Visited this factory with Jon6D after a long day out exploring in February 2016. We'd been to all the places on our list and was about to head back when Jon suggested to take a look at the nearby bakery factory shop where he used to frequently visit while working in the area years before. Growing up in South Wales, Ferrari's was the bakery shop we all knew before the likes of Greggs started flooding the high streets. The place is huge and was well worth a look, as inside was the remains of the biggest ovens and freezer I'd ever seen!
HISTORY
The Ferrari's family started baking in 1925, after setting up a chain of successful cafés, first established in 1912, for the chapel-going miners and non-conformists, who wanted an alternative to pubs and chapels to fill their leisure time. Like many other Italian immigrants at the time, the Ferraris came over on the boats from Italy, trading Italian timber, needed to support the mines for Welsh coal. The family came from the Bardi region in Italy, near Parma, and originally worked as miners, until they saw the gap in the market and became some of the earliest café owners in the UK. Around 1960, some of the younger members of the family decided to expand the bakery and acquired new premises for this factory, opening more retail outlets. On 19 December 2006, when the company announced it was going into administration, it cited falling sales and greater fuel costs for the decision. The firm employed around 600 workers all over South Wales. Despite a management take over from Best Bakeries in 2007, the factory closed a year later.
Here is some of my photos from the day.....
HISTORY
The Ferrari's family started baking in 1925, after setting up a chain of successful cafés, first established in 1912, for the chapel-going miners and non-conformists, who wanted an alternative to pubs and chapels to fill their leisure time. Like many other Italian immigrants at the time, the Ferraris came over on the boats from Italy, trading Italian timber, needed to support the mines for Welsh coal. The family came from the Bardi region in Italy, near Parma, and originally worked as miners, until they saw the gap in the market and became some of the earliest café owners in the UK. Around 1960, some of the younger members of the family decided to expand the bakery and acquired new premises for this factory, opening more retail outlets. On 19 December 2006, when the company announced it was going into administration, it cited falling sales and greater fuel costs for the decision. The firm employed around 600 workers all over South Wales. Despite a management take over from Best Bakeries in 2007, the factory closed a year later.
Here is some of my photos from the day.....
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