£2million Tesco contract and 12 new jobs for Northern Ireland family firm with 50 years of baking heritage

Bertie’s Bakery, the family firm with 50 years of baking heritage, is creating 12 new jobs at its base near Magherafelt as the result of a significant new contract with Tesco.

The deal, worth an anticipated £2million in sales annually, has seen 12 Bertie’s Bakery lines initially available across Tesco’s 19 Express format stores in Northern Ireland from the start of October.

This is being followed by the roll-out of 30 lines into 24 of Tesco’s main estate superstores.

Many of Bertie’s products have picked up Great taste Awards. Bertie’s wee sodas and sliced wheaten picked up awards in august at the 2023 judging. This adds to the 2022 awards for big pancake and toaster wheaten.

Brian McErlain, who has extensive business and food production expertise, opened Bertie’s Bakery just outside Magherafelt, in 2020.

The bakery operates from a 15,000 sq ft site outside Magherafelt, which is a BRC AA* accredited site.

The 12 new jobs will be across the business including bakery and sales personnel bringing the number of people employed by the company to 45.

Brian McErlain said: “Bertie’s Bakery is named after my mother who, along with my father Joe, were founders of the original McErlain’s bakery in 1968. Her mantra was ‘don’t sell anything you wouldn’t love to eat yourself’ and it is that core value which is driving us today. We have sourced the very best flours, oils, seeds and grains to produce both traditional breads, cakes and snacks and new interpretations of old favourites. All our products are hand-crafted and hand-finished which stays true to our artisanal ethos.

“Securing a listing with Tesco marks another significant step forward for Bertie’s Bakery, making our products even more widely available to consumers across Northern Ireland and enabling us to create more jobs locally. Furthermore, our central location makes it possible to bake fresh through the night for delivery direct to stores by morning.”

Gareth Morton, head of category commercial NI at Tesco, added: “We’re proud to support local suppliers and our new partnership with Bertie's Bakery reflects our commitment to continually improving and expanding our offering. Bertie’s is a local business with a long history in Northern Ireland and we are excited to be able to provide their products to Tesco customers.”

Bertie’s Bakery’s new 90 products include hot plate goods, baps and rolls, oven bread and scones, cakes and pastries.