Superloaf Modern Baker 400g

Source: Superloaf

Modern Baker and Hovis began working together in April 2023

Gut health bread brand Modern Baker has signed a three-year exclusive brand licensing agreement with Hovis.

The startup began working with Hovis in April 2023, focusing on the product development, manufacture and distribution of its Superloaf and Super Bakery franchise across the UK and Ireland.

To date, the partnership has allowed Modern Baker to work with the Hovis R&D team to develop and bake its gut-healthy loaf at scale.

This latest agreement will see the brands work together to manufacture, develop and distribute a range of “unique new bakery products” that “appeal to the health-conscious consumer” and “complement” Hovis’ existing portfolio, according to the baker.

“The new licensing agreement is an exciting step for Hovis,” said Hovis CEO Jon Jenkins.

“Our brand has been at the forefront of new innovation for the last 140 years and we see strong potential for continual growth and the development of new variants with Modern Baker.”

According to Modern Baker co-founder Melissa Sharp, this was “a huge opportunity to make a health-positive impact on the UK’s staple food at scale”.

The Grocer revealed in September Modern Baker was to apply its healthier treatment of ultra-processed foods to a swathe of categories after receiving a £450k government grant.

At the time, Modern Baker told The Grocer it would spend the next 12 months trialling its ‘blend-tech’ – a special blend of ingredients created using targeted fermentation to amplify beneficial compounds – across a variety of food staples, starting with sweet bakery.