Fresca Foods
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AVANT FOOD MEDIA
Paul Lattan
President - Principal
Steve Berne
Executive Vice President - Principal
Joanie Spencer
Vice President - Partner
COMMERCIAL BAKING
Paul Lattan
Publisher | paul@avantfoodmedia.com
816.585.5030
Steve Berne
Director of Sales | steve@avantfoodmedia.com
816.605.5037
Erin Zielsdorf
Account Executive | erin@avantfoodmedia.com
937.418.5557
Joanie Spencer
Editor-in-Chief | joanie@avantfoodmedia.com
913.777.8874
Mari Rydings
Senior Editorial Director | mari@avantfoodmedia.com
Jordan Winter
Creative Director | jordan@avantfoodmedia.com
Olivia Siddall
Multimedia Director | olivia@avantfoodmedia.com
Annie Hollon
Digital Editor | annie@avantfoodmedia.com
Maddie Lambert
Associate Editor | maddie@avantfoodmedia.com
Lily Cota
Associate Editor | lily@avantfoodmedia.com
Beth Day | Maggie Glisan
Contributors | info@commercialbaking.com
Commercial Baking is published by Avant Food Media, 1703 Wyandotte St., Suite 300, Kansas City, MO 64108. Commercial Baking considers its sources reliable and verifies as much data as possible, although reporting inaccuracies can occur. Consequently, readers using this information do so at their own risk. Commercial Baking is distributed with the understanding that the publisher is not liable for errors and omissions. Although persons and companies mentioned herein are believed to be reputable, neither Avant Food Media nor any of its employees accept any responsibility whatsoever for their activities. Commercial Baking magazine is printed in the USA and all rights are reserved.
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Commercial Baking ISSN 2767-5319, / USPS Publication Number: 25350 is published in February, April, June, August, October and December, in print and digital formats by Avant Food Media, 1703 Wyandotte St., Suite 300, Kansas City, MO 64108. Periodicals Postage Paid at Kansas City, MO, POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Commercial Baking, c/o Avant Food Media, 1703 Wyandotte St., Suite 300, Kansas City, MO 64108.
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American Society of Baking
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TOP OF THE LINE EQUIPMENT FOR Bread & Buns / Sweet Goods, Cakes & Muffins / Cookies, Crackers & Energy Bars / Artisan & Flat Bread / Pizza & Pastries / Tortillas & Snacks
ACCELERATE PROCESSING IMPROVE THROUGHPUT
INCREASE YIELDS RAISE PROFITABILITY
EXPAND CAPACITY MORE PRODUCTION, LESS PEOPLE
REDUCE COSTS OPERATING AND CAPITAL
MAXIMIZE SANITATION SAFER DESIGN, EASIER CLEANING
MAINTAIN CONSISTENCY HIGHER QUALITY
PRACTICE SUSTAINABILITY
OPTIMIZE ENERGY & WATER CONSUMPTION
ONE CONTINUOUS PERFECT BAKE FROM END TO END
Theresa Watkinson: A Risk Worth Taking
Cover: With a recently inked trans-Atlantic partnership and a new facility — its third — in the works, Fresca Foods is tapping into its growth potential. Read more on page 20.
Emerging Brand: Hiatus Cheesecake
Critical Issues: Personalized Marketing
Product Development: Ingredient Markets
Photo by Julie Berne
A Chance to Bloom
JOANIE SPENCER Editor-in-Chief | joanie@avantfoodmedia.com
I want to talk about vulnerability. Those of us in leadership positions may feel like it’s an area we’re supposed to avoid. But I suggest otherwise. In fact, there’s an element of vulnerability that we all need to be aware of and lean into.
We are an industry built on generational knowledge. While skills, processes and even opportunities have been passed on through the ages, we are at a pivotal moment … in the industry and in history. While tribal knowledge is foundational, it only gets us so far these days.
I recently asked a baker about balancing tradition and innovation, and his response stuck with me: “Tradition is about values, while innovation is about what we create.” In other words, tradition is who you are, and innovation is what you do. Balance is critical because while you can’t have one without the other, you must also take care not to let tradition stifle innovation (or vice versa). The two sides must feed and nourish each other.
This mentality should permeate every aspect of your business, whether it’s product development, operational processes, marketing strategy or corporate culture. Even when looking at your personal brand, ask yourself: Who am I? What do I offer (and how)?
Look around your facilities, meeting rooms and end-user environments, and consider if (or how) what you create aligns with your identity. How can the chemistry between those two sides foster impactful change? It’s a pretty vulnerable place to be. But as we navigate constant social, political, economic and consumer change — and as we try to effect change of our own — it’s time to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
In this issue, you might read about scenarios that spark thoughts of vulnerability. I hope so! It’s in the areas outside our comfort zones where we have the chance to fully bloom.
Seen Heard AND
“Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in hallway conversations and in rooms where marketing, R&D, operations and suppliers actually talk to each other.”
“Industry alignment is key; we need to be consistently educating through the entire value chain. That’s where credibility comes from.”
Kathleen Robbins | VP of R&D | Bimbo Bakeries USA
“No matter how much technology you implement, baking itself is still an art. We’re not trying to remove the artists; we’re trying to enhance the technologies we use.”
Josh Bickford | president | Clyde’s Donuts
Angela Dodd | founder | Females in Food On innovation in the baking industry
Photo via LinkedIn
On building trust in the food system at BakingTECH 2026
On integrating automation with craft
Photo courtesy of the American Society of Baking
“Your innovation portfolio needs to be a blend of short term, medium term and a couple of things for the long term. And, never, ever, ever stop working on your pipeline.”
Cherie Floyd | VP of R&D sweet baked snacks | The J.M. Smucker Co. On product development strategy at BakingTECH 2026
“Fiber is fighting to be the next protein ... Those that will win long term aren’t treating it like a big callout but integrating it holistically into a bigger story.”
Fred Hart | strategic advisor | Drumroll Snacks
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“There are four skills that we need to develop, and I call them the four C’s: collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and communication.”
2026
“Listen to your consumer. Identify where your brand evangelists live and shop, and then build mechanisms so when trends change, you’re still there.”
Cameron Gould-Saltman | founder | CGS & Co.
a resilient business
an ExpoWest 2026 panel session
“Something as simple as a loaf of bread has the power to create access to opportunity … It’s created jobs for women, improved community nutrition and sparked local economic growth.”
Markey Culver | CEO | The Women’s Bakery
the organization’s journey during her keynote session at BakingTECH 2026
James Taylor | AI expert On innovation during his keynote session at BakingTECH
On
On building
during
ALL SYSTEMS GO
After co-manufacturing better-for-you snacks for decades, Fresca Foods has a razor-sharp competitive edge.
BY MARI RYDINGS
Long before the words “natural,” “organic” and “better for you” joined mainstream conversation, Boulder County, CO, had established its reputation as a health food mecca. Today, the area remains the epicenter of this burgeoning category, serving as home base for several producers, including Louisville, CO-based Fresca Foods, a healthy snacks co-manufacturer that has grown from an entrepreneurial venture into a concept-to-shelf operation serving some of the largest brands in the food industry.
The company’s baked goods portfolio holds a handful of core products: bars and bites, granola, cereal, and specialty crackers. It partners with customers needing to hand off excess capacity as well as those wanting a co-man to handle 100% of their manufacturing. It’s all done through a pod-style production system consisting of 10 dedicated spaces and 18 manufacturing lines across two facilities in Louisville. Two warehouses in nearby Aurora, CO, bring total square footage to 350,000.
Recently, Fresca announced a partnership with Cerealto, a European biscuits, cereals and snacking bars co-manufacturer with facilities in Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom and Mexico. While the US co-man wasn’t actively looking for a partner, when the opportunity presented itself, the partnership made perfect business sense.
