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Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana
known for
biscotti. Karen Barr looks at the international history of cookies and their evolution as a gourmet treat.
read more about these popular, handheld
BY NAOMI SZEBEN
October 2021 marked the second pandemic-limited gathering, and although the picture is much more encouraging compared to 2020, many people again looked over a laden table to see empty chairs. Bakeries have been working overtime to find ways to provide comfort foods, and it is now common for customers to place preholiday orders for treats to be delivered to loved ones living in other parts of the country.
Bakers understand sentiment and know how nostalgia and emotion are tied to favourite foods. Flavour and fragrance are tied so closely to memory that a whiff of a certain baked good can recall a time and place for the person eating it. November is a busy time, with bakers taking orders for Christmas yule logs, Chanukah treats and holiday baking in general. The added pressure of trying to live up to their clients’ memories doesn’t do much to ease their seasonal stress, either.
However, despite time constraints, holiday stress, the threat of COVID variants, the stress of b, bakers continue to deliver happiness, in part by embracing online orders to meet clients’ expectations and understanding that websites are crucial to sales, promotions and communicating with clients.
And bakers have generous souls. Chefs like Rodney Alleguede, take food to heart: it’s the easiest and fastest way to put a smile on someone’s face. You don’t have to be a chef or a baker to know that food makes people smile, and it doesn’t have to be particularly fancy to tug at heartstrings. Chef Alleguede is concerned about hungry Canadians and he’s more than doing his part with food and financial donations. This year, the National Cookie Exchange aims to bring bakers and cookie lovers across Canada together. In this issue, you’ll hear from Alleguede, who contributed his famous biscotti recipe towards this charity to raise funds for the National Food Bank.
}NOVEMBER 2021 | VOL. 81, NO. 9
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Chefs like Rodney Alleguede take food to heart: it’s the easiest and fastest way to put a smile on someone’s face. You don’t have to be a chef or a baker to know that food makes people smile, and it doesn’t have to be particularly fancy to tug at heartstrings.
This year, the Jake the Baker Inspirational Bakery of the Year contest is looking for Canadian bakeries that have done something special with food or charities or that demonstrate a form of ingenuity online or through their baking. Founding sponsor Ardent Mills particularly wants to hear how bakeries have levelled up their website, the way they reach out to clients, how they manage their social media account. The Inspirational Bakery of the Year contest is for the baker or bakery owner who survived the pandemic with their shop and staff intact, and for bakers who reached out to their community in a special way.
Every baker has at least one story that’s worth telling. If you’ve ever donated to a food bank or reached out to share cookies with someone in need, Founding Sponsor Ardent Mills wants to hear your inspirational story. If you want to tell us why you went into baking in the first place or how you found the funds to get started, Bakers Journal would love to hear your story, too.
Sit down with a pen and paper and take warmth in your story on a cold winter night. Take the time to luxuriate in your memories, the good and the bad, and tell us how you overcame a tough time. How did you use curbside pickup in the last year? What improvements did you make to your website? What is your bakery’s most popular item? Share your bakery’s origin story with Bakers Journal, and Ardent Mills. The winner gets a cover story in Bakers Journal and free trip to the Bakery Showcase in Toronto April 10-11, 2022 (see more on Showcase page 7). Check out the website for the full contest details at www.jakethebaker.com! Wishing all entrants the best of luck and everyone a happy and healthy November. / BJ
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Your bakery could be on the front page of Canada’s national baking industry magazine!
Tell Bakers Journal how you innovate, what you do differently from other bakers, and what makes your treats so very delicious. How does your bakery do business from day to day? Share your story for a chance to win.
• Front page story, full feature about their bakery
• Travel and hotel to Bakery Showcase 2022*
*See contest details at www.jakethebaker.com
• A video spotlight feature aired online about the bakery and its baker(s)
briefly | Cargill invests in microbiome research; Electrolux partners with Chef Alain Ducasse; Bundy Baking Solutions expands | for more news in the baking world, check out our website, www.bakersjournal.com
The Baking Association of Canada is pleased to confirm the appointment of executive director/general manager.
Martin Barnett has a been immersed in the Canadian baking industry since 1977. Formerly running medium-size wholesale and retail bakeries in Victoria, B.C., Martin transitioned to work for the Fairmont Empress Hotel while studying for his Instructors Diploma. He joined Vancouver Island University in 2002 and became chair of the Professional Baking and Pastry Arts program as well as sitting on the University Senate.
After retiring from VIU in 2018, Martin launched Seraphina’s Oven, a small artisan baking, training and consulting business.
He has been involved with the Baking Association of Canada both provincially and nationally since 2005 and as a director since 2012.
In July 2021 the BAC went through a restructuring of its administration due to COVID challenges and Martin took over as acting general manager.
He sees a unique opportunity to press the reset button for the association and brings his skills as an energetic and inclusive facilitator to enhance the Association’s work in advocacy, education, and membership engagement.
Martin is looking forward to working with the baking industry and helping the BAC relaunch in the post pandemic world, while embracing the association’s mission statement:
“To empower our members in providing nutritious and delicious baked goods to consumers in Canada and around the world through leading public policy, knowledge transfer and networking.”
The Baking Association of Canada is delighted to announce the hiring of Pierrette Buklis as Director of Food and Nutrition Policy.
Pierrette joins the Association with over 30 years’ experience in public policy, advocacy, government relations and nutrition education.
She has demonstrated talents for speaking, writing, persuading and strategic thinking and a history of making science accessible and applicable to public policy, business objectives and personal goals. She is a registered dietitian with a passion for people, and for finding and sharing food, nutrition and health insights. She has a goal of making the biggest possible improvements in health via food for as many people as possible.
Pierrette has provided health leadership, science-based insights, and nutrition guidance to major food producers in Canada, in collaboration with marketing, regulatory, research and development and legal teams as well as building relationships with national health authorities, researchers and educational institutions, to open channels for communication and collaborative work.
Martin Barnett, executive director/general manager, speaks on behalf of the board of directors: “Pierrette brings decades of experience in the technical, nutrition and food advocacy field. We feel confident that Pierrette will represent all members, and by extension the Canadian baking industry, on all aspects of technical and nutrition policy matters.”
Cargill announced a significant investment in Seventure Partners’ Health for Life Capital II fund. The investment marks the company’s latest effort to harness its deep expertise and knowledge in nutrition, and digestive health with cutting-edge companies to bring next generation ingredient solutions to its customers.
Seventure Partners is a venture capital firm, actively funding innovative companies within the two evolving fields of digital technologies and life sciences. Its Health for Life Capital II fund supports the microbiome revolution in the areas of health and nutrition.
Cargill, who joins a network of other strategic investors in the fund including Danone, Novartis, and Lesaffre, will serve as a limited partner with a member appointed to the fund’s Advisory Investment Committee.
“Microbiome innovations are now impacting many industries such as food, pharma, healthcare, retail, agriculture and animal feed and health, providing great opportunities for growth. In addition to the classic financial investors, our funds also include strategic corporate investors. I am delighted to start this collaboration with Cargill. Cargill joining our fund will accelerate our mission to transform fascinating science into great products, improving people’s lives,” said Isabelle De Cremoux, CEO and Managing Partner of Seventure in a press release.
As part of the agreement, de Cremoux will join four other experts on an internal Cargill advisory board tasked with providing strategic guidance and insight as Cargill continues to grow its health technologies portfolio.
The advisory board includes Dr. Bruce German, a professor at UC Davis and co-founder of a startup focused on infant nutrition; Dr. Mary Ellen Sanders, the founding president of the International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics; and Scott Bush, a probiotics commercial leader with some 30 years’ experience.
