Montana Bakery, the artisan wholesale bakery, has reported a slump in operating profit from £1.3m to £1.2m for the 12 months to 28 March 2015.

In an audited financial statement submitted to Companies House, Montana Bakery revealed the slump came despite an 8% rise in turnover from £19.6m to £21.1m for the same period.

The board said in the statement: “The directors are satisfied with the performance of the business during the trading period, which has resulted in an increase in turnover of 8% to £21.07m. The gross profit margin has declined by 0.4% to 48.9% in 2014/15 from 49.3% in 2013/14 and profitability has reduced by 6.1% to £1.26m. The outlook for the forthcoming year will see a number of new product launches, across all categories, which will further enhance our product offerings to our key customer base.

“The strategy for the forthcoming year will be to continue to diversify our customer portfolio through innovative and high-quality product offerings to continue to provide our customers with a unique selling point. We will continue to upgrade our plant and equipment and develop the skills base of our employees.”

Montana Bakery produces artisan bread, including longer-fermented doughs, speciality breads and pizza bases, at its 65,000sq ft facility in Slough. It supplies retail and foodservice clients across the UK and EU including Marks & Spencer (M&S) and Waitrose.

The company’s director is Piero Scacco, a former winner of Baker of the Year and Outstanding Contribution to the Baking Industry at the Baking Industry Awards (BIA). The Sicilian founded Montana Bakery in 1998 after finding retirement “boring”.