Modern era
Mark and Jonathan Brace expanded the company, closing the old Bakery in Oakdale in 1989 and expanding their Croespenmaen factory from 8500 sqft to 60000 sqft. Changing the business from a local baker with shops and vans, to a regional bread manufacturer to serve South Wales and the West Country "to take on national bread brands".[6]
In 2004 Brace's purchased another 60000 sqft factory unit one mile away and invested £10 million installing the most up to date plant bakery, which can produce up to 900,000 loaves a week. Brace's operates plants in Croespenmaen and Pen-y-Fan Industrial Estate within a mile of each other near Blackwood,[4] and in February 2011 bought an existing facility in Rogerstone.[7] The Rogerstone site was closed in 2017 and rented to David Wood Foods.[8]
In 2011, Brace's came 57th on the Price Waterhouse Coopers/Sunday Times Profit Track 100 survey.[9] It started exporting their bread to Europe in 2011 through international export company, Foodlynx. Braces Bread can now be found in Spain, Portugal, Malta, Greece and Cyprus and is distributed to many hotels and restaurants by European Foodservice Companies as well as being sold in European supermarkets.[10]
In 2022 the company obtained £4m in investment from HSBC UK and HSBC Equipment Finance to expand the number of product lines it offers, covering a range of baked goods including tea cakes, bread rolls, and hot cross buns. The new production line is capable of up to 16,000 rolls an hour and over one million products sold each week.[11]
In financial year 2022 to 2023, the business reported double-digit growth in turnover and it returned to pre-tax profit, showing a turnover of £37.1m (up £6.6m year on year), and a profit before tax of £1.1m.[12]
In 2024 it unveiled a rebrand of its packaging with new designs. Its products are supplied to major supermarkets including Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Lidl, Co-op and other stores in South Wales and the south west.[13]