“We’ve been a privately held company since day one — 20 years ago — and we could have kept going on our own,” said Brandon Viar, Fresca’s CEO. “But we had a vision for the company and bigger
All photos by Olivia Siddall | Avant Food Media
plans. Cerealto has similar values, categories, growth beliefs and a customer-centric focus. This partnership will help accelerate growth in highdemand snacking categories, whether it be the ones both parties play in currently or new ones we can explore.”
By helping both companies scale manufacturing services and innovation capabilities, the trans-Atlantic deal will give Cerealto a foothold in the US and vice versa for Fresca.
Historically, Fresca’s business model has been to scale with its customers, upgrading equipment piecemeal on an as-needed basis. Even though the company entertains almost any idea that comes its way — that’s the entrepreneurial spirit shining through — every potential product is viewed through a lens of feasibility and scalability: What are all the different ways it can be made? How can Fresca grow with it?
“We always go into new projects with the ROI justification in mind,” said Domenic D’Acquisto, business development representative at Fresca Foods. “We have think-tank sessions to talk about other products we could make with our existing equipment or with minimal investment to expand our customers’ product offerings. We never stop looking for opportunities. We want all lines up and running as much as possible.”
Pod manufacturing lends itself well to that goal because it provides the flexibility needed to move equipment around to support different types of production, manufacture a wide range of snacks and keep allergens separated.
“That’s the beauty of the system,” said Miguel Ramirez, VP of operations. “We can move equipment in and out of the
pods, which allows us to make a variety of products. It’s more efficient, and we can produce faster in terms of speed to market.”
Some pods are customized to meet specific customer criteria or manufacturing needs. For example, specialty crackers, one of the few private label, off-the-shelf offerings in Fresca’s portfolio, have a dedicated pod because three highly customized wafer ovens are required for production.
Other pods, such as the one that manufactures granola, are multi-customer, meaning they run products with similar processes for different customers. Currently, several customers share the granola pod; that’s a testament to the product’s increasing popularity, with consumers seeking clean-label, betterfor-you foods that are high in fiber and protein, GLP-1-friendly, and organic.
—Above
Fresca’s pod manufacturing system provides the flexibility to accomodate a variety of products and customers.
“We’ve always made granola, so we were ahead of the trend, especially from a technology standpoint,” said Maria Plata, Fresca’s chief growth officer. “We already had a system in place, and we were ready to grow it.”
As the granola category exploded, Fresca built a second pod to handle the growing business. The larger space processes 60,000 pounds of granola a day across two shifts, manufacturing a range of cluster sizes and varieties. Twelve identical Sveba Dahlen rack ovens comprise “Oven Alley,” creating operational efficiency and consistency for the final product.
WATCH NOW:
Domenic D’Acquisto introduces “Oven Alley” and shares how it brings consistency to Fresca’s granola offerings. Sponsored by Gemini Bakery Equipment.
Manufacturing in a pod environment requires a high level of organization and planning. Every item has a customer-based playbook, and the operations and human resources teams meet weekly to review upcoming production needs and make assignments in terms of equipment and people.
“We do a lot of cross-training so we can move people to different pods without losing efficiencies,” Ramirez explained. “We scale our associates like we scale products. They learn in a certain production room, but there are opportunities to learn different ones. Cross-training helps balance our labor needs with our production runs in a cost-efficient way without adding a lot of overtime.”
Once the week’s production runs are set, the supply chain team creates shop orders containing all the ingredients that will be needed. Associates in the Aurora warehouse compile the materials into kits that are then delivered to specific pods at the Louisville facilities. The kits are just one way Fresca optimizes production floor efficiency.
Giving its 475 associates a voice is another.
“Our associates aren’t just clocking in and clocking out,” D’Acquisto said. “They provide so much other input, from the products we make to how we handle manufacturing. Somebody is always contributing. We had an associate mention that the packaging for one of our products didn’t make sense. The team came up with a solution, did the drawings and the customer loved it. The packaging change significantly boosted efficiency on that line.”
By investing in 12 identical rack ovens for baking granola, Fresca enhanced operational efficiencies and product consistency.
Every decision — p roduct development, ingredient procurement, equipment investments — is made with the customer in mind. It’s in Fresca’s DNA.
“We’ve always been a customer-led company,” Viar said. “As the business has grown, I think we’ve done a very good job of maintaining our customer-focused strategy. We are less transactional than other co-mans. We prefer to develop long-term partnerships with our customers. In a transactional environment, decisions can be about managing costs for the production run. We don’t believe that type of relationship creates the most value for us or our customers.”
Creating value also means more than operational investments. As economic uncertainty lingers, Fresca is evaluating supply chain procurement solutions.
“We are being much more aggressive than we have ever been on ingredients, sourcing and contracting,” Viar said. “We’re looking at going longer on contracts, trying to secure supply and
“We are being much more aggressive than we have ever been on ingredients, sourcing and contracting. To some extent, certainty of price may be more important than price alone.”
Brandon Viar | CEO | Fresca Foods
lock in pricing. To some extent, certainty of price may be more important than price alone because we just don’t know what’s going to happen six months from now, especially with tariffs.”
The company is also consolidating suppliers for specific ingredients as a way to boost its buying power and provide customers with access to the highest quality ingredients at the best price.
“We have amazing relationships with our suppliers, and we want to maximize those,” said Nathan Hirsch, director of product development and lifecycle management. “It’s about getting the best quality product for our partners. If we feel we can get a better almond, for example, or a better minimum order quantity, we’re going to work with our partners to ensure they get the best price and quality and that it works with our system.”
Fresca prides itself on its R&D capabilities, after spending years building the Fresca Food Lab. It began as in-house support offered to existing customers, but it’s evolved into a viable standalone revenue stream led by Hirsch.
“We can compete with the best product development houses,” Plata said. “We’ve developed a repeatable but customizable process that allows us to take clients through product development quite easily. Our mindset around innovation is speed, and we’re proud of how quickly we can bring a product to market without compromising on human or food safety.”
The lab team collaborates with current and potential customers to bring ideas to fruition. From ideation to manufacturing, it offers the full spectrum of product development services.
The Fresca Food Lab offers a range of product development services to brands of all sizes.
Pack with precision.
“We can ‘pre-op’ the space and turn it into a small production facility,” Hirsch said. “Our manufacturing floor and quality control team are right next door, so we can bring them in, too. It’s a cost-effective way for customers to see if there are any tweaks they want to make before going to market. We also work with third parties to offer consumer testing and surveys.”
Fresca provides product development support as a standalone component and as part of a streamlined manufacturing process.
“Maybe a customer has an idea for an item, but their co-manufacturer doesn’t have product development services,” D’Acquisto explained. “Or maybe that customer needs help with formulation for an item Fresca can’t manufacture but they need product development support. We can bring benchtop samples to life,
create a commercially viable sample, offer a guide for how to scale it, and then hand it off to the customer so their co-man can bring it across the finish line.”
Fresca also offers an accelerator service that allows brands to test a product in the market without making a significant financial investment.
“That does two things,” Plata said. “First, you can be there fast, and if it does well, you have a business case that can help you launch nationally. Second, if it doesn’t work, you went fast, you failed fast, and you didn’t spend a lot of money. The accelerator is just another way we provide innovation to our customers.”
As competition grows in the betterfor-you snack space, Fresca Foods is focused on strengthening its competitive edge, attracting new customers and
expanding its portfolio, all while supporting current accounts. Later this year, it expects to bring a third manufacturing site in Louisville online, adding another 100,000 square feet of space and opportunities for growth. The facility is the company’s first step in ramping up its newly minted partnership with Cerealto.
“In concert and coordination with our customers, automation investments are about to kick off across our entire portfolio,” Viar said. “With our new facility, there’s thousands of square feet available that we’re exploring with our current customers — and internally — for different categories. It also holds potential for additional investments.”
