December 2016 by annexbusinessmedia

Strachwsky.

EMBRACING CHANGE

When you receive this issue of the magazine it’s likely you’ll still be in the midst of your holiday rush, turning out seasonal favourites for at least a few more weeks. I hope 2016 has been a year filled with positive experiences and one you will end on a high note. Because whether we’re ready or not, we all know there will be big changes coming in the New Year, especially south of the border.

I’m writing this piece only days after the U.S. presidential election, and there is still a palpable sense of anxiety in the air. Everybody knew it could happen, some even predicted it would happen, but 2017 will usher in the new President Trump and nobody knows what to expect.

From what I’ve learned about the baking industry, I know that bakers are part artist and part scientist, and they are passionate about their craft. And I’ve also learned that when something new is introduced to an established recipe there will be expectations of how the new ingredient will alter the final outcome, but you have to experience it first to be sure. I think it’s going to be the same with the new formula being prepared in the U.S., time will tell.

As for the business of baking closer to home, I’ve had the pleasure of attending a number of baking and chocolate making demonstrations over the past few months. Puratos led customers through the preparation of holiday treats at its Innovation Centre in Mississauga, and George Brown College in Toronto, in conjunction with Callebaut and Cacaco Barry, hosted European chocolatiers who shared their expertise in crafting indulgent desserts.

These were great opportunities to see and learn from experienced chefs. Nothing beats trial and error, but I know the bakers and pastry chefs attending these events all took home some new ideas.

The largest source for inspiration and innovation in the baking industry this year was found at the International Baking Industry Exposition in Las Vegas. We saw a number of Canadians while at the show and gained some valuable insights to share. Read our report beginning on page 19.

When something new is introduced to an established recipe there will be expectations of how it will alter the final outcome, but you have to experience it first to be sure.

For those readers who work at bakeries where innovation and game-changing attitudes is part of the culture, after the holiday rush is over I would invite you to enter the next edition of the Jake the Baker award contest. Simply visit jakethebaker.com to read the rules and apply. It’s free to enter, and the winner receives a trip to the Bakery Congress event in Vancouver, a profile in the magazine and the prestige of being an award winner.

The Jake the Baker title may not be quite as lofty as president of the United States, but we’re confident whoever wins will be admired by all.

On that note, we at Bakers Journal wish everyone all the best over this Christmas season, and we look forward to another year of highlighting the latest business news, trends, successes and innovations within Canada’s ever-changing baking industry. / BJ

DECEMBER 2016 | VOL. 76, NO. 10

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briefly | New baking and pastry arts college program launching; Bean bread introduced by

Hamilton mill receives funding | for more news in the baking world, check out our

Georgian launching new program

Beginning in the fall of 2017, Georgian College in Barrie, Ont. will be launching its new one-year full-time Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate Program. “Students are interested in this type of programming and the demand is coming from them,” notes Anthony Borgo, faculty champion for the program. “Baking has long been on the list of ‘desired’ college certificate and diploma programming.”

According to Borgo, planning for the program started several years ago, and an official Statement of Interest was submitted in the spring of 2015. The process required approval by the college president and board of governors, followed by approval from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Finally the program was listed within the Office of the Registrar at the college and with the Ontario College Application Service so students can begin applying now.

The program will include mandatory classes in basic and advanced baking and pastry production, food service and safety courses as well as introductions to entrepreneurship and small business operations.

Borgo designed the curriculum in conjunction with Georgian’s internal curriculum quality assurance team as well as Kate Nugent, educational chair with the Ontario chapter of the Baking Association of Canada.

“This BAKE program’s curriculum was designed to deliver students the best ‘touch, taste, feel the difference’ hands-on training,” notes Borgo. “Students will

study traditional and contemporary baking methods, the basics of pastry, cake decorating and contemporary dessert plating. Through classroom lectures, students learn baking theory, nutrition, trade calculations, sanitation, food safety and business concepts to support skills used in the daily operation of a bakery.”

The first cohort of students will be ready for industry in the summer of 2018. “I believe what will make this program great are the people that work here,” says Borgo. “Our faculty team are from industry, they are business professionals, they are subject experts, they are good people, and they are committed to delivering our program philosophy.” That team will include Amy Bracco, Theresa Ryan-Dowsett, Vita Giglio, Patricia Rock, Dimuthu Perera and Borgo.

“We believe our students are looking for an exciting, entertaining and hands-on learning experience. And we believe our students are looking for programming that prepares them for lifelong career success with strong industry connections,” he says. “We want to connect them with the amazing women and men who work in the baking industry as farmers and ingredient purveyors and processors; workers manufacturing baking machines, equipment, and tools; distributors of packaging; and the many fantastic sales people who service the baking industry in Canada and abroad. We believe there is a market of students interested in the pursuit of craftsmanship.”

Gay Lea acquiring Sterling Creamery

Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Ltd. has acquired The Stirling Creamery Ltd. Located in the village of Stirling, Ont., Stirling Creamery is known for its artisanal natural and flavoured butters. Established by the West family in 1925, Stirling has been owned and operated by Butterball Farms (U.S.) since 2006.

The integration of Stirling into Gay Lea will add premium butter collections to the company’s product mix and increase its production capacity. According to a release, Gay Lea Foods intends to maintain full operations at the Stirling

plant and preserve all relationships with existing Stirling Creamery customers, suppliers and employees.

“Stirling Creamery, like our co-operative, has a strong and rich history in the province of Ontario. With this acquisition, we continue the tradition of supporting family farms in Ontario while further strengthening Gay Lea Foods’ presence in the Canadian dairy industry,” said Steve Dolson, chair, Gay Lea Foods, in the company release.

Stirling Creamery has approximately 25 employees, most based in Stirling, with sales staff in the Greater Toronto Area.

The federal government has announced a $10 million investment, in the form of a repayable loan, to Parrish and Heimbecker Ltd. (P&H) for the ongoing construction of a wheat flour milling plant being constructed on Hamilton’s Bayfront, reported to be the first new industrial flour mill to be built in Ontario in 75 years.

According to a government release, the plant will have a built-in traceability feature that will help identify specific product batches in the event of a product recall, and it also uses the latest wheat cleaning technology to improve food safety by removing impurities before milling.

Winnipeg-based P&H expects to buy more wheat from producers—quadrupling its procurement—while adding 16 full-time jobs at the new Hamilton facility.

“We are proud to support Parrish and Heimbecker’s construction of this state-of-the-art flour mill facility,” said Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, in the release. “Not only will this new mill use exciting new technologies that will improve consumer confidence in wheat products, but it will support many good paying jobs and help grow the middle class.”

The loan is part of the Growing Forward 2 AgriInnovation Program, the same initiative that supported a new flour and specialty organic products mill in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. built by La Meunerie Milanaise Inc. and opened earlier this year.

“Parrish & Heimbecker has been part of the Canadian agriculture and food community for over 100 years, and we value the partnerships we have developed over that time,” said Derek Jamieson, president P&H Milling Group, in the release. “This investment … supports P&H Milling Group’s ongoing commitment to food safety, innovation, productivity and quality. This project will also enable P&H Milling Group to continue to grow with our customers and support the sustainable growth of the baking industry in Canada.”

Country Harvest introduces bean bread

With 2016 being the International Year of Pulses, Country Harvest (one of Weston Bakeries brands) has become the first national brand to launch what the company is calling a pulse grain bread product, named the Country Harvest Canadian Rustic Bean Bread.

The new loaves are made with a blend of chickpeas, beans, lentils and peas. According to the company, the new Bean Bread is an example of delivering on a current health trend and providing Canadians with a new way to enjoy pulses without compromising on taste.

Each slice of bread contains: 22 grams of whole grains, 6 grams of protein (equivalent to one extra-large poached egg), and 3 grams of fibre. The new Country Harvest bread is available at Loblaws and affiliated grocery stores including No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, Zehers, Fortinos and Your Independent Grocer along with Save-OnFoods.

