Traditional Welsh treat heads to Japan as bakery expands

A north Wales bakery is exporting its signature Welsh Cakes to Japan for the first time after being contacted by a Tokyo-based British importer.

The Jones Village Bakery’s traditional treats – along with its Welsh Batch, seeded loaves and white barms – are on sale at the British Shop in the Japanese capital, marking another milestone in the company’s expanding export operation.

The Jones Village Bakery products are aimed at UK expats and Japanese consumers with a taste for premium British brands.

The launch in Japan follows a string of overseas successes for the bakery which was honoured with a King’s Award for Enterprise after achieving record export growth.

In recent years Jones Village Bakery has broken into markets including Australia, the Middle East and several European countries, helping to create around 100 new jobs.

The Tokyo deal came after the Wrexham-based family firm was contacted by ex-pat Mark Spencer who fell in love with the Welsh Cakes after tasting them at a trade show in Singapore.

Village Bakery Commercial Controller Glen Marriott said: “Mark Spencer and his family have lived in Japan for years and he has a retail shop in Tokyo where he sells British products.

“He initially contacted us via the enquiry line having been to a trade show in Singapore where he tried our Welsh Cakes and other products on the Welsh Government stand, he loved them.

“He is then looking to approach all the supermarkets in Japan, so it’s potentially opening the door to a whole new market.

“Japan was a country that we were looking to target as we continue to expand our export operation so this is very timely.

“As well as being aimed at ex-pats, he’s aiming to introduce Welsh products to Japanese people who have a liking for quality UK brands. Within Asia generally, there is a demand for products with a UK provenance.

“Having a King’s Award helps us because it links back to the monarchy and has that prestige attached to it.”

“It’s exciting in terms of the possibilities and who knows where it leads, because export is a big growth area for the Village Bakery.

“This will also help lift our profile with government agencies in Japan which would hopefully open up some new doors for us.”

‘Who would have thought…’

According to Village Bakery CEO Simon Thorpe, their growing success abroad is testament to their constant commitment to make the best products on the market.

He said: “We’re delighted that we have broken into a new market – who would have thought we’d be selling Welsh Cakes in Japan!”

“I think it’s amazing really and hats off to the team – yet again it speaks volumes about the quality of the product and that desire to enjoy something that is traditionally Welsh.

“Our Welsh Cakes are a real signature product for us at the Village Bakery and are made using on a traditional recipe.

“It’s always been the hero product within our portfolio – almost like a talisman which marked our growth into the retail sphere.

“The quality of our Welsh Cakes is something that has always run very deep at the Village Bakery, it’s something we are all very, very proud of.

“There is a definite momentum building in terms of export and the team have done extremely well to get into some new markets.

“It just shows there is a demand out there for artisan products which are made properly in a way that is true to their roots and there is clearly an appetite for quality British products which have a certain cachet in Japan.”

Japanese bread

In a delicious irony, the company is now also making Japanese milk bread for the UK market, as well as possibly Australia and the Middle East – but not the Land of the Rising Sun yet!

“We have been making Japanese-style milk buns using the traditional tangzhong method, essentially using boiled milk to produce a beautifully soft eat.

“It’s a process that is adding another dimension to our range from a quality perspective and I want to pay tribute to our new product development team who have excelled themselves once again.

“They are already available in M&S stores in the UK and have done extremely well proving very popular with customers which is the ultimate test.

“One day, you never know, we might even be able to export them to Japan which would be the culinary equivalent of selling coal to Newcastle. Watch this space.”