For starters, the new facility will house a highly automated chewy bar line from Cerealto’s United Kingdom plant that includes robotic packaging.
With the addition of a new facility, Fresca plans to ramp up automation investments across its portfolio.
Future-proof operations. Better business outcomes.
In a world full of challenges, we are the strategic lifecycle partner to our customers in the food industry.
“It will be a game changer,” Plata said. “The systems going into the building will look quite different than what we have in our current facilities. The future of the new building will be high-speed lines.”
While turnkey manufacturing systems are on the radar, the company is keeping an eye on the development of a tunnel oven with allergen management capabilities, technology it learned about at the 2025 Baking Expo. It’s also exploring what it would look like to have high-speed, high-capacity band ovens for granola and baked bars, and cold-form slab capabilities.
“The thing that drives us and gives us the most focus is asking, ‘Where are our customers leading us? Where do they need us to be 12 months from now, 24 months from now?’” Viar said. “Ultimately, our customers’ success is our success. If those businesses don’t do well, it impacts us. It impacts our volume.”
Giving customers what they need to scale quickly — collaboration, innovation and equipment — has always been Fresca’s priority, and it will remain so.
“The industry is growing,” Viar said, “and our customer base is growing. These factors force us to grow as a business, keep improving, bring more talent, and invest in systems and capacity. All in all, though, we’ve been pretty fortunate along the way.” CB
INNOVATIONS FROM THE BAKERY FLOOR
Fresca Foods co-manufactures bars, bites, granola, cereal and specialty crackers for some of the largest brands in CPG. Below is a list of supplier innovations that can be found on Fresca’s bakery floors.
Delkor case packing
EnSight Solutions/Breddo Likwifier blending
Hobart mixers
PEI Canada cartoner
PSG Lee rotary baggers
Radar super sack system
Redzone bakery management software
Reiser Vemag dough handling
Sollich Conbar mixer, cooling tunnel
Sveba Dahlen rack ovens
Syntegon packaging system
Walterwerk wafer baking ovens
Yamato scales
Fresca was ahead of the granola trend and had systems in place when the category exploded.
ONE BAD-A$$
There’s no telling where a career can lead. For some, the path is direct, with clear steps to growth; for others, it takes an unexpected turn, allowing them to wield their hard-earned skills in new scenarios. In the baking space, it’s not uncommon for a business to be run and operated by multiple generations from one family. That said, a fresh perspective can make all the difference.
Take Theresa Watkinson, for example. The COO of Brooklyn, NY-based Aladdin Bakers is an attorney-turnedbaker who has made a sizeable impact on the production floor and beyond.
Watkinson was working as a litigation attorney when her path crossed with Joseph Ayoub, founder of Aladdin Bakers,
and she gained a first-hand look at this segment of the food manufacturing space and all it entails.
When the managing partner of her law firm retired, Watkinson was presented with various job opportunities. This included one from Ayoub to join Aladdin’s executive team. It would’ve been easier to continue her litigation work with another firm, but she opted for the road less traveled.
“I thought I’d never again have the opportunity to do something different,” she recalled. “Worst case, I would hate it and would go right back into law. Best case, I would love it, learn something new, and grow as a person and a professional. It was kind of scary, but I decided to do it.”
A Risk Worth Taking
For Theresa Watkinson, the move from attorney to baker was a career change that paid off.
BY ANNIE HOLLON
She joined Aladdin as chief administrative officer in 2015, with Ayoub as her boss and, perhaps most importantly, her mentor.
“Joe has taught me about a lot of things in baking, some on his own and some through employees that he personally trained 30 years ago,” Watkinson said. “He taught me a lot more about business, baking and how Aladdin, specifically, operates.”
The communal nature of the baking space stood out to Watkinson when she first joined this field as a transplant from an industry notorious for being highly competitive.
“There’s more interest in bringing the industry forward rather than just
Photo by Avant Food Media
competition,” she said. “I’ve found that — especially through the American Society of Baking (ASB) — I can call somebody and say, ‘I’m having this problem, and I don’t know how to solve it. Have you experienced something like this?’ There are people I can rely on to help me, and I hope to be someone like that for others as well.”
In a little over a decade, Watkinson has fully embraced a brand-new industry, making her mark within Aladdin and the industry. Ever the eternal student — she makes it a point to stay up-to-date on the latest happenings in the law profession between trips to the bakery floor — she intends to keep growing, learning and saying “yes.”
“Times are changing, and I’ll adapt,” Watkinson said. “Whatever comes next, I’ll be ready for it.”
Upon joining the bakery, she was tasked with strengthening the company’s infrastructure. As a newcomer to the industry, she sought to understand all the moving parts of the operation before making any major changes. She spent time on the production floor to see the team members in action and learn about their roles.
Then, Watkinson took the learning one step further.
“I decided to physically do each job to know what it was like,” she said. “That way, I’d be able to support the staff.”
By learning how to work commercial mixers and pick and place products on moving lines, she learned the information necessary to enhance the scheduling and payroll systems, expand training resources and, notably, establish an employee support network.
Watkinson set up partnerships between supervisors and managers to ensure that
“If you take care of the person first, they’ll take care of the company and care more about their work.”
Theresa Watkinson | COO | Aladdin Bakers
there’s always another person available to step in on a task in case of emergency. Initially a contingency plan initiative, the partnerships have evolved into something deeper.
“They collaborate more and lean on each other with every aspect of their jobs,” Watkinson said. “It’s not just about emergencies, but that was how [the program] was born. It turned into day-to-day collaboration; that’s where the heart of it is.”
She also made major strides in establishing a more official HR department, cementing her philosophy that every employee is a person first.
“I remind every supervisor, manager and employee of that on a daily basis,” Watkinson said. “In HR, that ‘H’ is human, and you have to take care of the human. If you take care of the person first, they’ll take care of the company and care more about their work.”
These experiences and her in-depth understanding of the production process earned Watkinson a promotion to COO in 2018.
On an average day, Watkinson begins by walking the facility, checking the flour markets, and meeting with managers about the previous night’s production and what’s on the docket for the day’s production plan.
Once the baseline responsibilities are covered, she pivots to whatever is required that day, whether meeting with a vendor or overseeing the installation of new equipment. Though she’s a meticulous planner — thinking weeks, months and even years in advance — no two days look alike, and that’s how she prefers it.
“I am everywhere all the time,” she said. “I walk between five and 10 miles a day. I make a point not to spend too much time behind my desk, so I am visible to everybody in the bakery.”
Being present on the bakery floor helps to develop important rapport and instill certain best practices among Aladdin staff. Watkinson leans into skills she sharpened during her attorney days, such as arguing every side of an issue to develop a solid plan of action, conducting thorough reviews of potential facility investments and encouraging employees to question everything.
LISTEN NOW:
Theresa Watkinson shares how her law experience overlaps with her work in business, and how she applies those skills in her current role as COO of Aladdin Bakers.
“They know that I’m not leaving any stone unturned, that I’m looking at everything I possibly can,” she said. “I encourage them to debate with me, to bring their point and make their argument. I’m not always right, and I’m okay with that. If you have a better way, tell me why, and maybe that’s the way we’re going.”
“There is not a day that I don’t learn something, and I learn it from everyone … from sanitation to maintenance to the production line.”
Theresa Watkinson | COO | Aladdin Bakers
Photo courtesy of IBIE
Theresa Watkinson’s (left) involvement in the industry extends into organizations such as the Society of Bakery Women, where she currently serves as secretary.
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Watkinson empowers team members to share their perspectives. Even with diligent preparation and attention to detail throughout her work, she approaches each situation with an open mind and listens to other perspectives before forging ahead. At its core, law is about problem-solving, and it’s this mentality that informs how Watkinson conducts her role within the business.
