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The latest innovations from the Portadown based bakery aim to give families more choice and the products have secured listings at major retailers including Tesco, SuperValu and SPAR NI.

After more than 100 years in business, Irwin’s continues to spearhead Northern Ireland’s muffin market with shoppers favouring the brand over competitors for more than a decade.

The new lines are the latest in a string of announcements from the family firm, after securing £3.5 million in new contracts over the past year.

Bronagh Moore from Irwin’s Bakery said: “The new products are packed full of flavour and will provide consumers with the perfect blend of sweet and savoury for any occasion. With the return to school and change in seasons, we felt it was a great time to diversify one of our most popular products.

“As a business, we are continually assessing our customer needs and this new range shows our commitment to investing in new product development.

“We wanted to put a modern twist on a long–established range and give people something to talk about. Adapting our famous Veda recipe into a convenient muffin is a fun way to do that.

“We sliced it back in 2011 to much controversy but if that proved anything it was how much the people of NI love Veda, so we’re hoping this new muffin will keep many a breakfast table happy this autumn.”

The company has also invested significantly in brand development and a new marketing campaign, including advertising during The Great British Bake Off to bring its message to a wider market.

Bronagh added: “Our Fill it, Toast it, Love it” campaign will focus on digital and outdoor advertising as well as securing the TV ad space during Bake Off, which is a real coup to help bring our message to the wider UK customer base. It aims to showcase the range of ways our customers can use our products, bringing our brand to the centre of conversations around the family home.”

Irwin’s is the fifth biggest food brand in Northern Ireland and continues to be a family staple in many households with customers continually repurchasing its products.

The company aims to strengthen its customer base with a stream of innovative ideas planned for the next 5 years to further enhance its range.

Irwin’s Orange and Cranberry, and Veda flavoured Muffins are now available in major retailers across Northern Ireland as well as wholesalers Musgrave and Henderson’s.

Caption: Bronagh Moore, Marketing Executive at Irwin’s Bakery.

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In a stark warning, Mr Irwin says the impact of the Russian invasion could result in food prices suffering double digit inflation within the bakery sector.

“The impact of the war in Ukraine is naturally felt at its most intense and violent in the country itself – but the ripples of that war will wash up on the stores and shelves of the supermarkets in Northern Ireland, and we will have to be prepared and able to pay more for a wide range of foodstuffs, in particular bread,” he warned consumers.

“At the moment I can’t overstate the impact on the entire food chain that the war in Ukraine is having. It is impacting on all of our food businesses, not just bakery.

“The impact of the Ukraine crisis is bigger than Brexit and Covid which we’ve just come through. The reality is that for many of the food business, bakeries in particular, the impact has been immediate and continuing and it’s coming through in the worldwide prices for wheat, for rapeseed oil and for maize.

“We’ve seen massive problems with energy because European gas prices have risen to all time highs that nobody could have predicted, along with that the price of oil.  This high price of oil has driven up transport, shopping, goods inwards, goods outwards and will eventually feed into packaging.

“So we’ve got a number of fundamental increases in commodities, the massive component of food costs and we’re getting disruption through supply chain  at the same time. Cardboard has been a big feature – the cost of cardboard is up 150%.”

Rising prices

Meanwhile, the price of flour has been driven up by the worldwide price of wheat, he says.

“Millers have to buy in wheat – the majority is English wheat but the pricing of that is driven by the world market, because with free trade between markets, the export price rockets and therefore the home price has to follow suit.”

Mr Irwin is very definite that the problem we now could be facing is one of shortages rather than simply food price inflation.

With food price inflation making its presence felt last year, Irwin’s Bakery has already had to raise prices twice last year and will have to do so again, given the Ukraine crisis.

“It would be incorrect for me to put a figure on it but these pressures will feed through quickly. But in our industry I could see increases of double digit percentages quite easily,” Mr Irwin says.

“At the moment what we’re trying to do – and this is really important – is maintain quality and service to the levels that the customer requires and we want to be able to try and guarantee that.

