An AM has hailed Wales’s oldest family-run bakers for helping to provide a backbone for the local economy.
Clwyd South AM Ken Skates was speaking after he officially opened the new Gerrards shop in Chirk.
The store in Chirk is one of six former Eccleston’s shops taken over by Gerrards at the end of last year.
The others are in Bala, Corwen, Llangollen, Gresford, and Park Avenue in Wrexham.
As result, Gerrards have created dozens of new jobs and taken the total number of their shops and cafes to 15.
Established in 1838, Gerrards is now being run by the sixth generation of the family of craft bakers in charge of the Wrexham-based company.
Staff at both the Chirk and Llangollen shops are also celebrating because they have just been awarded top marks, five out five, for hygiene by the Food Standards Agency.
Mr Skates said: “I am delighted and honoured to have been asked to officially open the new Gerrards shop in Chirk.
“Gerrards is a historic company in Wales, the oldest family run company in our country so it’s very important.
“Companies like Gerrards are the backbone of the economy in an area like this.
“Small and medium sized companies really do make an enormous difference to rural communities.
“It’s really important company, not just for Chirk but also for other communities like Corwen and Llangollen – as well as all the other places they have their shops.
“They are very proud of upholding the standards and traditions of craft bakers – quality is really important in the food industry.
“In Wales, we are trying to make our mark as being a premium country when it comes to food production.
“Having fresh, good quality and locally sourced produce like they have at Gerrards really helps, It’s excellent.
“It’s a different process and a different product to that which you find at a supermarket and you are getting something that is premium.
“It’s really good that investment has come into the former Eccleston’s shops and to see these stores continuing is very heartening.”
Gerrards Director Dirk van Rensburg was extremely grateful that Mr Skates had taken time out of his busy schedule to conduct the official opening.
He said: “A lot of small towns and villages have lost their traditional craft bakers because of the supermarkets moving in.
“Where the supermarkets have made a mistake is that they carry a lot of food miles whereas we have a company policy where possible to source our ingredients locally.
“All our meat is local, it comes from local farms within 15 miles of Wrexham. We don’t source on price, we source on quality with the emphasis on local products.
“The Press have revealed in recent weeks that often in supermarkets that bread could be frozen for up to 12 months before it baked off in store.
“Our bread is baked by craft bakers first thing in the morning and is delivered to our shops while it is still warm.
“Local people appreciate that quality and obviously the taste of our bread.
Manageress Heuwen Konicek, a former betting shop worker, felt that Gerrards was a very safe bet.
She said: “Things are going really well. Local people are extremely supportive and we have a lot of tourists coming through.
“Gerrards is a family company and they are great to work for, they are really nice people and they care about high standards and responding to what the public wants.”
