Let them eat bread! Q uality baking for the people from historic firm G ear y ’s

The company has come a long way since Charles Geary set up shop in 1906 with one goal in mind: to bake fabulous bread But the core principles of the firm remain the same: still creating quality, traditionallymade artisanal brea A spokesman for Geary ’ s said: Geary s Bakeries has always aimed to keep up with both consumer and supply and demand whilst maintaining traditional values

“ The bakery ’ s first big move was from the family home in Ratby to a larger site in Barrow Upon Soar In 2017, Geary s then invested £15m into a brand new, purpose built and customised bakery in Glenfield, Leicestershire

This allowed expansion in line with vision and strategy Geary s two sites in Barrow and Glenfield are now run by over 360 permanent staff who keep production up and running 24-7 ”

Their main product range is the Jason s Sourdough family of breads They also make their own-label products for a small number of partner retailers, a network they have built up over the last 20 years

They primarily work with grocery retailers but have recently expanded into the food-to-go market as well, which is becoming a growth area for the business

Their spokesman said: “ We produce artisanal sourdough products as well as traditionally crafted, open tin bloomer loaves for our retail partners and a smaller range of premium rolls products

“Our main customers for Jason’s Sourdough are Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsbury ’ s, Morrisons, Ocado and Booths We also produce premium ranges for different customers within the grocery retail market

Geary ’ s approach has always been one of quality, not quantity, and to make quality bread accessible to everyone They say: Our point of difference is making products the traditional way, focusing on quality and not speed or efficiency We blend that approach with being able to do so at a scale that works for our customer base – supermarkets

“ With Jason s Sourdough, we are the disruptor brand in the category and have a slightly different outlook on life to the more established bakery brands

We want to make proper bread more accessible to more people!”

The company is currently based on two sites, both based in and around Leicester They both have different assets and capabilities and give them enough headroom for their immediate ambitious growth plans

There are currently about 360 permanent staff, with agency staff used to manage demand where necessary

Their permanent staff has grown 4 4% in the last 18 months They aim to have as few agency workers as possible, so staff feel as much of a part of the business as the owners do As such, training and retention is a critical part of that and something they are striving to improve constantly

As an example of that, they have just initiated a bakery apprentice scheme with a local college and plan to take on around 20 bakery apprentices this year Geary ’ s is proud of attracting people from a wide range of backgrounds and experience, such as Richard Wardle Following a lengthy career in another industry, Richard decided to change the direction of his professional life and take on a completely different role As Richard was open to exploring new opportunities, he initially joined the ranks at Geary s as a temp in the production line of the bakery more than eight years ago Despite being somewhat of a novice in the bakery industry, Richard was offered invaluable support from the outset and acquired critical insight into the operational processes

Richard soon found himself monitoring the top of the ovens and the mixing area of the bakery; two stations vital to the production line Despite being fairly new to the baking industry at this time Richard s professional potential was nurtured as Geary ’ s appointed him to complete a NVQ Level 1 in Bakery Skills and also enabled him to develop additional skill as a first aider, onsite fire marshall and forklift operator

Similarly originally hailing from Poland Kamila Mackowska secured her first permanent job in the UK when she joined the ranks at Geary ’ s Bakery more than seven years ago Despite knowing very little of the English language at the time Kamila quickly found her feet working on the bakery floor

Only a matter of months after becoming a permanent member of the Geary ’ s team, Kamila’s dedication to her role and appetite to enhance her own skillset within the bakery was recognised and rewarded Geary ’ s senior management team made the decision to award Kamila a promotion to the position of bakery team leader Just recently Kamila passed (with flying colours!) her Level 2 Apprenticeship for Food & Drink Process Operator from The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education – giving her opportunity to further enhance her career at Geary s

With turnover for 2022 at £46m, up from £35m the previous year, Geary ’ s is looking to the future and has invested £3 7m since 2020 to drive capacity and improve processes Their spokesman said: Quality and consistency is paramount Without that, we wouldn t have a business We ensure our service and availability are delivered and our value for money proposition is balanced right This does certainly not mean cheap or cheapest but a fair price for a quality product

“Currently Jason’s is bought by over 1 million households in the UK We would love to see that hit over 5 million in five years time A tall ask but one we think is achievable and one we ’ ll continue to strive towards The bread and bakery category has been crying out for a quality product that is widely available and good value for money and Jason s has plugged that gap ” www.gearysbakeries.co.uk

Staeger Clear Packaging s innovative packaging can be seen on retail shelves showcasing some of the finest consumer products and the company is a preferred supplier to M&S for clear plastic packaging Apart from food they also work across industries including: confectionery, cosmetics, luxury gifts and many more

The company was founded in 2000, as Clear Packaging, by Ian Jamie who saw an opportunity to enhance and innovate in the packaging industry: the concept of supplying custom plastic packaging – via planet-conscious processes

In May 2008, Clear Packaging of Coventry became a member of the Stäger Group of Companies

Staeger Clear Packaging has since then become the first UK plastic carton converter to provide the UK market with a 100% recycled PET material, winning the Packaging Company of the Year Award at the UK Packaging Awards 2009

Staeger Clear Packaging provides clear and cardboard customised packaging such as: cartons wraps, collars, tubes, boxes, storage cases, folders, plus much more to a wide range of industries Staeger also offers contract packing and storage solutions to selective customers

Current MD, Dale Freeman, said: Staeger is seen as number one supplier in its field and sets the bar when it comes to quality, service, flexibility, lead times and innovation

“Our key clients are servicing the food, confectionery, personal cares and fragrances, bakery, automotive industries Located mainly in the UK but some reach into Europe and the US

One of their most recent products is revolutionising the cardboard tube sector CardTube, a completely recyclable tube made from renewable raw materials

The single-material solution can be produced in a wide variety of shapes, be it cylindrical, conical or as special shapes