Cereal bar manufacturer Boka has invested more than £2 million in its own 12,000 sq. ft manufacturing facility in Winchester, Hampshire.
The cereal bar business, which launched in 2016, said it unexpectedly lost its main co-packer in 2022 and then struggled to find an operator that could produce the cold-pressed bars it required.
Boka boasts that it is the only cereal bar brand in the UK with front-of-pack green traffic lights as well as being 100% HFSS compliant. This is a key advantage for the brand as competitors look to reformulate their products to adhere to new food advertising legislation.
The products are stocked across foodservice operators including through Bidfood, Brakes and DDC Foods which supplies them into hospitals (staff and visitor dining), universities, schools, leisure clubs and corporate dining locations.
The new Winchester factory can initially produce 21 million bars a year in one shift with the ability to add another line if required. The new factory is also 100% nut-free allowing Boka to make the nut-free claim on its packaging. The business has also expanded its team by 17 to help operate and run the factory.
Franco Beer, founder of BOKA Foods said: “We couldn’t find a manufacturer that could produce our Boka bars to a high enough standard, so we decided we’d do it ourselves! Converting a warehouse into a fully functioning, SALSA-approved factory in the space of seven months has been a real labour of love but we’re so proud of what we’ve achieved. Boka has already started work on obtaining BRC accreditation by July 2025.
“We now control the whole manufacturing process which allows us to produce exceptional quality bars, as well as ramping up our innovation pipeline. It also gives us capacity to co-pack for other food brands. This is an area I am keen to explore as I know how difficult it is finding a manufacturer with the skills to be able to make consistently good quality bars at the right price.”
Boka founder Franco Beer spent six years innovating and developing a “healthier” cereal bar which was low in sugar, fat and salt, was under 100 calories a bar and most importantly, still tasted delicious.
Beer said: “There was a lag in healthy snack food innovation but now the UK Government has confirmed the implementation of a ban on advertising less healthy food from October 2025, we expect to see more focus on producing HFSS compliant food products.
“With our new factory and keen focus on health and taste, Boka is well-placed to maximise this opportunity.”
