There's an old 19th century saying which prophesises that family businesses typically go from "cogs to clogs in three generations" - the success gained in one seldom continues onto the third. But for the Jones family who have been running the Village Bakery in Wrexham for almost six decades, that proverb is far from true.
The grandfather and father of the current directors - brothers Robin, Christien and Tim Jones - took over an existing 'back street' bakery in 1964 and it has since evolved from a small baking venture into a sparkling enterprise which employs almost 800 people across six bakeries and supplies one of the UK's best supermarkets, Marks and Spencer - which is no small feat. And its latest product for the retail giant is a current festive favourite - Christmas sourdough bread, which is flying off the shelves at your local branch.
Robin, who is now the managing director of the business, which, alongside M&S, supplies a number of other UK and European retail customers (such as Co-op), explains: "It all started back in 1934 at a bakery in Coedpoeth just outside Wrexham. It was run by the Edwards brothers and it was a family business. And in those days, it was a back street bakery, I think six or seven employees.
"And then in 1964, dad and granddad bought the business off the Edwards because they wanted to retire and their family didn't want to go into it. So dad used to work for Sunblest as a baker, granddad was a national sales manager and they bought this bakery and from those humble beginnings, they worked very, very hard and over the years, they grew the business, specialised in crusty bread and rolls and got a great reputation for quality."
In the 1980s, Robin and his two brothers joined the business - a career move Robin recalls they didn't particularly have a choice in. But luckily, they loved it: "In those days it was a small bakery. So you were going in the bakery, like it or lump it. [Then] I went to bakery school in Wrexham when I was 18 - we've never looked back and it's blossomed from there."
In 1991, the trio then moved from the original bakehouse in Coedpoeth to a new premises in the next village of Minera - "a grand distance of 600 metres up the road and further up the hill" - to cope with increasing demand. After establishing themselves there, they widened their repetoire and branched out from crustry bread and rolls into making pies and cream cakes, pancakes, crumpets Welsh cakes, full ranges of bread and pastries. In 2008 they added gluten free bread into the mix, too, at another different bakery - the Nutrition Bakery - and opened a baking academy in 2015.
"It just evolved," Robin says. "Fast forward to where we are today; we employ nearly 800 people on six bakeries within Wrexham or the surrounding area to Wrexham. And that's what we do today."
His favourite, however, is Village's crumpets - "That's something I'll eat on a regular basis" - alongside their signature sourdough, which they provide to M&S. The store is currently selling the bakery's new Christmas sourdough range.
"In the last few months, we've developed this range of sourdough breads for M&S [and] our signature sourdough loaf, for me, is amazing. And I think you can taste the effort we put into it and the time to ferment it and above all, it's got five ingredients. That's all it needs to make great bread... the secret about it is the mother dough. That's what makes our bread so flavoursome. [It's] quite special. So yeah, crumpet number one. Closely followed by our signature sourdough."
The bakery's partnership with the popular retailer began 14 years ago - thanks to a humble Welsh cake. "And from that humble Welsh cake over the last 14 years, we've worked hard, and we've developed our business [and] M&S is our biggest customer. We love working for M&S. And we love developing products because we're very, very alike in our mindset. It's all about qualities, great products, flavour."
When it comes to making the Christmas sourdough, he admits it was a challenge knowing where to start. He said: "We work very, very closely with the developers at M&S and we created a brief and then we came up with the idea of 'how are you going to eat it?' 'What would make that wonderful Boxing Day sandwich?' Or whatever... 'How do we make that amazing loaf that is Christmas dinner in a bite?'
"So we used our signature sourdough. Then we added some cranberries, whole dried cranberries, we added some onion - some crispy fried onions - sage, and with a bit of magic, and pumpkin seed, we brought this together. And it makes such an amazing sandwich."
He adds: "When you're all full on Boxing Day, and trying to use the turkey leftovers... this will knock your socks off. I know it's seasonal and what have you. But it's a stunning loaf. Fair dos to the bakers downstairs, they've done an amazing job."