Global Egg adds new facility

Global Egg Corp., Canada’s largest further egg processor, is acquiring the Cargill egg processing facility in Etobicoke, Ont. from U.S.-based Cargill, Inc.

Cargill has owned the Etobicoke plant since 2006, and while terms of the sale were not disclosed, in a Global Egg release the company notes that the majority of the facility’s employees will retain employment with Global Egg.

Supplying processed egg products since 1972, now Global Egg and its foodservice division EggSolutions have production operations in Elmira, Ont. and two facilities in Etobicoke.

“Integrating this new facility and the expertise of our new employees into our existing business model will allow us to continue to meet our customers’ demands for the highest quality and most innovative value added egg products,” said Aaron Kwinter, president of Global Egg Corp./ EggSolutions, in the company release.

The transaction is Global Egg’s second plant expansion in as many years.

The global market for pulse flour is expected to reach US$56.62 billion by 2024, according to a recent report by Grand View Research, Inc. The study notes manufacturers are researching new products and studying refining techniques on new pulse varieties. It’s all anticipated to open new opportunities.

Key finding include:

• The common pulses when combined with bread are gaining more consumer attention owing to the new taste and enhanced nutritive value of the end product.

• High nutritional content and easy availability of lentils is

Pulse flour market growing New CEO for CSM Bakery Solutions

CSM Bakery Solutions has named Marianne Kirkegaard as president and CEO succeeding Robert Sharpe, who is leaving the company.

Kirkegaard was previously CSM’s senior vice president of markets and chief commercial officer. Since joining CSM in 2011, Kirkegaard has served in senior marketing, sales and commercial roles, including senior vice president, products and marketing. She

expected to fuel demand. Increased utilization in combination with pea flour is expected to have a positive impact on the demand.

• In Europe, bean based new product launches accounted for over 41.8 per cent in 2014 while chickpea accounted for 35 per cent share. In Asia Pacific, high cultivation of pulses is expected to propel the demand.

• An increase in product development and mergers and acquisitions is anticipated. In February 2015, Ingredion introduced a new range of pulse flour suitable for application in a wide range of bakery food items. The launch of 10 new flours was aimed at helping the production of high nutrition and certified gluten-free food.

has spearheaded the globalization and digitization of the company’s sales and marketing capabilities and led the development of new category and channel strategies as well as the optimization of the company’s product portfolio.

Prior to joining CSM Kirkegaard spent 20 years at Unilever, and she has also held executive positions at Carlsberg Group and the Coca-Cola Company.

¦ concepts for success ¦

BY DIANE CHIASSON

7 QUICK MARKETING TIPS

Keep your promotions going all year long to maximize the returns.

Bakeries are usually busy in the summer so owners tend to delay their marketing campaigns until the holidays. Excellent food, service and experience are all necessary to being successful in the bakery industry, but if you want a steady stream of new customers and keep your regulars coming back, you really need to market your bakery all year round. By doing this, you will create a snowball effect and will have new customers coming in all the time. Here is a list of seven marketing tips and ideas to help get you started:

1. MAINTAIN A CONSISTENT BRAND

}Your unique brand is vital to your bakery concept’s success. There are hundreds of bakeries out there, and often you will find your marketing message gets lost in the crowd. Customers are overwhelmed with marketing today. You need to stand out. Every piece of marketing material should tell your brand story and promise. Be consistent. You should always send and promote the same message through social media, newsletters, website and advertising campaigns.

3. CONSISTENT CUSTOMER SERVICE

As you well know, it costs more to acquire a new customer than to keep a current one. Get to know your regular customers well and keep information on them in a database. Talk to your customers and learn what they want and keep this information on file. When you have their contact information, you will be able to send them birthday postcards, new menus and special event information. That personal touch will make them feel special.

4. YOUR WEBSITE

Many operations treat their websites as an afterthought. I surely hope that by now you have a good quality and mobile-friendly website. Along with your bakery’s name, logo, address, hours, telephone number, email address and social media links, you will need to constantly tweak your site by adding

Tell your customers that you have the best and biggest muffins on the block ... Positive brand recognition contributes to customer loyalty and will draw new customers into your bakery.

beautiful photos of your new products, prices, positive reviews, testimonials and media articles. Keep your website up-to-date and looking fresh all the time.

5. DON’T IGNORE SOCIAL MEDIA

2. USP: YOUR UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION

You need to differentiate your business from everyone else, so focus on what makes your bakery unique. Your marketing message must include your USP–unique selling proposition. Your USP should tell your clients why you are different, better and unique. Tell your customers that you have the best and biggest muffins on the block, and that you are considered to be the number one place for wedding cakes in town. Positive brand recognition contributes to customer loyalty and will draw new customers into your bakery.

Social media is the most effective way to be in front your customers and engage them all the time. Consumers use social media to search for new retail businesses. It’s also a great opportunity to advertise your bakery brand, location, menus and special events in creative and unique ways. Use short, concise and accurate descriptions, and use excellent and colourful photos.

ASK FOR GREAT REVIEWS

Word-of-mouth is the number one motivation for consumers to visit a bakery, and we all know the power of great reviews. A National Restaurant Association study reveals that over 60 per cent of consumers say that online reviews factor into their buying/dining decisions. Always ask your happy customers for a review—if

you don’t ask, you will not receive. Make sure you provide an easy way for them to give you a good review. For example, print a note on every receipt asking for a review and have your staff suggest it. Use testimonials on your website. Social media is also ideal for sharing positive reviews. Negative reviews are devastating if not handled properly and immediately. Address the situation right away. Find out what caused the problem and take concrete positive steps to fix it.

7. BE DIFFERENT

Avoid copying your local competition’s message. Think of what makes your bakery unique and what makes you stand out from the competition. Sometimes it’s as easy as explaining how you got into the business. Pay attention to what your competitors are doing around you and make sure to build a strong marketing plan and strategy to win yourself new market share. / BJ

Diane Chiasson, FCSI, president of Chiasson Consultants Inc., has been helping foodservice, hospitality and retail operators increase sales for over 30 years. She is an industry leader in providing innovative and revenue-increasing foodservice and retail merchandising programs, interior design, branding, menu engineering, marketing, promotional campaigns and more. Contact her at 416-926-1338, toll-free at 1-888-9266655 or chiasson@chiassonconsultants.com, or visit www.chiassonconsultants.com

¦

Feds revising Food Guide

Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide

In late October the Government of Canada announced it is taking action to help Canadians make healthy choices for themselves and their families.

“Everyone can agree that eating well, staying active and living a healthy lifestyle are important to reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes,” said Jane Philpott, Minister of Health. “Our government’s actions are aimed at ensuring positive and meaningful impacts on the overall health of Canadians for generations to come.”

Philpott announced that Health Canada has started a process to revise Canada’s Food Guide to reflect the latest scientific evidence on diet and health, and to better support Canadians, including Indigenous peoples, in making healthy food choices.

As part of the Food Guide revision, Health Canada launched what it’s calling a consultation with Canadians, which was to run to December 8.

This Food Guide revision is part of a multi-year healthy eating strategy in which Health Canada will use every tool at its disposal—legislation, regulation, guidance and education—to create conditions to support healthy eating.

In addition to revising Canada’s Food Guide, the strategy outlines how Health Canada will achieve the commitments set out in the Prime Minister’s mandate letter to the Minister of Health related to sodium, trans fat, sugars, food colours, marketing to children, and the Nutrition North Program.

Health Canada says it will engage with stakeholders and experts to further refine the strategy as it moves forward.

Mabel’s Bakery recognized

Dedicated to sourcing natural, local and organic ingredients, Toronto-based Mabel’s Bakery & Specialty Foods Inc. has experienced strong growth and now the company has been recognized for its efforts by ranking number 232 on the 2016 PROFIT 500 list.

