Boka Food builds £2m cereal bar factory in Winchester

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29-Oct-2024 - Last updated on 29-Oct-2024 at 10:36 GMT

Boka Food has invested more than £2m into its own 12,000 sq. ft manufacturing site in Winchester, which will see it taking control of the whole production process for its cereal bars.

The decision to build its own factory follows the HFSS-compliant brand unexpectedly losing its main co-packer in 2022. Subsequently, the business struggled to find an operator that could produce its cold-pressed bars.

Elaborating, Franco Beer, founder of BOKA Foods said: “We couldn’t find a manufacturer that could produce our Boka bars to a high enough standard, so we decided we’d do it ourselves! ​

“Converting a warehouse into a fully functioning, Salsa-approved factory in the space of seven months, has been a real labour of love but we’re so proud of what we’ve achieved. Boka has already started work on obtaining BRC accreditation by July 2025.”​

The new factory can produce 21m bars a year in one shift, with room to add another line if required. It is also a nut-free site, allowing the Boka brand to make a nut free claim on pack. ​

“We now control the whole manufacturing process which allows us to produce exceptional quality bars, as well as ramping up our innovation pipeline,” ​Beer continued.

“It also gives us capacity to co-pack for other food brands. This is an area I am keen to explore as I know how difficult it is finding a manufacturer with the skills to be able to make consistently good quality bars at the right price.”​

As Boka embarks on this next chapter, it has also expanded its team, hiring an additional 17 employees.

Boka bars was launched in 2016 after Beer wanted to give his children ‘healthier’ snacks. His spent six years innovating, finally developing his low sugar, low fat and low salt cereal bars, boasting under 100 calories.

According to Boka, it is the only cereal bar brand in the UK with front-of-pack green traffic lights as well as being non-HFSS.

“There was a lag in healthy snack food innovation but now the UK Government has confirmed the implementation of a ban on advertising less healthy food from October 2025, we expect to see more focus on producing HFSS compliant food products,”​ Beer added.

“With our new factory and keen focus on health and taste, Boka is well-placed to maximise this opportunity.”​

In related news, plant-based start-up La Vie has raised €25m following huge growth in UK retail.​​

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