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The Jolly Miller Group invests in vegan baked goods

After starting out as a small bakery in the Macedon Ranges in Victoria in 2006, The Jolly Miller Group now has 12 of its own outlets in Victoria and runs its own wholesale brand Fig Food Co.

The company has set its sights on the vegan market in 2020, and plans to capitalise on the popular lifestyle choice with a new line of plant-based wholesale products, such as donuts, pies, cakes and pastries which will be available in Australia and exported to New Zealand, US, UK and Europe.

The business is investing almost a half a million dollars on upgrading its machinery and investing in research and development to create the new range and will hire between 100-150 new employees this year.

“All funds will help us grow our store network as well as invest in machinery for our central kitchen for Fig Food Co.,” Simon Barbar, CEO of The Jolly Miller Group told Inside FMCG.

In 2019, The Jolly Miller Group surpassed A$16.9 million revenue. This year they are aiming high, “forecasting close to A$26m for the current financial year”. 

“It is becoming a way of life for a lot more people – both vegans and non-vegans are adopting much more of a plant based focus on eating,” he said on Australians adapting to vegan food.

Barbar said he sees healthier vegan sweets and deserts becoming much more popular in 2020. He believes that the sector will focus on creating vegan savoury pastries – which “has a lot of potential and we are keen to play in this space in the future”.

He doesn’t see veganism as a trend but a “new way of eating as consumers become more in tune with what they put in their bodies and are a lot more health conscious”.

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