The 28th annual PROFIT 500 list, published in the October issue of Canadian Business and at PROFITguide.com, ranks Canadian businesses by their five-year revenue growth. Mabel’s reported a five-year revenue growth of 238 per cent.

“It’s an honour to have made the PROFIT 500 ranking,” said Lorraine Hawley, president of Mabel’s in a company release. Hawley co-owns the company with her husband Bob Warburton. Mabel’s opened its first store in 2008 in Toronto’s west end on Roncesvalles Ave, and has since opened two more stores, on Queen St. West in 2012 and more recently, St. Clair Ave West.

“We started Mabel’s with a simple desire to bring great-tasting, high-quality food to the community. This achievement with PROFIT 500 is testament to our team’s passion, expertise and dedication to quality – and that’s reflected in our customers’ loyalty to our business,” added Hawley.

WHOLE HEARTED

Tune into the chatter of bakers on social media and one thing becomes clear; whole-grain baking is hot. In her book Flavor Flours, celebrated baker Alice Medrich is using sorghum and teff, and Dan Lepard is encouraging his weekly Guardian readers to mill their own flour from whole grains. It appears that one of the happy outcomes of the search

for wheat substitutes is the discovery of new flavour frontiers in baking.

It’s not a new trend for Dawn Woodward and Edmund Rek of Evelyn’s Crackers in Toronto who’ve been baking with whole grains since they started in 2008. Not just any whole grains either, they only use organic grains grown and milled in Ontario. It’s no small feat given that many who claim to be making

whole grain products are adding as little as 20 per cent to a mainly white flour mix. At their production facility, white flour is nowhere to be found. They want customers to see flour as more than a “dirt-cheap commodity,” says Woodward.

For Rek and Woodward, Evelyn’s forms one part of an agricultural trinity that includes the farmer, the miller and the baker. A core business value of the duo

from the start was their commitment to “saving heritage grains.” They want to work with farmers in the small non-commodity system. In her keynote address at this year’s Grain Gathering conference at Washington State University (WSU), Woodward says the hardest part of the job is “explaining to our customers that we are part of the slow, local, sustainable food movement that focuses on using local whole grains to

Dawn Woodward and Edmund Rek, founders of Evelyn’s Crackers, are committed to local agriculture.

rebuild regional grain economies.”

One of Evelyn’s Crackers’ staple flours is Red Fife, a darling of Canadian artisanal bakers. It’s a wheat varietal that thrives in our climate and takes its name from the seeds’ red colour and from David Fife, the first Ontario farmer to grow it in the mid 19th century. You can taste the wheat’s nutty, sweet, flavour in Evelyn’s Oatcake Biscuits. They also bake with spelt, club wheat for pastry, rye, buckwheat (technically a grass), cornmeal and barley.

}They work with Ontario millers who can provide 100 per cent whole grain extraction. “How could I ask the miller to discard most of what gives the grain its unique flavour?” asks Woodward. They’re also sticklers for freshness, wanting the flour “milled and brought to our door within two or three weeks.”

From the start, access to whole grain flour has been easy; it’s convincing consumers to make the leap to 100 per cent whole grain that’s hard. Tasting is key to conversion and a core tenant of their business strategy. Woodward and Rek can be found year-round working at

two of Toronto’s largest Saturday morning farmers’ markets, The Brickworks and Wychwood Barns. Customers can talk with them and sample their products. “We’ve built incredible connections,” says Woodward, because the flavour is a revelation and people like their values.

The couple first opened for business in 2008, naming the company after their daughter

hand using minimal equipment.” To mechanize the process, they would have to limit production to a few of their most popular crackers.

They bake fresh to order without preservatives and hand package, making the crackers more perishable, with a three-month shelf life.

Business today is split evenly between markets and wholesale. “We sell at six

“We are part of the slow, local, sustainable food movement that focuses on using local whole grains to rebuild regional grain economies.”

Evelyn. They began with a couple of nut-based crackers but had to drop those because of allergies and expense. A few of their most popular crackers, which were developed soon after, include: Spicy Dal, made with spelt flour, Indian spices and lentils; the buttery and flaky Cheddar Crispies; and Slightly Seedy Crackers. All the ingredients are organic, except for the butter, which is Stirling Creamery’s Churn 84.

They thought the business would scale up pretty quickly, but the reality has been more of a slow and steady growth. Each dough is different, and production is labour intensive, says Woodward. “We hand cut, hand shape and scale by

farmers’ markets in the summer and two in the winter, and we also wholesale the crackers to about 50 stores across Canada,” says Rek. Their best wholesale accounts are with businesses that are small- and mediumsize businesses, similar in scale to their own.

The demand for high-end crackers is slim. They compete for shelf space in specialty stores with crackers that don’t taste like much but have pretty packaging.

Grocery stores sell mainly cheap crackers. “Most people don’t put high-end crackers on their shopping list. It’s usually an impulse purchase or for serving with local cheese or charcuterie,”

explains Rek.

Seasonal staffing is one of their big business challenges, as is finding experienced bakers. Most production difficulties have led to innovation. When faced with a shortage of Ontario Red Fife wheat they began focusing on non-wheat for their baking. In 2013 Woodward began to experiment with whole grain sweets. She eased into it with granola bars, chocolate chip cookies and fruit tarts, and she discovered a hungry audience.

More complex treats followed—chocolate rye cookies flecked with crunchy bitter cocoa nibs, gingerbread cookies sweetened with persimmon puree, cornmeal and buckwheat rhubarb cake, graham crackers and Red Fife english muffins.

One of the dilemmas of whole grain baking is the mostly earth-tone colour of their baked goods. “We’re always searching for a different shade of brown,” Woodward laughs.

Both are occasional teachers. Rek is a chef by trade and spends time in the winter months teaching cooking at George Brown College chef school in Toronto, while Woodward travels twice a year to teach at The Bread Lab at WSU. Some of her

Evelyn’s Crackers in Toronto works with only organic grains, focusing on a commitment to saving heritage grains, and turns out a variety of goods.

inspiration comes from spending time with fellow baking geeks.

In 2015 she taught whole-grain baking classes at Grist & Toll, an urban flourmill in Pasadena, Calif. A pastry chef attending one of her classes told her about a cookie she baked with miso and white chocolate. When Woodward returned to Toronto she began tinkering with this idea, creating whole grain shortbread with yellow miso and dark chocolate. She describes the flavour as “savoury with just the right amount of sweetness from the chocolate.”

On that trip she also discovered a wheat varietal named Senora that makes a fine, soft, butter-yellow flour with a distinct wheat flavour. She used it to make the tender French teacake, madeleines. When the flour has great flavour, says Woodward, “you’re not just tasting butter and sugar” in the baking.

They connect to their community by regularly posting photos of the crackers and sweets on Evelyn’s Crackers Instagram feed. There’s a picture of a “Corn Cookie” inspired by the Italian Zaletti cookie and the famous corn cookie from Momofuku. There also are

seasonal offerings like the high summer treat, Buckwheat Shortbread with Roasted Peaches. Dawn keeps the baking simple and often shares the recipe in the comments to encourage people to try whole grain baking at home.

Woodward wonders how much longer they can work at this pace. This year they’ve made an effort to make more time for their daughter Evelyn, and they’re looking at ways to streamline the business. They would love to have a small retail space in downtown Toronto, and right now they don’t wholesale the sweets, but they are selling cookie dough and muffin batter to cafes and small stores to bake in-house. Some of their customers would like them to bake bread, but that requires an investment in a new oven, so not yet.

What they know about wheat would put most bakers to shame. They’ve recently been approached by a group of farmers in the Fort Erie area who are running trials growing heritage grains including two ancient wheat varietals, Einkorn and Emmer. Woodward has been baking Wild Blueberry Madeleines with Einkorn and loves the flavour.

