Giles Foods will double production at its Milton Keynes factory next year by opening a second unit next to its Pain Artisan bakery.

The new unit, which will increase total production space at the site to over 9,000sq m, will be dedicated to garlic bread and dough ball production, with four lines in place and room for three more. Around £2-£3m will be spent on fitting out the unit, raising the site’s current turnover of £17m to a potential £30-£40m.

As well as increasing garlic bread production, the move will free up space in the company’s current unit for the production of artisan breads, such as French and Italian products. "It will give us more space to reconfigure lines and achieve greater efficiences," sales and marketing director David Marx told British Baker. "We have seen good growth in added-value breads in all areas of the business: retail, foodservice and wholesale."

As reported by British Baker in June, Giles Foods’ Warminster plant, which manu-factures Danish pastries and Belgian buns, is set to be expanded by a third, with the addition of a new unit. The site has been significantly upgraded over the past three years, with a new Comas pie and tart line.

The company’s projected turnover for 2009 is £20m up from £16.8m last year.