GENESIS IS A CRAFTY BUSINESS SUCCESS IN BRITAIN

Artisan baker Genesis, based in Northern Ireland, has grown its sales five fold in Great Britain over the past year, primarily as a result of significant contracts placed by Sainsbury and Waitrose for its handmade morning goods including pancakes and scones. The family-owned and managed bakery, which is based in Magherafelt in County Derry, is celebrating its 40th anniversary in business and markets its products under the Genesis ???Crafty' brand Genesis now has five ???Crafty' branded products, including ???Big Pancakes', on the shelves in over 300 Sainsbury's stores across Britain including hand crafted Cranberry and Yoghurt Scones, a range developed exclusively for the retailer, and a product which struck gold in the recent Great Taste Awards organised by the UK Guild of Fine Foods. The rapid growth in Great Britain followed the company's listing by Sainsbury last September for Double Butter Fruit Scones and is a measure of the success of its distinctively branded and quality morning goods. Waitrose has also recently listed two ???Crafty' products ??" Big Pancakes and Double Butter Fruit Scones - for supermarkets across Britain in a substantial deal for the company that confirms this market as its fastest growing and now accounts for 15 per cent of its business ??" up from just three per cent last year and continuing to grow strongly. The company, in addition, has won substantial business from retailers in the Republic of Ireland including SuperQuinn and SuperValu for products ranging from scones to tarts and crumbles, and cereal bread. The Republic now accounts for 20 per cent of sales. Brian McErlain, Genesis Managing Director, says: ???Winning the Sainsbury business has been a marvellous boost for the company, Sales have already doubled on one of the products we launched just under twelve months ago ??" our Crafty Double Butter Scones. We expect Waitrose to experience the same sort of growth over the next 12 months. ???Our research shows that our distinctive branding and different range of products are growing the market particularly for scones and pancakes. There are people now buying scones who weren't doing so before due to the youthful brand appeal and this is a position that every supplier aspires to. ???Our successful handcrafted scones, such as the successful yoghurt and cranberry, offer shoppers different tastes. We've made scones interesting again and more appealing to shoppers,??? adds Mr McErlean. While the company has invested heavily in the latest baking technology to ensure high levels of efficiency and productivity, Genesis continues to depend heavily on the artisan skills and experience of its team of bakers and all its bread is hand-made. Every scone, for instance, is rolled and cut by hand. Genesis Breads' success demonstrates the values of Northern Ireland Naturally.