Strong profit growth at Genesis Crafty

Genesis Crafty, the Northern Irish family bakery, has increased its sales in key markets such as Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland to almost £16 million with profits rising by more than eight per cent.

The business, which is based in Magherafelt, county Derry, is projecting another good year in 2016 for its business, with turnover increasing as a result of its longstanding investment in new product development and marketing activities which have included a refreshing of its distinctive branding.

The company, which trades under McErlain's Bakery, saw profits after tax increasing to £544,000 for the year ending October 2015.

The bakery was founded in 1968 by Roberta and Joe McErlain in Magherafelt and is now run by their six sons, all qualified bakers.

The company said it believes that "performance will continue to improve as a result of ongoing research and development into new products, a strengthening of the senior management team through various appointments and further embedding of the IT system."

It is also implementing lean manufacturing techniques throughout the factory.
Genesis makes several lines of pancakes, including chocolate chip, blueberry, giant pancakes, standard six pack and more adventurous flavours such as maple syrup and lemon and raisin.

It is now a major supplier of morning goods, traditional Irish breads and cakes to major supermarkets including M&S, Waitrose, Sainsbury, Tesco and Asda. It employs 226 people and recently announced plans to establish Northern Ireland's first bakery academy.

The company anticipates that 2016 will generate greater turnover than 2015 due to new contracts, new product lines with existing customers in addition to maximising their potential in specific target areas.

In the last three years, the company has won around two dozen Great Taste Awards for a range of its products.

The company also makes premium own-brand products for Sainsbury's Taste the Difference range, as well as lines for Waitrose.

The full Genesis range of products is handmade in small batches to keep the dough soft and moist. It produced 10 million pancakes last year, all of which were hand flipped in its ongoing commitment to artisan techniques.