Working with amazing products each and every day, Robin and his team must get to experience the gorgeous by-product we all know and love that hits you when you first step into a local bakery, day in day out - the heavenly aroma of freshly baked bread.
But rather shockingly - and heartbreakingly - he tells me quite the contrary. "That's the strange thing. I can't smell fresh bread anymore. So I think working in a bakery, you become immune to the smell of fresh bread."
But while Robin can't smell the product his family have worked hard to create, he can certainly appreciate the glorious taste of "fresh, tasty bread, crusty bread. You can't beat it".
Robin started working in the family business at the age of 12 or 13, lending a hand as and when he could during Easter, making hot cross buns, and at Christmas, turning his hand to mince pies, and now his own children sometimes help out in the kitchens.
Running a bakery that has been going since 1964 and has expanded into six bakeries with almost 800 employees is an amazing feat, but it certainly doesn't come without its challenges and Robin remembers one momentous event that was quite the test.
"In 2019, we lost our main bakery and [had] our baking academy centre go up in flames. That was a real test. To see everything the family worked for for many, many years destroyed in two hours.... I think that was a huge challenge.
"But one thing I'm really, really proud of is all the staff worked so hard to get us up and running again - within hours at our Coedpoeth bakery. It was very, very challenging, but also one of the most rewarding times in our history. And I've got to be thankful to all the village people for what they did. And it just shows the strength of people when they get pulled together. The community of Wrexham was fantastic. Marks and Spencer, they were brilliant. They stood by us all the way. And we've never looked back."
The culprit, he reveals, was the very thing that started the M&S partnership in the first place - a Welsh cake... more so, the griddle on which it is made.
"It started on the Welsh cake griddle unfortunately and a piece of plastic belting, I believe, caught fire," Robin says. "It's a day we'd like to forget to move on from but also the resilience of all the staff was just super amazing. And I think definitely that was one thing that we'll always learn from. Onwards and upwards now."
As for the bakery's successes, Robin tells us he'd like his father and grandfather - who is no longer with them - to feel "very very proud of the legacy they've left" - and what a legacy it is.
Not only has the bakery won awards - in 2017, it won the Bakery Innovation Award, in 2018 it took home the gong for Free-from Bakery Product of the Year, M&S won the Bakery Retailer of the Year at the Baking Industry Awards with Jones' Village Bakery's bread this year, to name a few - but they've had visits from the likes of the Royal Family. In 2015, the now King and Queen Consort visited the bakery and saw how it made one of Charles' favourite snacks - the humble crumpet.
"That all made us immensely proud. They were with us for two hours. King Charles is great fan of crumpets and he wanted to come and see how crumpets were made. So we showed them how we made the M&S sourdough crumpets and he was blown away with it. It was great for him to talk to all the staff and to walk around the bakery."
Robin adds: "Also, a measure of success for us is launching this Christmas sourdough. And thinking someone's going to buy this at Christmas. They're going to enjoy [something] that's been created in north Wales in Wrexham, you know, by a family business of some great bakers and some great talent. So, that's another way of measuring success.
"Wherever there's an M&S franchise - Singapore, Hong Kong - they're selling products made in good old Wrexham. Wrexham, it's got loads of things going for it. We've got a decent football team now. We've got some Hollywood owners who are doing a great job, you know, so bring it on Wrexham!"
Robin adds: "When you're eating your Christmas sandwich, just think of village bakery up in Coedpoeth where it's been baked." For more information on Jones' Village Bakery, see here.
To recreate the 'Moist Maker' yourself, follow M&S's recipe below:
- One slice Collection Christmas Sourdough slathered with 2 tbsp gravy mayo (just mix gravy into mayo)
- Top with two slices of Collection Slow Cooked Turkey Crown
- Add a layer of stuffing
- Top with a layer of gravy-soaked Collection Christmas Sourdough
- Slather with 1 tbsp of gravy mayo
- Add three halved pigs in blankets
- Top with cranberry sauce
- Layer with the final slice of Collection Christmas Sourdough, slathered with two tbsp gravy mayo
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