Electrolux Professional, provider of food and beverage services for professionals, announced a long-term partnership agreement with École Ducasse-Paris Campus, the new culinary and pastry arts school, founded by Chef Alain Ducasse.
The exclusive partnership with École Ducasse – Paris Campus is the result of an established relationship with Ducasse restaurant who has demonstrated commitment to Electrolux Professional’s kitchen solutions and has long been a supporter of the iconic Molteni stove, installed in prestigious projects across the globe such as the electric boat-restaurant Ducasse sur Seine, Alain Ducasse at Morpheus, Macau, Esterre at Palace Hotel Tokyo and Beige in Tokyo.
“It’s also a great opportunity for Electrolux Professional to demonstrate our ability as a full solution provider with a high-performing and premium kitchen offering. With this exclusive partnership, we can promote our OnE brand desirability that unlocks major future business potential”, added Esther Staskiewicz, vice president global marketing, Electrolux Professional in a press release.
A natural continuation of the cooperation is with the new flagship campusÉcole Ducasse in Paris. Since its foundation in 1999, École Ducasse has become an internationally renowned actor of teaching culinary and pastry arts, driven by the vision and energy of the iconic chef Alain Ducasse. Today École Ducasse is part of Sommet Education, the hospitality management and culinary arts education group.
The new flagship campus of École Ducasse in Paris-Meudon, France, occupies a purpose-built, 5,000 square meter facility, set to become the global standard for training in culinary and pastry arts equipped with state-of-the-art Electrolux Professional kitchen equipment, including several Molteni stoves and rotisseries and thermaline cooking range.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released guidance intended to provide measurable voluntary 2.5-year goals for sodium content in commercially processed, packaged and prepared foods in a move to reduce excess population sodium intake, while recognizing and supporting the important roles sodium plays in food technology and food safety.
The goals target mean and upper bound concentrations for sodium in commercially processed, packaged, and prepared foods.
Among other guidance, the document, entitled “Voluntary Sodium Reduction Goals: Target Mean and Upper Bound Concentrations for Sodium in Commercially Processed, Packaged, and Prepared Foods: Guidance for Industry,” includes sodium intake and recommendations:
“Currently, the average sodium intake for Americans 2 years and older is approximately 3,400 milligrams per day (mg/day) (Refs. 3, 18). The recommendations of scientific groups that are charged with examining the totality of the evidence, including scientific bodies, qualified experts and governments around the world, support limiting sodium intake to about 2,300 mg/day (Refs. 3, 4, 21-24). Ninety-six countries have implemented a national strategy for sodium reduction (Ref. 25). A systematic review evaluating the effects of sodium reduction in high-income countries found no evidence of adverse effects from initiatives to reduce sodium intake (Ref. 26).”
This guidance supports the goal of reducing sodium intake as recommended by scientific consensus groups, by focusing on short-term reduction to 3,000 mg/day as a gradual approach to sodium reduction in the food supply. The guidance reflects the broad consensus among experts regarding the direct relationship between sodium and blood pressure, as well as the relationship between blood pressure and cardiovascular disease events (Ref. 4). With average sodium intake in the U.S. over 3,400 mg/day, there is considerable work to do to reduce intake to the recommended limit of 2,300 mg/day in order to reduce the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Thus, the overall goal of this guidance is to support reduction of average sodium intake to 3,000 mg/day as we continue the dialogue on sodium reduction.
“Although we recognize that a reduction to 3,000 mg/day still would be higher than the recommended sodium limit of 2,300 mg/day, the 2.5-year goals are intended to balance the need for broad and gradual reductions in sodium and what is publicly known about technical and market constraints on sodium reduction and reformulation,” the document says.
It continues: “FDA recognizes the important role of sodium in food for microbial safety, stability, and other functions. FDA’s approach to establishing these voluntary, short-term goals is grounded in research, review, and expert consultation . . . . The goals are intended to provide both FDA and the food industry with a common system for defining and measuring progress in reducing sodium. The goals are intended to complement existing efforts by food manufacturers, restaurants, and food service operations to achieve sodium reduction.”
The recommendations may be found on the FDA website.
Bakery Showcase 2022 is set for April 10-11, 2022. The industry trade show features an exciting lineup of inspirational speakers, education sessions, competitions and demonstrations, including:
As competitors assemble for our Student Cake Decorating Competition, Bakers Journal and founding sponsor Ardent Mills will announce the Jake the Baker Inspirational Bakery of the Year!
Justine Martin will share the inspiring story of how she built on her strengths –creativity, flexibility and communication skills – to build a thriving business, Guilty Pleasures Bakery + Catering. Learn how acting on the right opportunity at the right time can mean successfully scaling up.
Mahathi Mundluru, a contestant on the Great Canadian Baking Show will share why she entered the competition, what it’s like to bake under pressure under the tent and details of her specialties.
Check the schedule at baking.ca often for updates and register now!
From the latest in baking ingredients, to the newest continuous mixer, Bakers Journal keeps you “in the know.” FOR MORE on new products for the baking industry, www.bakersjournal.com
A new sanitary Model RCM-60X20-SS Rotary Continuous Mixer from Munson Machinery blends primary bulk ingredients, minor ingredients and/or liquid additions uniformly in one to two minutes residence time (average), at low cost per volume of material blended.
Unlike mixers that force agitators through stationary material, the Rotary Continuous Mixer design employs a 6 m long by 152 cm diameter rotating cylinder with internal mixing flights that impart a gentle tumbling action, distributing particles with each degree of drum rotation with no shear or heat generation, eliminating or minimizing degradation.
A 22 kW gear-reduced motor rotates the mixing drum at slow speeds on external trunnion rollers, minimizing energy consumption and eliminating the need for shaft seals.
All-stainless construction, smooth interior surfaces, the lack of shaft seals and unobstructed interior access, allow rapid sanitizing and inspection of all material contact surfaces.
Other models range in diameter from 41 to 183 cm, and in length from 122 to 732 cm. Typical applications include bulk foods such as cereals, and snack foods.
AKFP has launched its Organic Native Tapioca Starch, adding a versatile, clean-label ingredient to its portfolio of specialized cassava-based and organic products.
Derived from the root of the cassava plant, this native, not modified, starch is certified gluten-free, and is paleo and vegan friendly. This unique starch is also grain-free, nut-free and non-GMO verified, making it an essential addition to the food developer’s better-for-you and clean-label toolbox.
Says AKFP COO Mel Festejo, “We have invested many years in developing specialized, high quality, gluten-free, cassava-based ingredients that have unique characteristics and are better-foryou. Now we are expanding into organic cassava or tapioca ingredients, as we have found that consumers seeking the benefits of cassava ingredients often prefer organic ingredients as well. So, this native tapioca starch is a natural extension to our line of gluten-free starches and flours.”
AKFP’s Organic Native Tapioca Starch is effective as a thickener, filler, binder and stabilizer in baked goods, extruded snacks, frozen foods, dry mixes, soups, sauces, gravies and other products.
It is a natural ingredient made in facilities that process only tapioca, or cassava, products without chemicals.
AKFP assures that its ingredients meet high levels of quality and food safety demanded by the food industry.
The baking industry experienced a huge spike during the pandemic for consumers who were interested in both comfort foods and healthy eating, and now, the food industry wants to know where these trends are headed. This finding was among observations made during an online webinar hosted by The Puratos Group in September featuring experts in the fields of baking and confectionery.
Rollo McIntyre – Global head of Innovation Ipsos, revealed where consumer interest lay, and revealed the results of its Taste Tomorrow study. Aside from the usual concerns about fat and sugar, the numbers revealed a new trend: tailormade foods.
