South Wales-based Brace’s Bakery has invested £4m in a new production line for the manufacture of bread rolls, tea cakes and hot cross buns.

The new line allows the business to produce up to 16,000 rolls an hour, which will add to the one million products manufactured by the bakery and bought every week in supermarkets and shops in the region.

The installation was made possible by a £2.5m finance package from HSBC UK and HSBC Equipment Finance. The investment will enable the 120-year-old family business to expand its range and enter new markets, Brace’s said.

“We’re delighted to support such a well-respected home-grown business that has become Wales’s favourite bakery,” said Simon France, deputy head of HSBC Equipment Finance (UK).

“It’s great to see Jonathan and his team expanding the business to produce a wider range of products and we’re excited to see the business continue to flourish,” France added.

Brace’s Bakery, a fourth-generation business now run by Mark and Jonathan Brace, is based in Crumlin near Newport and supplies to major supermarkets in south Wales and the west of England with its own brand of bakery products.

“Since installing the new production line, we are now in a position to expand our volumes and offer a wider range of roll products to include tea cakes,” said Jonathan Brace, director of Brace’s Bakery.

“We’re thankful to Sian Williams and Scott Ritchie at HSBC UK for their continued support in the expansion of our business and for making the process as seamless as possible for us. Since the production line was installed in January up until Easter, we managed to produce nearly two million packs of six hot cross buns,” Brace added.