“There is not a day that I don’t learn something, and I learn it from everyone,” she said. “From sanitation to maintenance to the production line, every person brings something, and I’m a sponge.”
Just as she never entered a courtroom unprepared, Watkinson ensures everyone knows exactly what is going to happen — and they have what they need — before beginning a project on the bakery floor.
“There are so many things that can go wrong, and so many people involved, that
there are many opportunities where somebody can just miss something and things can go very sideways,” she said. “I make sure throughout my day to remind everyone, ‘Did you do that? Is this prepared?’”
It’s the culmination of these beliefs and practices that have earned her the respect and trust of even Aladdin’s most tenured employees.
But that impact doesn’t stop with Aladdin. Over the past few years, Watkinson has become an integral part of the baking industry at large. In 2023, she was nominated to the ASB board of directors and currently serves as secretary/treasurer for the 2026-27 term. ASB also opened the door for her to engage further with the industry by volunteering with the Society of Bakery Women (SBW), where she serves on the leadership team as secretary.
Transitioning into baking was easier for her thanks to guidance from ASB and SBW members and key connections made at industry events. Watkinson emphasized the importance of finding a support network and, more specifically, a mentor.
“Find a mentor outside of your organization,” she shared. “Having someone outside of your immediate day-to-day circle is helpful, and you can have multiple mentors for different aspects of business and life.”
Looking ahead, Watkinson intends to lean on her earned business prowess, critical thinking and legal expertise to carry Aladdin into the future, saying “yes” to the myriad opportunities that come her way. CB
Photo by Avant Food Media
Outside of her work with Aladdin Bakers, Watkinson’s industry contributions include serving on the American Society of Baking board of directors.
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Going for It
The entrepreneurial journey can be a dimly lit tunnel, but for Hiatus Cheesecake, opportunity lights the way.
BY JOANIE SPENCER
For any creator, inspiration comes through lived experiences or immediate need. Entrepreneurs go a step further to identify the market gap their product can fill.
For Baltimore-based Hiatus Cheesecake, these were the first steps in an unexpected journey.
Before the brand had contract manufacturers making a portfolio of 16 cheesecake varieties, before working in a shared commercial kitchen to fill foodservice orders through broadline distribution — even before back-of-house product development in the restaurant where he worked — founder Matthew Featherstone learned to bake in the kitchen of his three-generation family home.
“I learned about baking from my mom, when she’d make bread for my huge household,” Featherstone recalled. “But I fell in love with cheesecake the first time I tried it. I was obsessed, and I taught myself how to make it.”
That’s the origin for a product designed as a plated dessert. Over the past 10 years, it’s become a product made through intentional development and refinement
All photos
courtesy of Hiatus
Cheesecake
Hiatus Cheesecake created an indulgent eating experience that suits almost every setting.
with the key attributes for an unforgettable dining experience: balanced flavors, defined structure and clean finish.
After years of working at a variety of foodservice establishments, Featherstone understood the different contexts in which people enjoyed desserts … and he dialed in a formula to create an eating experience that could fit into nearly any setting.
While he was bartending at Grace’s Mandarin, a high-end Asian-fusion establishment in Baltimore’s National Harbor, management allowed him to have a dessert menu insert. It was an opportunity to not only test the product but also make formula adjustments based on immediate feedback.
“This opportunity allowed me to engage directly with customers, see what they responded to and understand what didn’t land,” he recalled. “I was able to more or less survey the customer base at Grace’s, and I was constantly getting ideas that I could test almost immediately. Then I could do some research and come back to the shared kitchen to learn the skills I needed to upgrade the product and continue that early R&D.”
For any emerging brand, networking is the centrifuge for opportunity, and Branden Wiles, Hiatus’ COO, spun a network that solidified the company’s reputation in the upper echelon of Baltimore’s foodservice scene, including not only the Preakness Stakes but also the notable Atlas Group, which owns some of the area’s top dining establishments.
“Networks become community for a business,” Wiles said. “When you create community, you gain support. And when you have that, opportunities inevitably come from it. Our relationship with Atlas
Group was a direct result of the community we created.”
Local networking can be a tricky proposition. Just as product refinements are made with intention, so are Wiles’ networking efforts. Through a relationship with Cureate, a Baltimore-based non-profit aimed at helping small and marginalized businesses create pathways into the food and beverage supply chain, Hiatus landed contracts with local hospital cafes to sell packaged, branded carryout products. From there, it landed distribution contracts for more foodservice accounts and caught the attention of retailers like Whole Foods Market and Kroger. Ultimately, the business model — and product development strategy — had to make a seismic shift.
A plated experience comes with a totally different set of criteria than a packaged one, but the brand expectations
remain the same. That opened the door to what Featherstone called the “second wave” of R&D … and where the CPG journey truly began.
“We focus on density, mouthfeel and flavor in a very deliberate way,” Featherstone said. “Balancing those attributes is critical for a cheesecake to be rich but not heavy, and indulgent but not overwhelming. That’s what makes it versatile enough to be plated in a restaurant, sold by the slice or eaten straight from the package at home.”
Moving into CPG with customers like Whole Foods required learning a whole new way to formulate based on specific standards, and that pushed the team toward deeper research and refinement. By the time Hiatus landed business with Kroger, a new level of learning was necessary for scaling the formula efficiently without compromising the eating experience.
Partnering with co-manufacturers allows Hiatus to focus on market-driven developments such as flavor varieties.
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Challenging products
In an emerging brand’s early stages, there’s a critical reliance on the foundation of the mission and model, as the founder champions the original vision of the brand and what it was intended to be. But when scale happens, the business must move out of “survival” mode and focus on what’s sustainable.
For Hiatus, that meant shifting from making cheesecake in a shared kitchen to producing at scale through contract manufacturing.
From there, the intention was focused on delivering the dessert experience in a packaged product. Whether it’s freezing, thawing, packaging or shelf life, every step in the process must consistently replicate the unique Hiatus experience.
“Scaling forces you to move away from intuition and toward intention,” Featherstone explained. “When the brand begins, you rely on experience and what feels right. But as you grow it, you have to focus on the technical aspects of the product and how it’s made. And how — without changing its core — it will function across different use cases.”
From writing a new business plan to creating a product marketing deck to outlining an investor pitch, the more Hiatus grows, the more disciplined the intention becomes.
“People love a reward, and that’s true across every part of the supply chain,” Wiles said. “History has shown that savings are one of the most effective rewards, but you can’t pass those savings along without the margin to support them. Without that flexibility, promotions disappear, sales slow and retention suffers.”
Working with co-manufacturers has created economies of scale that allow the brand to operate more efficiently and invest in marketing and promotions that benefit not only consumers but also retailers and distributors.
“When we brought co-packers in, our margins increased,” Featherstone said. “Before that, marketing and promotions were very tough within the margins we had. Having contract manufacturers has enabled us to execute more marketing like offer promotions in the retail space.”
Working with co-manufacturers has also enabled Hiatus to focus efforts on marketdriven development, not only with flavor varieties but also with product sizes and formats. That’s creating opportunities to get cheesecakes into a wider variety of foodservice establishments, retail outlets and event-focused catering.
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Matthew Featherstone shares his approach to entrepreneurialism.
One of the biggest lessons the team has learned is that marketing must be built into the margin.
With its foray from plated dessert to CPG brand, Hiatus Cheesecake is exploring every possible opportunity, especially as the brand gains visibility in the in-store bakery refrigerator case. The company has come a long way from Featherstone’s back-ofhouse days … perhaps even further than he intended. Through it all, every experience has illuminated the vision for Hiatus’ future.
