Ready to expand? We learn how you want to grow, then create a financing package that helps you do it. Work with the leading lender to agriculture, agribusiness and agri-food in Canada Let’s talk business www.fccfinancing.ca
Meb Gilani, President, Gilani Group, Calgary, Alta
It’s hard to resist these four delicious cones from Hotel Gelato in Toronto. Gelato is lower in fat than ice cream, which makes it attractive to today’s consumers looking for treats with less guilt. For the full story, see page 10.
Bakers Journal talks with Dempster’s about its campaign with comedian Gerry Dee.
BusIness aWarDs season
Our third business awards contest deadline is quickly approaching. Bakers have until July 31 to send us their nominations: entries we look forward to reading.
Granting the Bakers Journal Business Awards – gold sponsored by Fuller Landau chartered accountants and business advisors, silver sponsored by Paragon Glaze Consulting, and bronze sponsored by Speedo flavours – has given us a great opportunity to showcase some of the wonderful innovations and best business practices happening in Canada. We had one category in our first year of the contest, and were thrilled to crown Baked at Frankie’s in Uxbridge, Ont., as the inaugural Innovator of the Year. In year 2, we expanded the contest to two categories. We kept the existing Innovator of the Year award, but added Growing for Success. Curbside Bliss Cupcakes in the Greater Toronto Area, Ont., received the 2012 Innovator title, and Dessert Lady in Toronto became the first recipient of Growing for Success.
Entries for the past two years have come to us from bakeries big and small, and it has proven challenging to compare their operations as apples to apples, so to speak. It always takes much debate for the judging panel to reach a decision that feels right and justified, particularly with so many great nominations to review. For the third year of the contest, we have decided to separate the big and small bakeries into two categories that are both based on innovation. I doubt this will make our jobs as judges much easier, but it will help us more easily compare like with like.
}July | Vol. 73, no. 6
Editor | laura aiken editor@bakersjournal.com 416-522-1595 1-888-599-2228 ext. 250
MEdiA dEsignEr | Gerry Wiebe group publishEr | Martin Mcanulty mmcanulty@annexweb.com
prEsidEnt | Mike fredericks mfredericks@annexweb.com
Mailing Address p o box 530, 105 donly dr. s., simcoe, on n3Y 4n5
publicAtion MAil AgrEEMEnt no. 40065710. rEturn undElivErAblE cAnAdiAn AddrEssEs to: circulAtion dEpArtMEnt, p o box 530, siMcoE, on n3Y 4n5 e-mail: subscribe@bakersjournal.com
Issn 0005-4097
Innovation is definitely a product of passion. It’s the inability to stop tinkering, and relentless determination to solve a problem.
We have heard wonderful stories through this contest about everything from recipe development to equipment innovation and branding superstars. While I commonly hear from bakery owners that it can be a struggle to hire people who have passion, I cannot doubt the passion I’ve seen with my own eyes in the industry at large. Perhaps it is a high bar that has been set for the newcomers, but it is primarily this passion that has driven the success achieved by so many of the great operations I’ve had the opportunity to tour or talk with through the business awards contest. Life’s the zzz’s without the zest.
Innovation is definitely a product of passion. It’s the inability to stop tinkering, and the relentless determination to solve a problem. Innovation in baking brings to mind new products or equipment and better methods in the kitchen, on the production line and in the business. Service, though not often highlighted in an entry for an innovation award, is always wrapped up in great organizations in a big way. Good service makes companies memorable; excellent service makes them unforgettable (although bad service can also make an organization unforgettable in another way). We would love to hear more about the ways you improve your service.
I extend a thank-you to Fuller Landau, Paragon Glaze Consulting and Speedo for their commitment to the business awards and support of the bakery industry. We truly have so much fun and find it an honour to tell the stories of wonderful Canadian bakeries and provide recognition for all that they do. Bakeries big and small, those that have entered before or are new to the contest (with the exception of winners), please go to www. bakersjournal.com and send us your entries! We can’t wait to hear more about you. / BJ
published ten times per year (Jan/Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug/sept, oct, nov, dec) by Annex publishing & printing inc.
suBsCrIPtIon rates canada — 1 Year $ 30.00 (with gst $31.50 #867172652rt0001, with hst/ Qst $33.90) usA — 1 Year $ 45.00 usd best pricing is available online at www.bakersjournal.com
Send your subscription request to: bakers Journal p o box 530, simcoe, on n3Y 4n5 tel: 1-866-790-6070 ext. 206 Fax: 1-877-624-1940 E-mail: subscribe@bakersjournal.com
occasionally, bakers Journal will mail information on behalf of industry-related groups whose products and services we believe may be of interest to you. if you prefer not to receive this information, please contact our circulation department in any of the four ways listed above.
opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher. no liability is assumed for errors or omissions. All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. such approval does not imply any endorsement of the products or services advertised. publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that does not meet the standards of the publication.
no part of the editorial content of this publication may be reprinted without the publisher’s written permission.
Suprasel OneGrain is a simple 1-to-1 replacement so no change in recipes are needed. The greattasting, free flowing Suprasel OneGrain product can be handled and stored just like regular salt, making them a convenient replacement in food manufacturing.
Dealers Ingredients offers you the knowledge, expertise and experience to deliver product performance solutions –naturally. Since 1976, Dealers Ingredients has supplied quality ingredients to leading food manufacturers and processors across Canada. We specialize in supplying natural source ingredients that improve the quality and value of your products. We have a world of technical knowledge that can help you solve complex problems with answers to questions about your specific products.
www.dealersingredients.com 905.458.7766
Flavourful, heart healthy, dairy concentrates – Butter Buds. Made from real butter, creams, milks, cocoa butter and cheeses. Providing natural dairy richness, fatty flavour notes and improved mouth feel.
Citri-fi from Fiberstar is an innovative Ingredient tailored to deliver dramatic product performance benefits. It has the ability to both maintain or improve taste, texture, mouthfeel and volume while lowering finished product costs.
Product of the USA
aaccI approved new whole grain guidelines ¦ industry news ¦
chocolate show returns to chicago
briefly | Wheat program targets industry needs | Whole grain guidelines in America | Chefs’ Warehouse acquires North American supplier | For more news in the baking world, check out our website, www.bakersjournal.com Toronto-based raw material supplier ck Ingredients is pleased to welcome karen reissmann as its new bakery sales manager. reissmann has held various positions within the canadian baking industry spanning a 20-year period, and she will be responsible for promoting ck’s range of functional and nutritional ingredients to the canadian wholesale baking market.
The national chocolate & dessert show (ncds) returns to chicago’s navy Pier from oct. 20 to 22, as the nation’s trade show dedicated to the chocolate and dessert industry.
With more than 27 years experience organizing events and trade shows, president Mario Pi explains the need for the ncds in a media statement: “From mass production to artisan chocolatiers, chocolate and dessert producers have an artisan craftsmanship that requires specialty equipment, a concentrated focus on ingredients, and constant upkeep of the latest industry trends. We wanted to make it easy for both foodservice operators and retail buyers to have all the broader elements needed to build a chocolate or dessert program in one place with the focused objectives needed to address the niche industry.”
This year’s ncds has an international
presence with cocoa supplier cacao san Jose and the Indonesian and ecuadorian Trade councils. exhibitors cover topics such as specialty equipment, and have access to the portfolio of chocolate products from distributors.
The show will address attendee needs during educational conference programming on topics such as sourcing (fair trade versus organic), consumer trends and business advice.
The ncds overlaps with the consumer chicago Fine chocolate & dessert show, which takes place oct. 18 to 20. sunday attendees will have access to the consumer show to gain perspective from small artisan chocolatiers and pastry chefs as well as monitor consumer interests and tastes. attendee registration opens May 15 for the ncds, and registration will launch free of charge to attendees. exhibitor registration is open.
chefs’ Warehouse acquires north american supplier
american distributor The chef’s Warehouse (TcW) recently acquired Florida-based Qzina specialty Foods.
“We are thrilled to have Qzina join the chefs’ Warehouse family,” said chris Pappas, chairman and chief executive officer of The chefs’ Warehouse, in a letter to customers. “With this acquisition there are many synergies in our major markets as well as exciting opportunities to enter four new markets: Vancouver, edmonton,Toronto and chicago.”
The chefs’ Warehouse serves roughly 12,500 bakeries and pastry shops,
restaurants, hotels, caterers and gourmet stores across the united states.
“We are incredibly excited to join The chefs’ Warehouse team. We believe that this is a great opportunity for our dedicated staff, our loyal customers, and our trusted vendors, who have all contributed to building Qzina into what it is today,” said rex ciavola, president of Qzina, in the official announcement to customers.
Qzina was founded in 1982, and is responsible for more than 3,000 products that serve bakeries, patisseries, chocolatiers, hotels and cruise lines.
people on the move
The american association for cereal chemists International’s (aaccI) Board of directors approved the Whole grains Working group’s (WgWg) new characterization of whole-grain products. now a whole-grain food product must contain eight grams or more of whole grain per 30 grams of product.
“currently, consumers are confused about what constitutes a whole grain food, and this characterization provides clear guidance to those who seek to consume the recommended levels of whole grain,” said dr. Julie Miller Jones of aaccI and WgWg chair, in a media release.
The federal government’s dietary guidelines state that americans should eat at least three servings of whole grains, with each serving containing 16 grams of whole grains, or six servings of foods that have at least 8 grams of whole grains. The WgWg made the distinction of eight grams of whole grains per 30 grams of product to take into account food products that include refined grains, which currently enjoy higher levels of consumer acceptance.
The language does not impact statements about products that are allowed by the law, other ingredients that might be in a food product, or the naming of food products.
