Baking news
Born & baked in Wales Royal seal of approval
Taste of success New accolades Six of the best
Rocking around the world
Branding is a hit Win a night of foodie heaven
Issue 1
We’re proud to be born and baked in Wales
Chairman Alan Jones and Director Christien Jones
The Village Bakery is celebrating 80 years as a firm of family bakers in style - with a brand new look emphasising our Welshness. Hot on the heels of being crowned as Wales’s fastest growing company, the rebranding marks a new chapter in our history as we continue to build on the boom in our wholesale business. Our success at the recent Wales Fastgrowth 50 Awards was founded on developing new products and increasing sales to well-known supermarket and high street brands across the UK allied to exports across mainland Europe and as far afield as Singapore. But we felt our own branding - last refreshed 15 years ago - needed updating. We worked closely with top branding expert Allison Murray who has previously worked for some of the biggest names in the food and drinks industry, including Cadbury’s, Coca Cola and Diageo. She explained: “The brand needed a more contemporary treatment, building on the excellent reputation of this family company and the products that the Village Bakery produce so that its reputation can spread to cover the whole of Wales.”
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Among those who’s been heavily involved in the rebranding over the past six months is Village Bakery Account Manager Ola Janczukowicz. Ola said: “The new branding is very fresh and in a way it’s simple but very stylish with black and gold being the predominant colours.” The signature of company Chairman Alan Jones, the father of Managing Director Robin Jones and fellow Director Christien Jones, appears on the packaging of several products. Alan said: “I am very proud of what the family has achieved and now the younger generation have picked up the baton and are running with it. “I am a great believer in traditional values and keeping things simple. Technology has changed but the basic principles have stayed the same. The recipe for success in business is quality, honesty and efficiency.” Managing Director Robin added: “We make great products but we weren’t as good as we should be about telling the customer about us as a family bakery. “The new branding is modern with a timeless design which tells people about our tradition and how we are a Welsh family bakery since 1934.”
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www.villagebakery.co.uk
Page 2
Village Bakery Chairman Alan Jones has revealed how he burned the fingers of the Prince of Wales and had a run in with the royal security team at a stately home. Alan recalled the incident while he was recreating a scene from the official opening of Erddig Hall in Wrexham back in 1977. The guest of honour was Prince Charles and Alan was recruited to bake bread in the old brick oven to give the occasion an authentic flavour. As part of a major rebranding of the Village Bakery which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, Alan was back at Erddig Hall baking bread in the oven again - this time for a video to go on our new website. The filming brought back fond memories of the day Prince Charles was invited there by the National Trust after they restored the magnificent mansion. Alan used the bakery table he donated to Erddig back in 1977 and while rooting around in a cupboard looking for props he found the bread baking tins he’d brought with him to the official opening He explained: “Timing was important because they wanted bread coming out of the oven as Prince Charles came to the kitchen. “Luckily, we had it dead right. As he walked in I was peeling bread out of the oven after being baked for 40 minutes. “I popped the bread on the table and the Prince picked up a loaf which was red hot because it had
Royal seal of approval
Alan Jones back at Erddig Hall
just come out of the oven. “Basically he burnt his hand. I apologised and he was absolutely fine and we had a nice chat. “He was very interested in the process and said he was flying from there to Anglesey and he wanted to know if it was possible to take some bread and bread rolls for lunch.
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“After he left for another part of the visit, I got the bread together with some rolls and took them to where the helicopter was parked. “I walked across carrying two carrier bags full of fresh bread when I was pounced on by security but they were okay once they’d checked the bags and I explained that it was for the Prince’s picnic on Anglesey. It was a bit hairy in
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the beginning though. “Whilst he was in the bakery, I did ask the Prince if he’d like one to take home for his mum!”
www.villagebakery.co.uk
Page 3
New products provide taste of success
Our new pancakes are the best and that’s official. We are launching a raft of new products as part of our 80th anniversary celebrations. In an independent consumer test with blind tasting by members of the public, the new own-brand Village Bakery Pancakes rated better than Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Warburton’s golden syrup scotch pancakes. They are made at our bakery in Minera, near Wrexham, where a new state-of-the-art pancake line has been installed. The line is also being used to make pikelets, a regional variation of
the crumpet which was developed in Wales in the 17th century before spreading to the West Midlands, Chester, Lancashire and Yorkshire. Unlike a crumpet, the pikelet is not put in a ring when it is cooked on a griddle. As a result, it is thinner than a crumpet and has a more freeform shape, giving the pikelets a spongy texture and distinctive pores which make perfect pockets for butter and jam. Another new product destined to hit the shelves this year is an Austrian rye bread with pumpkin and sunflower seeds..
