INDUSTRY NEWS


Highland bakery makes history with third Scottish Baker of the Year title


Highland bakery Harry Gow has made Scottish baking history after being named Scottish Baker of the Year for a record third time. The family-run business secured the industry’s highest honour at the Scottish Baker of the Year Awards in Glasgow, becoming the first bakery in Scotland to win the prestigious title on three separate occasions. The annual awards celebrate excellence


across Scotland’s baking industry, recognising craftsmanship, product quality, consistency and customer experience. The ceremony proved particularly successful


for Harry Gow, which also claimed five national “Best in Scotland” awards across a range of categories. Winning products included Chocolate Caramel Shortbread, named Best Biscuit in Scotland, and the Lemon Meringue Pie Doughnut, which won Best Doughnut in Scotland. Further awards were presented for the bakery’s Vanilla Raspberry Slice, Pain Suisse


He added that the company remains


committed to the values and high standards established by his father as the business continues to grow. Founded in the Highlands, Harry Gow has


developed from a local bakery into one of Scotland’s best-known bakery brands while maintaining strong ties to its roots. The company now operates 19 shops across the Highlands, with its products also stocked in selected Co-op stores and supermarkets throughout Scotland. Fraser Gow said the awards reflected the


and Celebration Cake. David Gow said the recognition was a proud moment for the family business. “To receive these awards means a huge amount to us as a family business,” he said. “To be recognised not only as Scottish Baker of the Year again, but also across so many different product categories, is something the whole team should be incredibly proud of.”


dedication of employees across the business. “Everyone sees the finished products in the shops, but there is an incredible amount of dedication behind the scenes to make that happen every single day,” he said. The results mark Harry Gow’s most successful


performance at the awards to date and further strengthen its reputation as one of Scotland’s leading bakery businesses.


GroceryAid rallies support for GroceryAid Day 2026


Businesses across the grocery sector came together on 30 April for GroceryAid Day, helping raise awareness of the support available to grocery colleagues facing difficult circumstances. Organised by


GroceryAid,


the charity providing free and confidential emotional, financial and practical support, the annual awareness day aimed to increase understanding of the help available to workers across the industry. The campaign was driven by


growing demand for GroceryAid’s services. During 2024/25, the charity supported more grocery colleagues than ever before, with help provided increasing by 67% year- on-year. More than £6.5 million was spent on welfare support, including financial grants, counselling, debt advice and legal assistance, while its 24/7 Helpline delivered more than 5,300 counselling sessions. Despite this, awareness remains


low, with only 4% of grocery workers recognising GroceryAid when prompted. The charity hopes events such as GroceryAid Day will help reach more of the 2.6 million people working across the UK grocery industry. Kieran Hemsworth, CEO of


GroceryAid, said: “Every day, we see the difference our support makes to colleagues going through tough times. But we can only help people who know we are here.”


To support the campaign,


GroceryAid provided businesses with a range of free digital and printed resources, including posters, leaflets, wallet cards and social media assets. Many organisations also organised fundraising and engagement activities, such as team quizzes, bake sales and physical challenges, helping spread awareness among colleagues and encouraging more people to access the support available.


HEART OF ENGLAND CO-OPERATIVE INSTALLS


CYBAKE ISB SOFTWARE Heart of England Co-operative has rolled out Cybake ISB software to optimise the freshness and availability of food made and baked in its retail stores. Founded in 1832, the Coventry-based business


operates 38 Co-operative Food outlets across the West Midlands, Warwickshire, South Leicestershire and Northamptonshire which feature in-store bakery and hot food counters. It chose Cybake ISB after looking for a solution that


could manage production in these sections, cut their waste and increase their sales. York-based Cybake is the UK’s leading provider of


bakery management software and has a fast-growing user base across North America, Australia, and Asia. The company’s Cybake ISB in-store food production planning solution is used by supermarkets, C-stores, forecourt operators and retail bakery chains. Using forecasting and real-time sales data, Cybake ISB plans the optimal production for each of Heart of England Co-operative store in multiple waves throughout each day. It shows store colleagues what items to make or bake,


when to make them, and gives them full preparation instructions on tablets. At the same time, the system shows head office exactly how multi-wave production is progressing across the stores, with key KPIs and clear, accurate reports. Other users of Cybake ISB in the UK include Marks & Spencer, Cooplands Bakery, Wenzel’s Bakery, and


6 • KENNEDY’S BAKERY PRODUCTION • APRIL/MAY 2026


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44