News - 2010

We have recently installed a new standby generator at our main site that will allow us to run the full factory independent of mains electricity in the event of a power cut. This represents an investment of around £100K to ensure we are not totally reliant on the utilities and the rolls go out every day!

The existing generator which could only handle around 30% of the McGhee's factory load, will be re-sited to Kilmarnock to give Fergusons and Lamonds a similar capability.

McGhee's Bakery, Glasgow, Scotland is proud to celebrate it's 75 anniversary.

McGhee's was founded in 1935 by Dugald McGhee at the original bakehouse in Oran Street, Maryhill, Glasgow.

We have since grown from this site to our new custom built premises, servicing the local shops and supermarkets with a range of freshly baked morning rolls, tea-bread & savoury products. It now sells 1.4 million rolls a day all across Scotland.

We are proud to announce the continued support of our local football team for the 4th year. It seems all the more poignant while in our 75th year. The location of the original bakehouse in Oran Street, Maryhill can be seen from the main stand. Gordon McGhee, Managing Director, commented "Our family have seen many changes over the last 75 years and we are proud to support the local community. We know that a successful local football team is as important to business as it is to the community. Our investment in new premises and the local workforce means we will have many more successful years ahead of us".

And part of the Sponsorship agreement involves McGhees Bakery with Kids Go Free to Firhill, which allows under 16’s to go free to all Partick Thistle SFL Home games.

A new 40% reduced fat Scotch pie was unveiled today to be sold to at this weekend’s Scottish Cup Final and is expected to generate 500,000 sales in the year ahead.

Developed in partnership by McGhee’s Bakery and Pars Foods, the pie contains a secret ingredient and at least 40% less fat, 50% less saturated fat and 37% less salt than the traditional Scotch pie, meaning it falls within Scottish Government Healthy Living guidelines.

The reduced fat snack – branded for retail as McGhee’s ‘Wi’oot the greeze’ – was unveiled today at Hampden Park where it will be on sale on Saturday, making Scottish football’s national stadium the biggest venue in the country to date where all Scotch pies are now reduced fat. McGhee’s, which this year celebrates its 75th birthday, and Pars supply Scotch pies to all but one SPL football ground as well as Hampden Park, selling 1.2 million Scotch pies to football fans each year.

The reduced fat pie, which has now been listed by a major food service carrier, has already been successfully trialled at a number of stadiums across the country as well as in secondary schools throughout the central belt where in some cases bakery spend has increased by up to 50% as a result.

Ross Hamilton, Sales Manager of McGhee’s Bakery, said: “McGhee’s Bakery and Pars Foods are delighted to officially launch our reduced fat Scotch pie which is the result of more than a year of investment, testing and successful trialling.

“The Scotch pie is arguably Scotland’s favourite snack and this reduced fat version means people can continue to enjoy it within Scottish Government Healthy Living food guidelines.

“While it has already been well received at many sports venues, schools, universities and hospitals, Saturday’s Scottish Cup Final will be the reduced fat pie’s biggest audience to date. We hope it adds to a memorable day for the Ross County and Dundee United fans and we are delighted Hampden Park has become the biggest venue in the country where all Scotch pies will now be reduced fat.”

Brian Sarafilovic, managing director, Pars Foods, said: “We have spent 18 months developing this product to ensure we got it exactly right. Thanks to making the necessary changes as well as including a secret ingredient, the feedback to date during trials has been overwhelmingly positive with the majority of people vowing to remain loyal to the reduced fat option. This time last year it was introduced at our first local authority school and they are still selling it today.

“The reduced fat content is something we will look to replicate with other savoury snacks although again the required investment and attention to detail will be made rather than rushing anything out. It is that quality mark that is behind McGhee’s Bakery and Pars Foods longstanding position at the forefront of Scotland’s food service market.”