What does “tailor-made food” refer to? It’s a food that is adapted to personal nutritional needs and lifestyle. It is increasingly common as 63 per cent of consumers surveyed professed an interest in this development.
}“Consumers perceive grains and seeds, as power ingredients which add value both in terms of taste and health taste as nutritional aspects of food.”
McIntyre explained: “Consumers are taking more time to investigate what they buy. Some ingredients in bakery products add more to taste and healthiness than others, with some even adding value on both – which we will call ‘power ingredients’ – for alternative ingredients like flowers, and sweetness. However, consumers understand that health cannot be bought, but must also be nurtured, if one is to thrive.
“They genuinely consider one of two routes: 60 per cent of all consumers prefer an original recipe but take a smaller portion. This is the most frequently chosen route, in Canada and the U.S. at 58 per cent. The other half of our respondents would rather choose an alternative option then compromise on how frequently they eat.”
As healthier food continues to evolve, consumers are now more aware of the
negative effects of too much sugar or fatty ingredients like margarine, cream fillings and butter. And this is where the majority of consumers focus their attention with the vast majority believing that reducing these will contribute to better health.
McIntyre found that the three most searched for items on packaging’s nutrition table are: sugar content (45 per cent) the number of calories (47 per cent) and fat (36 per cent.) So, clients know what they don’t want: What is it that bakery clients do want? Consumers perceive grains and seeds, as “power ingredients.”
According to nearly seven out of 10 consumers globally, power ingredients like nuts and whole grains contribute to both taste and health perception, which can win over clients. McIntyre said 79 per cent of consumers globally rank this as the top contributor to taste and health aspects for bread. “Fresh fruits, nuts and dried fruits
have been identified as power ingredients globally, and adding these ingredients into a more indulgent bakery product will improve the nutritional profile.”
“Whole grain, whole meal and, to a lesser extent, fibre also have a healthy consumer perception according to eight out of 10 consumers, but they are still somewhat lower when it comes to the contribute contribution towards taste in bread,” McIntyre explained.
“The least healthy perceived ingredients are sugar and fatty products such as sugar and cream fillings, and butter. Search activities indicate that consumers perceive some sugar substitutes as healthier, although that’s not always true following science.” In short, stevia or fruit-based sugar alternatives are a great way to reduce your bakery’s sugar intake, and offering a potentially healthy luxury product – like raisin-filled pastry, as demonstrated in the October 2020 webinar, “The Business of Baking with Raisins” – can bridge the gap between healthy and indulgent.
One of the most famous cookies of all time is the chocolate chip cookie. Back in the 1930s Ruth Wakefield, who operated the Toll House Restaurant in Massachusetts, ran out of the nuts she needed to bake cookies for ice cream sandwiches. In a hurry she reached for a block of chocolate and cut it
into pieces instead.
It’s not surprising that at Vancouver Best Cookies co-owner Leo Ang names the Traditional Chocolate Chip Cookie as one of the top three selections on the menu. The other two are the Nutella Stuffed and Brigadeiro Chocolate Truffle.
For those who haven’t heard of Brigadeiros, they are a Brazilian sweet that is like a chocolate truffle, with less prep
and zero tempering. “We make our Brigadeiro from scratch by cooking condensed milk, cocoa powder and butter. Once it starts to get thick, we make small chocolate truffle balls and add chocolate sprinkles. Then, we either stuff or top up our cookies with them.”
“Our production process is very simple,” Ang says. “We make cookies the old-fashioned way, by using only real butter, good quality chocolate
and pure vanilla essence. We also mix in granulated and brown sugars, along with our unique ratio of eggs and yolks, when making the dough.”
Each cookie is then hand scooped and baked at 350 F for 12 minutes precisely. “Our customers like cookies that are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside,” he explains.
The company also carries a line of gluten-free cookies including chocolate chip,
Biscotti is a popular choice for dunking in coffee or sweet wine. With a long shelf life, it promises to make a great gift for those searching for a last-minute present.
shortbread and double chocolate. The Ultimate Gluten Free Healthy Cookie is made with natural peanut butter, whole-grain oats, cinnamon and chopped organic dates.
Cookies can be bought online in a pack of 12, as a one-time purchase or as a subscription. There are assorted cookie boxes for customers who just can’t decide, or a Flavour of the Month pack to sample the latest creations.
“Most of our clients are people looking for gifts to be delivered to their loved ones, within 40 kilometres of downtown Vancouver,” Leo says. “We also cater to corporate clients who are looking for cookies to give to their clients or employees.”
Corporate orders come from places like the Vancouver General Hospital, the Hallmark Channel, and even the fashion forward like Christian Dior and Kate Spade.
For tastes that are more traditionally Italian, try Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana, also known as the hipper PGI, in Ottawa’s Little Italy. Pastry chef and co-owner Joe Calabro is known throughout the Capital Region for his biscotti. In Italy, the name “biscotti” refers to any kind of biscuit or cookie collectively, whereas North Americans refer to it as the twice-baked cousin of the cantuccini.
Of all the biscotti varieties at PGI, Calabro says, “vanillaalmond are really the most popular. They are a classic.” Then, he adds, “When you dip biscotti in coffee, they take on a different flavour.”
Other individual varieties sold include chocolate-almond, chocolate-Nutella, cranberrypistachio and chocolate-chili. Often customers come into PGI to enjoy a scoop or two of the many varieties of gelato. Biscotti is always an easy upsell, as it adds a bit of crunch.
Smaller-sized biscotti are arranged in packages to take away and include more than a dozen types. Flavours include anise, orange, ginger, caramel, espresso, cranberry and apricot. For nut lovers there’s pistachio, almond, hazelnut, pecan or walnut.
Amaretti are an Italian creation first made by monks in the 8th century. Unleavened and flourless, these cookies relied on almond paste for an intense nutty taste. When Italian bride
}In medieval times, the cantuccini contained almonds but was baked without leavening, butter or oil. This made the cookie extremely hard, yet able to keep for long stretches of time. It is rumoured that Christopher Columbus packed these cookies up for long ocean voyages with his crew.
Calabro says that in home baking, olive oil is often used to make biscotti, but he likes the taste and softness that butter gives the cookie’s crumb.
popular, as are the hazelnut and classic vanilla.
Another variation on amaretti is the pasticetti cookie. It is piped into a teardrop with a rosette and topped with a cherry. “I add bitter almond oil to intensify the flavour and food colouring in either red or green. These are cookies for special occasions, especially Italian weddings.”
Florentines are another classic cookie on the menu, but
“In Italy, the name “biscotti” refers to any kind of biscuit or cookie collectively, whereas North Americans refer to it as the twice-baked cousin of the cantuccini.”
Catherine de Medici married King Henry II of France, she brought her pastry chefs with her. They experimented by replacing almond paste with ground almonds and the French macaron was born.
Calabro makes both amaretti and macarons. “I bake the amaretti until crispy, not chewy, and then add an almond on top.”
Calabro streamlined his menu eliminated the breakfast and lunch service this fall, streamlined his menu and brought back the much-loved macaron. Fruit varieties include berry creations like raspberry and strawberry, as well as tropical flavours such as mango and banana. The coffee macarons are also
these have a more generous bite. The thicker consistency is in the makeup. “I use four-inch tart shells that I prep with oil and butter. This is important, otherwise the cookies may crack,” he explains.” Then, I scoop the batter in. This way the florentines always come out the same shape and size. I don’t have to cut them.”
The batter contains almonds, butter and milk. Sometimes he will add mixed fruit consisting of lemon and orange peel, as well as cherries. One side of the florentine is always dipped in dark chocolate.