The World of Baking, Together Now
At the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE), the industry comes together like nowhere else, attracting baking professionals and exhibitors from around the globe. Held in exciting Las Vegas, IBIE features thousands of the newest products and technologies and provides the full range of equipment, supply and ingredient solutions to help you stay competitive and strong in the changing global marketplace.
JOIN IBIE’S INTERNATIONAL BUYER PROGRAM by contacting your local U.S. Embassy or Consulate, or visit www.IBIE2013.com for international visitor information, travel tips and a Visa application.
Where the Industry Unites
UPDATE: Wheat program targets specific industry needs
C&M Seeds hopes to simplify the wheat market by channelling wheat directly to millers and bakers based on their individual needs.
The Palmerston, Ont.-based company is currently working with Ontario millers to re-evaluate the quality characteristics of different wheat types.
Now in its third year, C&M’s WheatPro program is testing four wheat varieties from four different classes with Ontario mills to help millers when mixing more than one class together. For example, extensive testing for lactic acid solvent retention capacity, or water absorption, is helping determine whether varieties can deliver the high levels of dough strength required for rising breads or the low strength levels required for crackers, cookies and coatings.
WheatPro also is designed to help mills take advantage of new protein research that will identify protein quality, rather than just the quantity or level of protein. This could potentially provide
By Ellen Sparry
increased value for the entire production chain.
This is made possible with certified seed, which is the foundation of a production process that ensures farmers plant specific varieties that produce the nutrition, appearance and processing attributes end-users are seeking. When a farmer starts with certified seed the resulting wheat’s identity can be preserved and channelled through the production system and delivered directly to millers. Through Canada’s system, a portion of the royalties collected on seed sales is reinvested in plant breeding and innovation. This makes new varieties possible.
An added benefit for the miller and baker of a certified seed-based model is improved traceability.
Ellen Sparry is wheat genetics manager for C&M Seeds, based in Palmerston, Ont. C&M is a supplier of wheat seed in eastern Canada, including both winter and spring varieties.
Brianna Demers wins Canadian Intercollegiate Chocolate Competition
Brianna Demers, student chef at Cambrian College, won the Canadian Intercollegiate Chocolate Competition, held April 13 to 14 at Humber College’s Canadian Centre of Culinary Arts & Science in Toronto.
“We have an amazing group of young and upcoming pastry chefs, and chocolatiers in Canada,” said Philippe Vancayseele, director, Chocolate Academy center Canada, and president of the Jury Selection team.
“Over the course of the two-day live competition, each student presented the judges with an artistic chocolate showpiece, a hand-dipped bonbon, a moulded bonbon and a chocolate plated dessert all along the theme of the Heart of the Rainforest. The results of the hard work were clearly in evidence!”
Here are the full results: Winner: Demers, Cambrian Second: Brittany Calsavara, Niagara College.
Third: Lauren Arsenault, Vancouver Island University.
Best Artistic Chocolate Showpiece: Gregoire Voyer, Ecole Hoteliere de la Capitale.
Best Bonbon – Dipped: Calsavara
Best Bonbon – Moulded: Demers
Best Chocolate Plated Dessert: Voyer
Intralox’s i-Drive technology gives belts the power to go further. By combining multiple conveyors into a single, seamless run, i-Drive technology eliminates transfers and lubrication while minimizing maintenance and product damage. It’s the smoothest ride for your delicate products.
Visit: www.intralox.com/idrive to learn more.
THE SCOOP ON GEL
ATO
I’d like to be up front about something straight away: I love all incarnations of ice cream. I do not discriminate between fat or sugar contents; I take the scoopable stuff in all its delightful forms, preferably on a daily basis and even in the winter. It was with great personal passion and intrigue that I set out to explore the world of gelato.
In Canada, a product labeled ice cream has 10 per cent or more milk fat (may vary to slightly less for cocoa content). Gelato is in the range of only four to eight per cent fat, so technically it’s not Canadian defined as ice cream, but it is ice cream Italian style. Gelato literally translates as “frozen” in Italian. This European treat is lower fat than it’s Canadian cousin, and that makes it attractive in today’s market of better-for-you options.
Per capita, consumption of ice cream in Canada has fallen from 9.23 litres in 2001 to 5.72 litres in 2011, according to statistics from the federal government’s Canadian Dairy Information Centre. Finding information specific to gelato is challenging. It is not nearly as abundant as ice cream in the grocery isles, and tends to be a product served in artisanal fashion in bakeries and gelaterias. So, while consumption of ice cream is down, this does not mean the sales of gelato are down or that innovation has been cast aside. Perhaps people are changing the way they consume ice cream, looking for high quality in smaller quantities. The National Post published an article in 2012 called “Inside the golden age of gourmet ice cream” by Tristin Hopper. Mario LoScerbo of Mario’s Gelati in Vancouver, who serves grocery and dealers, told Hopper that sales have always been strong and his market has bore prices of $17 a pint with success.
}In 1686, a fisherman from Italy opened the first retail outlet for gelato/sorbet in Paris. Shortly after, gelato made its New York debut.
older than the Bible, and surely will remain a staple well past any New Age.
The first traces of primitive snow cones made up of ice/snow/spices and rice milk can be traced back to 3,000 BC, I learned from Daniela Saccon, instructor for classes at PreGel Canada’s Woodbridge, Ont., facility. Here, I spent a whole day learning the ins and outs of gelato, starting with its history. This Chinese concoction was your first known sorbetto.
Florence using a combination of frozen milk, honey, eggs and wine. In 1686, a fisherman from Italy opened the first retail outlet for gelato/sorbet in Paris. Shortly after, gelato made its New York debut.
Gelato can be easily assimilated into cultures because the sugars and milks can be interchanged to suit different diets, noted Saccon. PreGel, a global company that supplies a full line of ingredients for gelato, sorbetto and frozen yogurt, is rooted in Italy. PreGel was founded in 1967 and PreGel Canada launched in 2008.
TALKING TECHNICAL
Aye, but here’s the rub: gelato is no licence to print money either. Like all products, one must pay attention to quality and curry local favour to create a sustainable business. However, from a longevity perspective, frozen desserts are
In 2500 BC, there is evidence of Egyptian pharaohs consuming ice and fresh fruit ice, which is an early rudimentary form of sherbet (which originated in Sicily and was only available to the ruling class for hundreds of years). Zabajone was developed in 16th-century
Gelato is made up of water (milk, cream), sugars (sweetening agents), fats, and MSNF (milk solids nonfat, which are proteins/lactose/minerals). Air also makes up part of the volume. Overrun is the percentage increase in volume of ice cream that is larger than the volume of
Left: Dan Hoffman of Hotel Gelato in Toronto. Above: Tiramisu gelato made at PreGel’s Canadian training facility in Woodbridge, Ont.
mix used to make it. In short, it is how much air is pumped in or incorporated into the product. Gelato is 30 to 35 overrun, ice cream gains 50 to 100 per cent overrun and sorbetto is 25 per cent. Overrun is why the frozen product shrinks as it melts. The higher the fat content, the more air can be whipped into it, says Saccon.
Water is the only ingredient in gelato that freezes, and thus it is a very important aspect of balancing a recipe. Sugar, on the other hand, is an anti-freeze. Adding more skim milk powder (your MSNF) can increase your solids balance without increasing the amount of sugar. Fats help make gelato scoopable and creamy: producers can add them or just count the fat in whole milk.
Stablizers (gelatin, gums) will link your solids with your water and comprise 0.2 per cent to 0.5 per cent of the total mix. An emulsifier also is used to bind fat and solids. For this process, PreGel supplies sorbitol paste.
Gelato is 60 to 70 per cent liquids, the balance solids, while sorbetto is 70 per cent liquid and 30 per cent solids.
Saccon discussed three different methods for making gelato: hot process, cold process and super sprint. Hot process is the least expensive, but her observations indicate a combination of all seems most likely used. Hot process pasteurizes and takes the longest. Yogurt must always be done cold process, says Saccon, and fruit flavours are better done hot. Customers often invoke the PreGel super sprint line for difficult-to-make flavours as it comes in a premade mix that is simply added to the machine, she says. This is the fastest method. All of these processes involve very nice looking machines that require diligent cleaning.
A final few tips on the technical side: be sure to weigh ingredients, use a good immersion blender, defrost fruit before using to avoid introducing ice crystals, and ensure your flavour pastes are soft for good incorporations.
A TRIP TO HOTEL GELATO
You can’t sleep over at Hotel Gelato, but the 24 flavours on display kind of make me want to stay there all night just to try them all. The Toronto shop opened in February 2010 as a counter service bakery café and gelato spot. It has since morphed into a licenced breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, post-dinner, date, family break and all-around everything spot. Owners Dan Hoffman and Christopher Borowski developed the vision through a shared history in the luxury hotel market. Hoffman’s work history cultivated a front of the house expertise, while Borowski climbed ladders in food and beverage at the back of the house.
“It just made good sense to go out and start our own café vision and do it with service, style and a great product. That’s what we strive to do every day.”
Hotel Gelato makes everything on site, which allows staff to produce volume based on demand. At the height of sales, a pan may last only a few hours, says Hoffman. They also take advantage of making smaller three-litre batches during slower winter and shoulder seasons when walk-in traffic is lighter.
The shelf life of its product is about five to seven days, says Hoffman, because the constant flowing current of air and opening and closing of the display case causes the temperature to rise and fall, introducing crystallization. You can tell it’s not good anymore by the look of it, he says. They throw it out at this point. It’s not worthwhile to sell an inferior product, he says. After three years, the team has got a good handle on managing production,
Continued on page 23
www.miwe.com
The Can-do Condo.