“The entrepreneurial journey is like walking down a path in a dark tunnel, where you know what you want to see at the end,” Featherstone said. “But as you engage and learn, the path becomes clearer, and then you can see that light on the other side. We can see what’s next, now, and the focus is on discipline and intentional growth. We’re focused on being a good vendor and a good partner, while we keep our foundation strong. The tunnel is no longer dark, and we are so excited to see the light.” CB
MODERNIZING BATCHING FOR A MORE RESILIENT BAKERY
Commercial baking has seen wave after wave of technological advancement, but batching has largely stood still. Ingredients are still weighed and delivered to the mixer much as they always have been, through manual processes guided by operator experience and judgment. It’s a system that has worked for generations, and it’s one that dominates bakeries to this day.
However, the operating environment has changed. Rising ingredient costs, persistent labor shortages, expanding SKU counts, and higher expectations around consistency and food safety are placing new demands on batching practices.
Even the smallest differences in weighing technique, timing, sequencing or interpretation of formulations can influence dough behavior, throughput and finished product quality. Over time, this variability becomes harder for bakery leaders to absorb and more costly to correct.
Labor and safety considerations are also reshaping the conversation. Manual batching places physical demands on operators through repetitive lifting, dust exposure and frequent ingredient handling.
These pressures help explain the growing interest in automated batching.
Manual Batching May Feel Like the Safest Choice
Still, hesitation remains. Some processors question whether their production volumes justify automation, and others cite concerns around process flexibility, total cost of ownership or the time required to transition from existing batch operations.
Flexibility is the most commonly cited reason for manual batching, followed by lower upfront capital investment. Additional reasons include the ability to stop and start processes easily, a perception of lower product loss when disruptions occur, and a sense of control and adaptability, particularly in operations with frequent changeovers, smaller batch sizes or variable production schedules.
Automation Without the Scale Barrier
Automated batching isn’t just for large, high-volume operations. Modern approaches increasingly support shorter runs and frequent changeovers.
Rather than removing flexibility, automation shifts control to the system level. Recipes and tolerances are executed consistently, reducing dependence on individual judgment while maintaining adaptability where it matters most.
At the same time, labor constraints and workplace safety are forcing many bakeries to rethink how batching gets done. Automation batching can reduce employee safety risks and allow available labor to focus on quality oversight and process monitoring.
It can also improve visibility. Digital records of ingredient usage, recipe execution, lot tracking support traceability and audit readiness allow for faster troubleshooting should an issue arise.
Viewing Batching as a System, Not a Task
Manual batching will continue playing a role in many commercial bakeries, and automation is not a one-size-fits-all solution. However, as variability becomes more costly and labor remains hard to secure, more operations are reevaluating batching through a systems lens.
Treating batching as a coordinated, controllable process rather than a series of isolated tasks can unlock improvements in consistency, efficiency, safety and long-term resilience. While
batching happens at the beginning of production, its impact extends throughout the entire bakery operation.
Each of Kubota Brabender Technologie’s automated batching systems help maintain product quality and consistency, reduce labor costs, increase employee safety and boost efficiency.
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When air purity, uptime, and operating costs are non-negotiable, Kaeser turns compressed air from a critical control point into a competitive advantage.
It’s Personal
Digital marketing is redefining brand recognition … and driving sales in the bakery aisle.
BY MAGGIE GLISAN
In a time not so long ago, digital marketing for bakery brands meant banner ads, seasonal email blasts and perhaps a Facebook page. Today, the landscape is far more complex. A shopper might discover a new sourdough brand on TikTok, search for a coupon while standing in the bread aisle and later receive an email featuring the exact buns they purchased the week before. The expectation is no longer visibility; it’s recognition — and it’s personal.
That expectation is also measurable. According to research from customer data platform Amperity, 83% of American consumers say they value a personalized shopping experience that includes tailored offers and recommendations. More than one-quarter consider personalization an important factor when deciding where to shop, and among Gen Z, that figure rises to 37%. At the same time, 79% of all respondents reported that it’s common to receive marketing messages that feel irrelevant, mistimed or invasive. One-third said it happens often or very often. The disconnect is striking: Shoppers want to be known, and they can tell when brands are merely guessing.
© Kube on Adobe Stock
Bread, cookies and crackers may be staples in the weekly grocery run, but habit doesn’t guarantee loyalty. Younger consumers, especially Gen Z, are redefining expectations. NielsenIQ projects this cohort’s purchasing power will reach $12 trillion by 2030 and, having grown up in an algorithm-driven world, they expect brands to remember their preferences, anticipate their needs, and communicate in ways that feel timely and relevant.
Shelley Balanko, senior VP at The Hartman Group, sees personalization as part of a broader shift in how consumers digitally engage with food brands.
“For years, the digital food landscape has been centered on inspiration,” she said. “Beautiful recipes, aspirational content, food as entertainment. But inspiration alone doesn’t drive the weekly bread purchase.”
What consumers increasingly seek, she noted, is utility: digital touchpoints that help them plan, shop and manage everyday eating. That tension between inspiration and pragmatism is particularly relevant in the bakery category. A decadent, eye-catching cinnamon roll may generate engagement on social media, but it is the timely reminder, coupon or replenishment nudge that converts attention into sales.
“Consumers are trying to simplify their lives,” Balanko said. “If a brand can remove friction by remembering what I buy, suggesting it at the right moment or helping me discover something aligned with my preferences, that feels valuable.”
Data suggests that value is defined less by novelty and more by consistency. According to Amperity’s research, nearly two-thirds of consumers say their favorite retailers are the ones that remem -
83%
of American consumers say they value a personalized shopping experience.
Source: Amperity
ber their preferences and purchase history across in-store, online and in-app interactions. Two-thirds also prefer retailers to recognize them when shopping digitally; only 8% say they do not want brands to remember them at all. The expectation does not stop at checkout. Consumers want personalization wherever they engage.
Delivering that continuous personalization, however, requires more than creative messaging.
“It starts with having a solid data foundation,” said Moe Ismail, senior VP of product management at Epsilon. “If you can’t accurately identify your consumer across devices and channels, you can’t personalize in a meaningful way.”
For many CPG brands — especially those that sell primarily through retail — building that unified view can be challenging. Transactional data, email
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engagement and website activity often operate in separate systems, limiting visibility into the full customer journey. Without integration, outreach becomes fragmented. A shopper may receive a promotion for a product they just purchased or fail to receive recognition as a high-frequency buyer.
“That’s where personalization breaks down,” Ismail said. “When the experience doesn’t reflect real behavior, it feels disconnected.”
Loyalty programs are often where that data foundation becomes tangible. In foodservice, brands like Panera Bread have embedded personalization directly into their loyalty ecosystems. Rather than relying on one-size-fits-all discounts, the company’s MyPanera program uses purchase history and visit frequency to generate individualized rewards. For example, breakfast regulars see bagel incentives, while lunchtime guests receive soup-andsandwich offers.
Other bakery-focused chains have taken similar approaches. Crumbl leverages its app-based loyalty platform to track flavor preferences across its rotating weekly menu, prompting return visits when profiles align with past purchases. Nothing Bundt Cakes uses birthday triggers and celebration reminders to anticipate occasions. In each case, personalization goes beyond point accumulation, pinpointing relevance and reinforcing known behaviors.
For CPG manufacturers, the infrastructure may look different, but the objective remains the same. Collaborations with retailer loyalty platforms, digital coupon programs and brandowned email clubs offer pathways to build first-party relationships.
“Loyalty is really about recognition,” Ismail said. “It gives you the framework to understand how often someone buys, what they prefer and when they’re most likely to engage.”
Email remains a logical starting point. In fact, 71% of shoppers say it is their preferred way to hear from brands. Unlike social platforms governed by shifting algorithms, email offers direct access and measurable engagement. But even here, timing and sequencing matter, and there’s no universal approach.