“That means that we simply have to recover our cost increase to be able to do that, and, where we can, to try and mitigate the increases and work with our retailers to do that.

“It’s very early days yet but the retailers would seem to recognise the severity and the seriousness of the situation, and the immediacy of it.”

Exceptional times

Retailers and suppliers will both be focused on trying to maintain supply chains in what are exceptional times, he says.

“We’re seeing moves in commodities and fuels and oil which we haven’t seen before, except in wartime,” he warns bleakly.

“We’ve seen gradual inflation, going back to the days of high inflation in the 70s and 80s. but those had a gradual effect, from the time we had an oil crisis which was very traumatic.”

One thing the government can do to counter these trends is to try not to add any more inflation to the mix, Mr Irwin says.

“There’s a number of things out there that they have on their list of things that they would like to do, such as delaying the 1.5% rise in National Insurance. That goes right across the board – it increases all manufacturers’ costs and it reduces take-home pay for employees,” he says.

“Some of the new measures coming in for trying to introduce green measures should be reassessed and re-timetabled, about meeting various targets for packaging, plastic recycling, it’s all driving costs.

Limited resources

“But close in, the government could look at the amount of grain that is diverted into bioethanol plants in England. Grain for humans and animal consumption is being diverted into manufacturing biodiesel – if that could be arrested or contained it would be helpful.

“People have got to decide whether they want a scarce commodity to end up in bioethanol plants, particularly in England and in America. 13% of the world’s maize goes into biodiesel plants in America – that’s an enormous amount.

“Ukraine is a very big exporter of maize in the context of the world situation. They’re currently closed for business, there’s no traffic through the Black Sea or through the ports, there’s a maize harvest which cannot be planted yet. Will it be planted? Will it be cared for and tended, what the harvest going to be like, and without the Ukrainian harvest there’s going to be huge extra pressure on prices.

“With a possible shortage of maize and much higher costs, that in turn drives up the price of feed and milling wheat. Costs for the farmers are massively up in terms of fertilisers and diesel.

Fourth generation

Irwin’s has been in existence since 1912 and it now a fourth generation bakery which is continuing to expand, most recently securing a £3.5m a year deal for Waitrose and Morrisons to list its new Irwin’s Together range of speciality breads.

About half of its business is in Northern Ireland, 40% in GB and about 10% in ROI, supplying a wider range of breads and cakes.

The current crisis comes on the tail of the pandemic which saw an immediate jump in demand for product at a time of deep apprehension for the workforce.

“In the first six weeks our demand jumped by 20%, as people stocked up their larders. People were very concerned that there would be shortages of food,” Mr Irwin says.

“It’s now well known that we ran out of pastas and rices and those sort of store cupboard items, but because we were able to keep up full manufacturing and streamline things, we were able to keep up with demand for bread. The  result of that was the shelves were replenished each day, the panic dissipated and the public were reassured that we don’t need to buy it today, because there’ll be some tomorrow – that was the mark of, I think, a fantastic service.

Timely action

“We had to work very hard to find, implement and understand and take measures that would make our workforce safe, and with the timely action of our management and absolutely fantastic cooperation from all our workforce, we were able to do that.

“I couldn’t have been prouder than I was of the reaction from our workforce and management, so we were able to get through all that by introducing the measures, change our operations, changing the way we did things to meet the demand and keep everyone safe, and we were able to work extremely well with our retailers as well, and they rose to the occasion in the main.”

Mr Irwin also finds it gratifying that customers rediscovered their love of baking in the midst of lockdown.

“It was really good to see people going back to their roots, taking pride in their food, loving their food, that was great and they had an interest in the bread and baking,” he says.

“It didn’t dent sales but I think whenever people are interested in their food, they appreciate quality when they buy it and they keep coming back for that quality. Overall, I think it was a great thing for the market and for the people themselves.”

Traditional favourites

With more eating at home, much more bread was consumed, particularly large sliced bread, sandwiches and toast.

“People went for their traditional favourites so there was a comfort factor there as they retreated to their well loved brands and products, such as Irwin’s Nutty Krust and Veda and our pan loaf Softie,” Mr Irwin says.

