The opening of a new bakery has created ten new jobs, with plans to grow this to 30 within 12 months.
Thanks to a £1million investment Bertie’s Bakery a new craft bakery in Creagh, outside Magherafelt will produce a full range of freshly-baked products across 12 ranges. Making the decision to open the bakery amidst the COVID-19 crisis was not easy but owner, Brian McErlain felt it was important to help meet the demand for fresh food.
He explained: “We had been planning to open the bakery for many months when the COVID-19 crisis and subsequent lockdown came into effect and so despite the unprecedented circumstances, we realised we had an important part to play in terms of meeting the surge in demand for fresh food products. It’s early days and the conditions have been challenging but initial customer and retailer response to our freshness and quality has exceeded our expectations.”
Henderson Retail signed up to be the company’s first customer with an exclusive deal to supply 10 company owned SPAR stores and 1 EUROSPAR operating in the north west which has since risen to 23 stores throughout Northern Ireland.
Mr McErlain commented: “Henderson Retail has been very supportive throughout our development stage and continues to be so. Our original contract was to supply 11 company owned stores in the North West. In the space of six weeks that has increased to 23 SPAR and EUROSPAR stores, including a number of independently-owned outlets, from Ballycastle to Banbridge. We have had to double our delivery van capacity and now have four vehicles on the road. We’re fortunate that the bakery is in a perfect location for quick and efficient distribution of fresh products.”
Neal Kelly, Fresh Foods Director, Henderson Group, said, “It is core to our business to maximise local sourcing and support local agri-food businesses. Brian’s extensive knowledge of the bakery sector combined with his commitment to quality, value and innovation are a perfect fit with Henderson’s. The comprehensive range of products offered by Bertie’s Bakery is an exciting addition to our customer offering and we look forward to further developing our partnership with the business.”
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