A BAKERY is spending £12 million on converting a former wire factory into a state-of-the-art production facility.

According to the Village Bakery, it will be the most advanced bakery of its kind in Europe and will cater for the explosion in demand from customers for gluten free goods..

The first 10 products in the own-label range have just gone on sale and are being made at the family firm’s original but much smaller gluten free bakery on Wrexham Industrial Estate.

Until now it’s been a wholesale operation making the gluten and wheat free products for other customers.

Now they’ve unveiled their own range under the Village Bakery Gluten Freedom brand which is available in the shops they supply across North Wales, Cheshire, Merseyside and Shropshire.

They bought the former Caparo Wire factory, which is a stone’s throw from two of their existing bakeries, so they could create the extra capacity they need.

The building has been re-clad and extended from 55,000 sq ft to 75,000 sq ft.

Managing director Robin Jones revealed it’s expected to be up and running before the end of the year.

Existing staff will be transferred to the new bakery when it’s ready and the company is confident the expansion will eventually create more jobs.

In the meantime, they’re carrying on with production at their first gluten free bakery which was also the most modern of its kind in Europe when it was opened in 2008.

Mr Jones said: “The new bakery represents a £12 million investment for us and it will be the most advanced gluten free bakery in Europe.

“We’ve been all over Europe and we’ve sourced the best equipment to make these products, and also some new processes to make some different products are are new to the Village Bakery.

“We’ve been making gluten free products for 10 years now, so this is the next phase in our growth.

“We have now launched our own Gluten Freedom brand because the market is growing year on year.

“The existing gluten free bakery is becoming increasingly cramped so we really do need the extra capacity.

“That’s why we decided as a family – my father Alan, the company chairman and my brother, Christien, the projects director – to take this step.

“We’ll be making a range of products including bread, rolls, morning goods, to pancakes, also some ethnic products like pita bread and naan bread.

“We’ll also be launching some new, cutting edge products early next year.

“Our retail partners are really excited because it’s so new and there are such radical ideas going in there.

“We’re delighted to get the Village Bakery Gluten Freedom brand out there on our vans because we’ve had lots and lots of requests over the years.

“What sets our gluten free products apart is that we are using our family bakery knowhow with a long ferment with our slow dough method.”

Projects director Christien Jones is playing a key role in the transformation of the former wire factory.

He said: “We are laying the foundation for the future growth of the company by opening this new bakery.

"There has been an explosion in demand in the free-from market, it's on a steep growth curve.

"People are self-diagnosing and making lifestyle choices to try free from products, and I think free from has changed over the last 10 years.

“It’s now not just a commodity you eat when you have a medical condition - it’s healthy lifestyle choice.

“We’ve developed a whole range for recipes and products and the importance of how they taste is absolutely paramount.

"We treat it like we would any other bakery product with the advantage of its free from qualities so you don't have to sacrifice taste at all.”