A fire-hit bakery firm has increased sales and will be back to full capacity less than eight months after a devastating blaze.

The double dose of good news at the Village Bakery came at the turf cutting ceremony to mark the start of construction of the 140,000 sq ft facility which will be four times the size of the one it’s replacing.

Founder and chairman Alan Jones and his wife, Wendy, did the honours at the site in Ash Road on Wrexham Industrial Estate, less than half a mile from the bakery that was destroyed by the inferno last August.

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Artist’s impression of new super bakery

The catastrophe also wrecked the family-run company’s head office, their pioneering Baking Academy and the state-of-the-art New Product Development Kitchen.

After establishing that their well-rehearsed fire drill had kicked in and that everybody had got out unharmed, the family immediately vowed to bounce back.

They reorganised and ramped up production in their three other bakeries to maintain supplies to customers.

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An extension is being built at their gluten-free bakery where they will have a completely segregated production area to make their award-winning crumpets.

As a result, the company will have restored 100 per cent of its lost production in a few weeks’ time.

Wholesale customers were so impressed with the positive way the family-run company responded to the disaster that they placed more orders.

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Pictured are Wendy and Alan Jones cut the sod at the new village bakery site with Robin and Christien Jones.  Picture: Mandy Jones

Just a month after the fire the company launched a new range of American-style bagels which are being sold by a well-known chain in more than 600 of their stores nationwide.

The Village Bakery’s turnover is now already higher than it was before the fire which the family described as the “darkest day” in the company’s history since Alan Jones and his father, Harry, bought the business in 1964.

The new super bakery is due to be up and running in just over 12 months and will give the company the capacity to “grow to the next level”.

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The devastating blaze at Village Bakery last August

Alan Jones paid tribute to the “fantastic staff” who had played a vital role in their comeback.

He said: “The staff are tremendous and the loyalty they have shown is just wonderful and I am proud of the fact that we have not made anybody redundant.

“The fire was a dreadful, devastating experience for all of us but at no point did we feel sorry for ourselves and we vowed to bounce back stronger than ever.

“The fact that we are a tight-knit, family operation meant we were able to make quick decisions and turn a disaster into an opportunity.

Video archive: Firefighters tackle blaze at Village Bakery in Wrexham

“The new bakery will be bigger, better and more modern and will lay the foundation for future growth and success.”

Son Christien Jones, the projects director, is playing a key role in the rebirth of the Village Bakery.

He said: “I’ve never been so busy. This is our ninth major project in my 30 year career and this is the biggest of the lot.

“The new bakery will be the most modern in Europe and we are buying the very best equipment that’s available, mainly from Holland, Italy, France and Germany.

“As well as having the best equipment, we already have the best team, allied to our skills as craft bakers – that in a nutshell is our recipe for success.

“Today has been a significant milestone with mum and dad cutting the first sod at the site of the new bakery in Ash Road. Mum also comes from a family of bakers so it’s part of our DNA.”

It was a sentiment echoed by brother Robin, the managing director, who described their parents as the “backbone of the business”.

He said: “Mum and dad have provided the sense of continuity that has sustained us and given us the strength to bounce back.

“I said on the day of the fire that we would not dwell on it or be daunted but to be in this position less than 200 days later is remarkable.

“Our positive approach has already paid dividends because our wholesale customers have asked us to supply them with more of our products and the outpouring of affection from the people who buy them has been truly humbling.

“All in all, it’s stiffened our resolve to continue on our upwards trajectory and we will be unveiling some exciting new products in the not-too-distant future as well as expanding our sales into mainland Europe and hopefully America.”