A family-owned bakery with a proud 100 year history is expanding. Mayor Dan Norris officially opened Hobbs House Bakery’s revamped Chipping Sodbury-based HQ where bread and pastries are freshly baked every day on Tuesday 9 April at 1.30pm, as he cut a ribbon.
Rising from 20,000sqt to 30,000 sqt, the expansion means production is expected to continue to rise just like their bread. The much-loved West of England staple has stores in Bristol (end of Gloucester Road) as well as in Chipping Sodbury, where they send their bread every morning from their shiny new baking headquarters.
Head of People and Culture, Jenny Greenway, explained to the Mayor how this expansion means they can serve even more hungry customers in the local community. Ms Greenway also stressed that the move is great news for the company’s workers.
Hobbs House Bakery, who have signed up to the Mayor’s West of England Good Employment Charter, offers a range of apprenticeships to local individuals, including Drew who the Mayor will meet on the day.
The family-owned firm value the importance of their workers’ mental health offering dedicated wellbeing support alongside group yoga and staff football, plus a unique scheme offering baby hampers to working mums and dads.
Ms Greenway told the Mayor-turned-baker that her team are "excited for the opportunities the new bakery expansion will bring to our employees and business", when he stops by next week.
Mayor Dan Norris, who is responsible for jobs and skills, said: "There’s nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread.
“I am pleased that thanks to this revamp, more locals will get to enjoy delicious bakes and cakes of the highest quality from this much-loved, family-owned West of England firm.
“And I’m all the more pleased that Hobbs House Bakery is rising to the occasion, and understands the value of good jobs for their employees."
More than 20,000 West of England workers are now supported by the protections offered by Mayor Dan Norris’s Charter - such as being given a say in how their workplaces are run, and their employer clamping down on the use of zero-hours contracts.