Butter cookies are in the store all year, but are especially popular during the Christmas season, bringing in
flavours like vanilla, chocolate, gianduja, pistachio, hazelnut and almond. All are piped and garnished in some way, with sugar or with dark or white chocolate.
Sugar cookies are made using a sublime cookie dough and piped with sweet royal icing, fulfilling childhood dreams and adult nostalgia, decorated with red Canadian maple leaves or spring flowers. Contemporary themes speak to the times we live in, such as heart-emblazed teddy bears wearing face masks. For Christmas look for Santa Claus and Christmas trees. In the late fall Calabro plans to set up an online store, just in time for Christmas, so Canadians across the country can indulge in his cookie creations.
Cookies provide a sweet treat and a chance to unwind in a quiet moment. So delicious are these sweet bites, that it’s hard to eat only one. / BJ
The author dedicates this article to the memory of her late grandfather, Norman Colbourne (1926-2021.) “This one is for you, Gramps!” Karen Barr writes about arts, culture and cuisine. She is a graduate of George Brown College and a Red Seal pastry chef.
Eggs are a key foodstuff and ingredient. While shell-on eggs account for the bulk of this consumption, processed egg products represent 31 per cent of the market. Processed egg products can take several forms but the most common is liquid egg.
Overall consumer demand for eggs has risen steadily over the decade and North Americans increasingly want the reassurance of home-produced eggs. One reason is the recognized high production standards and food safety assurances. That quality and reassurance is also sought by the buyers of processed egg products.
Not only does this place specific requirements on the raw materials used by egg processors, but it also means that the equipment used must be of the highest quality, delivering reliable results time after time.
Eggs contain a complex mixture of white and yolk, each with different processing requirements.
}It is important to use fresh, clean and sanitized eggs, and to chill and filter them immediately after breaking.
Fresh eggs have a thick, white and upstanding yolk. Over time, the white thins and the yolk spreads and enlarges as water passes through the membrane from the white into the yolk, weakening it. Because of this, eggs are refrigerated and processed quickly, usually within a week.
Liquid egg is a very delicate product as the proteins in egg are more sensitive to heat than other products, such as milk or juices. This is due to the fact that the white and yolk are distinct components with different compositions and behaviours. When mixed, they interact mutually – for example, egg white is denatured at 136 F while yolk is denatured at 149 F. These low temperatures also make it hard to aseptically process natural liquid egg products; the eggs are frequently cooked before the required time and temperature minimums are achieved.
There may be a several reasons to process eggs, including convenience and to extend shelf life or as part of other food processing and manufacturing operations. The main reason to pasteurize egg products is food safety, but other reasons include ease of use, improved hygiene and product uniformity. Depending on the exact combination of treatment time and temperature used, it is possible to produce a shelf life of up to 16 weeks for refrigerated liquid egg products.
Irrespective of the treatment method used, it is important to use fresh, clean and sanitized eggs, and to chill and filter them immediately after breaking. The contents of an egg are essentially sterile until broken, so one of the aims of processing is to reduce or eliminate any bacteria or contamination that may be introduced once the egg is cracked. Liquid
whole egg and yolk should be held at or below 39 F, and egg whites below 44 F. Yolk and whole egg products are generally pasteurized in their liquid form, while liquid egg white may be pasteurized when sold as a liquid or frozen product. In contrast, dehydrated egg yolk (with the glucose removed) is normally pasteurized by holding containers in a large chamber over several days.
For most liquid egg products, pasteurization using heat exchangers remains the main form of heat treatment. Various time and temperature regimes are used to pasteurize eggs depending on the product, which could be whole egg; separated egg (whites or yolks); or a treated product, like salted yolk. Each type of product presents a different challenge in terms of viscosity, and products with added salt also introduce a higher likelihood of equipment degradation or corrosion.
Pasteurization can have a number of unwanted effects, including gel formation
There can be many reasons to process liquid egg, including convenience and improved shelf life
thermal pasteurization can decrease protein content, change physical characteristics such as texture and colour, and increase product viscosity. Choosing the right pasteurization regime and equipment is therefore vital to minimize and prevent such unwanted effects.
In the past, many processors have used plate heat exchangers to pasteurize egg products, but these allow product to coagulate on the plate surface, fouling the heat exchanger so that frequent cleaning-in-place (CIP) is required to maintain operational efficiency. This adds time, energy and cost to the processing and also reduces overall capacity.
Tubular heat exchangers overcome some of these problems (for example, the larger diameter helps the product to run through the heat exchanger more easily) but there can be issues around heat transfer efficiency and the necessary size of the exchanger to achieve effective pasteurization.
Scan Code to Buy Book and softening of the yolk, or irreversible denaturation of the proteins and changes to the appearance. If not handled correctly,
Fortunately, all of these issues can be overcome with the use of corrugated tube technology as employed by HRS, which uses turbulent flow to reduce fouling. Because a corrugated tube has an increased heat transfer rate compared to a smooth tube of the same length, the heat exchanger can be made smaller.
It is also important that the equipment chosen allow regular inspection and suitable CIP. Not only do HRS corrugated tube heat exchangers facilitate this, but because their design helps to prevent fouling in the first place, they also reduce downtime. Therefore, the operational run times between cleaning cycles are generally much longer with corrugated tubes than with smooth ones, further increasing the overall efficiency of the process. / BJ
Matt Hale is the sales and marketing director for HRS Heat Exchangers.
The main goal of Advanced Baking and Pastry is to present the right balance of topics and depth of coverage, encompassing items produced in the bakeshop, including breads, Viennoiserie, creams, pies, tarts, cakes, and decorative work in a professional manner that is easily approachable for the advanced baking and pastry student and professional.
This is accomplished by providing theoretical information along with tested recipes, detailed step-by-step procedures, and additional online support material. This approach to learning builds the student’s confidence and skills, as well as an increased understanding of the material.
$162.95 Item #1118485750
It’s been a busy few months at the Baking Association. As you know we transitioned from having a central office in Toronto and have made some wonderful connections with financial and media services to help us administer those pieces of our organization.
On the big picture we continue to collaborate with Food and Beverage Canada and the FBC-ABC newsletter carries our logo on their banner. We attended an initial session regarding the long-awaited Food Industry Code of Practice and support the adoption of this code by all levels of government. We have also enjoyed some conversations with the American Bakers Association and are exploring ways that we can mutually support each other in membership and educational areas. We also attended a virtual conference hosted by Canadian National Millers Association (CNMA). The presentations included a very interesting discussion on supply-chain issues and how these challenges affect our food production industries.
include regulatory, supply-chain and human resources issues. Our voice is louder and the benefits to our membership are enhanced.
Of course, our big news this month is the announcement that Pierrette Buklis has joined the BAC as Director of Food and Nutrition Policy. Pierrette comes with deep credentials over 30 years and will head up all our initiatives in regulatory affairs as well as lead the Technical and Nutritional Policy Committee (TNP). We look forward to working with Pierrette as she guides our membership in all technical affairs.
that this initiative is worth pursuing: the groundswell of new bakeries, pastry shops and affiliates need a voice and engaging with a local chapter is an excellent way to make that happen.
It is also important to recognize that the future of our industry is with our postsecondary baking and pastry students. Nurturing their creativity, supporting them with their studies and offering well-paying industry jobs will ensure that our human resources challenges will be assuaged. With the board’s approval, the BAC will be offering a free membership to all post-secondary students enrolled in a full-time or Red Seal apprenticeship baking or pastry program in Canada.
