Geary’s Bakeries has been running flat-out to keep up with demand, as its Jason’s Sourdough brand rocketed to 122% annual growth in 2024.
The “affordable, high-quality, artisan” baker boosted sales by £25.1m in 2024, as it reaped a whirlwind of consumer demand for sourdough bread.
Plundering share from traditional plant bread, Geary’s won £17.1m in growth from the Jason’s Sourdough brand alone, while also achieving “significant” growth in its private-label sourdough business.
Total revenues for the baker hit £91.8m in the year to 27 December 2024.
MD Joshua Wesson admitted in Geary’s accounts the company had found it “challenging” to keep up with demand in early 2025, as week-on-week sales growth was “significantly limited due to the overall lack of capacity” as 2024’s boom continued into the new year.
The company has since opened a new £36m “state of the art” bakery in Glenfield, with two plants that started production in May and September 2025. The facility has doubled the company’s production potential, and will create 380 jobs when up to full capacity.
Executive director and master baker at Geary’s, the eponymous Jason Geary, said: “The new Glenfield facility will enable us to continue to grow and expand the Jason’s Sourdough brand for the foreseeable future, but the company is already looking at options for future expansion.”
While running at capacity limited Geary’s growth, it also proved enormously profitable as machines were kept running and the company benefitted from economies of scale. Despite the company investing heavily in production – taking on 145 employees in the year – and marketing, operating profit jumped 73.1% to £15.5m.
“Jason’s Sourdough is now the market-leading sourdough brand in the UK with continual increase in market penetration and frequency of purchases by its loyal customer base,” said Wesson.
He added that sourdough’s popularity “reflected the growing consumer trends” in moving away from processed foods to “something simpler”.
“Amplified by their willingness to trade up for that something extra special”, the trend has only powered Geary’s success, he said.
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