A UK bakery has entered liquidation and announced its closure after more than a decade in business.

Wildcraft Bakery, based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, has confirmed it has ceased trading and put the business into liquidation following advice from insolvency practitioners, saying it had “no choice” but to close after “months of fighting to keep going”. The bakery was launched 13 years ago by baker Mina, who kickstarted the business from her home kitchen before later opening a fully fledged store on Green Road, in Meanwood.

The bakery specialised in gluten free bakes, all of which were developed and trialled by Mina before making their way to customers.

The initial small-scale business grew over the years, gaining a loyal following of customers and later turned into a well-recognised brand among gluten free diners.

The standalone store allowed customers to walk-in and pick up fresh bakes, or dine in at the cafe, but the bakery also regularly frequented stalls at local farmers markets, bringing its products to more people, and in time expanded its reach nationwide.

Announcing the closure on its website, Mina wrote: “We never imagined saying these words, but Wildcraft is closing. After months of fighting to keep going, we now have no choice but to stop. Following meetings with insolvency practitioners last week, we’ve been instructed to cease trading and put the business into liquidation.

“To everyone who has supported us over the years, thank you. Your orders, encouragement and loyalty have allowed Mina’s dream to grow from nothing and become something that has fed and inspired thousands of people nationwide.”

While the bakery has now ceased trading, customers can continue buying its products at Bolt & Bean Cafe in Meanwood and plans are now underway to open a microbakery instead.

Mina admitted the ambitious new project, which aims to transform a 40 foot garage at the bottom of her garden into a new baking site, cannot be done alone, so she is appealing to loyal customers for help.

Mina said: “I am asking for your help to return to my roots, and begin again. At the bottom of our garden sits a 40-foot concrete garage that we’ve only ever used for storage.

“But it is the perfect space to set up a microbakery, where I can keep baking, teaching, and creating. Because baking is not just my job! It is a core part of my identity and where I find peace.

“Turning the garage into a working bakery will take months, and it won’t be cheap. It currently has no water, no drainage, and no proper power supply. Just connecting 3-phase electricity (the minimum needed to run essential equipment and my ovens) will cost over £5,000.

“I am incredibly lucky that some of the original equipment I used to build Wildcraft still belongs to me. But when we lose the business, we will also lose many of the tools and supplies I’ve spent years gathering. These will eventually need replacing, however our priority now is to just get the project up and running by converting the garage!”

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A GoFundMe page has been set up to help fund the project and in a post on Facebook this week (March 10), Mina confirmed 30% of the £10,000 funding target has now been reached, but supporters of the bakery are being encouraged to continue donating and sharing the appeal.

Writing on Facebook, Mina said: “Even small contributions really do make a difference. A few pounds helps buy ingredients for recipe testing, a little more helps build the small workspace I need to get started again, and every share helps the story reach someone new. Thank you for being part of helping us rise again.”