BAC’s mission: “To empower our members in providing nutritious and delicious baked goods to consumers in Canada and around the world through leading public policy, knowledge transfer and networking.”
With these collaborations we are in a mutually supportive “club” with other associations who share the same challenges when dealing with government relations and national and global issues. These can
We have also been working on enhancements to our membership and educational initiatives. On the membership side there has been a renewed interest to re-embrace the Alberta Chapter as well as create a new Prairie Chapter. We think
The BAC’s mandate is to represent ALL Canadian bakers large and small. If you would like to join as a member, have a question or issue or would like to volunteer in any of our initiatives, please contact mbarnett@baking. ca or visit our website, www.baking.ca
There has been a fire.” These are the five worst words you can hear as a food manufacturer and essential service provider anywhere in the world. On June 15, 2021, this became our reality as we watched our family bakery burn up in flames. Employees, contractors, temporary staff and students had their lives change in an instant. Fire seeped through our 60,000-square-foot bakery and took with it all of our personal effects, industrial machinery and inventory.
Survival was the only strategy.
The overwhelming love we received from our Del’s community has truly been unparalleled. As we post, update and share new initiatives, your continued loyalty and support is what gets our team through. To our customers, competitors, vendors and suppliers whose kindness and patience in working with us through the most challenging year of all of our lives – we want to speak out and personally thank you all. Without you, Del’s 2.0 Pastry would not be possible.
We want to thank all of our employees – our greatest asset. Your loyalty and understanding has been the backbone of our entire operation. We would not be where we are without all of you.
We take this opportunity to announce our official rebuild. Without our employees and our external resources we would not be where we are today (just three months later). With the recent purchase of our 100 FT commercial oven, Del’s Pastry 2.0 is coming!
Be on the lookout for all your favourite treats coming to a store near you and maybe even something new you haven’t seen before!
Thank you for taking a few minutes out of your day to read our release. A few minutes from each of you, and each of your friends, family, co-workers and other members of your network, represents a marathon to us. From the bottom of all our hearts, we wish to give our greatest of appreciation for this community.
Be well, stay safe and get ready: we’re coming back better than ever.
Tom Mattes Chief Operating Officer
Check out our LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/del-spastry-ltd/mycompany/
workarounds can help bakers
shortages and price hikes for popular ingredients.
By Naomi Szeben
Supply-chain delays have made the last few months a particularly trying time for bakers. Bakers Journal asked BAC member and ingredient expert Dan Peroff, president of Olympic Wholesale Co., to share his advice for bakeries on weathering these delays.
Inflation and drought also contribute to a rocky baking landscape, Peroff says. With the drought, concerns about acquiring such ingredients as corn and wheat have sent prices soaring. The opportunity lies in bakers considering grain-free recipes or at least trying to find an alternative that would reduce the need for in-demand main ingredients. Glutenfree baking might see a spike.
“To give you an example, cherries were the big ingredient last year. Last year we had a 20 to 25 per cent jump in price on frozen IQF sour Pinto cherries,” Peroff says. “People make cherry pie filling with that, which we do, and we also sell frozen cherries to bakers that do their own things.”
He notes that in the past bakeries would check the availability of local fruit, and if there was a noted lack of quality or supply, the operation would begin marketing alternative pastry fillings.
“Then this year, on May 28, we got hit with frost. And that killed the buds, and so we had another 20 per cent increase, another 10 to 15 per cent increase on top of that. I was just on a call with our apple processor, and he’s telling me there’s going to be a 40 per cent jump on apples this year, there’s going to be a shortage, which means that the price could be up, meaning a 30 to 40 per cent increase in price.”
The takeaway? Bakers may need to get creative with flavours, fillings and fruits. Local ingredients are only one aspect of cost-effective baking. Other aspects include trying to market less popular flavours or trying to find new applications for surplus. “In the past years if raspberries would do well and strawberries maybe didn’t do as well, people could switch,” Peroff says. “They could say to themselves, ‘I’m going to now offer more raspberry products than strawberry products. I’ll offer more
peaches than I would blueberries.”
While that presents a great opportunity for bakeries offering a taste of summertime fruit, what ingredients are looking more affordable as the holidays loom?
“There’s been a drop in the price of raisins from Turkey,” Peroff suggests. He adds that there has also been a decrease in the price of poppy seeds and sesame seeds, a boon for Eastern European bakers who are looking for traditional ingredients.
For those who are looking for ways to use raisins, sesame seeds and poppy seeds, consider Turkish, Hungarian and Polish recipes, to name a few nationalities that use those ingredients in holiday baking.
Peroff cautions manufacturers and distributors who hedge their bets by getting locked into a long contract. Last year blueberries were short, he says, and some of the larger producers pulled out of the market. They ended up going to the secondary brands of product and finding inferior products that just weren’t up to their level expected.
How can bakeries recover? Being aware of drought conditions, the quality of ingredients and any radical price change can help bakers stay on top of their game, Peroff says. “I think the only way to economic recovery is going to be a price increase. That’s the only thing we’re recommending. No one thinks they’re going to be out of this in a short period of time; we’re trying to say to our customers now, ‘Take up your costs, but an increase through this isn’t a short-term blip.’ ” However, all is not doom and gloom; out of this trial, new modes of connecting and working have emerged. Bakers are a resourceful bunch.
Chocolate products, with cacao as a key ingredient, offers an opportunity to provide value to customers, particularly if it is organic. McIntyre says that chocolate is a key driver of tastes according to 86 per cent of consumers globally, and has nutritional and healthy properties. According to 64 per cent, the awareness and presence of fruit filling nuts and superfruits is much lower, but they have the potential of elevating the healthy properties of chocolate products. According to 74 per cent of baked good consumers, the idea of chocolate as healthy has increased from 46 per cent to 53 per cent since the pandemic.
More consumers perceive chocolate as part of a well-balanced lifestyle to cope with anxiety or stress, but is there something to that claim?
“Let’s have a look at this mental balance,” McIntyre said. “Chocolate contains ingredients such as magnesium and GABA, and is eaten by consumers who expect to relieve stress.” Within the bakery and chocolate segment, cacao nibs and cocoa are perceived as natural ingredients supporting a healthy lifestyle while leveraging a premium taste experience. In other words, a decadent chocolate cake made with organic cacao and sweetened with fruit has the opportunity to be perceived as both healthy and decadent.
Ipsos’ research indicates that 67 per cent of consumers look for food that improves or boosts the immune system. Sixtythree per cent look for food that delivers on mental health benefits, and chocolate as a relaxing or calm-inducing
By Chef Rodney Alleguede
INGREDIENTS
• 220 g all-purpose flour
• 70 g fine almond powder
• 10 g baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 85 g butter (room temperature)
• 200 g sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 140 g almonds
• 90 g Amarula
• 50 g dried apricot
• 50 g pitted dates
ingredient can promise to deliver.
“Consumers’ knowledge about the relationship between diet and health has grown. They’ve come to see that beyond energy intake food can also improve gut health, mental well-being and help build a strong immune system. And because these three things are often interlinked, it comes as no surprise that consumers now expect their food to deliver above and beyond physical health alone,” McIntyre said. “We’re looking at social volumes within the bakery category and we see that the interest remains, suggesting an emerging growing trend in bakery for gut health.”
What can your business learn from this? In one word, innovate, and in so doing bring healthier options to consumers. “Technology is our friend in achieving this,” McIntyre said. Health-oriented tech can help the baking industry grow their business.
“The nutritional profile of your products, nutritional information is increasingly visible on packaging…mandatory front-of-pack nutritional values, easy-to-understand nutritional systems are becoming increasing hard for consumers to overlook.”
