Cambrian Training Company
SKILLS GROW WITH SUCCESSFUL SOUTH WALES BAKERY
Monday 19th July 2010
A South Wales bakery is ensuring that skills grow with the business, which has just taken on two extra staff to launch its own label sliced bread.
Garth Bakery, based in Abercynon, is boosting its workforce to 87 and is keen to continue upskilling staff. Sixteen members of staff have recently completed Foundation Modern Apprenticeship frameworks with level two National Vocational Qualifications in food manufacture, team leading, business administration and customer service.
The learning programmes were delivered for the Welsh Assembly Government by award winning provider Cambrian Training Company's South Wales team based in Milford Haven.
"The training has definitely improved the business as well as staff skills," said Alan James, Garth Bakery's joint managing director. "We hope to do more training in the future in line with the company's business objectives."
Samantha Lawrence, Cambrian Training Company's South Wales area team manager, said the Foundation Modern Apprenticeships achieved by the 16 staff would hopefully help Garth Bakery continue to prosper in the future.
Garth Bakery is a success story for the South Wales Valleys, having seen steady growth since being formed by Mr James and fellow managing director Ken Brewer in Taff's Well in 1983 with only four members of staff.
The bakery expanded to Pontcynon Industrial Estate in Abercynon in 1987 with 28 staff and has needed three extensions to its present 17,500 square feet to keep pace with demand for its crusty bread and confectionery products, which include popular Welsh cakes and jam splits.
Every week the company, which has a £5 million turnover, makes around 30,000 crusty loaves, 60,000 crusty rolls and 60,000 Welsh cakes. It now aims to add 10,000 sliced loaves a week to its production line.
Garth Bakery staff Julie Cooke, Daniel Pugh, Hayley Jones, Huw Phillips, Emma Thorngale, Maria Williams, Gordon Tittley, Darren Powell and Stephen Clements with Rosemary James and Chris Bason from Cambrian Training Company.
Most of the company's customers are within a 50-mile radius of Abercynon and include Asda and Co-Operative stores, local authorities and schools to name just a few.
"The business has managed to weather recession well despite a few flat spots due to the credit squeeze," explained Mr James. "It could be because bread is part of a healthy staple diet, but we prefer to think that our success is down to the quality of our products and customer service.
"We still class ourselves as a craft bakery, although we do have some automatic machines for the large volume of products we supply. All our cakes are produced by hand to ensure quality. Our Welsh cakes and jam splits are large volume products that are all cooked by hand on one of the largest hot plates in South Wales.
"We think the economic climate will continue to be challenging for the next year or so, but hope that the launch of our own label sliced bread will help the business to continue to grow."
For more information please contact Miss Katy Davies, Cambrian Training Company's Marketing Manager, on Tel: 01938 555893 email: katy@cambriantraining.com or Duncan Foulkes, public relations consultant, on 01686 650818.
