Pastry maker Proper Cornish acquired by French food firm

Proper Cornish, the renowned makers of Cornish pasties and savoury pastries, has been acquired French food firm Groupe Boncolac.  

With a current turnover of £26m, Proper Cornish said its growth plans will now be possible following the acquisition, with new markets set to open up, including across Europe.   

The existing senior management team at Proper Cornish will remain in place to help deliver the growth plans. 

“Since 1988 we’ve worked hard to build Proper Cornish to where it is today, and we just know there is so much more potential,” Chris Pauling, managing director f Proper Cornish commented.  

“As a founding member of Proper Cornish, I was extremely keen to ensure we found the right partner to take the company to the next level, and I’m confident that Groupe Boncolac is that partner; their brand and people ethics, and their product quality reflect those of Proper Cornish, so I’m really excited for the future of Proper Cornish.” 

The Groupe Boncolac has been supplying quality desserts and cocktail bites since the 1950s from four factories in France. Their products are sold in France and in over 30 countries to all channels, including retail, freezer centres, and foodservice.   

The UK has always been a strong focus for their development, and they established Boncolac Ltd in 2015 to grow their operations in the UK, serving both retailers and foodservice distributors. 

In 2022, Boncolac management conducted, together with Waterland Private Equity, a leverage buy-out to become a fully independent Group, with an ambition of building a pan-European leader of frozen snacks and desserts. In September 2022, they made their first acquisition of Mag’M, a French specialist of premium Macaroons based in Nantes. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Proper Cornish Ltd within the Groupe Boncolac.  I have been impressed by the quality of the Proper Cornish management team, as well as the great product positioning with respect to the traditional manufacturing techniques,” Alexandre Vigneron, chief executive of Groupe Boncolac, commented.  

“We are looking forward to starting a fruitful collaboration between our companies in the UK and abroad.”  

Operating from a newly refurbished 58,000 sq ft bakery in Bodmin, Cornwall, Proper Cornish has been supplying Cornish pasties and other savoury pastries to a wide range of markets since 1988 either under the Proper Cornish brand or as own label.    

Their extensive customer base consists of a major retailer, a wide range of independent retailers, specialist pasty shops, education sector, sporting stadia, major contract caterers and wholesalers. Their wholesale network is set up to cover every postcode in the UK.