Bells of Lazonby celebrates 80 years of passion, pioneership, and fine family baking
Guided by its mission to become a leading bakery manufacturer, Bells of Lazonby (Bells) is a heritage family baker with heart, soul, and experience. Founded in 1946 by World War II veteran and entrepreneur, John Bell, the business’ ethos is centered around a real taste for quality, and its philosophy brings together the perfect mixture of strong traditional values and forward-thinking innovation.
Nestled amongst the great English countryside in Lazonby, Cumbria, Bells’ headquarters – Edenholme Bakery – boasts two internal state-of-the-art bakeries, where it produces tasty, innovative conventional and free-from bakery products. 2026 marks a particularly special year for Bells as it celebrates its 80th anniversary. This milestone is not only representative of the business’ hard work and innovation, but is also symbolic of the incredible passion, integrity, and close-knit culture that has defined it since day one. To honor the anniversary, Food Chain sits down with Rob Keeping, Bells’ Managing Director, to learn more about the business’ remarkable legacy and the values that continue to drive its longevity and success. He begins our conversation by providing some insight into the company’s journey.
“Our founder, Mr. John Bell, served in World War II and was a pilot who became a prisoner of war. Thank-fully, he managed to come home after the war safely, and he decided to set up a small bakery supplying the local village,” Rob details. “Over the course of our evolution, the business has grown to encompass two operating bakeries – a conventional bakery and a free-from bakery. Today, with a team of over 400 people onsite, we partner with all of the UK’s leading retailers, foodservice groups, and coffee chains, where we develop a diverse range of different products, including our own brand, We Love Cake.”
Investing in innovation
Catering for a wide scope of individual tastes and dietary requirements, Bells is proud to offer a full range of baked goods to its loyal customers. From fluffy cakes, tarts, muffins, and cereals, the business is com-mitted to the highest standards of craft at scale. All its products are free from artificial colors, flavorings, and hydrogenated fats; plus, with a variety of vegan and Coeliac UK-approved products, Bells ensures that there’s a special treat available for everybody. Furthermore, a large portion of the business’ commercial team has worked with its clients for decades and has, thus, cultivated close relationships where they truly understand their needs. All these values are key to driving Bells’ R&D processes and constant innovation.
“One of our core values is innovation,” Rob says. “We’ve been bakers for 80 years and have always stayed close to the market. We immerse ourselves in both domestic and international sectors, drawing inspiration from global food trends, social media, and consumer insights to combine with our team’s creativity. We go on what we call ‘cake safaris’, where we travel and attend conferences and sample foods. Some of the best ideas can actually come from adjacent categories, such as beverages, ice cream or confectionary – there may be a flavor that we can translate into cake. It’s all about pushing the boundaries and trying things that haven’t been done before.
“Alongside that, we use real-time customer insight tools, such as Vyper, which allow us to test ideas quickly and gain rapid feedback on new concepts before we scale them,” he explains. “While we have invested in automation and technology to enhance our quality assurance, such as on the packaging lines, weight checking data machines, and audits for customers, we are still a very human-led business. We invest in technology that doesn’t move us away from our core DNA and being able to be craft at scale.”
Aligning with this dedication, Bells continues to invest strategically in new facets of innovation.
“Around six months ago, we invested significantly in the expansion of our conventional bakery, which enabled us to have functional space where we can enhance automation and have greater capacity to fulfill our customers’ needs,” Rob elaborates. “Alongside that, we’ve also invested in a further eight acres of land next to the bakeries, for which we have planning and we are beginning to plan investment around future-proofing the business for another 80 years to come.”
Connecting with consumers
With its anniversary celebrations on the horizon, Bells is excited for the rest of the year, honoring the entrepreneurial spirit of its past, recognizing the success of its present, and looking forward to the opportunities of the future. Though Rob himself hasn’t been with the business for too long, he reflects on the factors that he firmly believes have been integral to Bells’ longevity and continued success.
“What’s really special about Bells of Lazonby is our people. I came from various large organizations working with large brands and one thing that really stood out to me when coming to a family business like Bells is the values and culture – the passion and loyalty that comes across in everything we do,” he reveals. “We’ve had entire families across two to three generations work within the business, so there’s a real sense of community here. It’s not just a workplace, but somewhere that people genuinely care about.
“Today, the board is made up of the second and third generations of the Bells family, who bring incredible levels of commitment and pride to the business. I think that purpose is really underestimated in business these days, but Bells has real heart, soul, and connectivity; we really care about our consumers and the joy our products will bring them.
“Agility is also key,” he says. “The establishment of our free-from bakery is a good example of that. Both the business and the Bell family have never been afraid to take risks, and that willingness and curiosity to adapt has been crucial to our journey. I like to remind myself and the team of a sentiment I like, ‘keep what defines us, evolve what enables us’.”
In celebrating 80 years of baking excellence, Bells of Lazonby stands as a testament to what can be achieved when heritage, innovation, and people are placed at the heart of a business. From its humble beginnings as a village bakery to a trusted partner for leading retailers and a pioneer in free-from products, the company has never lost sight of its founding values. As it looks to the future, Bells is well-positioned to build further on its existing legacy and thrive for many more generations to come, with its strong family roots and loyal workforce continuing to shine brightly within the baking industry.
“In the long term, we want to continue to cement our place as a supplier of choice through our service levels, quality, and innovation. We’ll continue to grow our partnerships whilst also venturing into new categories and exports further afield,” Rob finishes, concluding our conversation.
“As a business, it’s important that we continue to learn and develop in a way that both allows us to stay one step ahead and ensures that our people have the opportunity to grow and develop. Growth isn’t just about scale, it is about deepening impact and purpose.”