As it celebrates 80 years in business, Bells of Lazonby is backing a “craft at scale” model to drive growth alongside plans to expand its Cumbrian bakery.
Speaking to mark the milestone, managing director Rob Keeping said the company’s long-term strategy will focus on growing its Lazonby headquarters while continuing to evolve its offer across both traditional and free-from ranges.
He added that the family-run bakery remains focused on building on its heritage while driving innovation to support future growth.
Rob Keeping said: “Eighty years is a long time to build a business on, and it has changed and evolved hugely over that time – in how it works and in the products it produces.
“When we think about what the next 10 years could look like, it is about continuing to build on that growth, continuing to innovate and strengthening both our free-from and traditional bakery offering as industry leaders.
“A core focus for us will be developing the Lazonby site. We have a piece of land with planning permission, and we want to expand the bakery onto that so we can continue to grow.”
Photo Credit: AnnaBaileyPhotography
Keeping, who joined the business from Bread Holdings Limited in September, said Bells of Lazonby’s strength lies in combining the consistency and reliability needed by major retail and foodservice customers with the agility, creativity and care of a craft bakery.
“As a business, Bells of Lazonby has always stayed on its toes,” he said. “But some of our values have remained constant – they are the core of the business.
“We will always want to strike the right balance between automation and craft. For us, that means being craft at scale. It is about having the reliability and capability to serve big retailers and large customers, while also offering the craft, innovation and agility that customers want when they are looking to create something unique in the marketplace.
“That means not only investing in automation and technology but continuing to invest in our people and our talent too.”
He added that the business still sees significant headroom for growth, particularly in retail, where seasonal opportunities and shifting consumer trends continue to create space for innovation.
“We have scope to grow organically in retail, particularly with ‘We Love Cake’, the company’s flagship brand. Supported by a diverse product range and the ability to respond to seasonal demand,” he added. “We have the flexibility to pivot and the opportunity to be at the forefront of the next big trend.”
While free-from bakery continues to be a major growth driver for the business, Bells of Lazonby’s conventional bakery operation remains an important and long-established part of the company.
Reflecting on the challenges and opportunities ahead, Keeping said the business must continue to navigate a unique position between artisan baking and large-scale manufacturing.
“For us, it is all about finding the right balance between scaled manufacturing processes and adding value through skilled hand finishing,” he said. “We walk the tightrope between being cost-effective without compromising on quality, while still staying true to our artisan roots.
“We are not mass production on the scale of some of our competitors, but we are still operating at scale, which puts us in a middle ground. That means we face competition from both sides – the large-scale producers and the artisan bakers – so we must keep being creative and keep improving our efficiency.
“Where we really have a point of difference is in our ability to innovate. Within that craft at scale model, we can spot and create the next big trend.”
To this day, Bells of Lazonby remains a family-run business. It was founded in 1946 by John Bell, a Second World War veteran who returned home to Lazonby and set up a small bakery and shop attached to the family home. From those humble beginnings, the business quickly built a strong local reputation, delivering bread and groceries across the Eden Valley before expanding into wholesale supply.
As demand grew, the company moved into larger premises in the 1960s and steadily expanded, developing long-standing foodservice and supermarket partnerships and scaling production while remaining rooted in its village heritage.
Always alert to changing consumer demand, the bakery went on to operate multiple shop premises across Cumbria and, at one stage, became one of the biggest sandwich producers in the Northwest during the service station boom.
Innovation has remained central to its success. In the 1990s, Bells was an early adopter of organic baking, and in 2001 it opened one of the UK’s first dedicated free-from bakeries, helping to pioneer gluten, wheat and dairy-free products, championing its hero brand We Love Cake.
The Bells of Lazonby board is now compromised of both second and third generations of the Bell family. The family-owned business has grown into a major UK bakery supplier across retail and foodservice, while continuing to operate from Cumbria and staying true to its founding values of quality, craftsmanship and community.
Source: Bells of Lazonby
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