BY BRUCE ROHER
HOW TO AVOID IDENTITY THEFT
Here are tips to help you avoid being a victim of identity theft in your bakery
Unfortunately, identity theft is very common today. In fact, it affects millions of people in North America each year. Identity theft occurs when someone steals your personal information for criminal purposes. For example, your mail, which happens to include your monthly credit card statement, is stolen. The thief calls the credit card company to change the billing address, and then puts through charges. You may not even notice there is an issue for some time.
Thieves can use your personal information to obtain credit cards, establish a cell phone, rent vehicles, establish a bank account in your name, apply for driver licences and loans, etc. As a victim, you can spend a lot of time trying to restore your good name, and potentially be responsible for the fraudster’s debts if money was borrowed in your name.
}tion instead of just throwing it in the garbage can. Don’t release any personal information about yourself over the telephone. Be suspicious of telephone surveys or bank representatives that call you at home on the weekend. Verify that the person asking for information over the telephone is in fact an employee of that organization. Never e-mail personal or financial information and be cautious of opening attachments of e-mails if you do not know who they are from.
been fraudulently obtained in your name: Provide details of what happened, ask them to investigate and take appropriate actions such as closing accounts or cancelling cards.
• Major credit reporting agencies: Ask for a copy of your credit report and discuss whether your file should be marked with a fraud alert, which will advise creditors to contact you before opening or changing accounts.
Be sure to shred personal information instead of just throwing it in the garbage can. Don’t release any personal information about yourself over the telephone.
Second, be aware of suspicious circumstances. For example, be suspicious if your bills do not arrive and follow up with the company. If you are receiving calls about bills for accounts that you don’t have, this is cause for concern. Review credit card statements, bank statements and any online broker accounts for unauthorized charges. It is also a good idea to check your credit report periodically for any unusual activity.
• PhoneBusters, a police organization that collects information about identity theft and offers advice to victims. 1-888-495-8501 or info@ phonebusters.com
• Reporting Economic Crime Online (RECOL), a partnership involving international, federal and provincial law enforcement agencies (www. recol.ca)
• Any government offices that issued any documents stolen or misused as part of the identity fraud.
THE OPCC ALSO RECOMMENDS THAT YOU:
Businesses need to be vigilant in protecting personal data. For example, hackers are increasingly successful at hacking into the electronic records of businesses to steal personnel records.
Employees have also been duped by “phishing,” where a hacker poses as a legitimate company through e-mail. For example, the employee receives an e-mail, supposedly from Paypal, indicating that the employee’s account has expired and the employee’s personal information must be entered in order to re-activate the account. Another trend on the increase is the use of computer viruses that allow thieves to steal your personal information as you enter confidential user names and passwords on your computer.
Here are some tips to protect you and your business against identity theft. First, safeguard your personal information. Be sure to shred personal informa-
Finally, if you own a business, implement controls to protect your business from identity theft. Know how your business receives, collects and maintains personal information and who has access to this information. Keep only the personal information that is actually needed. For example, truncate visa numbers, delete the expiry date, and don’t keep credit card information longer than necessary. Cabinets containing sensitive information should be locked with appropriate access controls. Be sure to implement encryption, passwords and firewalls to appropriately protect access to your business.
If you are a victim, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPCC) recommends that you contact:
• Your local police and ask them to take a report. Make sure that you ask for a copy so that you can provide it to the organizations that you will have to contact later.
• Every organization, such as a credit card company, where credit may have
• Keep a detailed log of whom you have called and what was said. Document any expenses you incur as you clear your name and re-establish your credit.
• Be cautious about using “creditrepair” companies. There is usually nothing they can do, and some have been known to propose a solution – establishing credit under a new identity – that is itself fraudulent.
• Close your bank accounts and open new ones. Insist on password-only access to them.
• Get new bank machine and calling cards with new passwords or personal identification numbers (PINs).
• Get a new driver’s licence.
• Tell your telephone, cable and utility companies that someone using your name could try to open new accounts fraudulently. / BJ
Bruce Roher is a partner in the business valuations and forensic accounting practice at the Toronto office of Fuller Landau LLP, Chartered Accountants. He can be reached at broher@fullerlandau.com or 416-645-6526.
REVITALIZING BREAD’S REPUTATION
Bread is the food that people seem to love to hate right now. With media, celebrities and books blaming bread, wheat and gluten for weight gain, diabetes and high blood sugar, bread has received a bad reputation over the last few years, and the baking industry has got the brunt of it.
In an attempt to bring some positive buzz back to bread, Dempster’s recently launched a social media campaign to get people talking. Canada Bread brought in Canadian comedian Gerry Dee and created two videos that live on YouTube and a social media hub (www.naturallydempsters.ca). The website features recipes, infographics, facts and more, and gives users a place to connect with Dempster’s and one another via different social networks. The first video launched in January, and featured Dee in a juice bar, adding slices of bread to customers’ drinks. The second video launched in February, and showed Dee at a kids’ day camp, replacing the bread component of grilled cheese sandwiches with vegetables. Connie Morrison, the senior vice-president of marketing for Canada Bread, filled us in on the campaign and how bakers can do their part to promote bread’s value – nutritional and otherwise.
Dempster’s used Canadian comedian Gerry Dee in a social media campaign to get people talking about the positive parts of bread – not the negatives.
}“We wanted to give people something positive to talk about with bread. We did some consumer research last year and discovered that consumers, Canadians specifically, love bread.”
What sparked the idea of this campaign?
We took an overall look at the commercial bread category. Bread has had a bit of a bad decade with regards to negative perceptions around it. We wanted to give people something positive to talk about with bread.
We did some consumer research last year and discovered that consumers, Canadians specifically, love bread. Just
like fruits and vegetables, it’s part of Canada’s food guide, which calls for six to eight servings of grains every day. If we can remind consumers about how good a choice bread is, and do it in a relevant and humorous way, we believe we can get people talking about bread in a positive way. A change in perceptions and attitudes ultimately leads to a change in behaviour. It gets people eating bread again and bringing people back into the bread category.
How did Gerry Dee become involved in the campaign?
We decided we needed to bring in an expert who could use humour to create a compelling message around bread that consumers would want to listen to and
share with their friends and family. We identified Gerry Dee as a Canadian comedian who could come in and promote the message, whether it was to an unsuspecting public in a juice bar, or to moms and kids when he crashes the kids’ day camp. The idea was to create funny situations where we create an unlikely spot for bread.
“What are the different components of the campaign?
The two online videos featuring Gerry Dee live in YouTube and within a social hub we created that is connected to our Facebook and Twitter accounts. Anyone who views the videos sees a link to www. naturallydempsters.ca, which takes them into our hub where they can post on Dempster’s Facebook page, become a Facebook fan or share the video. We also posted an outtakes video with raw footage that didn’t make it into the videos, but is equally as funny, to
entertain and engage people. We used some TV advertising and developed in-store POS material. The idea is that consumers could see an ad in their home, either on TV or online, and when they enter a store, they’ll see the same images reinforcing the message that bread is part of a good food group.
Even though television and POS advertising materials were developed, the campaign is mainly online. Why was a digital format chosen?
Bread overall is a fairly low-interest category. In order to engage with consumers, we felt we had to reach them in a way that would make them think about the product, because buying bread on a weekly shopping trip is such routine behaviour.
Canadians consume more online video than any other country in the world, so we knew that video was going to be an important component. We chose a digital format and decided to really aggressively use social media because we knew that’s where people were spending time. We felt that if consumers were going to engage in a dialogue about bread, it would be online. So if we could create a reason to talk about bread, and make it shareable, it would help enable the conversation to take place.
What audience is Dempster’s hoping to reach with the campaign?
Our target audience is primarily women. We know they spend a lot of time in social media. Women are the principal grocery shoppers and moms are often the gatekeepers in terms of the choices that come into the house. The combination of women and social media was particularly a bull’s-eye for us.
The videos have been viewed more than 1.6 million times and there has been tons of engagement on the Facebook and Twitter sites. What’s the trick to reaching your targeted audience on social media?
We’ve been able to really grow our numbers by engaging in a dialogue with consumers. People want to be entertained, they want to be engaged, and we felt like we were giving them information about bread in a humorous way that we felt would entertain them, not just educate them. And a lot of it was unbranded. We knew if we made [the videos] too overtly branded, people are going to click out, so the naturallydempsters.ca URL is at the end of the video and we have people viewing the full video. The power of entertaining consumers has huge value.
Can you offer advice to independent bakeries that are looking to bring more positive buzz to their bread? Bread is good food. We have done so much research, and we know that consumers love bread. All they need is more reason to consume it. Reinforce the positives of your bread, whether it be the nutritional benefits, or the fact that you don’t use preservatives in it. Anything you can do to give consumers further reinforcement that it’s a good food choice is something positive. And, because bread is such a habitual category in a
cluttered environment, you do have to take risks to get noticed. You have to try to stop consumers in their tracks. Be a little bit provocative and communicate the benefits of the bread, not the negative press. / BJ
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and condensed.
THE PRICE OF PREMIUM CREDIT CARDS
For more than 40 years, credit card companies have collected fees on sales because they can offer consumers and merchants the value of convenience. Consumers may gripe about high interest rates while watching their credit card balances grow, and merchants may complain about how much passive income credit cards companies are amassing, but in the end, consumers don’t have to worry about having enough cash on hand, and merchants benefit from the credit cards’ ability to facilitate impulse buying and to make it easier to upsell.
}Over the decades, credit card fees may have stayed relatively stable, but in the last three years, the fees connected to premium credit cards have nearly doubled. Merchants can’t refuse to accept the premium Visa, MasterCard and American Express cards, and their contract doesn’t allow them to pass on the fees to consumers, a practice known as “surcharging,” ostensibly because it reflects poorly on credit card companies.
