STORY: BERTINET BAKERY SOURDOUGH NPD LAUNCH

Bertinet Bakery, known for creating high quality, authentic sliced sourdough, has just launched three new sourdough half-bloomers into Waitrose. The Rustic Country White; Potato, Onion and Polenta and Seven Seeds and Grains - currently stocked at Ocado - will now be available in 97 Waitrose stores nationwide. Bertinet Bakery’s new range is made using regeneratively farmed wheat, developed to further support better agricultural systems, and diversify the grains in the bread.

The new range and partnership with Waitrose is a milestone for the brand and its ambition to make sourdough, and all its associated benefits, more accessible to consumers. The launch is off the back of a growing demand for sourdough with both market value and volume increasing by 40% and 18.8% respectively.

Priced at £2.20, the half-bloomers bridge the gap between traditional sourdough loaves and conveniently sliced bread. Their half-loaf format makes them suitable for smaller households and they can be frozen without sacrificing taste, helping consumers to cut down on waste.

Innovation lies at the core of the brand where its world-class team of bakers are continuously looking at how they can improve the bread’s taste, health and environmental impact. This includes prioritising high-quality ingredients such as ancient, heritage grains and regeneratively farmed wheat. The brand also pays close attention to its fermentation, temperatures, and acidity. This ensures fermentation is optimised for the best accessibility of taste and nutrition across the brand’s range.

Bertinet Bakery’s expert baking methods raise the standard of bread in retail, with each loaf batch-baked, hand-shaped and fully fermented.

It is the largest brand to be Real Bread Campaign approved for creating genuine sourdough bread and the most-awarded sourdough brand in retail, using the best quality ingredients and no preservatives, additives, added sugars or even clean label biological enzymes. Using just flour, water and salt, the brand proves naturally full-flavoured and authentic sourdough bread can be produced in large-scale retail.

Dan Barrett, Managing Director at Bertinet Bakery comments, “In a category filled with sourfauxs and ultra-processed bread, Bertinet Bakery is leading the way in putting truly authentic sourdough onto every table.

As we use so few ingredients in our loaves, every ingredient is extremely important. Using regenerative wheat is another step forward in bringing better bread into the category. Our new products and partnership with Waitrose are testament to the growing demand for more quality bread options.’’

The new range will showcase a more refined, yet bold packaging and will be supported by a 360 marketing programme. This will include PR, experiential, influencer engagement and social media. The brand is aiming to drive trial and awareness amongst its target market – the ‘epicurean’ looking to elevate everyday eating occasions.