According to Amperity, a third of Americans say they want relevant offers to begin immediately after signing up or creating an account, 29% would rather wait until after their first purchase, and 25% prefer having a few transactions before brands begin tailoring recommendations.
“The key is to test and learn,” Ismail said.
Similarly, Balanko believes the path forward requires reframing personalization as service.
“When it’s done well, personalization feels like hospitality,” she said. “It’s the difference between walking into a bakery where the staff knows your order and one where you have to explain yourself every time.”
In digital terms, that might mean recognizing dietary preferences, surfacing previously purchased items or suggesting complementary products without overwhelming the consumer.
AI is poised to amplify both the opportunity and the complexity. As shoppers increasingly turn to voice assistants and conversational search, product data must be structured in ways machines can interpret. Ingredients, dietary attributes and usage occasions become signals that influence discoverability.
“AI doesn’t guess,” Ismail said. “It works off the data you give it.”
For bakery brands, that reality elevates what might once have been considered back-end details. Clear ingredient metadata, consistent naming conventions
“Loyalty gives you the framework to understand how often someone buys, what they prefer and when they’re most likely to engage.”
Moe Ismail | senior VP, product management | Epsilon
and integrated customer profiles become competitive assets. At the same time, privacy expectations are evolving. Consumers are willing to share information when there is tangible value in return, but missteps can quickly erode trust.
Meanwhile, younger demographics heighten the urgency. With Gen Z’s purchasing power climbing, brands cannot afford to rely on broad, universal messaging. This generation expects seamless digital fluency between inspiration, information and transaction. A recipe viewed on social media may prompt an in-store purchase later that week, and if brands don’t connect those touchpoints, they miss opportunities.
For commercial bakers navigating tight margins and complex retail relationships, the path forward may begin incrementally: building first-party email lists, collaborating with retail loyalty programs and investing in systems that unify customer data.
“You don’t have to do everything at once,” Ismail said. “But you do need a roadmap. Personalization is not a campaign. It’s a capability.”
That distinction aligns with Balanko’s broader view of digital food engagement.
“We’re moving from content-driven marketing to context-driven marketing,” she said. “It’s not just about showing up. It’s about showing up appropriately.”
In a category built on routine — the weekly loaf of bread, the breakfast staple, the lunchbox cookie — appropriateness often means anticipating needs before the consumer articulates them.
Ultimately, personalization in the bakery aisle mirrors shifts across the food industry. Consumers are signaling they value recognition, consistency and utility. They are also signaling impatience with irrelevant outreach. For brands, the opportunity lies in bridging that gap, and that means investing in the infrastructure to understand customers holistically and translating that understanding into timely, respectful communication.
In a marketplace where even staple categories compete for attention, relevance becomes a differentiator. The loaf that arrives in a shopper’s inbox at the right moment — tied to habits, preferences and schedule — stands a better chance of landing in the cart. In an industry defined by repeat purchase, that moment of recognition can make all the difference. CB
Photo courtesy of Nothing Bundt Cakes
Personalized coupons, such as birthday freebies, offer a more tailored experience for loyal consumers.
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Our sours range from strong and pungent to sublte and delicate flavors giving the baker an exact flavor profile needed. Brolite ferments various flours for specific amounts of time, then dehydrates the custom flavor before it is finally milled into a fine, easily handled, free-flowing powder.
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In Flux in the Lab
Ingredient market volatility challenges even the most talented R&D teams ... but it doesn’t have to.
BY MARI RYDINGS
Expect the unexpected. That pretty much sums up the life of a modern baker. Most unpredictable situations are easy to solve: adjust the dosing, tweak the temperature, review the recipe. Fluctuating ingredient markets, however, are a different story. Extreme weather conditions, devastating viruses such as bird flu, geopolitical challenges and tariffs keep ingredient prices and supply in a constant state of flux that trickles down to R&D.
Eggs and cocoa have experienced some of the largest swings. The American Egg Board estimates that in 2025, nearly 45 million laying hens were lost to bird flu, causing a dramatic surge in prices and severely limiting supply. According to data from Innova Market Insights, cocoa prices have more than doubled since 2023, driven by various factors.
Looking for ways to protect the bottom line and secure supply, many bakers have turned to lower-cost, more stable alternatives. Others remain committed to using real eggs and cocoa but have adjusted their product development strategies. Both approaches often require some degree of reformulation.
Eggs play a big role in baking. They help with structure, aeration, leavening, emulsification, moisture retention, color, flavor and more. With a bit of trial and error, egg replacers — wheat protein isolate, polysaccharides, emulsifiers and other plant-based alternatives — can be cost-effective and stable options.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
“Eggs are very difficult to replace, especially in sweet goods,” said Ashley Beech, bakery applications development manager at Corbion. “Some egg replacers can lead to a denser or mushy texture or lower volume in the finished product. Gas retention might decrease during production, which results in cracking in cakes and muffins.”
Depending on the application, egg replacers function differently and are rarely a one-to-one replacement. Typically, R&D teams must formulate with a blend, such as a protein and a gum, to achieve the full functionality of eggs. For example, baked goods with a high sugar content may need a combination to recreate the stabilizing function and texture that real eggs provide. In egg-rich products like brownies and pound cake, partial replacement might be the best option to maintain some of the structure and emulsification properties.
“It’s about tailoring the correct protein or replacement option to a customer’s project,” explained Samantha Meyers, product development and application manager with Manildra USA. “It’s important for bakers to understand that no matter which egg replacement option they choose, it’s not going to be exactly like egg because they function differently. You can get a product close to the egg version, but it’s not going to be an exact match.”
Egg replacers can also alter color, flavor and bake time. Real eggs impart a recognizable yellow color, whereas egg replacers tend to be more neutral, meaning bakers need to add something to recreate the expected color. They also have a neutral flavor, so a finished product may taste a little sweeter when real egg is removed, requiring additional formula adjustments. To obtain the full
With a bit of trial and error, egg replacers — wheat protein isolate, polysaccharides, emulsifiers and other plant-based alternatives — can be a cost-effective and stable option for bakers considering partially or fully replacing eggs.
functionality of the replacer, the water content may need to be increased, which could require adjustments to bake time and oven temperature.
“A big chunk of the product development time is spent on a bench-top lab scale, because your process and formula are going to be a bit different depending on the product,” said Erin Surratt, senior director of research, development and applications at Corbion. “If you dialed in for one product, it won’t necessarily fit across all your different [formulas].”
Bakers face similar challenges with navigating cocoa prices and supply. Reducing cocoa content is a common solution, but doing so can impact flavor and the aesthetics of the final product.
“Small reductions in cocoa content — say moving from a 44 percent chip to a 41 or 42 percent — generally don’t change the baked flavor dramatically,” said Kerry Groves, senior R&D manager, chocolate and compound at Puratos USA. “When it comes to color and appearance, even a slight shift can matter, especially in patisserie, where consumers expect a certain visual richness.”
Altering cocoa content can also affect functionality, taste and aroma. The structural functions that cocoa imparts are essential to bakers while taste and aroma are non-negotiables for consumers.
“When cocoa levels are reduced, there may be a flattening of flavor or an imbalance in sweetness,” explained Roni Eckert, senior food scientist at Wixon, Inc. “Rebuilding that complexity requires more than simply adding chocolate flavor. Functionally, reducing cocoa creates a solids gap in the formula that must be carefully backfilled to avoid changes in spread, density or texture.”
With egg prices all over the place, bakers are looking for ways to reduce or replace them without sacrificing quality.
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Eckert noted that beyond helping bakers manage market availability and cost volatility, cocoa alternatives can encourage formulators to rethink traditional approaches and optimize formulas for today’s market. But it may not be easy.
“The primary challenge is maintaining indulgence,” she said. “If alternatives are not carefully balanced, products may be perceived as less rich or less premium. Achieving the right sensory profile often requires additional formulation work to rebuild flavor and aroma while preserving texture and brand expectations.”
