STORY: Honesty Bakery to expand across the SW

The Honesty Group has announced its plans for growth, with the expansion of the business’s wholesale artisan bakery solution, Honesty Bakery, across the South West of England.

The group, which currently comprises eight coffee shops, a cookery school, the Honesty Bakery and kitchen, and The Crown and Garter restaurant with hotel rooms, will also open two new coffee shops opening in the Berkshire area in the next year.

In the last 12 months, the group’s workforce has increased by 28 and the projected growth for 2019 for Honesty Bakery is 28.6%.

The group’s flagship bakery in Turnpike, Newbury, currently produces a wide range of freshly baked artisan breads, pastries, tarts, cakes and biscuits for wholesale, which can be found in coffee shops, farm shops, restaurants, hotels across the region.

The expansion plans aim to increase its supply and distribution to operators in the south west of the country in particular.

Romilla Arber, founder of The Honesty Group (pictured), said: “Our business all started with bread and wanting to take a different approach to food and how it gets to the consumer. To be focusing on expanding Honesty Bakery ahead of our 5th birthday in September is really exciting and something that is very close to my heart. We’ve worked hard to create products that are all freshly made with no chemical adulteration providing peace of mind as well as a delicious treat.”

Baking six days a week, the bakery employs four full time artisan bakers and four full time pastry chefs.  All breads and pastries are all made using local organic, stoneground flour and the doughs are folded and shaped by hand.

Its bread and cake range is extensive, and new products are introduced monthly.  Speciality breads include sourdough, Italian rosemary and sea salt and black olive bread.  It also makes the more traditional English loaves such as bloomers and sandwich tin, white and wholemeal.  Some loaves are made using heritage grains including Emmer and Khorasan.