Prestige Scotland, the dedicated Scottish catering services division of Sodexo Prestige, provides the catering at Hampden and will be selling the pies

David Trotter, Catering Services Director for Prestige Scotland, said: "With present day culture we all need to do our part in healthy eating products. We recognise that pies are here to stay at Hampden Park so we have been looking for a product that has less fat and salt. We are delighted that the new pie is 40% less fat and a high reduction in salt. This is a big step forward for stadium catering."

The new product development team has been working with Pars Foods towards reducing the fat content of the Scotch Pie and have come up with a product which has been analyticaly tested and the results are quite remarkable.

Analytical reports confirm the reduction of fat content by a minimum of 40% and also a reduction to within guidelines for salt content.

The target market, initially, shall be education departments, health boards, and football stadia.

The football stadia will help give the clubs a product to sell to fans which will have a positive spin rather than the negativity which surrounds fast food on a daily basis.

Schools and local authority establishments will once again be able to offer a real lunch time favourite, which kids leave by the hundreds to buy on the High St every day. This will help the overall uptake of school meals and the spend per head, crucial to some local authorities.

By comparison, a bag of crisps will have 25grms per 100grms as opposed to the 4.9 grms per 100 grms in the reduced fat pie.

This product is giving the public a favourite traditional snack which ticks all the boxes in the guidelines set out for school meal requirements.

The response from taste panels has been the most positive that we have encountered in years and chefs and catering managers alike have been astounded that we have a product which retains the flavour and taste, whilst reducing the fat & salt levels.

We have found it best to ask people to try our new recipes and then inform them of the fat reduction. Some people are genuinely shocked when we tell them - they tell us our new Sausage Rolls are actually a better- tasting product than the original!

A marketing campaign has been lined up to promote these. This will include radio ads and a poster campaign. McGhee’s Bakery are keen to mention as many companies, football clubs and local authorities as possible when we do our press launch giving the Autumn as much coverage as possible to encourage their customers to purchase the new product.

We would encourage you to try these products; we are confident that we can help customer spend and footfall in all the target markets mentioned.

Amongst other dietary idiosyncracies Glaswegians have a love of burnt bread rolls, as opposed to the soft, bappy things they sell in England. Thus it was that David Cameron visited McGhee's the famous family bakers, makers of crispy, hard-line, see-you-Jimmy rolls.

On a flying trip to the Glasgow North East constituency to support Ruth Davidson, the Tory candidate, he toured the factory which feeds much of the West of Scotland with bread, cakes, potato scones, biscuits and confectionery.

Read the full story at the Times Online

We had a visit from Mark Prisk (Shadow Business Minister) to show off our new factory.

It provided an opportunity to discuss our bakery operation in more detail as well as our business ideas for the future.

Since 2002, Mark has served on the Conservative frontbench as Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Shadow Paymaster General and then Home Affairs Whip. In December 2005, he was made Shadow Spokesman for Business & Enterprise and this role was confirmed in July 2007 with a wider brief on Enterprise, Deregulation and Competition. In July 2007 he was also appointed Shadow Minister for his home county of Cornwall.

New Dispatch Bay Extension!

Having become established at the new state of the art factory now for 4 years McGhees Bakery are now close to the completion of a new despatch bay, and in addition of further production capacity that will enable McGhees Bakery to meet the changing demands of the marketplace, as well as to incorporate the Hayes operation which was acquired in 2007.

McGhee's Stars at Night!!!

The nightshift at McGhee's have been the subject of a news feature recorded by Radio Clyde, this is now online at www.clyde1.com.

Rob Waller interviews Ian Flo, Jamie Higgins, Tam McGhee & Gerry Murphy, whilst doing a delivery to Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

George Bowie, Des and the guys from Clyde Marketing were invited to come along and tour the new McGhees Factory and see from themselves how many Crispy Rolls go through the ovens every day! George said “ it was unbelievable to witness the amount of rolls being baked. We had a great time and managed to take away a couple of samples…Geez McGhees – anytime!