Farmers can make more money growing heritage grains, but they need access to the urban market to survive. It’s early days for this group, but there’s talk of a flour mill, and that excites them both.

The time and attention Woodward and Rek give to the cornerstone ingredient of their baking is admirable. Their interest and enthusiasm for wheat and flour has not waned in eight years of steady business growth. Their commitment to Ontario agriculture has not gone unnoticed. In 2013 Evelyn’s Crackers won the Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence. They’re proud of that distinction because it reinforces the close ties between the bakery and farmers.

Participating in that community and expanding the market for Ontario-grown wheat is a central business mission.

Helping farmers and millers to succeed is as important as creating a new cracker, sweet, or finding a new customer. The happy outcome is that more variety and more flavours are on the horizon. / BJ

Deborah Reid is a Toronto-based chef, writer and culinary consultant.

Health Canada Launches Food Guide, Trans Fats, Sodium and Front of Pack Labelling Initiatives

Minister of Health Philpott announced in late October a series of measures intended to improve the health of Canadians. These measures focusing on sodium in foods, trans fats, marketing to children and front of pack labelling. The timeline for all of these initiatives was described as between 5 – 10 years.

As part of the Food Guide revision, Health Canada has launched a consultation with Canadians, which will run to Dec. 8. Health Canada has decided that only health care professionals and the public will be eligible to provide comments (not food industry organizations).

http://www.foodguideconsultation.ca/

Regarding trans fats, according to Health Canada, Canada’s food industry has already voluntarily removed 97% of trans fats from the food supply. Health Canada appears to regard the remaining 3% as sufficient rationale to warrant further action. BAC has been led to believe that Health Canada will be moving forward with regulations addressing the remaining 3% shortly.

However as a member of the public or as a member of a health care professional organizations, you can comment at:

On sodium, BAC has recently provided Health Canada and health groups an update on the progress bakers are making in sodium reduction with package pantry breads. Since 2009, sodium levels in white pantry breads have been reduced by 13% and wheat breads by 16%. Health Canada has indicated that it intends a more aggressive

monitoring of sodium levels in foods rather than a regulatory option at this time. It will therefore be important to ensure whatever monitoring Health Canada does includes the reality that consumers are now consuming more meals outside the home than from foods purchased at grocery stores.

As for marketing of foods to children, the legislation in Quebec which prohibits commercial advertising directed at children under 13 years of age, is often cited as a model that Health Canada could expand nationwide.

Health Canada’s new front of pack (FOP) labelling initiative will be considering different labelling practices used internationally. These include nutrient-specific FOP symbols that display a few key nutrients of interest such as sodium, sugars and saturated fats. These may be highlighted with colours (red, yellow or green) to show if they are high or low in a particular nutrient. The other system ranks or scores foods on how healthy they are by using a combination of nutritional information and dietary guidance.

BAC will be actively participating in all these consultations and members interested in more information should contact the BAC office.

Health Canada launches new initiatives for food guide and more Chapter reports

Altlantic Hockey night notice

Atlantic Chapter 2016 Year End Review

The Atlantic BAC Hockey Night took place on Wednesday March 2 at the Halifax Mooseheads game. Twentyfour association members and guests enjoyed a great hockey game in a private VIP Box. The hometown Moosehead’s won the game. Next year’s event is scheduled to take place once again in early spring on Feb. 2, 2017.

The Atlantic BAC Golf Event was held on Wednesday Sept. 14 at Mountain Woods Golf Club in Moncton. We had a great weather day with lots of sun as over 50 golfers enjoyed golf, a steak dinner and prizing.

Tournament organizers presented the championship trophy in Honor of Greg Snair. Greg passed away 2014 after a short but courageous

battle with cancer. Greg was the principle owner of Snair’s Golden Grain Bakery and a long time figure in the Atlantic baking industry. Greg was an active golfer and had played in the BAC Atlantic tournament many times.

The championship trophy was presented by Blair Hyslop, owner of Mrs Dunster’s Bakery and Atlantic BAC Board Member to the champions: Pierre Boutet, Dawns Foods; Maxime Bourget, Sobeys Quebec; and Ian Milley, Dawns Foods.

The Atlantic golf event’s popularity increases every year with great participation from members and guests. Thanks once again to the sponsors and participants and we look forward to next Fall’s annual event scheduled for Tuesday Sept. 1, 2017.

BAC Ontario Chapter: A Year in Review

We have had an exciting 2016 where we focused on reaching out to non-active and new members to increase participation in our annual events. I am pleased to announce that our committee was successful in increasing participation to all of our social events for the 2016 year.

We started the year with our seminar on Bakery Trends in January. In March, our Night at the Races was a huge success and everyone had lots of fun! We hosted two golf tournaments with the Spring Golf Tournament taking place in June and the Fall Golf Tournament went off without a hitch in September. And finally, we were especially proud of the Christmas social in November as it was held at the brand new Centennial College rooftop facility that boasted a spectacular view of Toronto.

I want to extend our gratitude and appreciation to everyone that volunteered their time and resources to these events. Without your efforts and contributions we would not have been able to raise over $20,000 for education scholarships, seminars and student toolkits. So, thank you so much! We feel so fortunate to be able to provide students with a scholarship to pursue a career in Baking.

We are particularly proud and excited to announce that Centennial College has a brand new baking lab which was sponsored by the BAC Ontario Chapter and includes the naming rights to this new state of the art facility. I have no doubt that this space will foster the growth and development for some of Ontario’s new and young talent in the Baking Industry.

We are in the second year of our committee’s two-year tenure and I am glad that all of our current board members will continue into the 2017/18 year. We would like to welcome two new additions

to our committee for 2017/18, Vikram Chowdhury, Redpath and Roxanne Li’Hons, Maxxam Analytics.

Our plans for the upcoming year include growing our scholarship programs with the existing and new participating schools. We will continue to focus on having new and old faces out to our events and keeping our members up to date on baking trends through the yearly seminar.

As Chair, I would like to thank below the 2016 committee members for their hard work and dedication.

Vice Chair Phil Robinson (Dawn Foods)

Treasurer Dieter Claassen (Del’s Pastry)

Chair Education Kate Nugent (Baker Street Bakery)

Co-Chair Education Kate Tomic (Caldic Canada Inc.)

Membership Leon Bell (ADM Milling)

Social/Seminars JC Madour (Lallemand Distribution Inc.)

Holiday Social Philippe Trepanier (Handtmann Canada)

Golf Frank Safian (Caldic Canada Inc.)

Past Chair Philip Lee Wing (The Food Development Group)

Secretary Stephanie Jewell (Bakers Journal)

BC Chapter 2016 Year End Review

As Chair, I would like to start off by thanking below our BAC BC Chapter Committee Members for their hard work in helping to promote and strengthen our baking industry:

Vice Chair Tony Llewellyn, Snow Cap

Secretary Christian Mitzel, TheChefs Warehouse

Pastry Division (BC Chapter National Board Rep)

Treasurer Harry Kool, Cobs Bread

Entertainment/Membership

Education

Past Chair

Committee Members at Large

Sheri Castellarin , Snow Cap

David Nolan, Vancouver Island University

Fionna Chong, Vancouver Community College

Gary Humphreys, Caldic Canada

Nicole Higgins, Brenntag Canada

Jack Kuyer, Valley Bakery

Martin Barnett, Vancouver

Island University (BC Chapter National Board Rep)

Randall Winters, RF Bakery Equipment

Our BC Chapter mandate is to hold two educational seminars/workshops and two social events, per year. Here is an overview of 2016:

We had our second annual “Spring Bake-off” competition on May 11. A pastry based creation or multigrain bread theme competition - we had a variety of students, independent bakeries and a few wholesalers compete!

