Nottingham bakery expands into retail sector

Specialist Naan Bread and Flat Bread Bakery Butt Foods has expanded into the retail sector with its Baked Earth brand as part of a plan to diversify.

The third generation Nottingham-based company, which is celebrating 30 years in the bakery business this year, had previoiusly mainly supplied the food service sector.

But the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the company’s plans to diversify into retail and it has now announced a raft of retail listings in the UK and Europe with its brand, Baked Earth.

Butt Foods has signed contracts to supply five major retailers with around 2,100 stores in total, including a major export deal with a company that has more than 600 stores in mainland Europe.

Butt Foods managing director Dan Butt said: “Our Baked Earth brand of Naan Breads and Flat Breads is very popular in the food service sector, and is served in pubs, bars, cafés, restaurants, hotels, sandwich shops, casual dining outlets, universities and other venues.

“This sector was obviously badly hit during lockdown but fortunately for Butt Foods we had begun to diversify into the retail sector just before the pandemic started – a process which we accelerated during lockdown, and which has been very successful. We saw the opportunities and were able to quickly adapt our business to supply to retail, as well as food service.

“We’re delighted to now announce that we have secured deals to supply our Baked Earth Naan Bread to five major retailers, including a key export deal which will see the Baked Earth brand sold on mainland Europe.”

The retail side will account for around 25% of the business