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Geary’s Bakery, the family-run business behind Jason’s Sourdough, has unveiled a new £36 million custom-built bakery in Leicester, UK, to meet the rising nationwide demand for artisanal bread.

The new factory is the third facility in the bakery’s growing portfolio and will double production capacity, as well as create over 300 new jobs.

The expansion forms part of the company’s ongoing strategy to quadruple the workforce, boosting the headcount to 950 by the end of 2025. The new site will ramp up in two phases, with phase one just opening and phase two coming on board in September of this year.

Driven by increasing consumer interest in sourdough and artisanal bread, Jason’s Sourdough has achieved 107% value growth over the past year and now accounts for half of Geary’s annual turnover. Alongside site expansion, the company is investing in its workforce, hiring lead bakers and apprentices.

Jason Geary, master baker at Geary’s Bakery and Jason’s Soughdough, said: “This allows our business to move to the next chapter of our growth… This new facility is a vital part of our ambition to make proper bread more accessible to more people.”

Since its launch in M&S five years ago, Jason’s Sourdough is now available in 4,000 stores across the UK, including a number of supermarkets, such as Tesco and Sainsbury's, with parent company Geary’s now stated as the fourth largest bread producer in the UK.