Vanessa Ferreira de Mira (1st place overall)- VCC

Natalie Cumberbirch (2nd place overall) -VCC

Carley Seney (3rd place overall) - Snowcap

Fan Favourite Breads Natalie Cumberbirch

Fan Favourite Turnover Madhur (Mads) Chutani

On June 22, 2016 we put on our annual BAC - BC Chapter Fund Raising Golf Tournament. With an increase of sponsors, new prizes - we even brought out the old trophy out of retirement! – it was a great networking event for all those who participated!

Our Festive Night at the Races was held on Nov. 4, 2016 and was an early sell out this year with a turnout of over 100! As always, great prizes, fun had by all as well as a picture with our favorite winning horse!

Jesse Lamb Portofino Wholesale Bakery

BC CHAPTER CHAIR

We have put our main focus towards promoting our baking industry, schools, and our students.

Our Chapter believes that our contributions and student bursaries as well as renewing scholarships at Vancouver Community College and Vancouver Island University will play a role in helping to attract quality people to our industry.

None of this could/would have happened if it wasn’t for our generous “BC Chapter Sponsors” - THANK-YOU:

ADM Milling, BakeMark Canada, Bob Bakery World, Brenntag Canada, Caldic Canada, Cavendish Farms, Cobs Bread, Coldstar Solutions, Lesaffre Yeast, L.V.Lomas, Maxim Trucking, P&H Milling, Richardson Oilseed, Rogers Foods, Sandel Foods Inc, Terra Breads, Snow Cap, Vancouver Community College, Vancouver Island University, Weston Bakeries & Ready Bake Foods.

This year, we would like to say goodbye and wish the very best to a longstanding member of our community, Calabria Bakery will be closed on Nov. 10, this family run business has been a mainstay in the Vancouver market for over 40 years, we wish the family all the best in their future endeavors.

Thursday February 2nd, 2017 Scotiabank Centre

Wiser’s Lounge Private Box

Halifax Nova Scotia

Come out and watch the Halifax Mooseheads play host to the Acadie-Bathurst Titans

Space is limited to 24 seats, please register early!

Agenda

6:00 p.m. Pre-game reception with Hors D’oeuvres

7.00 p.m. Game time

Please fill in the registration form below and return it before January 17th, 2017

Name:

Company:

Address:

Phone:

Fax:

Please enclose payment (credit card or cheque payable to Baking Association of Canada)

Please mail or fax to: Gillian Blakey

Baking Association of Canada 7895 Tranmere Drive, Ste. 202, Mississauga, ON L5S 1V9 Tel (888) 674-2253 x 21 Fax (905) 405-0993 gblakey@baking.ca www.baking.ca

IBIE 2016 WRAP UP

Held every three years, the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) is the most anticipated industry event in North America, and the 2016 edition was massive in every way. Held October 8-11 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, IBIE 2016 exceeded past shows drawing a larger number of exhibitors and attracting attendees from over 100 countries.

More than 1,000 exhibitors filled two enormous show halls covering more than 700,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, up 28 per cent over 2013.

The show company reports that over 23,000 attendees registered for the four-day event, a nine per cent increase over 2013, and a large part of the growth has been attributed to international markets, which accounted for some 30 per cent of the total attendance.

“The quality and depth of IBIE’s attendees, exhibitors and education sessions was incredible,” said Michael Cornelis, chair of IBIE, in a post-show release. “IBIE is continually evolving and growing to meet the needs of baking industry professionals, as well as the trends in the industry, and this year we saw a record-breaking show with the largest show floor, number of exhibitors, innovation showcase and education program in IBIE’s history.”

}IBIE is evolving and growing to meet the needs of baking industry professionals ... this year saw a record-breaking show with the largest show floor and number of exhibitors in IBIE’s history.

For a first-time visitor, there was so much to see and experience. Taking in some of the educational seminars proved very enlightening.

“Fresh bakery has room to grow,” said Sarah Schmansky, director account services with Nielsen Perishables Group, in a session focused on identifying today’s bakery consumer and how to attract more business.

Schmansky indicated that 99 per cent of households will purchase bakery items,

with seniors and empty nest couples accounting for a growing share. She insists that bakeries need to address the health and wellness needs of these consumers. “Today’s in-store bakery isn’t relevant to the health conscious consumer,” said Schmansky, noting that 95 per cent of items have no health benefits declared on the packaging. She sees that as a missed opportunity and strongly suggests the inclusion of claims like ‘no trans-fats,’ ‘gluten-free,’ ‘no artificial ingredients,’ ‘organic,’ ‘high in protein,’ ‘no sugar added’ and other such facts whenever you can.

She also noted that seniors and empty nesters are looking for convenient

grab-and-go options, adding that the deli and prepared food areas (whether dine-in or to-go) is the fastest growing department at grocery stores. She says this is great news for in-store bakery as it opens up opportunities for co-packaging.

Another educational session that was packed and perhaps timely for Canadian visitors was entitled ‘The Future of Wholesale Baking with Marijuana.’ This panel discussion featured the owners of two Colorado bakeries, Peggy Moore of Love’s Oven and Julie Berliner of Sweet Grass Kitchen, who shared their experiences in this growing segment.

Both Moore and Berliner spoke of the high cost of satisfying very strict regulations, from accounting for every ounce of marijuana that enters and exits their facility to 24-hour live streaming surveillance of every square-inch of space, to ever-changing packaging and labeling requirements.

A spectacular cake themed “Once Upon A Time” by Satin Ice Artist of Excellence Mercedes Strachwsky.

From the baking perspective, Hope Frahm, chef at Love’s Oven, described everyday challenges include dealing with waste product and having to record what is wasted and destroy the product on camera, and have the compost transported by a licensed company.

“There is no spoon licking at the bakery,” she added. Every batch of product gets packaged and sent to a lab for testing. Once approved products are then sent to retailers. The bakery has to purchase products from the retailer before they know how they really taste. “There is no tasting on the job,” explained Frahm, “not only are you stealing from the company, you’re getting high at work.”

Eric Knight, COO of Sweet Grass Kitchen noted that despite what some think, they’re not raking in the cash as of yet. To give some perspective, Moore said that it costs about $8 to create 10 chocolate cookies that they will sell to the retailers for $10. And she says their profits go back into the company to keep up with the changing regulations.

In closing Moore was optimistic about the business. “My hope is to see our part of the industry grow. The stigma is changing towards cannabis. We’re just regular people here, working with something extraordinary.”

We did see some Canadians in the crowd taking notes, no doubt anticipating a potential federal law change in this country in the New Year.

From attending educational sessions to roaming the IBIE show floor, Bakers Journal saw a number of Canadian

visitors and spoke with a plenty of Canadian exhibitors. The overall response was very positive, with the attendees seeing new and innovative products, while the exhibitors were all very happy with the level of traffic and quality leads they were gathering.

The common trends of clean label, healthiness and a return to nature were everywhere at IBIE, and following is a sampling of what we saw and heard on the ingredients side of the business.

This was the first IBIE since the formation of Ardent Mills, made up of ConAgra Mills and Horizon Milling—a Cargill-CHS joint venture—back in 2014. Now headquartered in Denver, the company has 42 plants including four in Canada. “We see opportunity for growth in Canada,” said Dan Dye, CEO, in a conversation with Bakers Journal.

Building on the company’s theme of “nourishing what’s next,” Ardent Mills is thinking of grain differently, said Dye. The company’s booth consisted of its Mobile Innovation Center, where it was showcasing its new Simply Milled line of clean label flours with no bleach, bromate or other additives. It was also promoting ancient grains and heirloom wheat along with sprouted wheat blends.

The sampling menu at the booth included themes of “grains with a story,” “mainstreaming nutrition” and “enlightened eating.” We sampled a blueberry ancient grain cookie with purple barley, quinoa and millet.

