Food and Drink Federation, 10 March 2011

HONEYBUNS : EXPORTS CASE STUDY

Award-winning ethical bakery Honeybuns, produces its premium cakes and cookies from a converted farm in the idyllic Dorset countryside.

Honeybuns products are all wheat-free and several are also gluten-free and dairy-free also. Its product range includes its top-selling cranberry and pecan flapjacks, gluten and dairy free almond and salted pistachio cookies, and its Great Taste Gold award-winning chocolate and orange 'Heathcliffe Brownie'.

Though a small company, employing only around twenty staff, Honeybuns successfully supplies its products to cafes, deli's, shops and other food service outlets around the UK.

In 2010, around 4% of Honeybuns turnover was due to its exports sales – a figure that has steadily increased since it began exporting in 2006.

Though still a relatively small part of its business, Honeybuns sees exports as providing access to larger markets with additional opportunities for sales. It also sees it as providing additional diversity to the business, helping to make it more resilient to changing market conditions.

Honeybuns top export markets in 2010 were Ireland and France, where its range of lunchbox-sized 'Mini's' have been very successful. Its milk chocolate brownies remain its top-selling product in both its domestic and exports markets. In Ireland, its gluten-free range has done very well due to the relatively high proportion of people with gluten intolerance.

Looking ahead, Honeybuns has an ambitious medium-term target of 10% of turnover for the export side of its business. Europe is the key market focus for Honeybuns, but other exciting opportunities exist. For example positive feedback after attending a tradeshow in Tokyo has led to interest from a large Japanese retail chain, and a number of wholesalers.

Emma Goss-Custard, founder of Honeybuns said: “Export is an exciting ongoing opportunity for Honeybuns. After exporting our cakes to wholesale customers, we have established that there is an opportunity to sell to international consumers directly. We will therefore be developing the international mail order aspect of our business.”