Over the decades, credit card fees may have stayed relatively stable, but in the last three years, the fees connected to premium credit cards have nearly doubled.
because they don’t want to make their customers pay more, “but it would level the playing field.”
top of nearly 30 per cent of the sale, not a penny of which is even a sale of goods or services.
“You have no choice,” says Heather Holbrook, who owns Isabel’s Cupcakes in Ottawa. “If you refuse their card, you’ll lose a customer.”
“If you refuse to take the premium card, you can’t take the regular card, and you can’t really do that because you risk losing the sale,” says Dan Kelly, president and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). “But the [potential] power to surcharge keeps credit card executives up at night,” says Kelly, “because it would give merchants the power to push back.” Kelly doesn’t believe merchants would use it often,
“Surcharging is just a way for merchants to pad their profits,” says Bruce Cran, president of the Consumers Association of Canada (CAC). He opposes surcharging based on the Australian model, which permitted surcharging in relation to premium credit card fees for the last 15 years. In his view, surcharging is responsible for the 10 per cent hike the taxi industry charges. “The airline industry is another sector that loves to jump on the surcharge,” he adds.
For a further bite out of the bottom line, fees are calculated on top of the taxes merchants are obliged to collect for the government. And in the case of foodservice, where the customer has added a gratuity to the bill, the charges are calculated on top of that amount as well, with the merchant paying fees on
“It adds insult to injury,” says Garth Whyte, president and CEO of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA). He describes this fee collection as “raising costs by stealth.” Whyte adds that a lot of his members don’t even know their costs until they get their bills.
“The credit card industry is incredibly opaque,” says Kelly. “It’s one of the murkiest industries in Canada.” As a counter measure in 2010, Kelly helped marshal the creation of a voluntary Code of Conduct about fair competition practices for the credit and debit card industry, hoping to help increase transparency around fees, for the protection of both business and consumers.
As a voluntary code, it’s limited, but it did lead to presenting the issue as a complaint to the Competition Bureau of Canada in December of that year. The bureau investigated the merit of the complaint and decided it was a valid issue to be heard by the Competition Tribunal.
Continued on page 23
CFIA Regulatory Framework Open for Consultation
On June 4th, 2013 the Canadian Food Inspection Agency held a forum as the first step in the consultation process for the regulations that will be developed under the Safe Food for Canadians Act (SFCA). The consultation period will run until October 31, 2013.
Over the coming months, a series of consultation opportunities (e.g., webinars, face-to-face meetings, etc.) will occur with the draft of the proposed regulations released in the spring of 2014. After further consultations, the final regulations are expected to be published in Canada Gazette Part II at the end of 2014. The SFCA will then come into force at the beginning of 2015. At that time, the baking industry (including bakeries, suppliers, import brokers, etc.) will be required to have a preventive control plan (PCP) in place and acquire a licence if they import food commodities or prepare them for interprovincial trade.
The key document for the consultation is “A New Regulatory Framework for Federal Food Inspection: Discussion Document.” This along with a number of other supporting documents and presentations from the forum can be found at: http://inspection.gc.ca/ food/action-plan/food-safety-regulatory-forum/ presentations/eng/1369757934028/1369757989311.
The following summarizes key points in this document:
Licences
Licences would be valid for two years. A company would have the option of applying for a licence per establishment (e.g., each plant), per activity (e.g., importing, preparing food, re-packaging food), or a single licence covering all establishments and/ or activities. However, if a single licence is issued for multiple establishments or activities, a licence suspension or cancellation will impact the entire company’s business.
Preventive Control Plans (PCP)
The PCPs will address not only food safety requirements but also other requirements such as net quantity and grades. The proposed PCP requirements are based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles. If
your company has a food safety system in place that follows HACCP principles, there will be little adjustment required to establish a PCP under the FSCA. Part of the PCP is the traceability component. At minimum, the international standard established by Codex Alimentarius in which food is tracked forward to the immediate customer and back to the immediate supplier will be expected. Introduction of new requirements for licensing and PCPs for small businesses may prove to be a challenge. CFIA is proposing to provide clear guidance documents as well as sample PCPs for small businesses in order to assist in meeting the new requirements.
Export and Importing
Food commodities exported from Canada are exempt from the requirements of the Food and Drugs Act, but they must meet the requirements of the country of import. The SFCA allows for the licensing of companies who export food products. CFIA is considering making the export licence a legal requirement. Regardless of the decision regarding an export licence, exported food products still require basic Canadian labelling information for identification and traceability.
Also new with the legislation is the requirement that ALL importers must have a licence and a PCP demonstrating that the imported food meets Canadian requirements. Although the foreign companies system doesn’t have to be exactly the same as the Canadian food inspection system, they must have comparable systems that achieve a similar level of food safety to Canada’s. It is being proposed that ingredients such as spices, which will undergo further processing, or food products whose packaging is changed prior to sale and identified as such, would not be subject to the regulatory requirements at the time of import but are required to be in compliance at the time of sale in Canada.
Comments on this document would be welcome – either directly to Food Regulatory Modernization at CFIA (cfia-Modernisation-acia@inspection. gc.ca) or through Laura Pasut at the Baking Association of Canada (lpasut@baking.ca).
Members Elect BAC Board of Directors
At the May 5th 2013 Annual General Meeting of the Baking Association of Canada, members elected Directors for the 2013-2014 term.
CHAIR
Glenn Wilde
Harvest Bakery, Winnipeg MB
DIRECTORS
Martin Barnett Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo BC
Dominique Bohec Conseil de Boulangerie Québec, QC
Louis Bontorin
Calgary Italian Bakery, Calgary AB
Steven Buckler McBuns Bakery, Moncton NB
Bill Coleman Coleman Foods, St. John’s NL
Michel Dion Lallemand, Montreal QC
Sumit Luthra
Weston Bakeries/Ready Bake, Etobicoke ON Arthur Gunn Gunn’s Bakery, Winnipeg MB
Tom Mattes Del’s Pastry, Toronto ON Christian Mitzel Qzina Specialty Foods, Vancouver BC
Pete Plaizier
The Good Oven, Edmonton AB
Kevin Rainey Sobeys Inc, Mississauga ON Phil Robinson Dawn Products, Toronto ON Don Wilcox
Canada Bread, Etobicoke ON
BAC Amending Bylaws to Comply with Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act
The new Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act establishes new rules for federally incorporated notfor-profit corporations such as BAC. The new rules are intended to be more modern, flexible and more suited to the needs of the not-for-profit sector. BAC must be in compliance with the new Act by October 17, 2014.
The key focus of the new Act is to ensure member rights in many ways mirror the rights of shareholders of publicly held companies. Therefore by law changes will require stipulation of member rights by different classes or groups of members, with the possibility for rights to vary by class of member. In addition, changes affecting the rights of a particular membership class will require the approval of the members of the affected class, regardless of whether they are otherwise entitled to vote.
The new Act also provides members with new access rights to Association information, including financial statements and membership information. Once instituted, members will be entitled to BAC’s financial statements at each annual member meeting, together with any additional financial information that may be required by the articles or bylaws. Aside from the annual meetings, members may have access to the Association’s financial statements upon request and free of charge. The same access applies to Association records (for a fee) with confidentiality limitations.
BAC’s Board has been reviewing the Association’s bylaws and will be entering into a more fulsome consultation with members later this year and early 2014. The amended bylaws will be presented for membership approval at next year’s Annual General Meeting to be held May 4, 2014 during Bakery Showcase in Toronto.
BAC Takes Part in Network for Healthy Eating Annual Meeting
BAC has joined and taken part in the recent Annual Meeting of the Network for Health Eating (NHE) which is intended to enhance collaboration, cooperation and coordination of efforts to support and promote healthy eating and nutrition in Canada. Members other than BAC include representation from national organizations and associations, advocacy groups, commodity groups, government departments, industry, health charitable and non-governmental organizations with a focus on nutrition and healthy eating and Health Canada—Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion (ONPP).
Laura Pasut from the Baking Association of Canada presented information on the Healthy Grains Institute and discussed ongoing plans to assess voluntary reduction of sodium by the baking industry. The Healthy Grains Institute was launched in November of 2012 to promote the benefits of whole grains and dispel the myths about wheat, gluten and their relationship to health and nutrition. Sharing the information with the Network members helped promote the work the Institute has been doing both in traditional as well as social media outreach. This presentation increased awareness of the issues faced by the industry as sales decline due to misinformation about gluten free diets and weight loss as well as the effect this has in undermining messages of the Food Guide with respect to grain products.
In addition, Pasut promoted the baking industry’s efforts with sodium reduction focusing on studies undertaken by BAC on the sodium levels in pantry breads in 2009 and 2011.
This summer, BAC will repeat their pantry bread analysis for sodium content as well as conduct a survey of members to determine the efforts made in trying to reduce sodium in
all baking products. The baking industry’s reduction efforts were presented to show that voluntary reduction is effective and legislation is not required in order to achieve some of the sodium reduction targets. Members of the NHE expressed great interest in receiving updates in this area.
Along with BAC’s updates, key initiatives from ONPP were shared including work in the area of nutrition policy, dietary guidance, research and data analysis, surveillance, and promotion. Under Promotion, the Healthy Eating Awareness and Education Initiative involves partnership from provinces/ territories, health professional associations, non-governmental organizations, food retail and industry associations.
This program carries top-of-the-line news on what’s happening in the industry with governments, services, BAC activities, etc.
The E-Bulletin is ONLY available to BAC Member companies and their employees. Don’t miss out on receiving time-sensitive news.
If you’re not currently receiving the E-Bulletin please email info@baking.ca to be added.
