A trip to the US set teacher Claire Bowes Fairless on the road to building an award-winning bread mix brand.
Currently celebrating its tenth year in business, The Jar House British Beer Bread Company produces mixes that simply need to be blended with beer – even alcohol-free – to produce a loaf.
Inspiration for the business came on a US road trip when Bowes Fairless, who was at that time working as a teacher, was served beer bread. “I’d never seen it over here in the UK and the idea of combining beer and bread stayed in the back of my mind,” she says. “It seemed a great British tradition to me: the staples of beer and bread.”
Back home after the trip, Bowes Fairless began experimenting with baking beer bread and became fascinated with trying different flavours and various styles of beer. She had always liked the idea of being her own boss so, when educational funding issues gave her the opportunity to take voluntary redundancy, she took the plunge.
Starting out with a £40 investment for stock – and £5 to take a stall at the village hall – Bowes Fairless began selling fresh loaves of beer bread locally and at farmers’ markets. The shift into beer bread mixes came after customers asked how they could get loaves between farmers’ markets.
Initially stocked by a local bakery, the mixes were quickly a success. Listings were secured in local breweries, delis and other shops. Demand prompted Bowes Fairless to take production out of her home and into small premises in Saltburn-by-the-Sea in North Yorkshire.
The pandemic struck soon after.
“The paint was barely dry and I was back working from home and didn’t get into the premises for 18 months,” she says. “During the down time, I got a six-month place on the Natwest Entrepreneur Accelerator Programme, which really helped me to learn how to pitch to buyers and focus on the important aspects of growing the business.”
This led to Bowes Fairless bagging listings in Harvey Nichols, Fenwick, National Trust sites and shops, breweries and delis across the country. She also had to swiftly learn how to export the mixes after winning business in Germany and Holland.
“I love working with different retailers and it’s equally exciting to me to see the product stocked in a small independent as it is in the bigger national stockists,” she says. “Each one still gives me a buzz, as does every customer order on my website and marketplaces.”
The mixes have a wide range of customers, which Bowes Fairless puts down to the wide product range and how simple the mixes are to use: pour the mix into a bowl, add beer, mix together and put the dough in a loaf tin and bake.
“All the mixes are made using only natural quality ingredients, no additives or preservatives, which is really important to me as bread shouldn’t be filled with nasty ingredients.”
A further step change for The Jar House British Beer Bread Company came in 2022, when it won a Theo Paphitis Small Business Award.
“The feedback was that the product was great but the packaging was dated and needed redesigning,” says Bowes Fairless. Taking this on board, she invested in new packaging and branding that rolled out last year. It has “turned out to be the best business investment I’ve made so far”.
Today the beer bread range includes flavours such as Chilli; Curry; Garlic and Parmesan; Smoky BBQ and Onion. Bowes Fairless has continued to stretch the possibilities of the brand. This has included the development of a cider bread mix with apple & cinnamon and a Boozy Bakes range, which includes Gin & Tonic Lemon Drizzle Loaf Mix, Irish Cream Liqueur Chocolate Brownie Mix and Whisky Honey Biscuits. The Jar House has also opened its own retail space at the Creation Emporium in Saltburn.
“This year has been amazing,” says Bowes Fairless. “We celebrated 10 years in business and have gained a contract to supply Lakeland with four beer bread mixes, and they are expanding the flavour range next year.”
The business also made its first major trade show appearance this year, at the Farm Shop & Deli Show at the NEC Birmingham. And it was given another cause for celebration when Chilli Beer Bread Mix won a gold in the Farm Shop & Deli Product Awards in April.
“Winning the award has had a huge impact on the brand and the business,” says Bowes Fairless. “We have gainied lots of new orders and industry recognition as a direct result of attending the event and winning the Gold product award.”
There is no sign of the brand slowing down. Bowes Fairless is working with a local brewery on a bespoke beer to be used with the bread mixes, while a cranberry & orange Christmas Beer Bread Mix has just rolled out.
“The thought of people baking the mixes in their own homes and sharing the bakes with family or friends, opening my products on Christmas morning or a birthday is a joy,” she says. “That’s what it’s all about really.”
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