Mother’s Food Group, in its latest push to grow revenues and consolidate its business as a global food company, is moving to grow its wholesale and retail footprint following the official launch of its bakery division.

Through the division, the company manufactures a wide range of baked goods such as buns, breads, cakes, donuts, and other pastry items, and has managed to surpass its target of having it contribute 25 per cent to group revenues in under a year, with the business now eyeing increased out-turns from the fast-growing segment.

“Since officially starting this division, we have been developing our distribution channels and the intention is to first start with our buns [penny and loaf]. We already have some of our other products in the market place, but we are not yet ready to begin large-scale distribution for those until about later this year. In the meantime, as we take our time to learn more about the business, we’re very excited about getting our buns in the trade and to push them islandwide,” Sheldon Seymour, CEO of Mother’s Food Group, told the
Jamaica Observer on Wednesday.

Having started the export of buns earlier this year, the company now supplies containers of the product to Canada and some parts of the US, with eyes fixed on other markets, including in the Caribbean.

As the business further considers new products and up its focus on research and development, the level of capital investment pumped into the newest division, Seymour said, remains ongoing, with preliminary estimates well over in the millions.

After acquiring the over-four-decades-old company from its previous owners last year, Roots Financial, the Kevin Donaldson-led management team has since moved to almost double revenues for the business, raking in over $4 billion in 2023. Group operations now comprise the Devon House Bakery, Pimentos Restaurant, Mother’s Café, Mother’s Catering as well as a number of school canteens and a growing network of fast-food restaurants.

The company also partnered with petroleum service stations Fesco and Total Energies recently to expand its network of food stores through express outlets.

“We have developed relations with these petrol stations and there are some key locations that each of these partners will provide for Mother’s as we expand our footprint islandwide. Fesco Beechwood is one of those outlets as well as the new Fesco Oval that is to be built along Spanish Town Road. For Total, there is the one on Gilmour, right at the corner of Washington Boulevard, and some others to come,” Seymour said. Washington Boulevard is in St Andrew and forms a link to the Mandela Highway in St Catherine.

As the food company also looks to move its current number of stores from 23, the CEO said he is optimistic that much of the latest growth plans will help the company to increase this to about 27 stores by end of this year.

“Another of our objective is to also grow globally and as such our next step is to find partners that will help us to expand into North America and other areas of the Diaspora with all our divisions. This, as we want to allow our customers to benefit from the full Mother’s experience,” he stated.