A POPULAR independent bakery is set to expand after an £250,000 investment.

Bakeri Baltzersen is expanding its main bakery site in Kettlesing just outside Harrogate, with work set to begin this month.

Launched in March 2019 as a sister brand to Scandi-cafe, Baltzersen’s, Bakeri Baltzersen established through lockdown with a main bakery site at Kettlesing, and adding a bakery shop in Harrogate town centre in August 2020 with a further retail outlet opening in Wetherby in August last year.

Paul Rawlinson, co-director of Baltzersen's and Bakeri Baltzersen, said: “The expansion is great news not only for our team, but for the region. It’s an investment we are proud to make and we'll be expanding the team both in terms of production and delivery. We want to expand our range of products to offer a wider selection and we are keen to grow our wholesale partners while improving consistency and reliability in terms of service across the year. At the very forefront of our mind is ensuring that our core values, quality and service, are positively impacted by this growth rather than the alternative.”

The main bakery supplies both bakery shops and the cafe alongside a growing number of wholesale partners across Yorkshire.

The project will involve knocking through into the adjacent unit at Springfield Business Park which will effectively triple the floorspace of the bakery. The expansion will generate a number of new employment opportunities locally and the business aims to expand wholesale partners across existing and new areas, including Halifax, Huddersfield and Wakefield and subsequently York.

The expansion will be part financed by a £20,000 grant from the Product and Process Innovation (PAPI) Fund - a legacy European funding programme which is due to finish this year - plus a £27,390 grant provided by Harrogate Borough Council.

Alistair Forbes, SME Growth Manager for Harrogate Borough Council, said: “Baltzersens was able to demonstrate adaptation and growth of the business, with a clear plan to expand their production facilities and extend their customer reach in the coming months.”

“Using Government funding awarded to all local authorities in recognition of the impact of Covid-19, the council was able to support eligible businesses to recover from the impact, and to create new jobs across the Harrogate district.”

Matthew Kirk, Programme Director for PAPI said: “The University of York via its European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Product & Process Innovation (PAPI) project are happy to support Baltzersen's and their continued business growth with a £20,000 innovation grant, that will facilitate the production of a range of exciting new bakery product innovations designed by the team at Baltzersen’s to meet wholesale market demands."

Construction work is set to begin at the main bakery site this month and is expected to be completed in June 2022.

Bakeri Baltzersen is a retail and wholesale artisan bakery based at Kettlesing Head, just 7km outside of the beautiful spa town of Harrogate, North Yorkshire. In addition there are two Bakeri Baltzersen retail outlets, one in Harrogate and one in Wetherby.

Bakeri Baltzersen is the sister brand to Harrogate Scandi-cafe, Baltzersen’s, originally established in 2012.

Bakeri Baltzersen supplies both retail outlets, Baltzersen’s cafe, and a range of wholesale partners across Yorkshire.