Milish Bakery is one of a kind – offering irresistibly delicious muffins and scones that are made from scratch with bespoke recipes using the best ingredients. These treats are not only mouth-watering but also perfectly balanced, making them the go-to choice for those craving something both luxurious and affordable.
The company started from humble beginnings. Established as KC Confectionery in 1959 by Kitty Coghlan (KC) and her brother Liam Coghlan Snr, the business slowly expanded in Dublin until 1989 when Liam Coghlan’s son, Liam Coghlan Jnr, took over the business.
That was an important milestone, as he identified the opportunity to expand and specialise – focusing exclusively on baking muffins and scones allowed him to consistently deliver exceptional, high-quality products, reaching an even wider range of satisfied customers. This dedication to perfecting each recipe ensured that every batch met the highest standards of taste and quality.
New chapter
Despite the exceptional quality of its products, there was still something missing to truly propel the business toward greater growth and success. This was clear to Gillian Wilson, the company Sales Director, when she joined the business in 2022. “I could see this fabulous bakery with wonderful products but one that was clearly under-marketed. We realised we had something very special. But the business needed to grow. We were working at under capacity. We needed to get new business.”
She explains that a decision was made to re-brand the business, and with the help of a marketing consultancy agency to focus on modernising the brand identity and increasing awareness of the unique and high-quality products that Milish Bakery does. The result was impressive – over the last 12 months the business has doubled in size and staff numbers have increased by 20%.
Another significant achievement was winning a major contract with a leading UK retailer for Milish Bakery muffins, to be supplied to its stores throughout the UK and Ireland. “That was a true recognition of the quality of our products,” says Wilson, noting that customers won’t find any branded Milish Bakery packaging on the supermarket shelves. “All of our products are supplied for in-store bakeries or food service, where they’ll be unwrapped and presented as if they’ve just been freshly baked in a local bakery.”
As an established contract bakery, Milish has the capacity to supply high-volume core ranges and to manufacture limited-edition flavours. This ensures its customers can maintain high-quality everyday Muffins and Scones while adding seasonal, occasional and novelty products to bring excitement to their bakery offering.
Tasting the difference
Speaking about the differentiating factors of Milish products, she says that all muffins and scones are batch baked with hands-on care shown by the company bakers using traditional techniques along with modern baking methods.
“Our unique batch baking allows us the flexibility to change recipes, flavours and packaging options with every batch, providing the customer with a range of options, from product shape and size, branding of boxes and paper case colours right through to case size and pallet type. All products are hand-packed and inspected and are free from artificial colours and flavours.”
“Unlike large bakeries, we never use a pre-mix; for example, for our chocolate muffins we blend our own Cocoa powders so that each of our customers will have a different, unique chocolate. We source wild Canadian blueberries direct from a farmer in Canada, free range eggs from farms in Ireland and purchase the best lemon curd you can get, in order to produce the best-quality muffins and scones that we can.”
She admits that from a business perspective, this may be not the most efficient approach, but it’s a strategy that truly distinguishes the company in the marketplace. “Batch baking means that we can get a product that’s as close to being home baked as possible, with the best ingredients making it just fabulous.”
The care the company puts into its products has been widely recognized. This year, Milish Bakery won five Awards at the Blas na h’Eireann (Irish Food Awards), the biggest competition for quality Irish produce on the island of Ireland, winning Bronze for its Tesco Ireland Finest Fruit Scone and Tesco Ireland Finest Salted Caramel Muffin; Silver for the Tesco Ireland Finest Multiberry Scone and Gold for the Tesco Ireland Finest Plain Scone and Applegreen Lemon Muffin.
Affordable luxury
Wilson reflects that one of the tough tasks she had when she joined the company was to re-negotiate prices with customers to reflect the rising cost of commodities. “We’d look at each of our individual customers and see how we can increase their business, and then we look to new customers and see who we target, who’s a good fit for our business. We’re not a value-muffin company. We target customers who want the ultimate in quality. This we can provide.”
Interestingly, she affirms that the final consumer is willing to pay for quality even during a cost of living crisis. “In difficult times, if people want to treat themselves and spend money, the product has to deliver, it has to be luxurious. That is the trend that we see in the market – rising demand for affordable treats and premiumisation.”
“Large retail chains are all increasing their premium ranges. They’ve got the value offer but they’ve got to bring premiumisation. The trend of having a luxury offer is phenomenal in the market,” she points out, adding that sustainability is clearly another trend, an absolute requirement and Milish Bakery fully supports its clients to achieve what they need in terms of a reduced-carbon footprint.
Given the consumer’s increasing appreciation of high-quality products, Milish Bakery can look to the future with optimism. Indeed, the plans of the company management are to continue to grow, says Wilson, and not only in the UK and Ireland but also further afield. The company’s products are already available in Germany and several other European countries and even as far away as Uruguay.
“We’ve certainly built up some very good relationships with customers over the years and this has allowed us to expand into different markets. We have exciting plans for future growth and expansion. While there’s still room to scale the business at our current location, we’re well-positioned to significantly increase our production capacity as demand continues to rise, allowing us to meet future opportunities head-on.”
“The future is exciting for Milish Bakery. However, no matter how much we grow, our guiding principle remains unwavering: to stay true to our roots by delivering high-quality products that evoke the warmth and freshness of being just baked in the bakery.”
