Free-from producer Genius is marking its first anniversary with NPD and the opening of a new factory to help meet a bold £20m end-of-year sales target.
The Edinburgh-based gluten and wheat-free supplier currently only has 400g white and brown bread loaves on the market, but is this week introducing Genius 600g white and brown loaves (£2.89) exclusively into Sainsbury's, as well as rolls (rsp: £2.29) later this month.
Genius founder Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne said she would release the first gluten-free croissants, teacakes and scones on to the market later in the year.
"Now we have got the dough mixture cracked the possibilities are endless," she said. "It has taken three years to find the right formula."
Since launching into Tesco 12 months ago, Genius has won national listings in Asda and Waitrose and last week sealed a deal to supply 2,000 Sainsbury's stores. It achieved £3m sales in 2009 but Bruce-Gardyne predicted sales would hit £20m by the end of this year following the NPD and "lots of [distribution] requests from different countries".
She said the increased demand had prompted United Central Bakeries, the Edinburgh-based industrial baker that manufactures Genius, to invest in an automated plant dedicated to the brand.
The multiples were already so impressed by sales of Genius that they were relocating the products from the free-from fixture to the regular bakery aisle, she claimed.
"Previously, gluten-free shoppers had avoided the bakery aisle as it was too tempting," she added.
The Edinburgh-based gluten and wheat-free supplier currently only has 400g white and brown bread loaves on the market, but is this week introducing Genius 600g white and brown loaves (£2.89) exclusively into Sainsbury's, as well as rolls (rsp: £2.29) later this month.
Genius founder Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne said she would release the first gluten-free croissants, teacakes and scones on to the market later in the year.
"Now we have got the dough mixture cracked the possibilities are endless," she said. "It has taken three years to find the right formula."
Since launching into Tesco 12 months ago, Genius has won national listings in Asda and Waitrose and last week sealed a deal to supply 2,000 Sainsbury's stores. It achieved £3m sales in 2009 but Bruce-Gardyne predicted sales would hit £20m by the end of this year following the NPD and "lots of [distribution] requests from different countries".
She said the increased demand had prompted United Central Bakeries, the Edinburgh-based industrial baker that manufactures Genius, to invest in an automated plant dedicated to the brand.
The multiples were already so impressed by sales of Genius that they were relocating the products from the free-from fixture to the regular bakery aisle, she claimed.
"Previously, gluten-free shoppers had avoided the bakery aisle as it was too tempting," she added.
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