Wrexham bakery awarded King's Award for Enterprise
The bakery has recently expanded into new markets in Australia, the Middle East, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Norway.
18 months ago, the bakery's increasing international recognition secured it a contract to supply pancakes to Australia, following a £2 million investment in a new, modern pancake production line.
The original agreement was to supply three varieties of American-style pancakes: buttermilk, blueberry and lemon.
The pancakes have been such a hit that the bakery has now secured a deal to supply its Australian customers with Welsh cakes and pikelets as well.
This is alongside supplying a global network of around 200 M&S stores – reaching as far as Hong Kong and Singapore – with crumpets, scones, pancakes, bagels, rolls, Welsh cakes and pikelets.
The increase in exports over the past few years has helped create 100 new jobs at the bakery.
The company, which celebrated its 90th anniversary last year, is now targeting Canada and Japan as potential new markets for further growth.
This is the third time the Village Bakery has been honoured by King Charles, the first two occasions being before he ascended to the throne.
Former company chairman Alan Jones, now retired, baked bread for the then Prince Charles in the old brick oven at Erddig Hall during a visit to the National Trust-owned stately home on the edge of Wrexham in 1977.
Then in 2015, the Prince, as he was at the time, officially opened the company's new bakery on Wrexham Industrial Estate, where he and the then Duchess of Cornwall, now Queen Camilla, demonstrated their skill by learning how to flip Welsh cakes on the hot plate.
Mr Jones' son Robin, who has led the export drive in recent years alongside his brother Christien, said he was delighted the company had once again been recognised by the monarch.
Shareholder Robin said: "We were delighted and humbled to be recognised with a King's Award for Enterprise.
"As well as being a hugely proud moment for the Jones family, the King's Award is also a fitting reward for our brilliant and dedicated staff who are the secret ingredient in our ongoing success."
Glen Marriott, the company's commercial controller, played a key role in boosting overseas sales and was named an official export champion by the Welsh Government last year.
He said: "In 2023, the Department of Business and Trade and Industry brought a delegation here, and that helped spur the growth we've seen in recent years.
"Once the Welsh Government knew we were exporting to Australia, they were very helpful,l and that's opened up other doors over there.
"They're also helping us quite a bit at the moment with Canada because we are looking at going there next."
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Further momentum came last year when the company secured investment for a multi-million pound expansion plan from French bakery firm Menissez, a family-run business founded in 1965, a year after the Jones family took over the Village Bakery.
Village Bakery CEO Simon Thorpe said: "We are in a very good place in terms of where we're heading.
"We are now being recognised as one of the leading exporters in the Welsh food and drink sector.
"As well as being a great honour, it is going to be a huge help in a practical sense.
"Having the award will open so many more doors from an exporting perspective.
"In terms of our standing in the export community, it will be brilliant.
"The long term benefits to the business are going to be huge."
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