Rising star who joined bakery at 17 chosen to lead £28m comeback

Nation Cymru staff

The man chosen to lead a new £28 million bakery replacing one lost in a devastating fire says securing the job was “the proudest moment” of his life.

Jac Griffiths, 31, joined Jones Village Bakery as a stop gap summer job as a 17-year-old while he decided what he wanted to do with the rest of his life – but quickly discovered that he loved the art of baking.

Twelve years later, after swiftly rising through the ranks, Jac has been given the “huge honour” of launching the new bakery on the site of the company’s former flagship bakery that was razed into a mangled mess of metal by the blaze in August 2019.

A storage facility there has been converted into a state-of-the-art facility with the most modern automated production line on the market installed over two floors.

It’s due to be up and running later this summer when it will start making a range of products and will enable creation of 100 new jobs across the rest of the group’s sites.

According to Jac, the appointment means the world to him because he comes from Coedpoeth where the Village Bakery story started at a small back street bakery in Park Road.

Jac said: “All my family live in Coedpoeth and I started at the bakery nearby in Minera as temporary stop gap while I decided whether or not to go to university.”

“I got a job as an operator, I loved it and found it fascinating, learning the craft of baking was really important and understanding the ethos of the Village Bakery is all about quality”

“It snowballed into a really promising career – I was keen, I was interested. The Village Bakery saw I was committed and gave me a platform to be successful by joining the company’s apprenticeship scheme.”

Jac steadily climbed through the ranks, working as a supervisor and in the company’s New Product Development department before managing its gluten-free bakery and later taking charge of the main bakery in Ash Road on Wrexham Industrial Estate.

“In the 12 years I’ve been here I have worked hard and never said no to an opportunity” he said.

“Because the Village Bakery has grown so much, so quickly I have grown with the business which has been incredibly rewarding.”

The devastating blaze on August 19, 2019, is still seared in his memory.

He was working in the company’s nearby gluten-free bakery when the fire broke out.

Jac said: “I remember going outside and seeing the smoke rising from behind the trees and the first thought was about everybody being safe.”

“It was the biggest disaster this business has ever faced but the response of everybody was nothing short of magnificent, in getting our products to our customers and rebuilding the business in the aftermath of the fire.”

“That was the day when the Village Bakery showed its true mettle. The resilience, the never-say-die attitude ensured that we have bounced back bigger and better. It’s something that is very special.”

Since then the company has invested a total of £115 million and created 700 news jobs, bringing the total number of people employed by the Village Bakery to more than 1,000.

“I feel immensely proud that they have entrusted me to be the head of the new facility and to get this site up and running again with a brand-new bakery,” added Jac.

“I’m excited for the future because we are going to continue growing. It’s a really good success story for the Wrexham area. It’s incredible what the Village Bakery has achieved and we’ll continue to keep on raising the bar in terms of quality.”

The design, commissioning and installation of the new production line was masterminded by Kris Green, Group Head of Engineering and Projects, and his team.

Kris said: “We’ve refitted the building and installed a mezzanine level because the production line has been installed across two floors.”

“It’s similar to our lines in Ash Road but we have been able to refine it with a few improvements so we can do what we’re doing even better. It’s the Rolls Royce of bakery production lines.”

CEO Simon Thorpe said: “This is a very special touchstone moment for us following the horrendous fire in August 2019.”

“It is a cliché but it is very much a phoenix from the flames moment and a hugely significant milestone in the history of the Village Bakery.”

“The projects team led by Kris Green and Zak have been absolutely outstanding It is the best facility with state-of-the-art equipment and automation that’s been configured very precisely to meet our needs and will enable us to make some extremely exciting new products.”

“Jac Griffiths is the epitome of a Village Bakery. He’s been with us for 12 years and he’s grown up with the business. If you cut Jac in half, he would have Village Bakery running through every inch.”

“I am really proud of him and his journey – he knows the business inside out and he is testament to what we are all about. He’s a homegrown star of the Village Bakery.”