Lanarkshire food firm that bakes 16 million Scotch pies secures Tesco pastry deal and creates jobs

A Lanarkshire food firm that bakes 16 million Scotch pies annually is creating 15 jobs after a key contract award with the UK’s biggest supermarket chain.

Bells Food Group said it had landed a deal to supply own-label pastry to Tesco stores throughout the UK. The contract will see five and a half million packs of puff pastry made by the Scottish group across five different formats, including ready roll, block and Tesco Finest butter pastry, sold in more than 862 stores.

Ronnie Miles, managing director of Bells Food Group, said: “This is a significant achievement for the business and down to the quality of the products, the team at Bells and the trust that Tesco has invested in us to deliver this contract which will double the turnover of our Dykehead bakery. This news follows a successful period for Bells on the back of increased sales and brand innovation.”

The third generation family-owned baker was established in 1931 by David Bell, encouraging his son Donald to bake scones and pancakes to sell door to door. Today, the business has an annual turnover of around £26 million and employs some 220 people.

Philip Wilson, buying manager for pastry at Tesco, added: “Tesco has a long history of supporting the Scottish food and drink sector and a long history of working with Bells. It’s great to see these two things come together with Bells now supplying Tesco own label across the UK. We look forward to serving our customers across the UK a fantastic pastry.”