Jenkins family business has been voted the Most Loved Bakery in Wales

The Llanelli-based Jenkins Bakery scooped the award after a public vote as part of the national Craft Bakers’ Week 2015.

“It’s a wonderful honour and a huge achievement for the team at Jenkins Bakery,” said operations director Russell Jenkins.

“We strive to produce quality products for our customers and we are delighted when we get such marvellous support to win a great prize.

“We have some top class craft bakers on the team here at Jenkins and pride ourselves on producing both traditional and innovative breads.

“You will find standard white and brown loaves on our shelves as well as regular speciality products such as Chia Seed Bread, Artisan Sour Dough and Spelt and Honey Bread. We really do have something for everyone, something to suit all tastes.”

Now in its seventh year, Craft Bakers’ Week offers bakers an opportunity to raise awareness of both their own business and the craft bakery sector in the UK.

Nearly 400 craft bakery businesses took part last year and between them they raised £20,000 for the campaign’s charity partner, Make-A-Wish UK.

Hannah Marriage, chair of Craft Bakers’ Week 2015, said: “Craft Bakers’ Week celebrates the skill of bakers and highlights to consumers why they should support their local craft bakery.

“We are also delighted to be once again working with Make-A-Wish and are aiming to raise even more money for this excellent charity.”

The Jenkins family business will celebrate 95 years in business in 2015.

In 2013, the business won a South Wales Evening Post / Swansea Bay Business Life magazine Business of the Month award and the Llanelli Star Ambassador of the Year award.

The Jenkins Bakery employs nearly 300 people, full and part-time, across 29 different stores in South Wales.

The company has the Gold Standard Welsh Food Hygiene Award and the Investors in People award.
The business employs 70 people at its Trostre HQ, while the Jenkins shop network stretches from Carmarthen to Bridgend.

There are a total of 14 shops in Carmarthenshire and even one as far afield as Powys.

Craft Bakers’ Week is funded and supported by the Craft Bakers’ Association and Scottish Bakers and stakeholders from across the bakery sector including British Baker, California Raisins, CSM, Bakels, Bako, BFP, Dawn, Ireks, Marriage’s, Macphie, Puratos, Reynards and Zeelandia.
Visit www.craftbakersweek.co.uk for more information.

Photo above: Operations director Russell Jenkins accepts the Most Loved Bakery in Wales award from Lee Pugh, the national sales manager for IREKS, a business known worldwide for first-class baking ingredients and creative product ideas and one of the backers of the national Craft Bakers’ Week 2015.

Photos: Steve Phillips