Jinny’s Bakery Ltd of Carrick Road, Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim has successfully earned a place on the Lidl’s coveted Kickstart Supplier Development Programme.
The companies Irish Stout Bread Mix / Sophie’s Scone Mix will be on sale on Lidl shelves across its 220 stores across the island of Ireland from September 19, 2024 for a limited time, while stocks last.
The Irish Stout Bread is restaurant-style bread easily made at home – the mix makes two loaves.
Moist, full of flavour, good keeping quality, versatile-good with salmon, jam or bacon.
Packed full of healthy grains, the loaf can be successfully made with buttermilk, milk, soya or almond milk.
The product has been recognised as having great export potential and is hamper friendly.
Sophie’s Scone Mix is super easy to make and users can bake large scone or mini scones. They can be frozen which makes them perfect for kids lunches.
Before the products hit the shelves, this six-month development programme offers suppliers dedicated business support from Lidl’s in-house experts, advancing their product, brand and business with practical guidance on how to scale production, drive production efficiency, as well as product development and packaging support, allowing them to optimise on-shelf opportunities in the Autumn and scale for success.
Jinny’s Bakery Ltd of Carrick Road, Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim has successfully earned a place on the Lidl’s coveted Kickstart Supplier Development Programme.
Jinny’s is a family business run by Sinead (Jinny) and Pascal Gillard.
Sinead returned to her native Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim in 1998 to help in the family business, set up by her parents James and Moira McGuire in the 70’s.
It comprised of self-catering cottages and a restaurant.
Sinead loved making breads and cakes for the restaurant and in 2003 her best friend convinced her to try selling her bread to the local shops in Drumshanbo.
Jinny is Sinead’s childhood nickname so she thought it might be safer to brand her bread under that versus her own name…just in case it didn’t go according to plan!
And so the bakery began, in her first week Jinny sold 16 loaves.
Sinead’s husband Pascal joined the business in 2007.
He had a food science background and ran the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association.
They have proved a great combination, both hugely interested in food, how it’s sourced and cooked and how wholesome food contributes to our overall health and wellbeing.
So from humble beginnings of one baker and 16 loaves, Jinny’s is now a team of 11 people supplying brands like SuperValu, Centra, Tesco, Gala and Independent retailers among others and is available online and in 70 locations nationwide.
And it’s not just supermarkets!
When you bite into a Supermacs SuperSubs Ciabatta chances are you eating a Jinny’s bun!
And the business has come full circle.
The kitchen and family restaurant that Sinead worked in when starting off Jinny’s bread has now been transformed into Jinny’s Tearooms.
These beautiful Tearooms on the shores of Acres Lake looking onto the Blueway are a haven for walkers, cyclists, boating tourists and the local community.
Visitors can now eat Jinny’s products straight from the oven, they’re so fresh you can smell the baking bread as you approach the Tearooms.
Vegetables and salads come straight from their own polytunnels, also onsite.