Another challenge is the time, effort and cost involved with updating packaging information.
“Real chocolate has a strict standard of identity, so moving to compound changes how the ingredient must be declared,” Groves said. “Some replacers also bring extra allergens or longer ingredient lists, so bakers need to consider how that fits their brand and customer base.”
Some bakers built their business on using real ingredients, and reducing the amount or switching to alternatives isn’t an option.
“The Fancypants brand is premium, Non-GMO Project verified, and focused on delivering the best possible quality, texture and taste,” said Maura Duggan, founder and CEO of Boston-based Fancypants Baking Co. “To that end, it’s important our ingredients are consistent, to the extent that we’re very selective about the suppliers we’ll work with.”
Product development solutions for these bakeries require a different approach to managing ingredient costs and supply chain disruptions.
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With alternative ingredients, bakers must consider labeling and long-term costs.
“The key is planning smartly,” said Nate Hedtke, VP of innovation and customer engagement at the American Egg Board. “Bakers can manage costs by using the right egg product for the job, optimizing their formulas for egg use, strengthening their supplier partnerships with longerterm agreements that help cushion market swings, and focusing on performance versus replacement.”
The strategy is similar for bakers committed to using real cocoa.
“One of the most effective levers is smart product development,” said Cristian Chu Salgado, VP of strategy and growth at Luker Chocolate. “Fine-tuning cocoa percentages, sweetness systems and processing behavior
can help the chocolate perform exactly as needed in the final application and deliver better cost-in-use.”
Choosing the right chocolate for the application — chips, chunks, inclusions, coating, filling or tailored-viscosity couvertures — is a major opportunity for bakers to reduce waste, improve yield and increase consistency across batches.
“Flavor and product design also play an important role,” Chu Salgado said. “In many cases, working on flavor, texture and visual appeal can be an effective way to maintain a premium consumer experience and manage costs.”
For now, the ingredient market appears stable, but bakers are always preparing for the next price hike or supply chain kink, be it eggs, cocoa, sugar, dairy or grains. It’s impossible to predict, much less control, these fluctuations, but bakers can navigate these hurdles with strategic forecasting and R&D contingency plans. CB
Bakers committed to using real cocoa can manage markets swings with a smart R&D strategy.
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Crunching the Numbers
BY BETH DAY
Highlighting crackers’ versatility is a tried-and-true marketing strategy used to engage consumers and increase eating occasions.
Crackers Dollar Share*
SALTINE : 6.0%
GRAHAM: 5.6%
BREADSTICKS: 0.4%
Total US - Multi Outlet w/ C-Store (Grocery, Drug, Mass Market, Convenience, Military and Select Club & Dollar Retailers) | Latest 52 Weeks Ending Jan. 25, 2026
Source: Circana Omnimarket Integrated Fresh, a Chicago-based Market Research Firm (@WeAreCircana) *Percentage rounded to the nearest tenth
Crackers appeal as a versatile and convenient snack. Brands that deliver flavor, function and healthy ingredients but also consider consumer needs will go a long way toward promoting category sales. The cracker market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 5.3% from 2026-2035 and is expected to reach $41.92 billion, according to EMR | CLAIGHT’s “Crackers Market Size, Share and Growth Analysis Report - Forecast Trends and Outlook (2026-2035).”
Cracker dollar sales remained flat while volume sales declined by
2.1% vs. a year ago.
Source: Circana
Perceived Value Wins
Cracker dollar sales remained flat vs. a year ago, while volume sales declined 2.1%, according to data from Circana for the latest 52 weeks ending Jan. 25, 2026. A $0.09 price-per-volume increase across the category helped maintain dollars despite softness in consumption, as product trips per buyer declined 2.2% since last year. Consumer budgetary concerns and how they perceive product value are impacting growth.
“It’s clear that shoppers are willing to trade up for products that meet specific needs and deliver on value as defined by the consumer — convenience, achieving health and wellness goals, or excitement — to elevate home eating occasions,” said Rebecca Elkinson, director of client insights for Circana. “This is evident by the bifurcation we see in the data
across all food and beverage categories, with premium brands gaining volume share at the expense of mainstream and value brands, and private label volume share remaining flat.”
Recent Circana data showed private label underperformed across all cracker subcategories from a dollar and unit sales perspective. Elkinson noted that private label crackers, compared to the total cracker segment, saw a steeper decline in trips per buyer vs. a year ago.
“There has been some growth for private label within flavor groups like Mexican, hot/spicy, vinegar and tangy, suggesting consumers are drawn to exciting flavor combinations,” Elkinson said. “More traditional private label flavor profiles, such as cheese, sweet and grain, declined.”
Crackers Dollar Sales
Total US - Multi Outlet w/ C-Store (Grocery, Drug, Mass Market, Convenience, Military and Select Club & Dollar Retailers) | Latest 52 Weeks Ending Jan. 25, 2026
Source: Circana Omnimarket Integrated Fresh, a Chicago-based Market Research Firm (@WeAreCircana)
“There has been some growth for private label within flavor groups like Mexican, hot/spicy, vinegar and tangy, suggesting consumers are drawn to exciting flavor combinations.”
Rebecca Elkinson | director of client insights | Circana
Functional Crackers
The EMR | CLAIGHT report showed preference for healthy snacks is driving demand for whole grains, high fiber and natural ingredients. Focusing on creating products with clean ingredients that adhere to appealing health claims, such as gluten-free, can create growth.
“Healthy eating is rising as health-and-wellness is a consumer priority, and many are avoiding foods with artificial ingredients, including ultra-processed, artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners, preservatives, and GMOs,” Elkinson said. “Many of the brands driving growth for crackers feature health and wellness claims.”
The rising popularity of plant-based diets has impacted crackers as well, according to the EMR | CLAIGHT findings. Brands have introduced vegan versions and added protein and texture-boosting ingredients like chickpeas, lentils, seeds and nuts.
Loves Park, IL-based TH Foods’ Crunchmaster brand grew volume with its line of gluten-free, whole grain, non-GMO multi-seed and multi-grain crackers made with no artificial ingredients, according to Circana data. Simple Mills, a brand under Thomasville, GA-based Flowers Foods, drove volume and unit sales growth with a portfolio of paleo-friendly crackers made with non-GMO, glutenand grain-free ingredients.
Meets Inno ation Innovation
“Milton’s Fine Foods is another brand growing cracker volume with glutenfree, non-GMO crackers made with whole grains, among other health-andwellness claims,” Elkinson said. “Natural and vegan claims are also driving growth for the category.”
Premium Appeal
Premium products made with highquality ingredients, artisanal techniques and tasteful packaging appeal to cracker consumers, according to the EMR | CLAIGHT report. Despite limited food budgets, some are willing to pay more for crackers perceived as gourmet or handcrafted. Elkinson noted that Chantilly, VA-based Firehook increased volume sales not only by offering organic crackers made with simple ingredients but also by creating an artisanal product.
“Versatility and pairing ideas are opportunities for crackers,” Elkinson said. “Snack boxes and plates are going viral on social media, with consumers combining ready-to-eat foods for easy mealtime solutions.”
The EMR | CLAIGHT data showed that some cracker brands are expanding beyond traditional cheese and salted profiles to create varieties with bold, unique flavors. New profiles include spicy, savory, herb-infused and fusion flavors inspired by global cuisines.
“Bold flavors seem to be an innovation theme and growth driver for larger cracker manufacturers,” Elkinson said. “Cheez-It flavors are driving volume sales growth for the brand, including Smoked Cheddar, Smoked Gouda, Hot & Spicy, Cheesy Taco and Hot Honey. Club Cracker’s new Sweet Hawaiian profile contributed to growth as well.”
