Hovis

Hovis is a leading brand name in the baked goods market. The Hovis range now includes products to cater for all tastes including Square White, Original Wheatgerm, the Hovis Granary Range, Hovis Best of Both and more recently Hovis Invisible Crust. Hovis still specialises in high wheatgerm wholemeal flour, the bread being baked independently.

In 1886 Richard Smith found a way to separate the wheat germ from the flour, lightly cook it and then return it to the flour without losing any of the nutritional value of the wheatgerm. Previously millers had removed the wheat germ as it fermented too quickly and was then only good for cattle fodder. Smith teamed up with Fitton & Sons who owned a large milling business.

The name Hovis was coined by Herbert Grime in a national competition set to find a trading name for the special flour. The word comes from the Latin phrase hominis vis – "the strength of man".

Hovis are proud of their British heritage and are keen to support local businesses which is why they claim that every Hovis loaf, baked in mainland Britain, is made using flour milled from 100% British wheat.