Baking Association of Canada
Upcoming Events
Bakery Showcase 2014
Canada’s national baking industry trade show and convention held every other year in the International Centre, Toronto (Mississauga) ON
Atlantic Chapter
September 9
2013 Golf Tournament
Magnetic Hill Golf Club
Moncton NB
Ontario Chapter
September 17
Fall Golf Tournament
Station Creek Golf Club
Gormley ON
BC Chapter
November 15
Festive Night at the Races
Fraser Downs
Cloverdale BC
Christine Best Bakery Technology Unit III
Giorgio Calorio
Bakery Technology Unit II
Andy Dyck
Bakery Technology Unit I
Terry Gibson
Bakery Technology Unit III
Wei He
Food Hazard Control: Sanitation
Christopher Mair
Bakery Technology Unit I
Samantha Nalin Nuwarapaksha Bakery Technology Unit III
Judy Ngo
Bakery Technology Unit II
Nasser Yousef
Bakery Technology Unit I
For information on correspondence courses for baking industry employees and the Certified Bakery Specialist (CBS) program, please contact ext. 21 at the BAC office or check out our website at www.baking.ca.
Larry Meagher Amoretti
Cherry Embon
Cherry’s Bakehaven
John Falcos
Classic Cuisine Foods
Mike Hames
Continental Ingredients Canada
Mike Robinson
Eightfold Eats
Terry Brush Garavogue Inc
Jo-Ann Turford
Tartine Breads & Pies
Michel Turcotte
Technipack
Tanya Garratt
Whisk Cake Company
Hans Hiding
For nearly two years, the tribunal took statements from industry experts, advocates, credit card companies and banks, including surprising requests by banking lawyers to redact some banking information to regain some corporate secrecy for their clients.
The results of those specific requests are pending, and at the time of this writing, the tribunal has not made any decision on the competition constraints Visa and MasterCard still hold over merchants. The progress of the case can be found at www. ct-tc.gc.ca, under case number CT-2010010. The last word from the tribunal is its declaration on March 7, 2012, that the final arguments would wrap up on June 21, 2012 – over a year ago.
Although the tribunal is an independent, non-governmental body, the Stephen Harper government is also getting a taste of this issue. Bill S-215, which is about credit card fees, is approaching its second reading in the Senate. Federal NDP Finance Glenn Thibeault is working on strategies for introducing a private member’s bill for the House of Commons the end of this year.
Kelly has also developed a point of sale poster to bring attention to how much merchants are paying out to credit card companies, and to encourage people to use debit – which requires a flat and economical rate – but many owners don’t want to put negative messaging out there. Also, not
Continued from page 13
and their strategy leaves little waste.
There are some methods for repurposing gelato, says Saccon. You can make popsicles using a blast freezer, or combine complementary flavours at the end of the day. She does not recommend rebatching for food safety reasons, which involves melting the gelato down and repurposing it. Hotel Gelato manages without a blast chiller, but Hoffman says it is on the wish list and he would be making pops if he had one. Hoffman and Borowski elected to use a hot process so that all milk-based flavours are pasteurized.
“From what I’ve sampled across the city, and throughout the U.S. as well, the ones that are pasteurized do have a more balanced homogenous flavour. Everything has melted together. There’s no sugar crystals or skim milk powder. Everything has really blended well so you have a really nice consistency to then add flavour too, which makes a nicer product.”
everyone is behind educating the public. Says Holbrook: “People are here to buy stuff and leave, not to hear my problems.”
Linda Kearney owns Dauhpine Bakery in Edmonton. She started her business as a cash-only operation working farmers markets, a practice she continues today. But when she opened her bricks-and-mortar store about two-and-a-half years ago, she was forced to accept all cards, and to pay a price she didn’t foresee. “We didn’t put it into our start-up business plan,” and now, says Kearney, “we pay the equivalent of one person’s salary in credit card fees, and that’s out of a staff of eight.” Fifty per cent of her sales are handled by credit card sales.
Kearney says she will spend the next few months canvassing her customers to find out how important using credit cards are to them and whether or not she would lose their business if she decided to go cash-ordebit-only. She says her customers are more educated than most, more likely to appreciate the artisan nature of her business and more willing to pay her higher than average prices.
“We’re afraid to take the risk [of not accepting cards], but black Amex rates, for example, are so exorbitant, that we don’t make any profit on that sale,” says Kearney, essentially making a sale for free.
On the other hand, Kelly is optimistic: “People are fond of their local merchants. They know they’re working 70 to 80 hours a week. Often, consumers are
Quality is the number 1 ingredient needed for successful gelato sales, says Hoffman. As we know, taste is a big factor in determining quality and flavours are where a gelato maker can create signature items that stand out. At Hotel Gelato, they’ve made a signature flavour called Vanilla Sponge Toffee using sponge toffee made in house. They experimented with a guacamole flavour using avocado, lime, cilantro and sea salt, and although it went over well with some patrons, opinions were polarized as some clientele couldn’t fathom eating a vegetable in ice cream. What works for you will depend on your clientele.
Within their 24 flavours they have staple flavours that remain 365 days a year, and four to six wild flavours that change throughout the year, like pumpkin in the fall and candy cane in the winter, to keep offering customers something new. Salted caramel has proved a top seller, as well as their dark chocolate. Eight or 10 of the
very supportive.”
How powerful could merchants be if they banded together? Last August, a U.S. class action suit forced Visa and MasterCard to pay retailers US $7.25 billion in cash and to temporarily reduce fees.
Economists calculate that Canadian retailers paid out from $5 to $8 billion dollars to credit card companies last year.
In any other sector, that kind of spending affords a lot of market and negotiating clout, but not when it comes to credit cards. Whyte says his role is to keep applying pressure.
“We won’t quit and we won’t go away,” he says. On May 1, Whyte and the CRFA succeeded in winning a new dairy classification for mozzarella cheese to be used in fresh pizza making, which will help bring more fair pricing for foodservice operations, better in line for the lower prices paid by frozen pizza manufacturers. It took 15 years. “It’s never done until it’s done,” says Whyte, referring to agreements that needed to be signed by all provinces and territories. And still, it got done. / BJ
Stephanie Ortenzi (www.pistachiowriting. com) is a Toronto-based food marketing writer.
flavours are sorbets and they carry sugar-free raspberry and chocolate using Splenda.
Saccon sees a trend towards savoury in the Canadian market, and says PreGel is currently researching floral extracts to make flavours like candied lavender. When it comes to decorations, Hoffman finds that simple designs make it easier to keep products consistent, are easier to replicate, and stay looking good for days.
Gelato is a fun, sophisticated product with a lower fat content than ice cream (though neither option spares one the sugar). Hoffman seems to be having a blast in his new endeavor and confirmed that with some simple but true words about the world of ice cream Italian style: “It’s a lot of fun.” / BJ
A DIFFERENT KIND OF DAIRY
Got milk? The answer is yes, but not in its traditional form. In the eternal search for gastric nirvana, dairy is often one of the first food groups to go due to allergies, an inability to digest lactose, or the need to avoid dairy to follow a vegan lifestyle. When you put all of these reasons together, it adds up to a rapidly increasing demand for alternative milk products. Finding the right dairy substitute can be daunting, especially if you’re a baker relying on milk as a staple for your products.
All dairy dietary issues are not created equal. A milk allergy is defined as an immune response to one of the milk proteins. Lactose intolerance is caused by
not having enough lactase, which is an enzyme that aids in the digestion of lactose (a milk sugar). Since people tend to self-diagnose their various health and weight issues, milk becomes a common preliminary place for consumers to start making substitutions. The nation’s numbers are showing a decline in liquid milk consumption. In 1992, Canadians consumed an average 92.6 litres of milk according to Statistics Canada. By 2011, that number had dropped to 78.7 litres.
Most people are choosing plant-based milks as a substitute. Each one has its own unique flavour and character. Soymilk, made from soybeans, is most popular. Following in consumer recognition and consumption are almond milk, rice milk
and coconut milk, in that order. If a recipe calls for low-fat milk – such as cakes and scones – you can substitute a plant-based milk quite easily at the same ratio as indicated in the recipe. It’s sometimes suggested one avoid the coconut milkbased substitutes for baking because they are high in saturated fat (and they don’t always work well in cooking and baking), and hemp milk because the earthy hemp flavour can be strong and it can overpower your recipes.
“When it comes to making desserts like pudding, there are a couple things to remember,” advises chef John Csukor at KOR Food Innovation, who is the North American Almond Board’s resident almond
Continued on page 27
Almond has the second highest sales for alternative milk with a toasted, neutral flavouring, says chef John Csukor, a culinary expert on almond.
BY DIANE CHIASSON
SOCIAL MEDIA MUSTS
Here are five reasons social media is a must-do for your bakery
If you are an owner or operator of a bakery today, it is essential that you have some sort of social media presence. Whether you believe in it or not, it is now a standard part of every business’s marketing plan, with time, staff and a budget set aside for social media marketing. In a recent poll, nearly half of restaurant operators said social media was the main focus of their recent marketing campaigns.
You might think that having a website for your operation is enough, but the reality is that your customers are not checking your website daily for updates or news. However, social media users are checking their Facebook pages and Twitter feeds several times a day. So it’s important for your bakery to get in there!
}Your Facebook page is like a virtual comment card about your bakery, and the best place to find out about your customers’ needs and expectations.
Facebook now has over one billion users worldwide, which represents a lot of potential customers. Facebook is constantly creating new apps, programs and tools to help businesses promote themselves on its site. If your bakery is not on Facebook yet, you are missing out on huge opportunities to gain new customers. Here are a few reasons why.
1. EASY AND INEXPENSIVE
Getting aboard social media is pretty easy and doesn’t cost much money. Just follow the step-by-step guidelines provided by Facebook on how to create your own business page, and use the options provided to establish how little or how much you want to do with it. All you need is a computer and some time.
