our sales beyond Northern Ireland and have focused on developing new innovative products and enhancing our branding, sales and marketing in a bid to secure new business.
“We are enhancing our production and marketing capabilities to meet the demand of new customers and cement our position within the highly competitive bakery industry.
“We believe it is important to bake everything in the traditional way, hand-crafted with the best ingredients to produce superior taste and texture - as close to homemade as you can get. We are passionate about giving everyone the chance to enjoy the tastiest breads, morning goods and cakes.”
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