A family-run Welsh bakery, which makes traditional cakes and bread, is set to boost turnover by 50 per cent this year after securing an asset based lending (ABL) facility from Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance.
Cae Groes Bakery provides award winning Welsh cakes to supermarkets across the country and has secured a new contract with German supermarket chain Aldi.
Based in Bethesda, in the heart of Snowdonia National Park, the business has been serving traditional Bara Brith and Welsh cakes to locals since 1900 and has been in the same family for three generations.
Over the past 110 years the bakery has grown into a wholesale supplier, providing Morrisons, Tesco, Asda and The co-operative with its products. After winning the significant contract with Aldi, Cae Groes required extra financial support to meet increasing demand.
Managing director Gwyn Williams approached Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance, which devised an £80,000 ABL facility, releasing the value of the company’s assets and allowing it to quickly inject cash into the business.
This funding enabled the bakery to start working on its new contract within a week. The growth has seen the firm employ three new members of staff and it is now on track to boost turnover by 50 per cent this year.
Gwyn Williams, managing director of Cae Groes, said: “Growing from a local shop to a nationally recognised provider of traditional Welsh cakes is a great achievement for my family.
“We’ve worked hard to ensure our products are of the highest quality and that we deliver excellent customer service to our loyal client base.
“Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance’s support has been invaluable, particularly as we needed to increase output as soon as possible. The local team were able to quickly put together a package that matched our needs and enabled us to meet the additional demand created as a result of the Aldi contract.”
Geoff Webster, regional manager for Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance, said: “Cae Groes is a great example of a family run business that has focused on its local, loyal customer base whilst furthering its geographical reach.
“ABL is ideal for Cae Groes as it releases the value locked in existing assets, such as its sales ledger, quickly providing capital to support the business’ growth.
“We look forward to working with and supporting Cae Groes in the future as it continues to expand.”
February 2010