Purple grains popped up in number of locations, including purple wheat at the

Abel & Schafer stand.

It didn’t take much searching to find Canadian-based ingredient exhibitors at IBIE. La Meunerie Milanaise, the Quebec mill that specializes in organic flours, flakes and grains, was exhibiting its products. Emilie Arbour, marketing coordinator with Milanaise, noted the company’s new mill in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu is up and running and it has laboratories and a bakery on site to test the functionality of its organic products.

Also highlighting its organic flours was NutraSun Foods based in Regina. General manager Kerry Keating said the company was getting good traffic at the show with interest from American bakers.

Nearby was Soulanges Mills of Quebec promoting its specialty flours. Encouraging environmentally sustainable agriculture, Soulanges works with grain growers that are in transition towards becoming certified organic, explained general manager Jules Beauchemin.

Ontario’s Everspring Farms was sharing the story of its sprouted grains and seeds. Dianne Donaldson, vice president of product development was enthusiastic about the number of visitors at the show.

The IREKS booth focused on sourdough and malts adding aromas and taste to breads, noted Al Criminisi, general manager eastern Canada.

Every day towards the end of the show Montreal-based Lallemand hosted a bread and wine tasting allowing visitors to taste bread baked with aromatics yeast (special strains of wine and beer yeasts selected for use in baking products), paired with a

Over 23,000 attendees registered for the four-day IBIE 2016, a nine per cent increase over 2013.

selection of wines produced with Lallemand wine yeasts. The company was also rolling out its FlexFerm bakers yeast and its vitamin D fortified yeast.

The post-show feedback from Peter Jacobs, eastern Canadian sales manager with Lessafre Yeast, was extremely positive, noting that many Canadian customers made the trip to Las Vegas. Lessafre was highlighting its Red Star fresh organic yeast for North America.

And for attendees who visited the AB Mauri booth, the company emphasized its technology-driven approach by taking visitors on a virtual reality baking trip through past, present and future. According to Rick Oleshak, vice president marketing, nearly 1,500 people enjoyed the VR experience. The company also took advantage of the event to kick off celebrations for the upcoming 150th anniversary of its Fleischmann’s Yeast brand (the actual birthday is 2018).

DuPont Nutrition & Health highlighted its portfolio of Danisco baking ingredients, focusing on clean label and longer shelf life. Maria Brandt, global product manager food enzymes with DuPont, shared how the company’s selection of enzymes contribute to the

stability of production for industrial bakeries. She also noted the need for partnerships because enzymes react differently with different flours, and that wheat flours within a country vary from region to region, and even year to year.

Dawn Food’s was inviting attendees to support the National Donut Party, offering samples of specialty donut flavours like cherry and orange juice.

The booth highlighted eight key consumer trends the company has identified like Mashup Mania (repurposing products like using a donut as a burger bun) or The Best of Both Worlds (combining healthiness with indulgence), and every corner of the Dawn stand demonstrated applications of the trends in use.

On the topic of flavours, the team at Embassy Flavours from Brampton, Ont., were featuring colourful flavoured donut sugar. The challenge, noted QA manager, Tina Chang, is creating the brilliant colour to match the flavour.

Cargill introduced its Regal line of bakery shortenings including a nonhydrogenated icing shortening.

Showcasing its sustainable emulsifiers, Palsgaard featured products that allow companies to remove partially hydrogen-

ated oils (PHOs) from their cake mixes and industrial cakes.

And Corbion was featuring its Ensemble non-PHO emulsifier Ultra Fresh products to promote longer shelf life for bakery items.

On the hardware side of the show floor, incorporating new technology into the baking equipment was evident. American Pan was featuring its SMART Pan Tracking system, whereby individual pans are laser marked enabling companies to monitor baking cycles and alert them when re-coating may be required.

Kaak Bakeware was also showing its iBakeware system, which likewise allows the tracking and monitoring of pans.

Automating steps in the artisan bread baking process featured highly. Mecatherm was highlighting its new FTA modular single deck tunnel oven that can be adapted to bake a wide variety of products. While visiting the booth we witnessed an artisan baguette baking demo.

At the Revent booth, demonstrations on the company’s ONE rounded ovens showed baking variety in a small space. The company was also promoting its new artisan test bakery opening in January 2017 in New Jersey.

Rheon was demonstrating an artisanal bread dough forming line which incorporated its two lane punch rounder. The machine was outputting boules at speeds up to 50 pieces per minute.

A high-speed dough divider on Reiser’s booth was showing a multi-lane divider with air chillers designed to keep the dough firm and non-stick without having to dust with flour.

Among the many products on the Cinelli Esperia stand was a new Ciabatta machine capable of producing some 7,000 pieces per hour.

Unifiller was showing a series of new depositors and extruders for fast and accurate production along with the launch of its iPump for small operations.

On the safety front, Toronto-based Fortress Technology was featuring its Interceptor metal detector that runs at two frequencies, stainless and ferrous.

There was no shortage of new sights, smells and tastes to experience at IBIE 2016. Along with the ingredients and technology, there were also cake decorating contests and regular sightings of Buddy Valastro, The Cake Boss.

IBIE will return to Las Vegas in 2019 with the dates to be confirmed in early 2017. / BJ

As part of the Satin Ice Live Challenge, professional decorators were asked to construct and decorate a fairy-tale-themed cake on the show floor in only six hours.

INSTAGRAM FOR BUSINESS

Tell spontaneous visual stories through social media to attract business to your bakery

It is forever getting more complicated to know where to direct resources (both time and money) in today’s multi-channel marketing universe. In the olden days—not so long ago—you had radio, TV and print. Today you have radio, TV, posters, magazines, newspapers, direct mail, websites, blogs, e-mail, text, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and the list goes on and on.

The allure and simplicity of the new digital media channels gets people excited, but the frustration is that no sooner do you get comfortable with one platform and suddenly there is a whole new program to deal with.

}Take a few steps back and examine what a small business needs. Case in point, if you have the resources to have a designated social media person, and his only job is to market you online, then you can pretty much participate in every social media channel.

The rapid growth of social media platforms has opened up new channels of communication allowing businesses to interact with their customers in a more personal and visual way.

Businesses have been using the platform from early on to showcase products in a visual way. This is why the medium is a natural for bakeries, where the mouthwatering products drive the business.

The reality is that just about every reader here does not have that luxury and is confined by how much time and money they have. If this is you, then I suggest you concentrate on a few, and Instagram is high on my list.

Instagram, if you didn’t know, is an app that you download on your smartphone, and setting up an account takes about five minutes. And it’s free.

According to a report by eMarketer, 48.8 per cent of brands in the U.S are using Instagram for social media marketing, and that number is forecast to rise to 70.7 per cent by 2017.

The platform bills itself as a community built on the power of visual storytelling. First launched in 2010, Instagram was acquired by Facebook in 2012. Today it has some 500 million active monthly users worldwide, and as of June 1, 2016 had about 8.5 million users in Canada.

For your bake shop, the idea is that

once or twice a day you will post interesting photos to your account. It’s all about capturing moments, and often the beauty is in the spontaneity.

Businesses have been using the platform from early on, using the simplicity of the app to showcase products in a visual way. This is why the medium is a natural for bakeries, where the mouthwatering products drive the business.

When opening an account, use your business name and you’ll need a profile photo—use your company logo. It will appear in a very small (about a ¼-inch) circle on most smartphones. You can visit business.instagram.com and it will walk you through getting started and provide some inspirational ideas.

Instagram allows you to create a business profile that will include your company’s contact information. It also allows people to get in touch with your business directly through the app.

To do this, you will connect through an existing Facebook account (you will need to be listed as an admin on your company’s

Facebook page to make this connection). The Instagram business profile will automatically import the business information from your Facebook page. Through this connection you’ll also be able to view some follower insights giving you a sense of who your followers are, where they are and what content they’re most interested in.

