Village Bakery, in Minera, near Wrexham, has been short-listed as one of the candidates for the title "craft business of the year", while one of the firm's bosses, joint managing director Robin Jones, is one of the favourites to be named as "craft baker of the year".

If successful, Village Bakery would achieve a unique hat-trick because no other bakery has won the accolade three times before in the Bakery Industry Awards.

The company employs a total of 185 people, most of them at its main site in Minera.

Earlier this year, the company opened the most modern gluten-free bakery in Europe as part of a five-year deal with the Swiss firm, the Hero Group.

Robin Jones said: "The awards have been described as the Bakery Oscars and I think Baker of the Year is the highest accolade anyone can win.

"Also this will be the third time we've entered Craft Business of the Year, and hopefully it will be the third time we've won. Apart from us, no-one's ever won the award twice. To have a hat-trick would be absolutely wonderful.

"One of the reasons we have done so well in previous years is that we have a good mix of people and we also set very high standards for ourselves.

"We are craft bakers born and bred, but we utilise the best of European machinery to make our products even better. We do have a local sourcing policy. All our cream, milk, cheese, and buttermilk is sourced locally.

"We've worked hard to get where we are. Everyone's worked hard and it's nice to have some recognition for all the hard work that everyone has put in over the last few years."

The winners will be announced later in the year and among those keeping their fingers crossed for the Village Bakery is Clwyd South MP Martyn Jones.

He said: "I'm absolutely delighted Village Bakery has been nominated for this prestigious award. It's a great accolade that its excellence has been recognised in this way. It's a pleasure to have companies like that in my constituency."

A spokesman for the organisers said: "For the past 20 years the Baking Industry Awards have recognised achievement and professionalism across the baking industry, and all of its winners are members of an exclusive group that is held in high regard by all bakery colleagues."