2. GREAT FOR SHARING CONTENT
Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram make it easy for you to share content immediately with a large group of people. As a bakery, using photographs and videos are the best ways to attract customers into your store. If you post tantalizing photos of your cupcakes,
cakes, pastries, sandwiches, breads and other products, the imprint of your photo will stay in the memories of your fans and followers, which will remind them to shop at your bakery the next time they need baked goods or are in your neighbourhood.
3. OFFERS FREE WORD-OF-MOUTH ADVERTISING
Social media also helps to generate a lot of free word-of mouth advertising. Once one of your fans or followers comments on your update or photo, everyone can see it. Each positive comment you receive is like a free testimonial to your operation. If you happen to receive a negative comment, you also have the opportunity to apologize and rectify the situation immediately before you lose the customer. Social media users are also more likely to recommend a brand that they follow on Facebook or Twitter.
4. GIVES THE ABILITY TO REACH OUT TO YOUR CUSTOMERS
Social media sites are the simplest and most effective ways to reach out to your customers. They are designed to offer you the ability to create highly personalized,
one-on-one and immediate interactions with your customers. From this, you can shape your customer relationship from becoming aware to being a passionate consumer of your bakery’s products. It is a great way to build customer loyalty and also to get feedback from your customers on how to improve your products and services.
5. TEACHES YOU A LOT ABOUT YOUR CUSTOMERS
Your Facebook page is like a virtual comment card about your bakery, and the best place to find out about your customers’ needs and expectations. Social media is also useful if you are considering developing a new product line or running a new promotion. You can use social media tools such as a Facebook survey or SurveyMonkey to conduct market research for you for free! In order to succeed in your business, you need to give your customers what they want, and the easiest way to find those answers is by getting aboard social media. / BJ
Diane Chiasson, FCSI, president of Chiasson Consultants Inc., has been helping restaurant, foodservice, hospitality and retail operators increase sales for more than 30 years. Contact her by e-mail at chiasson@ chiassonconsultants.com, or visit www. chiassonconsultants.com.
culinary expert. “First off, almond milk cannot be boiled or it will break when cooled. To make pudding recipes such as pastry cream, try adding an extra egg yolk or starch to your recipe and allow the almond milk to reach a low, gentle simmer.”
}It is a general guideline to not use milk when making cheesecake since it is made out of cheese, but for a non-dairy cheesecake, use dairy-free cream cheese, Csukor advises. From there, incorporate almond milk into the filling depending on the topping of choice.
be frothed; however, the foam may fade more quickly than some other dairy options. Rice and hemp milks tend not to foam as nicely as soymilk does either.
One-third of people are lactose intolerant, with many more voluntarily seeking out non-dairy options. Create some dairy-free offerings for your menu
Most people are choosing plant-based milks as a substitute. Each one has its own unique flavour and character. Soymilk, made from soybeans, is most popular.
and then promote them heavily . . . and make sure you milk it. / BJ
Michelle Brisebois is a marketing professional with experience in the food, pharmaceutical, financial services and wine industries. She specializes in retail brand strategies.
When making desserts such as icings and ganache, the ratio is 1:1 with no change in the process, but when specifically making chocolate ganache use almond milk as the dairy substitute.
“The chocolate taste is enhanced by the subtle rich toasted almond flavour,” he adds. “As for frozen desserts, almond milk is an excellent base for ice creams and gelato as it complements the spices without being overpowering.”
He also suggests “bakers try using blanched almonds that have been soaked and emulsified with water to add moisture to some of your baked goods, similar to when some bakers incorporate mayonnaise into their recipes.”
If you serve specialty coffees, some plant-based milks make more foam than others. Foam is what separates a cappuccino from a latte; while the foam-to-milk ratios can vary, it’s generally agreed that a cappuccino is mostly foam whereas a latte is mostly made up of milk. Air bubbles that are frothed into the milk and stay put create foam. It’s the protein in milk that keeps the bubbles in place. Glycerol, a substance found in milk fat, causes the bubbles to pop and fresh milk has less free glycerol than milk that’s been in the fridge a while, which is why fresh milk foams better. Soymilk is often the best option for specialty coffees requiring stable foam. The fat content of soymilk makes it easier to foam and coaxing it with a few drops of flavourless oil will help it develop.
Almond milk can be used in a variety of beverages. From a nutritional standpoint, almond milk has no cholesterol, less fat, and fewer calories and carbohydrates than some other richer, creamier options consumers may use. When it comes to making gourmet coffees, almond milk can
Nourishing an Industry with Quality and Innovation
For over 50 years L.V. Lomas has supplied ingredients and logistics services to the healthy food industry. We’ve learned to think the way our customers do to help keep their supply chains well fed. We’ve continuously expanded our offering of products from the world’s highest quality Principals. And we’ve folded into our mix such organizations as ISO and HACCP to verify our own quality standards.
When you make L.V. Lomas your partner, we make our success contingent upon yours.
Visit us at the 2013 IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo in Chicago July 14-16 at booth 3191
1900s Era Cookie Recipe Big Hit in St. Louis!
Dad’s Original Scotch Oatmeal cookies, an old fashioned crisp cookie, are still baked and sold in a building that opened in St. Louis, Missouri in 1912. The business, and its 1900s era oatmeal cookie recipe, has been in Dad’s President Ken Hastey’s family since 1938.
Dad’s produces eight varieties of cookies, but the oatmeal cookies account for 87percent of Dad’s production. Every baking shift starts off with at least 500 pounds of oatmeal. In addition to 300 wholesale accounts in the St. Louis area, Dad’s has a large corporate gift business and mail order business that ships nationally.
Customers can still buy cookies in bulk from the old glass and wood cases at Dad’s. A St. Louis tradition, Dad’s customers bring in their children to buy cookies at the same bakery their grandparents knew. Ken Hastey knows what creates that kind of loyalty: consistency in the taste of Dad’s oatmeal cookies. “We still use the original 1900 era recipe and keep our ingredients in line with what was available back then,” Ken relates. “Shortenings change, the way of processing oats changes, but the taste must remain the same.”
When Ken bought Dad’s from his uncle in 1988, he also received this advice: “Never use anything but International® B&V® Dry 16-to-1 for Dad’s oatmeal cookies. It’s the best product to use and don’t ever change.”
Let International Bakers Services keep your classic products consistent. Contact us toll-free at (800) 345-7175, by fax at (574) 287-7161, or in writing at 1902 North Sheridan Ave., South Bend, Indiana 46628. We have the flavors your customers deserve.
Highlights of this year’s Bakery Congress in Vancouver
CATCH UP ON CONGRESS
Bakery Congress touches down in Vancouver once every four years, and excitement on the west coast was running high as the festivities got underway early in May. Bakers had good reason to be smiling. The BAC hosted a great event, with no shortage of highlights to share with Bakers Journal readers.
Over 1,500 attendees walked among 125 exhibiting companies comprising of 170 booths, shared Gillian Blakey of the BAC. Craig Ponsford, proprietor of Ponsford’s Place in California, was the feature area special presenter in partnership with instructors and students of Vancouver Island University. Ponsford is a past chair of the Bread Bakers Guild of America and previous winner of Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie in Paris.
NOTABLE OBSERVATIONS
The thing that stuck out most at this show was a marked decrease in the presence of gluten-free products and booths when compared to the number of products on display at previous shows in the bakery and other foodservice industries. There was one dedicated gluten-free booth by our count, and three more that highlighted a gluten-free specific product in their show guide write-up. No definite conclusions can be drawn from this observation, but it is possible that gluten-free is separating into its own niche as more gluten-free events, shows and markets have been created. Ingredient and equipment companies had a dominant share of the show floor. Sustainable palm oil, sodium reduction and alternative sweeteners were on the lips of west coast bakers and exhibitors. Bakers Journal encountered a variety of sweeteners, from coconut sugar to agave syrup.
GOOD NEWS
Mark Lalond, chief of marketing programs for the Canadian Dairy Commission (CDC) presented information on a matching investment program available to the bakery industry. The program supports formulation and reformulation with dairy, matching 50/50 investment to a maximum of $150,000 per project. The CDC has $1 million for the program this year. Bakeries with fewer than 25 employees may still qualify. There is a surplus of skim milk powder in Canada, notes Lalond, so the CDC is keen on projects using this dairy product in particular.
There was more reason to celebrate as Lesaffre Group marked its 160th anniversary this year as a privately held company. The company’s products are sold in over 180 countries on five continents. Congratulations on 160 years in business.
Appreciating the bread art at the always intriguing Dawn booth.
NIFTY OR NEW
Here are some of the latest and/or neatest bakery solutions Bakers Journal learned about from Congress exhibitors:
Puratos: The company’s O-tentic durum line of bread components is designed to replicate the Atamura bread process. Puratos collected sourdough cultures from southern Italy. The product is meant to help bakers make bread that tastes like it took a long time in a short amount of time. The product is also clean label and boasts a high tolerance against overproof.
Richardson Oilseed: Shorten-It Puff is a new line of roll-in shortenings and margarines for croissants, doughnuts and puff pastry. Richardson worked with scratch-bakeries to develop the product over three years.
Pura Foods: This booth showcased a range of natural and flavoured organic agave syrups.
Krinos: The company was sampling its new Fillo Twisters and Mini Rolls for sweet or savoury applications. The product has zero trans fat, and no preservatives or additives.
Horizon Milling: This booth had three recent products to showcase. The new Oatmeal Cookie mix allows bakers to just add water while allowing for a variety of inclusions. Horizon’s Italian style flour is available with a high gluten structure, for example, a “00” flour, for pizza and flatbread applications. The new Fudgy Brownie Base just needs eggs and water and is clean label.