Once you have a business account you can also pay for promotions on Instagram, targeting users by geography or other metrics.

When it comes to telling your ‘visual story’, it’s as easy as snapping a photo using the Instagram camera on your phone. The app will lead you through a few simple steps. You can add a filter to the image, write a caption to describe the photo, and then you can also add hashtags (words preficed by a #) that make it easier for other users to find you when searching those terms.

For example, let’s say you just baked a chocolate bacon loaf of bread. So you take a picture of the finished product with your phone. Any picture you post should never be edited, Instagram viewers like when you have raw pictures. Add a brief caption describing how wonderful this loaf is and then type in some hashtags.

I once posted a photo of a mixing bowl filled with the beginnings of shortbread. My caption read “The start of some seriously tasty shortbread.” And I added the hashtags #shortbread #toronto #gifts #cookies #online.

In our example, anyone searching the words Bacon, Bread, Chocolate, Toronto will find your photo. Once they see this they have the choice to ‘follow’ you, and that’s what it’s all about. You want followers.

Whenever you post something, it will now appear on all of your followers’ Instagram feeds. If your shop offers daily specials, make sure your followers get a chance to see them, every day. One social media study revealed that top brands post 4.9 times per week on Instagram.

Search for businesses in your area, regular customers, topics of interest that your followers are following. Over time, as you follow more people they will reciprocate and follow you, and your feed will grow.

At any time you can see on your homepage how many people are following you and how many you are following.

To increase and maintain your following you need to do several things:

1) Be innovative, you can show short

movies as well. People like to see things being made, so show your work in action.

2) Change it up. Don’t be afraid to show non-product related items. Show you’re human. By this I mean, as in our case, we sell cookies; I also post pictures of cool foods, non-cookie-related items that I make for staff. I also post pictures of things that I see as my days go by that I think are interesting. This is very important.

It is also very important to note that Instagram is used more by certain demographics. The younger you are, the more apt you are to use Instagram. You don’t see too many 60 year olds using it, but you sure do see many 20-40 year olds using it.

Knowing this, you may not want to post much about retirements, but you would want to post items like birthday and anniversary products because all ages have birthdays and celebrate anniversaries.

You also have to think of Instagram as an advertising audience. If you have 1,000 followers, it’s a direct route to them. Some may even respond to your posts, that’s engagement.

Promoting coupons will raise an “eyebrow” so to speak and may turn into

sales. It’s worth a try.

Users also have the ability to ‘like’ a photo, which shows other followers that there may be more value in looking at your image.

Remember, you need to take real authentic photos. Food close ups always work, but don’t make it look too staged. Given the quality of smartphones now, this should be easy.

I am always asked what is a better medium for promoting a bakery, Facebook or Instagram. That is not an easy answer. My opinion is that Instagram is super fast and free. Facebook can be free, but it has a paid ad system as well. Use them both, or if you’re really not into technology, just stick to Instagram. It’s easier. / BJ

Alan Zelcovitch owns Cookie Delivery.ca (an online bakery business) and CSN Canada (a computer technical support company). He has had both for 13 years. Alan is an expert in technology and how it relates to the food business. He offers a wide range of consulting services, with an emphasis on the food industry. He can be reached at 416.488.3886 or alan@csncanada.com.

WINNING FORMULA

In late September, Hamilton, Ont. bakery owners Josie Rudderham and Nicole Miller received news they had won the top $100,000 prize in a nation-wide Small Business Challenge, a competition sponsored by Telus and The Globe and Mail. The Challenge accepted over 3,400 entries and narrowed the field to five semi-finalists, and it was Cake & Loaf Bakery who rose to the top.

The duo founded the bakery six years ago and it has grown to 23 employees and added a second location.

Their prize included $100,000 plus $10,000 to donate to charity. We caught up with Josie Rudderham to find out how it all came about.

Why did you enter the Challenge?

Telus actually tweeted us and suggested we check out the contest. We certainly were not the only business they tweeted, but it made us feel special and motivated us to take a look.

How hard was the entry process?

The initial application was online and took 20 to 30 minutes to complete. A few weeks later we were informed we were one of five finalists. At that point we put together a five-minute Power Point presentation and set off to Toronto to present directly to the judges. There was public online voting that followed, and along with the judges input a decision was made about a month after that.

}messages of support from our suppliers, customers and friends have been so meaningful. We feel like the competition really rallied our community in a meaningful way and has brought us even closer to our regular customers.

What has been the biggest adjustment you’ve had to make?

We feel like we won because we have strong values as a company—Living Wage, supporting local farmers and small businesses and putting a passion for quality above all else.

How did you react when you won?

We were shocked and honoured and just generally giddy! We certainly did not expect to win with such amazing competition.

Why do you think you won?

We think our dedication to Living Wage and our passion for our business set us apart from our competitors. We are truly obsessed with creating fromscratch deliciousness with locallysourced ingredients.

How has the exposure from the contest affected business?

Our customers are very proud and our city has been incredibly supportive. The

We’ve had to be very careful not to jump into every project that’s presented itself. It has been really tempting to run out and spend the $100,000 right away. We’ve always had a strong vision for growth, but capital isn’t the only important ingredient for expansion and we have come to terms with making deliberate and well considered decisions before we leap.

What are your plans for the $100K?

Our biggest challenge is space. We have an extremely talented cake team who currently reside in the second floor of our bakery. They have very limited refrigeration and must carry all cakes down a narrow set of stairs. This means we often have to say no to larger, more exciting,

custom cakes. Our top priority is getting them into a new space with a purpose built kitchen.

And the $10K to donate?

Childhood poverty and nutrition is a cause near and dear to our hearts. We’ve decided to donate the $10,000 to Food4Kids, which provides packages of healthy food for kids aged 5 to 14 years with limited or no access to food each weekend (www.food4kids.ca).

What lessons have you learned from this experience?

We really applied to this contest on a whim with no expectation of winning, but we put our hearts into the application. We didn’t try to make a business case, we made a human case, and I think that resonated with the judges. We own a bakery because we really love to eat, but we also love the power of good food. It brings people together in a unique way, it speaks to community and togetherness in a way few things do in our modern world.

We feel like we won because we have strong values as a company—Living Wage, supporting local farmers and small businesses and putting a passion for quality above all else. We’ve learned we don’t have to put profit first to succeed. We will continue to put our values at the centre of all our decisions as a company. / BJ

PHOTO CREDIT: TAMARA KATE

Nicole Miller (left) and Josie Rudderham co-owners of $100K award-winning Cake & Loaf bakery in Hamilton.

bakers formula ¦

COOKIE PUZZLES

Packaged in cello a gingerbread cookie puzzle makes a perfect stocking stuffer or gift for friends and family. This recipe comes from Catherine Beddall’s new book, The Magic Of Gingerbread, that includes instructions for baking, constructing and decorating gingerbread creations from scratch. Based in Ottawa, Beddall is a pastry artist who runs her own business and is an instructor at Algonquin College.

INGREDIENTS

• Shortening

200 g

• Granulated sugar 200 g

• Molasses 160 g (regular or fancy, not blackstrap)

• Water

30 ml

• All-purpose flour 480 g

• Ground ginger 10 g

• Salt 7 g

• Baking soda 3 g

YIELD 5 PUZZLE COOKIES

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Beat shortening and sugar with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.

Edible art, decorating gingerbread cookies is a great way to add value and pump up the gift-worthiness of these treats especially around the holiday season.

3. Add molasses and water; beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat another 30 seconds.

Beddall’s book, released on Oct. 1 and available at Amazon, includes 16 gingerbread projects including a birdhouse and a chess set.

4. Sift together dry ingredients. Add to shortening mixture; beat on low speed until ingredients are incorporated and dough is crumbly and sticks together when pressed.

