Irwin’s Bakery Secures New GBP500k Asda Deal

Portadown-based Irwin’s Bakery, in Northern Ireland, has won a lucrative new contract to supply its “Batch” bread to over 300 Asda stores across the UK.

The deal, which is worth GBP500k a year to the company, is for three new lines of batch bread and one specialty fruit and oat muffin. Each will available under Asda’s premium own label range – “Extra Special”.

Batch (or plain) bread is traditional slow-baked Northern Irish bread with a distinctive shape, flavor and texture.

The Extra Special Batch lines destined for Asda’s stores in Britain include sourdough, multi-seed and corn flavors.

CEO of Irwin’s Bakery, Michael Murphy said he was delighted with the new contract.

“It’s great that one of our best loved local breads has been given a 21st century twist and, with exposure on the shelves of Asda across the UK, has the potential to grow at a national level,” according to irishnews.com.