BakeWatch: The Breadometer looks to solve the problem of unevenly baked products. This patent-pending device uses baking software, one air sensor and five dough sensors with a single probe insertion.
Weston Bakeries: Congress was an opportunity for Weston to introduce its
All But Gluten range.
Innoseal Systems: The Innosealer Printer and Rewinder offers date code solutions for traceability,
Lallemand: The company showcased their innovations in yeast, with a special focus on vitamin D yeast, organic yeast, anti-mold yeast, clean label enzymes based dough conditioners and probiotics.
Sikat: This booth was generating buzz with banana flour, coconut flour
and coconut sugar.
V-Tech: The Veno oven was on display, featuring doors on both sides for easy product handling.
The BAC will host Bakery Showcase in Toronto from May 4 to 6, 2014. / BJ
Breadometer strives to fix uneven bread bake.
2013 FROZEN DOUGH GUIDE & DIRECTORY
BAKEMARK CANADA
2480 Viking Way, Richmond, BC V6V 1N2
Contact: Richmond: Debbie Fawcus 604-3031700 or 800-665-9441
Calgary: Lennie Lardeur 403-243-5493 or 800-661-1248; Edmonton: Chris Rossnagel 780-483-2831 or 800-363-8234; Toronto: Shawn Boodhram 905-829-9187 ext. 109 or 800-361-4998; Montreal: Nancy Beecraft 450-667-8888 or 800-361-0758
Products offered: Clean labelled and kosher dough conditioners for use in the production of frozen dough, par-baked and frozen baked goods. Deliveries: Supply bakers across most of Canada from key locations in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.
Major customers: Wholesale bakery manufacturers, independent bakeries, in-store bakeries, foodservice and the food industry. Assistance offered: Sales, marketing and technical expertise.
Company comments: BakeMark Canada offers a variety of frozen dough conditioners. We also supply pre-made and par-baked products for your baking ease and convenience. Contact your local branch for all your bakery ingredient needs.
BACKERHAUS VEIT LTD.
70 Whitmore Rd., Woodbridge, ON L4L 7Z4
Contact: Sandra L. Zanette, Director of Marketing & Business Development Tel: 905-850-9229 Fax: 905-850-9292 Website: www.backerhausveit.com
Products Offered: Artisan Breads, Rolls & Soft Bavarian Pretzels; Frozen par-baked or fully baked; Sliced or Unsliced; Prepackaged or Bulk; Branded, Private Label or Co-packing. Deliveries: Canada and the United States with local broker and distribution support.
Major customers: Retail In-Store Bakeries, Retail Deli & HMR; Foodservice, Multi-unit chains, Foodservice Commercial/Industrial Operators, Independent bakeries. Assistance offered: New product development, Technical support and Merchandising assistance can be provided to all our customers.
Company comments: Backerhaus Veit remains a true Craft Artisan Bakery offering European handcrafted quality breads, rolls and pretzels in a wide range of items that meet current market demands. Backerhaus Veit is a Food Safe company with a BRC Grade ‘A’ Rating and certified with WEConnect.
Products offered: Artisan breads and rolls, specialty bread and rolls including holiday items, grain bread and rolls, Hispanic products, focaccia, pizza dough balls, rye and pumpernickel bread, white bread and rolls including French and Italian breads, pan bread, dinner rolls, Kaiser rolls, long and round sandwich rolls, hamburger and hotdog rolls. Major Customers: Retail and In-Store Bakeries, Wholesale Bakeries, Foodservice, Foodservice Distributors
Company comments: Caravan Ingredients is a leader in food ingredients. We encompass over 100 years of experience delivering consistent quality to our customers. With a broad portfolio of ingredients including bread mixes, specialty bases, frozen dough, vitamin and mineral premixes, functional ingredients, emulsifiers & flour fortification, we serve a wide range of customer channels.
CRUST CRAFT
13211-146 St., Edmonton, AB T5L 4S8 website: www.crustcraft.com
Contact: Della Wheadon
Tel: 780-904-2533 Fax: 780-466-1347
Products offered: Frozen, flat and raised edge pizza crusts, par-baked and raw shells; premium gourmet burger and hot dog buns; unique sandwich breads.
Deliveries: Canada, via refrigerated truck or carrier.
Major customers: Foodservice distributors, retail chains, hotels, institutions, further pizza processors, independent restaurant operators. Assistance offered: In-house R&D lab services for new products, culinary and user support re: product orientation, storage, baking, handling, etc. Company comments: Crust Craft offers the finest pizza crusts and unique specialty breads, using quality ingredients and master workmanship.
Food Service.
Assistance offered: Technical support, and customized product development.
Company comments: Dawn Foods, a world leader in the manufacturing of bakery ingredients and finished bakery products offers a complete line of products to serve bakery customers.
Our three pillars of service:
We know. Our knowledge of the baking process and industry
We care. Our desire and commitment to our customers’ success
We can help. Our ability to bring products and ideas that help our customers sell
GOURMET BAKER INC.
Suite 502-4190, Lougheed Highway, Burnaby, BC V5C 6A8 website: www.gourmetbaker.com
Contact: David MacPhail, Senior Vice President and General Manager Tel: 604-298-2652 Fax: 604-296-1001
Products offered: Manufacturer and marketer of baked and unbaked desserts and breakfast pastries. Broad range of frozen bakery products including dessert bars and squares, un-iced sheetcakes, puff and Danish pastry, crumpets, croissants, cinnamon buns, round cakes, loaf cakes and slab cakes.
Deliveries: Throughout Canada and the United States. Minimum order 150 cases, shipped via frozen reefer truck through distributors. Major customers: In-store bakeries, retail bakeries, supermarket chains and the foodservice segment.
Assistance offered: Sales and product training is available from our sales network across Canada. Company comments: The Gourmet Baker brand is well recognized throughout Canadian in-store bakeries and the foodservice industry. Gourmet Baker has developed a reputation for delivery of high quality and value products as evidenced by its long-standing customer relationships. Through its extensive product offerings, the company provides customers with considerable choice and the convenience of one-stop shopping.
LENTIA ENTERPRISES LTD.
East Coast Office: 9 Tracey Blvd., Brampton, ON L6T 5V6
DAWN FOODS CANADA
75 Vickers Rd., Toronto, ON M9B 6B6 Tel: 416-233-5851 OR Customer Service 416-239-3571 or 1-866-277-3663 website: www.dawnfoods.com
Products offered: Dough Conditioners and Bread Bases ideal for frozen dough, par-baked and thaw’n sell bread products. Dawn offers a complete line of frozen bakery products you can trust. Developed for today’s bakery with ready to bake, freezer to oven and thaw’n sell varieties. Deliveries: North American Distribution.
Major customers: Craft Bakeries, In-Store Bakeries, Wholesale Bakery Manufacturers,
Contact: Al Criminsi, General Manager Tel: 905-789-9999 Fax: 905-789-0233 website: www.lentia.com
e-mail: al@lentia.com
Products offered: Lentia offers a wide variety of frozen food products for the wholesale market. Pre-proofed pure butter croissants and Danish in a wide assortment, pretzels and pretzel sticks, pre-sheeted pure butter puff pastry on a roll or in sheets, fruit purees for the pastry kitchen or the bar, and pastry dessert products such as charlotte strips. View our website at www.lentia.com for a full product viewing.
Deliveries: Throughout Canada.
Major customers: In-store and retail bakeries, major hotels, restaurants, caterers.
Assistance offered: Technical assistance available. Company comments: Lentia specializes in high quality pure butter products. Our pre-proofed croissants and Danish go straight from the freezer to the oven. Well located to service the entire Canadian market, Lentia carries a full line of specialty products and pastry items for the discerning palate.
OK FROZEN DOUGH
4145 Spallumcheen Pl., Armstrong, BC V0E 1B6
Contact: Bruce Glacier, Sales Manager
Tel: 250-546-0311
e-mail: bruce@okfrozendough.com
Website: www.okfrozendough.com
Products offered: Complete line of frozen bread and roll dough, including white,whole wheat, multigrains, ryes, sourdough, and other specialty items.
Deliveries: Snow Cap and other major bakery distributors in Western Canada. Customers Instore bakeries and food service suppliers. Company comments: OK Frozen Dough provides quality bakery products to complement any in-store bakery program. Through a network of the best ingredient suppliers, and on-time distribution, OK Frozen Dough is a trusted supplier to the grocery industry. Remember our moto: WE help YOU make DOUGH.
OLYMPIC WHOLESALE CO. LTD.
75 Green Ct., Ajax, ON L1S 6W9 Tel: 905-426-5188
website: www.olympicwholesale.ca
Products offered: Complete line of dry and frozen products for all your bakery needs including paper, cleaning supplies, cake decorating and frozen finished products. Suppliers of house brands: Olympic, Tasty, Bakers and our all natural Pure Foods Products line since 1936. A variety of spelt, organic, all natural and retail products are available.
Areas serviced: All of Ontario (some northern areas excluded) and Quebec.
Assistance offered: Technical support from all manufacturers as well as providing technical documentation upon request.
Company comments: Committed to Service Excellence.
Assistance offered: Technical and product development assistance. Custom design service. Designation: BRC, HACCP and Kosher Certified.
Company comments: Prime Pastries is a 100% Canadian owned company that is located in Concord, Ontario. We offer an infinite range of products either in the raw frozen, “proof and baked” and “thaw and serve” format. As a contract manufacturer, Prime Pastries is capable of adapting to your needs. We can manufacture according to your specifications for size, ingredients and packaging. Our products can be found in major supermarkets and foodservice outlets in Canada and USA.
READY BAKE FOODS INC.