Never forget taste and texture and price, cautioned McIntyre, and he urged bakers not to compromise their quality. “If you’re keen to help consumers control portion size, you could consider launching smaller versions of popular products. These will allow people to indulge, but remain in control of their appetites, as oversized portions may prove a barrier.” He recommends incorporating healthier options in your menu with breads that include high-grain content, or ones that use power ingredients like grains, fruits and sourdough to encourage customer loyalty. Customer loyalty can be earned by providing smaller portions and being transparent about the ingredients. / BJ
• Chop the apricots, the dates, and the almonds, mix and soak in the Amarula. Leave to rest for at least 1 hour.
• In a bowl mix the flour, almond powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir until well combined and set aside.
• In a bowl mix the butter and sugar using a spatula until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time making sure they’re well incorporated. Keep mixing until fluffy. Incorporate the flour-almond powder-baking powder-salt mixture one tablespoon at a time. Once evenly combined add the soaked almonds, apricots and dates and the Amarula.
• Flour a work surface, pour the biscotti mix on the table, shaping it like a log (3 inches wide).
• Let it rest in the refrigerator overnight wrapped in plastic wrap.
• The next day preheat the oven to 325 F, then bake for 20 minutes (or until it starts to brown lightly).
• Take out of the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
• With a bread knife cut the log in slices of roughly 2 cm width.
• Lay on its side on a parchment paper.
• Put back in the oven for another 20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Once fully cooked take out of the oven and allow to cool down.
• Melt some white chocolate and dip the biscotti halfway (optional).
• Suggested pairing with Amarula on the rocks.
BY DIANE CHIASSON
Seven quick autumn marketing ideas to attract new customers and strengthen loyalty with existing customers
November is a tough month for bakeries. Kids are back in school and the football season will soon be over. You have to promote your bakery shop in a way that motivates potential customers to give it a try. Here are seven quick and easy fall promotions and marketing ideas for attracting new customers and strengthening loyalty with your existing customers.
Use social media as a marketing tool for your bakery. Social media websites will help make your operation popular for many people. It’s also cost-effective. My clients love using Instagram over other platforms. What better medium than a picture to tell a story about your bakery? The popularity of Instagram is based mainly on excellent, mouthwatering food photos, videos and recipes. To increase your reach, add relevant hashtags to your images so when people search for that particular hashtag, they can locate your pictures. Try to create great content that people want to see and engage in a transparent and real way.
Don’t forget to ask your customers to share their feedback on the bakery items on your official social media page or website.
Fall is for apple and pumpkin flavours that make everyone nostalgic. Consider food specials such as a Pumpkin or Apple Pie Tuesday just for the season to draw more customers. Advertise these specials through your usual channels, including social media.
It’s essential not only to hold on to your loyal customers but also to attract new customers. You also need to remain updated with the demands and trends in the marketplace. Try updating the taste of your bakery products by changing or adding new ingredients. You will always entice new customers to your bakery by
}A key to overcoming the late fall slowdown is to get creative with your promotion and marketing. When you are running a bakery operation, competition can be fierce as there are many commercial operations and other retail bakeries.
offering them new products.
No matter how many recipes you give away, people will still want you to bake for them. It’s a great way to kick-start conversations with your customers and to upsell them by selling spices, toppings and gourmet ingredients. It’s also an excellent way for your customers to remember your bakery and to build great relationships.
in your parking lot, co-workers, neighbours and others all get to see about your bakery business.
A promotional banner on your front pavement will help attract customers to your bakery shop. Coasters or napkins with your logo might end up in the background of a picture showing off your bakery products. You could also print images posted online as little billboards for your bakery. Get some big, bright and colourful posters and place them in a central window of your front door, above and behind your front counter, and next to the door to your washrooms.
6. INVEST IN DESIGNING OR UPDATING YOUR WEBSITE
It’s essential that you invest in designing or updating a website that looks professional and is dedicated to your bakery business. It’s also a great extension of your online presence. Customers will be able to find your bakery store online if you have a website. Share all the relevant information with clear photos about your business to existing and potential customers. Include any seasonal offers and menus and be sure to update your website for the upcoming Christmas holidays.
7. GET MORE CUSTOMERS TO YOUR BAKERY BY OFFERING FESTIVE OFFERS
How about throwing a late fall-themed event like a harvest gathering or a bakery product tasting? You can promote your event or your themed menu in advance to keep your customers’ taste buds watering all the way to your bakery door. / BJ
You can also create exciting and engaging videos for marketing your bakery through social media and YouTube. Don’t forget that videos can persuade customers to visit your bakery store. You could easily post a few videos online that show the making of your baked products. How about creating video cooking lessons? This can entice a number of customers to visit your bakery and buy the products they saw in the video.
Does your bakery use branded takeout packaging? If not, you should think of using takeout bags and boxes with your bakery name and logo on them. You could simply have some stickers on a roll printed to lower your cost. This is a proven and effective way of making sure that your bakery brand follows your customers. This is the first thing people
Diane Chiasson, FCSI, president of Chiasson Consultants Inc., has been helping foodservice, hospitality and retail operators increase sales for over 35 years by providing innovative and revenue-increasing food service and retail merchandising programs, interior design, branding, menu engineering, marketing and promotional campaigns. Contact her at 416-926-1338, send her an email at chiasson@chiassonconsultlants.com, or visit www.chiassonconsultants.com
Plant-based milk is the largest plant-based category in North America, and it grew five per cent last year, with sales of plantbased dairy products approaching $2 billion.
In fact, the plant-based milk market now accounts for around 10 per cent of the global milk market, and the growing number of consumers of plant-based
milks have more choice than ever before. The most popular plant-based milk in North America is currently almond milk (which occupies almost two-thirds of the market), followed by oat milk (the fastest growing product type) and soy milk. However, the sector is full of innovation, with new developments and products. Plant-based milk alternatives, or “altmilks” as they are sometimes known, are being made from
more raw ingredients than ever before, with pea- and barley-based drinks being among the most recent newcomers to the market.
There are many reasons for the popularity of plant-based milks. As well as a rise in the adoption of vegan and plant-based diets due to health and moral grounds, environmental concerns are also driving uptake with proponents claiming that plant milk has a lower
There are increasing signs that plant-based drinks are being seen as a healthy snack.
greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint than dairy production – although the overall picture is highly complex and the figures are disputed by the dairy industry. An apparent increase in the level of lactose intolerance in developed countries is also helping to increase demand.
The range of plant-based milks also allows for consumers to express their tastes and identities as cafés and restaurants open up after
lockdown. As one industry analyst said earlier this year, “To choose your specific type of plant-based milk in Starbucks seems to be a way of identifying yourself.”
While dairy milk has long been seen as a drink or a meal accompaniment – for example, being used as an ingredient or with cereal –there are increasing signs that plant-based drinks – particularly those with a thicker, more yogurt-like texture or those sold in individual portions – are being seen as a healthy snack. Research by the Brisan Group suggests that up to a third of these products are viewed as a snack, and 61 per cent are viewed as “a treat.”
Globally soy milk products remain the most popular (although the demand for oat-based products is growing) and they accounted for 29.5 per cent of revenue globally in 2019. Coconut-based beverages are one of the fastest growing segments, predicted to increase 8.6 per cent between 2020 and 2027. Across all types of plant milk, plain flavours dominate sales, accounting for 71.1 per cent of the total value.
}legumes, other seeds such as sunflower and hemp or coconut.
