Pat the Baker is an Irish bread-making company founded in 1953 by Pat Higgins. After acquiring the previously rival "Irish Pride" brand in 2015, the company became the second-largest bakery in Ireland. As of 2007, the company reportedly had over 400 employees.
 Company logo | |
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Baking |
| Founded | 1953 |
| Founder | Pat Higgins |
| Headquarters | , Ireland[1] |
| Products | Baked goods |
Number of employees | 400 (2007)[2] |
| Website | http://patthebaker.com/ |
History
Pat the Baker was founded in 1953 by Pat Higgins, a Mayo native who married a woman from Granard in County Longford and settled in the town.[3] In 1977, the company expanded its business from a local bakery with a view to becoming a "nationwide brand".[4] Pat the Baker opened its first depot in Dublin in 1984,[5] and by 1992 was providing 80% of the own brand bread sold in Quinnsworth.[3] A "high profile trade union recognition case" in the mid-1990s,[6] involving the company, was one of several cases cited in debates on the proposed introduction of union recognition legislation in Ireland.[3][7][8]
By the time of the death in 2007 of its founder, Pat Higgins, the company employed over 400 people.[2] Following Higgin's death, the company remained within the control of the Higgins family. One of Higgins' sons, also named Pat Higgins, subsequently adopted the title "Pat the Baker".[2]
In 2015, Pat the Baker bought Irish Pride, a rival bakery which was then in receivership, for €4.5 million.[9][10] The sale, which was approved by the Competition Authority,[11] followed a report that Irish Pride "could have been saved".[12] After the acquisition, the combined company became the country's second-largest bakery firm.[13] At the time of the sale, Pat the Baker had distribution centres in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Kilkenny, Letterkenny, Castleisland, Galway, and Armagh.[14]
A television advert (which ran from 1980 to 2002) contributed to the "popularity of the brand throughout Ireland",[2] and it was one of the "top 20" retail brands in the country as of June 2021.[15] The company has sponsored a marathon in Longford,[16] and began sponsoring The Graham Norton Show on Virgin Media Television in 2021.[17]
In June 2022, the Workplace Relations Commission upheld an unfair dismissal claim by a former employee of the company.[18]
Products
The company produces sliced pans, speciality bread, scones, white bread, brown bread and catering bread.[19] Its products have received the Master Bakers Association Award eight times.[5] During 2022, some of the company's products were subject to a precautionary recall by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.[20]