2095 Meadowvale Blvd.
Mississauga, ON L5N 5N1
Contact: Brenda Williams, Sales Tel: 905-567-0660 ext. 4604
Products offered: Complete line of breads (frozen dough/pre-proofed/par-baked), rolls, sweet goods, donuts, cakes, pies and specialty items.
Deliveries: Throughout Canada from Ready Bake warehouses in Regina/Calgary/Vancouver/ Mississauga/Montreal.
Major customers: In-store bakeries and foodservice operations.
Assistance offered: On-site training in production, merchandising and bakery management. Regular follow-up by technical sales staff comprised of qualified bakers.
Company comments: Your success is the core of our business.
RICH PRODUCTS OF CANADA LTD.
149 Rowntree Dairy Rd.
Woodbridge ON, L4L6E1
Website: www.richscanada.ca
Contact: Kevin Spratt Tel: 1-905-945-7807
Products Offered: Rich’s has an extensive lineup of breads and rolls, including Roll Dough, Par-Baked Breads, and Fully Baked Breads. Rich’s also has an exceptional lineup of specialty flatbreads and a premium Gluten-Free offering. In addition, Rich’s offers: sweet goods, cookies, donuts, desserts, as well as a full spectrum of whipped toppings and icings & fillings.
Deliveries: National distribution through local and broadline distributors. Minimum orders vary across Canada.
No matter how you slice it,
Lallemand Bakers Yeast delivers nutrition in every loaf.
Lallemand is helping to restore the wholesome qualities of bread b offering a ers east that an signi antl ontribute to our bread’s nutritional value. Two slices of bread can be a delicious and nutritious part of an everyday diet.
Lallemand Bakers Yeast is a natural and proven source of essential minerals and vitamins, including Vitamin D. Make your bread a non forti ed and vegetarian source of Vitamin D with Lallemand Bakers Yeast. Have a slice today!
PIERRE GENDRON
Regional Sales Manager 254 Rue De Thebes, Laval, QC H7M 5P2 1-888-KWIK LOK (594) 5565 Cell: (514) 710-9364 • E-mail: pierreg@kwiklok.com
Heads can be removed or interchanged without tools in seconds
NSF & UL certified, Made in America
2-Year parts & labor warranty.
Heads can be washed in a sink or dishwasher.
High production rate - low maintenence
Easy to train and operate.
Model BMIH-36/18 Dough Divider
2-in-1 machine capability - 36 & 18-parts
1oz up to 8oz each piece scaling range.
Mounts to a Portable Stand for mobility (Optional) Divide many types of dough including sticky pie and cookie dough in addition to bread and bun doughs. Contact our Canadian Representative @ eric@bloemhof.com www.dutchessbakers.com - sales@dutchessbakers.com
Cakes to Dream On reveals the secrets to fashioning gorgeous and utterly distinctive cakes for all occasions - whether it’s an opulent marriage reception (the majestic Ivory Wedding Cake) or a fanciful children’s party (the whimsical Homage to Dr. Seuss). Colette Peters presents designs for cake architecture ranging from the imperial splendor of Dolce de Medici, to the elegant grace of Bride’s Vintage Cameo, to the topsy-turvy daydream of Mad Tea Party.
Colette begins with the foundations: she illuminates step by step the process of constructing a multitiered cake, from determining serving sizes and choosing appropriate cake pans to making fillings, and ultimately stacking layers so they don’t tumble off the table. Cakes to Dream On also discloses insider tricks of the trade: Colette’s easy-to-follow instructions in techniques such as sugarwork, gumpaste, brush embroidery, and piping will help readers recreate the spectacular effects of this singular confectioner’s toolbox.
Bakery For Sale in the B.C. roCky MountainS: Profitable business situated in a four season resort community. Price of $425,000 includes business, building, land, equipment, etc. See website for more details & pictures: www.bakeryforsale.ca or call 250-999-9875.
By Jane Dummer, r D
sour scIence
The art and science behind culinary’s coveted San Francisco sourdough bread
Irecently attended my first International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) conference. The fact that the host city was San Francisco made the conference extra special, since it’s one of my favourite culinary cities in the world. San Francisco is famously known for sourdough bread. I wanted to get the facts about this culinary claim to fame. At the conference, I learned this and other fascinating information while sampling many types of sourdough bread. The most interesting conference session was “San Francisco Sourdough: Is Our Iconic Bread a Myth?” The panellists were well chosen and very interesting: Dr. Dusty Dowse, Bread Biologist (I didn’t know there was such a title) from the University of Maine; Chad Robertson, author, baker/owner, Tartine Bakery (whom I interviewed the following day at his bakery for this column) and Steve Sullivan, Founder, Acme Bread Company.
}tour is that levain, or starter, is a mixture of wild yeast and a specific strain or strains of the Lactobacillus genus, a formula that dates back to the Egyptians more than 6,000 years ago. We can thank the Gold Rush for this culinary gold. The Boudin family used the levain, a favourite among the miners, with its traditional French bread recipe and established a bakery in 1849. Within a year, there were lineups each morning for a fresh baked loaf of sourdough French bread.
The folks at Boudin claim that they have kept the mother dough (or starter, or levain) alive for more than 150 years. The “mother dough” invariably took on distinct microflora characteristics as the Lactobacillus in the grain itself responded to the perfect local San Fran climate. This allowed some strains to become more dominant than others. This resulted in a particularly pleasing and tangy flavour that has made
The “mother dough” invariably took on distinct microflora characteristics as the lactobacillus in the grain itself responded to the perfect local san Fran climate.
Sourdough bread, comprises mainly yeast and lactic acid bacteria, has been around since the 1840s Gold Rush in San Francisco, where it all began.
ing other bakers about the techniques leading to the beautiful dark bake.
Let’s start with a bit of sourdough science. Sourdough is characterized by a complex microbial ecosystem, mainly represented by lactic acid bacteria and yeasts, whose fermentation gives the resulting bread its characteristic features including taste, aroma and palatability. The microbial composition of sourdough depends on the ecosystem and is relevant in determining the final bake.
San Francisco sourdough style was born during the Gold Rush in the 1840s. Gold was discovered in 1848 and in one year San Francisco’s population swelled to 20,000. The story portrays bakers not having access to fresh supplies of yeast and thus having to rely on a natural, San Francisco levain. I heard the term “levain” was often interchanged with the term sourdough “starter” when I was in San Francisco. The definition I received during the Boudin Sourdough Museum
San Francisco sourdough bread renowned. Today the Boudin mother dough is stored in a refrigerator-retarded vault to allow the Lactobacillus strains to ferment the dough. Bakers remove a portion of the starter each day for the bread being baked. They replenish the remaining mother dough supply with flour and water, which “feeds” the starter.
The lineups at Tartine Bakery in San Francisco’s Mission District are the talk of the culinary scene today. Chad Robertson and his wife Elisabeth Prueitt are co-owners of the bakery. Using art and science, Robertson developed his unique bread over two decades of apprenticeship with the finest artisan bakers in France and the United States, as well as experimentation in his own ovens. When Robertson was first crafting his sourdough breads in the 1990s and selling them at local markets in California, people thought the bread was burnt. This is called the “dark bake,” an art Robertson has perfected. At first, people asked him why he was creating it that way and now Robertson is world famous for instruct-
I met Robertson at the bakery around 5 p.m. on my second last day in San Francisco. When I arrived he was working on his third book, Tartine Bread Three. The bakery was very busy and was in the process of making the infamous dark bake sourdough loaves: “fresh bread for dinner, toast for breakfast.” Robertson explains: “The dark bake is a result of the carmelization of the sugars. The sugars are broken down by the fermentation process during the long rise before the loaves hit the heat of the oven.”
The bread smelled amazing, tasted delicious and the texture is what I found unique and very appealing. It has a distinct “chew,” not a Montreal bagel or pretzel chew, but less and this mouthfeel is unlike any other food experience I have had. When I asked what he was experimenting with, Robertson says, “I have been using a variety of sprouted grains and they are working very well with the sourdough recipe.”
Although bakers from around the globe have tried to duplicate the tangy San Francisco sourdough, their atmospheric conditions are not the same. Their local ecosystem produces an entirely different flavour, which is why many people (including me) agree that San Francisco sourdough is the best. / BJ
Jane Dummer, RD, is a leading dietitian for the Canadian food and nutrition industry. Jane offers services specializing in agri-food, functional foods and food safety. For more information, visit www.janedummer.com.
Parking!
INTERNATIONAL CENTRE
TORONTO (MISSISSAUGA), ON CANADA
Canada’s National
Baking
Trade Show and Convention Event
• Join 4,250 industry professionals including bakers (retail, wholesale, commercial), grocery and foodservice outlets
• Visit the trade show - over 200 companies in 100,000 sq.ft. showcasing ingredients, equipment, services, technology and baked goods (fresh, proof & bake, par-baked, freezer-tooven, thaw & serve)
• Learn at the informative seminars and workshops
• Located in the Toronto area, the facility is easily accessible by public transportation (Mississauga Transit & GO Trains), major highways, 5 minutes from the Toronto International Airport and provides plenty of free parking
• NEW Show Features
Held every other year, it is the only baking specific event produced in Canada
Contact us for more information:
7895 Tranmere Dr., Ste 202, Mississauga, ON L5S 1V9
Tel: 905-405-0288 / 1-888-674-2253 (BAKE)
Fax: 905-405-0993
E-Mail: info@baking.ca www.baking.ca
Good listeners make good business partners.
As a Dawn customer, you’ll have our undivided attention. We know there are never enough hours in the day. So we won’t waste a minute of yours. We’ll listen carefully to you and bring you our insights, solutions and resources to help you grow your business. We’re committed to helping you succeed. After all, we’re in this together. Contact Dawn at 1-866-277-3663 or e-mail us at dawncanadacs@dawnfoods.com or online at dawnfoods.com