There are two main methods for processing plantbased milk: wet and dry. The wet process involves soaking and grinding the raw material in large volumes of water for up to 12 hours. In some cases, enzymes are added to hydrolyze starches (for example, in oat milk production). The dry process involves milling the raw material into a flour or powder, which is then processed to separate the starch, protein and fibre as desired, before being hydrated. As a result, dry production processes can result in a higher protein content in the finished product.
immune from criticism, and in some countries and regions, including the European Union, such products cannot be sold or marketed as “milk” or “yogurt.” In addition, supporters of dairy milk say plantbased drinks are highly processed and full of additives, while diary milk is simply homogenized and pasteurized.
Despite this, such is the interest in the sector that many of the world’s largest dairy companies, including Lactalis, Nestlé and Danone, are investing in dairy alternatives, either through product development or company acquisition. Several market analysts believe the market is ready for rationalization, with several brands falling by the wayside or being acquired by larger food producers.
sterilizing using direct steam injection is the speed of the process, with sterilization temperatures of 212 to 293 F being reached in around a second: much quicker than the fastest heat exchanger systems. For products such as plant milks, this rapid heating prevents cooking of the product and formation of caramel-type compounds which can darken the product or produce unwanted flavours.
The quality of the product is very important, and monitor-
“Across all types of plant milk, plain flavours dominate sales, accounting for 71.1 per cent of the total value.”
Contrary to public perception, the idea of plant-based milks is not new. “Milk” made from soybeans has a long history in China (where recorded production dates to 1365), while almond milk was recorded in the Middle East in the 13th century. A commercial soy milk factory was established near Paris in 1910 and demand for soy milk rose through the 1970s and ’80s due to increasing awareness of lactose intolerance.
These days there is a wide range of plant-based milks made from nuts, grains and
The production method means that, if the soaked product is not ground to sufficiently fine a size, the number of particles removed when the mixture is strained creates high levels of waste. It is also important to mix products well, particularly those containing oils or thickening or stabilizing agents. Therefore, maintaining product consistency is a key goal for the manufacturing process and will determine the choice of processing equipment, including pumps and heat exchangers.
Plant-based milks cannot match the natural nutrition profile of dairy milk in terms of protein levels and essential amino acids. However, as well as being free of lactose, they are lower in saturated fat and cholesterol than non-skimmed milk.
Plant-based milks are not
ing of key parameters includes viscosity, particle size, protein content, digestibility, nutrient content and flavour analysis. Maintaining these important quality characteristics requires the minimal amount of processing – and making sure that processes such as pasteurization cause as little disruption to the product as possible can help alleviate criticisms about the highly processed nature of plant milks.
Where possible, combining processes such as dilution and sterilization, for example by using the HRS DSI Series, can provide benefits and reduce overall processing of the product. The benefit of
It is also useful for grain-based products, such as oat milk, which benefit from the additional dilution with water which the food-grade steam provides, but the type and model of heat exchanger chosen will depend on many different factors, such as the nature of the process to be carried out (pasteurization, sterilization, dehydration, etc.) and the viscosity of the drink being processed. HRS has a complete range of products from simple tube-in-tube designs to rotating or reciprocating scraped-surface designs, all of which combine efficient heat transfer with delicate product handling; ensuring that products remain in emulsion and do not foul the equipment.
Whatever plant-based milk product you are producing, it is important to remember that plantbased milks have the same requirements for pasteurization, sterilization, cooking or cooling as other beverages that contain specific ingredients. It is therefore crucial to invest in the most effective and efficient processing technology for all stages of production. / BJ
Matt Hale is the international sales and marketing director for HRS Heat Exchangers.
On Sept. 22, 2021, Jo-Ann McArthur of Nourish Food Marketing spoke about “The Future of Food” at a seminar organized by the County of Simcoe (Ontario) Economic Development. McArthur explored some of the ways that food entrepreneurs, bakers and those interested in developing snack foods can market their product for the “New Normal.”
The future of food is changing and the food industry is looking for more ways to connect with customers. While the pandemic had stopped or slowed down
indoor dining, the talk explored trends and opportunities that have emerged. One such opportunity was the focus on “eating local,” for both ingredients and the eateries that serve local produce.
“You need to highlight local,” McArthur recommends. She suggests bakeries “call out” this feature by means of posters, labels, and social media. “Don’t assume your consumers know. If you’re using local [ingredients] give them a story, give them a face. Romance them, give them a provenance. And again, call out those things that are local year-round as well,
There are increasing signs that plant-based drinks are being seen as a healthy snack.
such as mushrooms.”
To enhance or “romance” the local element of your food is to tell the story of its origin, describe its flavour, give a face to the chef who prepared the meal. Social media is a wonderful way to share food stories that highlight the details of ingredients beyond a video or photograph.
“You have to remember, we eat with our eyes first,” says McArthur, citing Sobeys’ pots of fresh herbs as an example of promoting local produce. “The smells of those herbs, the sight of them growing…I think it’s about $5, but it’s great theatre,” she adds about the drama of a fresh pot of herbs sold as an ingredient, and poten-
tially as a houseplant in the produce aisle. Pots of fresh herbs can be a useful countertop impulse-purchase display, or part of a meal kit for pizza. Providing a pot of fresh herbs as a garnish for a take-home pizza or as a gift with purchase can be a great local incentive.
Meal kits and snack boxes are not limited to operations that want to boost local producers or ingredients: McArthur recommends connecting with grocery stores to sell frozen versions of baked goods, like pizza or buns in the frozen food aisle, or half-prepared ingredients as a meal kit.
“We’re seeing more and more national grocery chains supporting local suppliers,” McArthur stresses. She cites examples of signage, like “Foodland Ontario” or “locally made” as a measure of quality. Using the word “local” as a marketing tool elevates house-made specialities or regional favourites in the eyes of potential customers.
}Using the word ‘local’ as a marketing tool elevates house-made specialities or regional favourites in the eyes of potential customers. –Jo-Ann McArthur
“Chains like Sobeys actually created local development managers to go out and they’re on the road trying to find suppliers – like yourselves – and regional growers that they can bring into their grocery store. This is a really big chain change for grocery stores: they used to all be about a central distribution point and national . . . but now, they’ve seen that they were losing out on this local trend.”
McArthur observes that pandemic meal kits have fallen slightly out of favour. The food industry has seen some of the big players in the U.S., such as Munchery and Fit Food Fresh, declare bankruptcy. Enter “meal kit 2.0,” which involves grocery stores getting involved with meal kits. Offering a more standardized prizing than subscription models that use referrals and discount codes to generate subscriptions, grocery meal kits are accessible but not necessarily more affordable. “One thing we’re seeing is that middle market getting squeezed, but then there are these high-end restaurant meal kits, that are ‘chef-inspired,’ ‘chef curated.’ ” McArthur recommends putting your chef’s name on the box, and curating an entire meal. She recommends not limiting it to lunch or dinner, either: Snack boxes and breakfast boxes offer families and brunch gatherings creative kit options, as well.
One of the things Canadians are most interested in is more information, she says. “Flavours that are plant based and more ethically sourced, and local labels would fit right in there as well.”
How can a bakery operation market snack boxes or find an occasion to fit their product? McArthur mentions online events or using existing sporting events as sure bets. “Netflix and Chill occasion boxes, Stanley Cup parties – these are all things that consumers are going to be looking for as ways of elevating and supporting that experience.” Alcohol is a big part of that and shouldn’t be dismissed. Offering to add a six pack to the Stanley Cup snack box or a small bottle of bubbly for a brunch box are opportunities that can enhance a meal kit, thanks to alcohol restrictions being lifted during the pandemic. “You can now curate a whole meal of food with beverage
pairings as well, so that’s a great thing to leverage.” McArthur suggests looking at curating boxes as a way of solving mealtime dilemmas or anticipating problems and offering a solution. “You can help consumers continue to manage their weight and their resiliency, eating for health, plant-based baking, or just celebrate decadently.”
