Glasgow’s McGhee’s bakery marks 90 years with archive pictures

The family-run bakery, founded in 1936 by Dugald McGhee, has grown from a small community shop in Maryhill into a major name in Scottish baking.

To celebrate the milestone, McGhee’s has released a collection of archive images charting its transformation from a wartime bakery to a modern Glasgow facility supplying shops and homes across the UK.

The bakery is celebrating 90 years (Image: Supplied)

Gordon McGhee, director at McGhee’s Bakery, said: "Looking back through the archive, you realise how much has changed, from the buildings and the scale of the operation to the technology we use today.

"What has not changed is the pride taken in doing what we do well."

Now in its third and fourth generation of family ownership, the business continues to bake many of Scotland’s favourite treats, including morning rolls, tattie scones, doughnuts and the ever-popular empire biscuit.

The bakery is celebrating 90 years (Image: Supplied)

Mr McGhee said: "When my grandfather opened the first shop in Maryhill in 1936, he simply wanted to feed the local community.

"To see that grow into millions of products enjoyed across Scotland, including around 145 million empire biscuits, is something the whole family is incredibly proud of."

The sheer scale of production over 90 years is staggering.

The bakery is celebrating 90 years (Image: Supplied)

McGhee’s estimates it has baked around 145 million empire biscuits—enough to stretch more than 10,000 kilometres if laid end to end, equivalent to the distance from Glasgow to Tokyo.

The bakery also estimates it has produced 237,837,600 pineapple tarts and 369,460,000 packets of potato scones since it opened.

The bakery is celebrating 90 years (Image: Supplied)

Aisling McGhee, commercial director at McGhee’s Bakery, said: "For our family, these photographs represent much more than business milestones.

"They capture the people, the early mornings and the consistency that have defined McGhee’s for 90 years."

Empire biscuits, a staple of the business since its earliest days, are still finished by hand in the Glasgow bakery.

The bakery is celebrating 90 years (Image: Supplied)

Ms McGhee said: "Seeing the scale of what has been baked over generations really brings home how closely the bakery is woven into everyday Scottish life as we look ahead to the future."

McGhee’s now operates from its Port Dundas bakery in Glasgow, supplying homes, cafés and shops.

In 2025, it was named Scotland’s second most chosen food and drink brand in the Worldpanel by Numerator Scotland Brand Footprint report, cementing its place as a household favourite.