Bread maker Butt Foods is on a roll

The project

Bread manufacturer Butt Foods Ltd developed and launched new ranges, and instigated new business methods to help secure new customers and improve sales.

The need

As bakery innovators, Butt Foods wanted to develop new products to appeal to new and existing customers. Founded in 1990, the company prides itself on leading and being up alongside trends in the sector.

Food and Drink iNet support

In 2010, Butt Foods Ltd received support worth £3,800 from the iNet to develop five flavours in its new Big Softy sub roll range. The following year the company received £3,270 to develop an Italian bread range. Both grants were matched with investment by the firm.

Following on from this, Butt Foods introduced a range of initiatives to improve sales. This included employing a growth coach, a bakery coach, staging innovation days with customers, holding in-depth interviews with customers about what they want and their challenges, and launching a service to customers to help them solve their bakery problems.

The result

Butt Foods won the accolade for Most Innovative Food and Drink Business at the Food and Drink iNet Innovation Awards 2011 for the way it had shown application and drive by introducing innovative business practices that had achieved 40% sales growth in six months.

In recent times the manufacturer has launched new flat breads into a UK multiple retailer, a fruit bread with two major food distributors, two new roll products with a national pub chain, and a hot eating roll into a nationwide food service operator.

Quote

Butt Foods managing director David Williams, pictured, said:

“The Food and Drink iNet’s support was invaluable in helping us to develop new products. This was the catalyst for a new phase of innovation in the company, which has been running for more than 20 years. To win the Most Innovative Food and Drink Business was a proud moment for the whole team, who have worked so hard to make innovation happen.”