A problem with meal kits is the use of single-use plastics and the waste it generates. Sustainable foods or environmentally friendly menus are gaining popularity, particularly among millennials, gen Z, those under 35, as they align their buying decisions with their values.
“Earth Day is now every day. You really have to bake that into your business,” McArthur advises. Finding compostable or recyclable containers are a way to support your clients’ desire to lighten their carbon footprint. She admits that the decline of single-use plastics took a pause during the pandemic, as from a safety standpoint they had to be used. “But consumers are going to be looking at that going forward, and it’s going to come back with a vengeance,” promises McArthur.
A good workaround may be finding local producers of paper straws and compostable cutlery, or working with reusable, zero-waste packaging companies such as Loop or Suppli.
In short, using local and sustainable ingredients is one way of highlighting your specialities, and don’t be shy to approach grocery stores or farmers markets with boxes that showcase your passion. / BJ
The holiday season is the busiest time of the year for most bakeries, with more special orders and higher foot traffic. This gives bakers an annual opportunity to develop limited-time offers, seasonally inspired products and eye-catching desserts that drive sales.
This year, Dawn Foods is working with customers to develop Take Home Holiday Kits – an ideal product for creating incremental sales while giving families an easy way to make family memories with less stress and less mess.
“For so many families, nothing says the holidays quite like baking together, and the best part of baking is often the decorating,” said Traci Maginn, senior manager of Buy/Sell Category Marketing, Dawn Foods. “Why not offer take home kits that give families pre-baked cookies, all the decorations and tools like pastry bags? It’s like a family memory in a box – easy to grab, take home, and enjoy.”
Consumers also have higher confidence in the taste and quality of kits that come from their trusted bakery versus a retailer or craft store that doesn’t specialize in bakery products. Maginn added, “There is something special about a cookie kit that comes from a bakery – consumers just know it will taste like the holidays.”
“Take Home Holiday Kits also align with many consumer behaviours that have become part of how the world now operates,” added Maginn. “Even though the world is emerging from COVID quarantining, many behaviours adopted in 2020 aren’t going away. Pre-packaged items, grab-and-go options and products that can be ordered online and delivered are just a few new consumer preferences.”
Consumers also have higher confidence in the taste and quality of kits that come from their trusted bakery versus a retailer or craft store that doesn’t specialize in bakery products.
The possibilities for the kits are endless and can be tailored to each bakery’s most loved products. While cut-out cookies are timeless favourites, bakers should also consider large message cookies, brownies, cupcakes and more. “If a bakery is known for its doughnuts, do a doughnut kit,” said Maginn. “That’s what makes this program so successful – bakers can leverage the products they are known for and that are the most profitable, package them in a unique way and help consumers enjoy the holidays, ultimately creating loyalty and repeat business.”
Kits often increase impulse purchases as well. When packaged in a window box and smartly displayed, consumers who weren’t even thinking about kits will be hard pressed to leave the bakery without one.
Take home kits also give bakers a consistent holiday item to promote, helping to increase traffic. “Bakers can feature the kits on their social platforms, website and in any seasonal newsletters or emails to customers,” Maginn said. “They can inspire consumers and help them embrace the season.”
The bottom line? Think about implementing a kit program for the holidays. They give bakeries a unique product that can build seasonal sales and keep the business top of mind all year long while helping families create a little more holiday magic.
To learn more about the Dawn products bakers can use in building a kit program, visit www.dawnfoods.com/ products or contact your sales representative. / BJ
BY JANE DUMMER
Baking for brain health and mental well-being:
A look at how nutrientdense ingredients and they contribute to brain and mental health
Our mind-body, since the pandemic, has been through a lot. Most of us are aiming to stay positive amid the uncertainties. There’s been a pronounced change in the public conversation surrounding mental health. Plus, as we head into the winter months, consumers are looking for healthy ways to influence their brain and mental health. Certain ingredients like walnuts, matcha and cocoa widely used in baking contain nutrients that have the potential to support both brain and mental health. Let’s take a closer look at these nutrientdense ingredients and how they contribute to brain and mental health.
Nuts, like seeds, are powerhouses of energy and nutrients and deserve a mention for brain health. Specifically, walnuts, the top nut for brain health. Carol Sloan RDN, FAND, health research director at the California Walnut Commission, explains: “Brain health and mental well-being are ‘top-of-mind’ for people now, no matter what age. And what we eat is directly related to how we feel! In terms of health attributes, recent research reveals that eating walnuts as part of an overall healthy eating pattern may have cognitive benefits. The Mediterranean Style Eating Pattern as well as the MIND Diet (MediterraneanDASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) emphasize green, leafy veggies and other vegetables, seafood, nuts (specifically walnuts), legumes and berries for better cognitive health. California walnuts are the only treenut (of the nine treenuts) that offers an excellent source of the plant-based omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). This is an essential fatty acid that must be consumed as it cannot be manufactured by the body and is vital to maintain brain health.”
Sloan identifies adding walnuts to baked goods boosts nutrients that promote good health. “The MIND diet
Walnuts and matcha are among some of the more popular ingredients that have been linked to healthy brains.
and the Mediterranean-style diet pattern showcase a healthier way of eating that can impact cognitive health in a positive way. Delicious recipes that showcase walnuts with these dietary styles include the whole wheat honey flat bread loaded with grilled vegetables and extra virgin olive oil, as well as the mini lemon blueberry walnut muffins referred to as brain bites.”
Baking options offering a balance between health and indulgence are proving popular, more than ever since the global health crisis. Opportunities to make use of health-forward ingredients like matcha in baking are increasing.
Chieko Yamamoto, president and CEO of Ikeda Tea World, Inc. in Huntington Beach, Calif., describes matcha’s properties: “Matcha was first used by Buddhist monks in ancient times for clarity and focus to attain deeper states of meditation. We have found there has been an increased awareness and interest in matcha since the beginning of the pandemic. One factor may be that people are at home more and are looking for natural ways to relax.”
Matcha has several nutrients, including an amino acid, L-theanine, which is linked to mental alertness, improved cognition and relaxation. It improves the production of dopamine and serotonin, the neurotransmitters that help us feel good. When compared with caffeine, L-theanine often lessens the dramatic crash or “jitters” associated with increased caffeine consumption, creating a more comfort-
able effect of improved mental alertness and focus. Matcha powder has been used for years by Japanese bakers for its flavour, colour and nutrients. A natural colour with the added boost of mental well-being for your next baked innovation!
Is it true? Chocolate is good for our brains. Yes, it is true! Chocolate lovers can rejoice. But it needs to be the right variety. Think dark chocolate, usually 85 per cent or higher. Plus, not all cocoa powders are created equal and that’s important for bakers to be aware of.
Cocoa has a flavonoid called theobromine in it, which can increase alertness and mental energy. Cocoa flavanols are abundant in the fresh cocoa bean. However, most traditional processing of cocoa-fermentation, roasting and alkalization destroys these flavanols. Therefore, it’s important for the baker to look for a high-flavanol cocoa powder that preserves this brain health nutrient. Remember, no single food or ingredient will instantaneously give you enlightened clarity, better mental or brain health. However, a lifestyle filled with healthy habits including a nutrient-dense dietary pattern with a health-forward indulgence every so often, exercise and restful sleep is the best approach for long-term consistent, mind-body health. / BJ
Jane Dummer, RD, known as the Pod to Plate Food Consultant, collaborates and partners with the food and nutrition industry across North America. www.janedummer.com
