Barnsley bakery finds recipe for growth after coming back from brink of closure

Managing director David White noted that three years ago, the covid-19 pandemic had left the business fighting for its survival. Recognising that the business faced the choice of evolving or closing its gates, Mr White began exploring ways of overcoming the barriers that he felt were holding the business back.

“We knew that for the business to survive and prosper, it was vital to make changes,” he said.

“There was a real sense, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, that we felt we were doing a good job because everyone in the business was working hard, but the truth is that we were often just busy being busy.”

As the firm began to struggle during the pandemic, Mr White worked with a local business consultant to find ways to turn around the business.

A loan from the South Yorkshire Business Productivity Grant Scheme helped White’s Bakery invest in new equipment, as well as replacing a paper-based monitoring system. The company was also able to purchase a state-of-the-art metal detecting machine, used to detect potential contaminants on the company’s production line.

With additional funds secured under the Digital Innovation Grant Scheme, the bakery then invested in scanning guns and barcode technology, allowing vital ingredient information to be easily recorded, a process which previously involved recording ingredients by hand.

John Mellors, Key Account Manager at Enterprising Barnsley, who deliver the Business Productivity Grant Scheme and Digital Innovation Grant Scheme, said: “Backed up by a clear business vision, White’s Bakery is firmly setting its sights on growth and expansion, as well as expanding its operations into new, currently untapped markets.

“Both the South Yorkshire Productivity Programme and Digital Innovation Grant Scheme were created to help businesses overcome barriers to growth. I’m confident that White’s Bakery has a bright and exciting future ahead of it.”

White’s Bakery was founded in 1931 by David’s grandparents Elsie and Albert White, who ran Worsbrough’s local library.

While Mrs White had always baked in her spare time, by 1940, the popularity of her bread and confectionary had outstripped demand for books, and they converted the former bookstore into a full working bakery. In 2019, White’s Bakery became a fourth generation family business when David White’s children Mathew and Georgina joined the company’s management team.

Mr White said: “To say the help we’ve received has been transformational for our business has been an understatement, and we’re now working towards doubling our turnover and have exciting future growth plans.”

The firm now intends to relocate to a larger 20,000 sq ft facility in the next three years, creating new jobs in the process.