Independent market research company 10 Thousand Feet has recognised bakery and café chain Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse in its annual Topfranchise Awards.

The 110-year-old franchise entered the top 10 list for the first time, taking out fourth position overall and the top ranked food franchise in Australia.

Part of the fifth generation of the family business, Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse chief executive officer Steve Plarre said the company has recently gone through a cultural evolution to reinvigorate its relevance with franchisees.

“It’s been fantastic to have had such a positive and independent validation of our franchise system. It’s become clear to me through this process that franchisees really value having a well-established brand behind them and our 110 year history is simply impossible to replicate,” he said.

“One of our franchisees even used to have his own bakery and now just loves the fact that he can trade off our reputation.

“In the current tough market this is a great option for lots of smaller bakeries. The Topfranchise Awards have capped off a great year for us and we’re really looking forward to some great results in 2014.”

The brand, which currently has 62 locations, has plans to double to 120 stores in Victoria, while also expanding into New South Wales later this year.