The founders of Boka cereal bars have launched a new £3 million manufacturing facility dedicated to granola in their pursuit of expansion within the food and beverage industry trends.
Since establishing Bakeit Food in March 2025, Franco Beer and Christopher Christofi have achieved significant milestones, including BRC AA and IFS Higher certifications, while producing approximately 220 tonnes of premium granola each month. This progress aligns closely with current food manufacturing trends.
Data from Kantar (52 w/e 29 September 2024) indicates that granola is outperforming the broader market with a year-on-year volume growth of +3.4%. Despite this, Beer notes that British granola manufacturing has not kept pace with these food processing technologies.
Franco Beer, founder of Bakeit Food, stated: “British granola and cereal brands were struggling to find UK-based production so there was an opportunity to build a manufacturing site that could support the growth of the category. Bakeit bakes and packs premium granola and is agile enough to support brands with bespoke recipes, and deliver a consistently quality product, at scale.”
“We built our own cereal bar manufacturing facility for Boka bars last year, so we are adept at building factories that deliver a quality product quickly and efficiently. We got the keys for our factory in March 2025 and started producing granola in June 2025.”
The 12,500 sq ft facility employs 22 staff and produces a range of custom baked granola varieties, including loose, crunchy, and clustered options. It features baking, packing, and warehousing capabilities, enabling innovation and development across an array of products, from granolas to nut and seed snacks. This adaptability positions Bakeit to leverage food and drink innovation.
Currently, the facility manufactures granola in various bag-in-box sizes as well as large bulk offerings. Looking ahead, a pouch filling line is soon to be added to enhance food distribution trends.
Further expansion is planned for this year, as the site works towards obtaining an AOECS gluten-free certification, allowing it to broaden its offerings in this segment.
Beer added: “We have invested £3 million in the Winchester Bakeit factory, and we plan to grow even further in the next 12 months. We will also add capability to create baked bars, like flapjacks.”
“We’re proud to have achieved a BRCG AA and IFS certification so quickly. We’re continuing to invest in the site so we can produce more product for customers, including expanding our gluten-free capability.”