Fab facts
1. We make our own puff pastry using 144 layers to make the perfect pie. 2. We only use prime cuts of 100% Welsh Beef and Lamb in our products, and we’re proud to be the only bakery that does this. 3. Our Welsh Cakes taste so great because we use 100% Pure Welsh Butter. 4. In December we used the equivalent weight of 27 Routemaster Double Decker buses in flour. Tim Sharp with the pikelets
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www.villagebakery.co.uk
Page 4
New accolades for Village Bakery We have been crowned as Wales’s fastest growing company. It was one of a number of accolades bestowed on the Village Bakery over the past 12 months which also saw our Managing Director Robin Jones being named as Businessperson of the Year at the Daily Post’s Wales Achievement Business Awards. The award at the prestigious Fastgrowth 50 Awards came as a result of sales soaring by more than 1,500 per cent. We now employ more than 250 staff and want to expand further, with hopes of building a further 60,000 sq ft production, office and innovation space. With Robin and fellow director away on business, the Fastgrowth 50 Award was accepted at the glittering ceremony in Cardiff by their father and company Chairman Alan Jones. It was a proud night for Alan who said they were “delighted to be honoured” at such a prestigious event. He added: “It is recognition of the huge strides we have made in developing the company in recent years. Our recipe for success has been the ability to harness the best possible technology while staying true to our roots as craft bakers.” A few weeks later Robin was honoured as the Bangor University Business Person of the Year at the Daily Post’s annual business awards
at Venue Cymru. Speaking after picking up the prize, Robin said: “It is fantastic, we have had a great year, many successes and this just tops it off. “The great thing about tonight is that I was not expecting it, it was a surprise and it is a wonderful honour because I follow in the footsteps of some great people, some great business people and it is a fantastic achievement. “This is a great way to end 2013 and go into the new year, we are very proud of this award. “Our record is also testament to the quality and hard work of the people that we have here. We also have some excellent customers so it’s a winning combination. “We have a desire to continue this rapid growth and have an appetite for expansion. “We believe it is important for us to generate home-grown talent. Most of our bakery managers and supervisors started out as apprentices and we want to build on this tradition.”
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Robin Jones, flanked by broadcaster Nicholas Owen and Professor David Shepherd, Bangor University
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www.villagebakery.co.uk
Page 5
Beefed up team is six of the best We have strengthened our Commercial Team to improve the way we communicate with our customers. One of the members of the six-strong team is Ola Account Manager Ola Janczukowicz. Ola said: “These are very exciting times at the Village Bakery because we are experiencing a remarkable period of ongoing growth and we have just completed a major rebranding exercise. “With that in mind, we have restructured the Commercial Team and
brought the sales and marketing staff together in one integrated department to ensure that we give our customers the best possible service.” Managing Director Robin Jones added: “I think 2014 is the year where we focus on our independent customers and local customers, and we develop the Village Bakery brand as well as supporting our major retailers.”
From left to right: Jim Bailey, Trina Sharp, Jane Olney, Ola Janczukowicz, Kieren Windsor and Owen Pearman
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www.villagebakery.co.uk
Page 6
We’re helping Status Quo rock around the world
Photo: Dave Coulson
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We’re helping to bring legendary rockers Status Quo to North Wales. The band that opened Live Aid in 1985 with ‘Rockin’ all Over the World are the headline act at the closing concert at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod on Sunday, July 13. We are sponsoring the Status Quo concert and Managing Director Robin Jones said: “As a locally based family firm, we’re proud to have supported the Llangolen Eisteddfod for a number of years. “Status Quo have rocked all over the world and now the world will be able to rock with them in Llangollen. It promises to be an absolutely fantastic night and we’re hoping a couple of our customers can join us because we’re running an on pack promotion for two VIP tickets.” Llangollen Eisteddfod Chief Executive David Neal said: “The Village Bakery is a fabulous success story that is flying the flag for Wales.”
www.villagebakery.co.uk
Page 7
New branding is a big hit The bread, pies and pancakes are just as tasty and wholesome as ever but with a packaging makeover they’re even more tempting on the shelves. That’s the verdict of two people who should know – the managers of two Wrexham area village stores where our products are popular with their customers. At the Co-op Store, in Cross Lanes, Marc Tobin, from Llangollen, sells over 300 loaves of Village Bakery bread every week and the range of freshly-baked savoury pastries are a big favourite with local workers as well. He said: “I like the new look because you can see the product better. They sell very well and now they look even better. The new branding is very good.” In nearby Brynteg the village’s AM-PM Convenience Store shifts nearly 300 of the Village Bakery’s sausage rolls every week as well as over 300 loaves. Manager Steve Price, from Wrexham, said: “The new branding is clearer and more noticeable. “We took part in a survey last year about the way the products were packaged and it’s good to see they have taken notice of what we said. “The Village Bakery name is there in bold and they’re making something of the Welsh identity as well which is good.”
LEFT: Steve Price at Brynteg RIGHT: Marc Tobin at Cross Lanes
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www.villagebakery.co.uk
Page 8
Win a night of foodie heaven at Tyddyn Llan
Here’s a chance to win a fabulous night of gourmet heaven at a world-famous Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms. To celebrate our 80th anniversary, the Village Bakery is running a competition to win Dinner, Bed and Breakfast for two at the five star Tyddyn Llan in the picturesque Denbighshire village of Llandrillo between Corwen and Bala. Tyddyn Llan has been setting a culinary gold standard for years and has been garlanded with awards since chef Bryan Webb and his wife, Susan, bought the Georgian Country House 12 years ago. It has a high rating in the 2013 Good Food Guide and is former ‘True Taste North Wales’ Restaurant of the Year but the ultimate accolade is that Tyddyn Llan is the favourite restaurant of
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company Chairman Alan Jones! The competition has been organised to find the best in-store display of Village Bakery products featuring our new branding. To enter stockists should take a photo of their displays and send them to us via email or twitter. Managing Director Robin Jones said: “Tyddyn Llan is one of Wales’s finest restaurants and the winner and his partner are in for a very special treat. Good luck to you all!”
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The clo for the sing date is Febr competition Entriesuary 17th. be ema should bor nan iled to villagebdbaked@ or twee akery.co.uk bor nan ted to @ dbaked
www.villagebakery.co.uk
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