“There was good sales in barbecue type products as well – people were trying to cook outside, cook at home.”

Current trends in bakery include the search for health and value for money, he says.

“People are concerned about value and quality for money, so they’re closely looking at the taste and the enjoyment that they derive from the product – that’s a bigger driver than price.

“They’re very concerned about health so they prioritise their health a bit more by choosing goods that they perceived to be better for their health.

Future trends

“People are valuing mealtimes as a social occasion or even informal meal occasions, should that be everybody having cheese on toast together.

“People are concerned about sustainability, they’re trying to make their purchases in a more sustainable way so they’re looking for signs that the manufacturers are following that trend.

“So we’re looking at all of our packaging to see if we can make it more recyclable, lighter in weight, switching more to paper and cardboard where we can.”

However, new product launches and expansion plans are not a top priority at the moment, he says.

“It’s all still in play. We’re happy to talk about it, but it’s not our centre of concern. To plan for tomorrow, you’ve got to have a today,” he reiterates.

Dynamic response

Mr Irwin says his message to retailers would be that a speedy and dynamic response is needed to maintain the supply chain and in some areas there is the potential to lower distributions costs.

“Too many journeys, too many vans – there has to be some realism there. There’s a high level of waste within that system, which is driven by a multiplicity of suppliers with too many out-of-date products at the end of the week.

“I think management of stocks is going to have to be much tighter to achieve the right balance between availability of service and wastage and I think some serious thought needs to be given to how that is going to be achieved

“You’re able to question that level and type of service from a green point of view – vehicle miles, food wastage, those things are much more important now than they ever were.”

“I think all bakers, all food delivery companies have to be looking at how to optimise their delivery structure and high levels of service with frequent calls for small quantities would have to be questioned.”

And hopes for the year ahead are simple: “We would like to hope of the sake of the people in Europe, particularly in Ukraine, that a speedy resolution to the war can be found and that we can start to reduce the uncertainty in the world commodity and food markets – but it will take a while.”

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Nutty Krust was first sold by Irwin’s Bakery in Northern Ireland on 30^th August 1961 and has gone from strength to strength ever since. Consistently a top seller in the bread category, the brand has increased sales by an impressive 22% over the past year alone (IRI Northern Ireland 52 weeks to 21.3.21), reflecting the enduring popularity of this classic batched loaf.

Family favourite

Enjoyed by families across Northern Ireland for generations, the 18 hour fermentation and slow baking process on the sole of the oven gives Nutty Krust bread a distinctive and unique flavour. From classic buttered toast and hearty sandwiches, to the perfect bread for Christmas stuffing, the versatility of Nutty Krust makes it a popular addition to family shopping baskets, week after week.

Embracing its 60s in style, a brand new Nutty Krust packaging design has been launched to recognise this important milestone – celebrating the fact that Nutty Krust has been ‘toasted by families since 1961.’  A range of special commemorative merchandise will be available via the Irwin’s website, which promises to be a hit with Nutty Krust’s loyal fans!

Competitions 

60 days of competitions and recipes will be shared across Irwin’s social media channels throughout the summer and the brand will be partnering with retailers and other NI brands to give away exclusive Nutty Krust merchandise, hampers, ‘staycation’ competition prizes and in-store promotional offers to shoppers.

Brian Irwin, Irwin’s Bakery Chairman said: “We couldn’t be more proud to celebrate 60 years of our much loved Nutty Krust bread – a core product in our offering that has somewhat of an iconic status here in Northern Ireland. It’s enjoyed and recognised as a comforting taste of home by people of all ages – so much so that we get regular requests for overseas deliveries for people who have moved away from home and miss a good old slice of Nutty Krust! In fact, its popularity is very much on the up and the product has enjoyed significant sales growth over the past year.

Mr Nutty Crust

“As part of the 60^th celebrations, we’ll be ‘toasting’ families across Northern Ireland with exciting competitions during the summer and beyond, with Mr Nutty Krust himself set to make a few surprise appearances. Whilst the birthday isn’t officially until the end of August, we’re launching the celebrations early and will be keeping the party going right through until autumn. We want to say a big thank you to everyone in Northern Ireland who keeps supporting Nutty Krust – and we hope to make its seventh decade the best yet.”