5. Roll out about half of the dough between two sheets of parchment paper as close as possible to 1/8-inch thick. Remove the top sheet of parchment. Cut rectangle shapes in the sheet of dough, about 5- x 6-inches. Remove the excess dough from around the rectangles and gather together for re-rolling.

6. Place a tree-shaped cookie cutter in the middle of each rectangle, press down firmly, and remove.

7. Place the tip of a paring knife at the outer edge of the tree shapes and draw the knife outwards to the edge of the rectangles, cutting lines through the dough.

8. Lift the parchment paper onto a baking sheet and freeze for about 15 to 20 minutes.

9. Once the sheet of dough is thoroughly chilled, gently lift each shape

with the tip of your paring knife and separate them from each other on the baking sheet (they should still sit on the bottom sheet of parchment paper). Each shape should be at least 1/2-inch apart.

10. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes at 350 F (175 C) or until the edges of the shapes are slightly browned.

11. Let the pieces cool completely.

12. Gently file down the sides of the outside pieces with a lemon zester if the edges aren’t perfectly straight.

DECORATE

1. Pipe an outline of green royal icing on the Christmas tree, an outline of white royal icing on the bottom shapes (to represent snow) and an outline of light blue royal icing on the top shapes (to represent the sky).

2. Flood the shapes with thinned royal icing in the corresponding colour for each shape.

3. Let the icing set for about an hour.

4. Overpipe with designs of your choice – swirls and dots look great!

5. Let all pieces dry completely.

products

From adaptable pumping technology to slim footprint rack ovens, Bakers Journal keeps you “in the know.” for more on new products for the baking industry, check out our website, www.bakersjournal.com

Compact and versatile pump

Unifiller launched its iPump at the International Baking Industry Expo. For operators looking to automate production but retain a small footprint, the iPump uses gentle pumping technology to transfer product without compromising on quality, drawing directly from most mixing bowls and pails from 60 to 140 quarts. The iPump can handle products like buttercreams, batters, fruit fillings and sauces. It has a stainless steel frame, and features include a 1.5-inch diameter flexible outlet hose, flow control to adjust pump speed according to the products being pumped, and an optical product sensor to ensure hoppers remain filled at a consistent level. A tool-free disassembly makes for quick clean up. www.unifiller.com

Rounded oven chamber

Revent’s ONE Series rack oven with a round baking chamber design produces a slim commercial oven. The ONE26 round single rack oven, available in gas or electric modes, is designed for high quality small batch baking and is well suited to small spaces. It accommodates a single rack with a maximum pan size of 18 x 26 inches. Features include sliding, tripleglass door, high-tech insulation design, rounded baking chamber for even heat distribution, and a touch screen control panel. The oven is designed for 24/7 production, and its footprint allows for operation in cramped kitchens. The oven’s multiple alarm system allows up to four different products to be baked at once. www.revent.com

Control gluten strength

DSM has launched a new type of glucose oxidase called Bakezyme Go Pure that the company claims exhibits a more controlled oxidation in bread making. Most common glucose oxidases on the market originate from Aspergillus sp., but DSM’s new glucose oxidase originates from Penicillium chrysogenum. The result of using the new product in place of chemical oxidants (such as ADA or Bromate), according to the company, is a dough that remains pliable and soft, bread with a finer crumb structure and a reduced risk of off-flavour formation. www.dsm.com

For more on, industry news and more, visit www.bakersjournal.com.

Opening and Operating a r etail Bakery

Opening and Operating a Retail Bakery, written by industry veteran and Certified Master Baker Rick Crawford, offers readers 37 years of experience by sharing much-sought-after and proven strategies to open a bakery, along with keys to successfully operate it.

Opening and Operating a Retail Bakery is an indispensable guide that focuses on practical implementation rather than abstract theory, breaking down required tasks into easily adaptable templates that can be customized to the reader’s personal experience and professional goals. Crawford’s access to best practices among hundreds of owner/operators and the best companies in the industry gives this book a unique combination of knowledge, experience, and resources.

toronto_bakery_jan14.indd

(DIVISION OF A & L FOOD DISTRIBUTORS INC.)

SUPPLIER OF FROZEN AND RAW INGREDIENTS FOR THE BAKING INDUSTRY

Tel: (416) 252-4660 Fax: (416) 252-9993

25 - 8 Connell Ct., Toronto, ON M8Z 1E8

1-800-661-4122 ext. 239 nparent@drader.com

BY JANE DUMMER, RD

GOLDEN ROOT FOR BAKING

Turmeric is becoming well known for its health benefits and flavour profile

Native to Indonesia and Southern India, turmeric has been harvested for more than 5,000 years and has been used throughout history as a condiment, healing remedy and a textile dye. It’s a spice with a peppery fragrant flavour, and it’s part of the ginger family of herbs. Often used in curries, sauces and soups, most recently, turmeric is popping up in teas, drinks, smoothies, breads and baked goods.

Turmeric has become a more mainstream ingredient in Canada and the U.S. for a variety of reasons including its health benefits. In a recent NutraIngredientsUSA article (September 22, 2016), Stephen Daniells summarizes the data published in ABC’s HerbalGram 111 report. It indicated turmeric/curcumin was the standout ingredient in 2015 with overall sales for the ingredient exceeding $50 million in mass and natural channels. It has a 118 per cent growth in the mass channel and 32 per cent growth in the natural channel.

}We know that a poor diet, lack of exercise, and stress can lead to an increase in inflammatory-related conditions which are key factors in lifestyle diseases including heart disease and type 2 diabetes. From my experience, people are always searching for more everyday foods that taste good and are nutritious. Turmeric is nutritious and is rich in B vitamins, which promotes a healthy nervous system and assists in metabolic functions throughout the body. In addition, turmeric has been used as an anti-inflammatory.

The active ingredient that has been studied in turmeric is curcumin which is responsible for its deep yellow colour. Research continues to investigate the properties and effects of curcumin specifically as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. It is thought curcumin

plays a role in combating the production of free radical cells and decreasing inflammation which are factors in a variety of disease conditions. More human clinical studies are required in order to fully understand curcumin’s role in reducing the risk of certain diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease and type 2 diabetes, arthritis and some cancers.

The first time I had turmeric in a cake was when I was traveling in Turkey. I believe it was a version of sfouf, which is a traditional Lebanese cake flavoured with turmeric, sugar and nuts. It was a moist, dense cake with an intensely yellow colour. Not having an overly sweet tooth, I like cakes with more of a savoury and/or nutty essence. It was delicious. That was over 15 years ago, and now locally in Canada I’m seeing a few breads, cakes and other baked goods with turmeric.

Turmeric is a traditional ingredient in Indian bread including naan. Sometimes it is an ingredient in the blend or part of a mixture of butter and turmeric that is brushed on the naan and baked until golden. As the Paleo diet trend continues to gain traction, I’ve witnessed more gluten-free breads and wraps made with turmeric. Including a wrap made with coconut meal, coconut water, coconut oil and turmeric, specifically targeted at the niche market.

I’ve witnessed more gluten-free breads and wraps made with turmeric. Including a wrap made with coconut meal, coconut water, coconut oil and turmeric, specifically targeted at the niche market. Jane Dummer, RD (www.janedummer.com), known as the Pod to Plate Food Consultant, collaborates and partners with the food and nutrition industry across North America.

with turmeric to offer your early adopter clientele a golden savoury treat? / BJ

Restaurant patrons in diverse cities like New York are enjoying turmeric fennel rolls and sweet potato turmeric buns on the menu. On the dessert cart, there is a trend for more savoury whipped creams. Turmeric lends a pale yellow colour to whipped cream, making it unique to look at. It’s slightly earthy bitter flavour is a great contrast to nut-based desserts like pecan pie or walnut cake.

As I’m writing this article about using turmeric in breads and baked goods, it reminds me of six years ago when I wrote