14 BUSINESS
Award winning Company Bakery move to new home at Eskmills in Musselburgh
Feel the knead to expand
By BUSINESS REPORTERA BAKERY which supplies some of Scotland’s
leading delis, cafes, restaurants and hotels is
making a six figure investment in relocating to
East Lothian’s largest serviced business campus.
Company Bakery’s plans include a new café at
Eskmills business campus.
Wholesale supplier of breads and pastries to
respected cheesemonger I.J. Mellis and a raft
of highly-rated foodie institutions, the bakery
will become a key focal point at Eskmills
in Musselburgh.
The award-winning business has outgrown its
current west Edinburgh premises and will put
down new roots at the thriving business campus
which is home to more than 70 businesses,
including high growth Nasdaq-listed microchip
developer Allegro, cutting edge online education
pioneer IDI, and award-winning wedding and
event company Hickory.
Company Bakery produces more than 10,
loaves and pastries a week, and will be able to
increase production at the 6,000 sq ft site - with
staff numbers expected to increase from the
current 26 as the business recruits locally to
expand out of its central Scotland stronghold.
Centred around a picturesque courtyard,
Eskmills consists of 10 historic buildings and is
located on the site of the former fishing net
manufacturer J W Stuart. More than 500 peopleare employed on the modern office campus
working in tourism, tech, design, health, finance,
land and property management, training and
charities, and onsite facilities include a conference
and events centre, a gym, and the popular
restaurant Crolla’s Italian Kitchen.
Eskmills is located close to the Edinburgh City
Bypass which will allow Company Bakery to
develop new delivery routes, while the
combination of a growing food scene and an
upsurge in new housing developments across East
Lothian were additional factors in the relocation.
The highly regarded bakery business - which
operates a “pop up” market from its current
premises near to Haymarket - hopes to offer a
more formal retail offering at Eskmills pending
planning approval.
Nicole Pyper, Marketing Manager at Eskmills,
said: “The Ivanhoe building is a recent addition
to the Eskmills estate and we think we have
found the ideal tenant as Company will be a
focal point around which our community will
thrive and grow.
“We are very excited that such a premium
hospitality sector supplier is joining us at
Eskmills and Company will not only introduce
the very best bread, pastries and coffee, but will
be a touchpoint for encouraging a culture
and creating conversations in our talented
business community.
“There is plenty of space for Company to growtheir wholesale offering, but we are also delighted
that they can provide a valued retail service to our
existing tenants and the wider East Lothian
community, and that we will play a part in their
continuing success story.”
Company Bakery was founded in 2017 by four
friends who shared the view that they could not
source quality bread products they needed for
their respective businesses. The owners include
Amy and Duncan Findlater of Smith & Gertrude
wine bars in Stockbridge and Portobello, chef Ben
Reade, formerly of the Edinburgh Food Studio;,
and Hollie Love Reid, owner of Nice Times
Bakery in Morrison Street and Lovecrumbs in
West Port, both in Edinburgh.
Amy Findlater said: “We’ve been looking for
over a year for the ideal spot where we can have
more space and really set up for the long haul
and we have found it at Eskmills. It’s important
for us to be an active part of the community and
to be accessible to trade and retail customers
and we are confident we can replicate what we
have achieved in Edinburgh at our new home
in Musselburgh.
“While we are predominantly a wholesale
business, our market shop grew out of the
Covid pandemic when restaurants were closed,
but people still wanted to buy our products,
so Eskmills gives us the chance to develop more
of a front-facing customer brand. We hope that
once the appropriate approvals are in place, thatwe can open a retail shop with an attractive
café element to it.”
Company’s signature sourdough loaf has
proved a hit with established delis and suppliers
such as I.J. Mellis, The Refillery, and Root Down
as well as premium hospitality operators like The
Balmoral, Gleneagles, Prestonfield House Hotel,
and the new Virgin Hotels Edinburgh. Restaurant
clients include Martin Wishart, The Witchery,
Heron, and Graeme Cheevers’ Michelin-starred
Unalome in Glasgow.
The bakery also supplies the popular Drift
restaurant in North Berwick and the Foraging
Goat deli in Haddington, and local connections
are important with almost all of Company’s flour
sourced from East Lothian mills.
Amy added: “Moving to East Lothian not only
opens up more logistical options which will help
grow the business but it gives us access to a
different pocket of customers who are part of the
area’s bustling food scene.
“Baking bread takes up a lot of room but with
the increased space available to us we can address
the high demand for our range of French butter
pastries and we may well have to employ extra
pastry chefs who we hope to recruit locally.
“This move will open a lot of doors for us and
our new home in Musselburgh is also easily
accessible for our very loyal Edinburgh clients,
who we hope will keep visiting or will make use
of our home delivery options.”Ian Georgeson