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Irwin’s Bakery has proven a big success with Lidl Northern Ireland as the region’s fastest growing supermarket today confirmed a new and expanded contract for the full year ahead after a successful 20-year partnership deal worth more than £50 million.

Established in 1912 and employing more than 450 staff, the bakery has been a long-term supplier to Lidl Northern Ireland since it opened its first store in Cookstown in 1999.

Family run bakery

Under the new supply deal, worth £2.7 million annually, the family-run bakery will continue to supply customer favourites including Nutty Krust batch bread, Irwin’s Veda malted loaf and Jammy Joeys buns to 202 Lidl stores across the island of Ireland.

With a focus on innovation, Irwin’s has also introduced an expanded new product range to Lidl Northern Ireland this year including traditional buttermilk soda bread and a low-calorie wholemeal sliced bread at only 59 calories per slice.

Ben Woods, Supply Chain Executive at Lidl Northern Ireland, said:

“As a retailer committed to supporting local food producers, we are proud of our long-standing partnership with Irwin’s Bakery. A brand synonymous with Northern Ireland, Irwin’s was integral in supporting Lidl’s growth over two decades ago. Since then, we’ve worked strategically together to advance our business growth for the benefit of customers and staff.

Since 1999, our partnership with Irwin’s has delivered over £50 million of products through our store network across the island and we’re hungry for more. This renewed supply deal with Irwin’s will see a range of innovative new products introduced alongside family favourites and cements our commitment to investing in home-grown producers as we enter a new decade of growth in the retail sector.

Lidl’s increased focus on bakery has been enthusiastically embraced by customers locally and, with an extensive range of great-tasting, locally-produced products, we’re proud to provide our customers with the freshest, best-quality bread and baked goods for an authentic taste of Northern Ireland.”

Michael Murphy, Irwin’s Bakery Chief Executive Officer, said:

“We thrilled to count Lidl Northern Ireland as one of our major customers and to have supported its own success over 20 years. During this time, Irwin’s has enjoyed double digit growth across a variety of bakery sectors and our supply deal with Lidl Northern Ireland continues to grow year-on-year. Not only has this supply contract supported our growth strategy, but it has also enabled us to increase production, create more jobs locally and expand our range of products.

The renewal of the supply deal with Lidl Northern Ireland marks a new decade of partnership and we look forward to seeing where this will take us next. It’s great to work with a company that has the same brand values and commitment to its local communities and we will continue to support each other in our efforts. With an eye on future growth, we are keen to expand our scope of supply through Lidl Northern Ireland and hope to bring our authentic tasting products to new markets.”

Supply deal

The supply deal is the latest move by the retailer in its ongoing support and commitment to local food suppliers.

An independent report into the economic impact of Lidl Northern Ireland’s operations revealed that the retailer spends at least £290 million annually with suppliers across the region while also supporting 3,500 jobs.

In 2018, Lidl Northern Ireland struck a deal with Northern Ireland’s Dale Farm, the UK’s largest farmer-owned dairy co-operative, to supply locally made cheddar cheese to 8,000 Lidl stores across 22 countries in the UK, Europe and the United States.

Crust & Crumb

In 2020, Lidl Northern Ireland announced a £24 million contract with Fermanagh-based bakery, Crust & Crumb, to supply an expanded line of pizza products across more than 1,000 UK and Ireland stores whilst top Northern Ireland horticulturalist Greenisland Flowers secured a new supply deal with Lidl Northern Ireland to ship over four million stems of freshly cut tulips, lilies and scented stocks, building on their existing partnership worth more than £7.2 million.

The Irwin’s bakery range at Lidl includes a selection of batch bread, fruit bread, rolls and muffins, pan bread, wheaten bread and Veda malt loaf alongside sweet favourites, Jammy Joeys, Snowy Joeys and Iced Diamonds.

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