Chicago-based Mondelez International’s new Zesty Herb flavored RITZ Fresh Stacks also boosted category gains. Additionally, Elkinson noted exciting collaborations culminated in out-ofthe-box varieties such as Cheez-Its’ new Wendy’s Baconator flavor profile and Malaysia-based Munchy Food Industries’ sandwich crackers paired with Frito-Lay Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream flavor.
Crackers Unit Sales (# in Millions)
“Bold flavors seem to be an innovation theme and growth driver for larger cracker manufacturers.”
Rebecca Elkinson | director of client insights | Circana
Stacking the Trends
Convenience motivates consumers, and crackers with cheese or nut butter fillings offer an on-the-go snack with added protein. While sales of many traditional sandwich cracker brands are declining, Circana data showed that Parsippany, NJ-based Ferrero cracker lines reported gains.
“Ferrero is driving growth in crackers with fillings due to its Nutella & GO! singleserve hazelnut spread and breadsticks snack,” Elkinson said. “This format delivers pre-portioned indulgence as well as snacking on the go.”
Total US - Multi Outlet w/ C-Store (Grocery, Drug, Mass Market, Convenience, Military and Select Club & Dollar Retailers) | Latest 52 Weeks Ending Jan. 25, 2026 Source: Circana Omnimarket Integrated Fresh, a Chicago-based Market Research Firm (@WeAreCircana)
Highlighting crackers’ versatility is a tried-and-true marketing strategy used to engage consumers and increase eating occasions. With healthier lifestyles top of mind, demonstrating how crackers can easily pair with protein and fiberrich foods to align with dietary needs inspires a variety of nutritious combinations and unlocks more meal solutions for consumers.
“Cracker innovations need to have a clear value proposition focused on consumer needs to motivate trial and repeat,” Elkinson said. “Understanding that consumers are concerned about tighter budgets is key.”
Expanding healthier options and eating occasions with a nod to perceived value can promote sales for cracker producers. Combining functionality, convenience and clean ingredients is a recipe for category growth. CB
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The Value of Pie
BY BETH DAY
Center Store vs. Perimeter Pie Dollar Sales ($ in Millions)
$1,500
Total US - Multi Outlet W/ C-Store (Grocery, Drug, Mass Market, Convenience, Military and Select Club & Dollar Retailers) | Latest 52 Weeks Ending Jan. 25, 2026
Source: Circana Omnimarket Integrated Fresh, a Chicago-based Market Research Firm (@WeAreCircana)
Pies are an indulgent choice for many consumers. Driven by convenience and the appeal of premium bakery products, the growth of the global pie market is forecasted to expand by a CAGR of 6.6% through 2034, according to DiMarket’s “Pie and Pastry Filling Market’s Evolution: Key Growth Drivers 2026-2034” report. Pies attract shoppers seeking a homebaked item made with enticing flavors and real ingredients.
The pie category reported more than
$2.4 billion in sales.
S ource: Circana
Price Drops for Perimeter
Spanning center store, perimeter and frozen pie products, the overall pie category reported more than $2.4 billion in sales, with perimeter garnering the largest market share, according to the Circana retail data for the 52 weeks ending Jan. 25, 2026. While perimeter and center store sales were flat, perimeter whole pies have rebounded from 2024 declines, with growth in both dollars and units in 2025.
“Perimeter pies are three times the size of center store pies from a dollar perspective,” said Melissa Altobelli, senior VP of bakery and dairy for Circana. “Whole pies saw a 3 percent price decrease in 2025 after increases in 2024, which has contributed to growth.”
Value also likely plays a part in the rebound of perimeter whole pies. Price points for whole pies are down to $3.49 per pie at value retailers, according to Circana. Smaller-sized varieties are declining as consumers try to maximize value by purchasing whole pies.
Private label is driving whole pie growth for perimeter sales, although Altobelli observed that Wynnewood, PA-based Patti’s Good Life’s Patti Labelle’s southern pie line, and Kansas City, KS-based Tippin’s Pies are also contributing to perimeter growth.
“While private label is a leader with perimeter whole pies, Patti Labelle’s pies are described as creamy and authentic with a soulful taste, and Tippin’s Pies offers real ingredients, flavor variety and flaky crusts contributing to growth,” Altobelli said. “These brands produce fresh, homemade pie experiences that leverage current trends.”
Value Boosts Center Store
Center store pie sales are flat across the segments, even in single-serve/ snack pies, which typically drive growth, according to Circana. Private label accounts for about 40% of snack pie units, but both private label and all major brands showed declines. Altobelli noted that stagnate growth persists even though snack pie pricing has remained consistent at approximately $1.10 per unit at value retailers.
“Value proposition is likely impacting performance of snack pies as consumers cut back on discretionary spending,” she said. “Value is more than just a price point. Snack pie manufacturers have the opportunity to focus innovation on meeting other consumer needs like convenience or added health claims.”
Nostalgia, Premium SKUs
Accounting for two-thirds of the dollar share, the most popular flavors for perimeter whole pies include apple, pumpkin, pecan and key lime. Perimeter pie flavors like mixed fruit, strawberry and French silk showed strong growth, despite lower dollar sales and less overall pie share.
“From a flavor perspective, there is little innovation in pies, with tried-and-true flavors dominating,” Altobelli said. “Pies overall skew to older households, where purchases may be influenced by nostalgia. Iconic apple pie flavors account for almost one-third of whole pie dollar sales.”
Pie consumers seek flavor experiences. While fruit-based fillings are perceived as healthier, DiMarket’s report found evolving preferences for diverse profiles including salted caramel, matcha, lavender and spiced apple.
“Value is more than just a price point.”
Melissa Altobelli | senior VP of bakery and dairy | Circana
Perimeter Pies Dollar Sales*
Total US - Multi Outlet W/ C-Store (Grocery, Drug, Mass Market, Convenience, Military and Select Club & Dollar Retailers) | Latest 52 Weeks Ending Jan. 25, 2026
Source: Circana Omnimarket Integrated Fresh, a Chicago-based Market Research Firm (@WeAreCircana) *Dollars rounded to nearest hundredth.
Artisanal bakery items attract consumers looking for fresh, minimally processed homemade desserts. Despite economic constraints, consumers are still looking to treat themselves with an affordable indulgence. Pies made with authentic ingredients that also leverage current trends are resonating with shoppers.
Interest in healthier baked goods continues, with consumers seeking desserts that support dietary needs like reduced sugar, gluten-free and other free-from options, according to DiMarket’s report. Pies perceived to be better-for-you appeal to healthconscious shoppers as long as flavor and texture aren’t compromised.
“Overall, consumers are looking for functional benefits such as protein, fiber and gut health while also reducing sugar and carbs,” Altobelli said. “There is opportunity for pie manufacturers to play in the functional space and get creative, as there has been little innovation around these trends.”
Thawing Interest
The Circana data showed relatively flat dollar growth for frozen pies; however, units were up 2.5%, and price per unit decreased 3.3%.
Marie Callender’s pies, owned by Elite Restaurant Group, along with Conagra’s Banquet brand are driving the majority of growth for frozen pies. Over the past four years, Banquet pies have grown consistently, and Marie Callender’s pies showed dollar increases for the past five years, along with unit gains, with the exception of 2023. Some of Marie Callender’s growth may be due to offering No Bake, Thaw and Eat and Ready to Bake varieties.
Newer brands such as Conagra’s Dolly Parton pie line and Vernon, CA-based Golden West Food Group’s Hershey’s and Reese’s cream pies are also contributing to growth for frozen pies through increased distribution.
“Co-branding and licensing are opportunities for pie producers to create fun products for consumers, as they can relate to brands they frequently buy in other food categories,” Altobelli said.
Turning It Around
Expanding occasions such as game days, girls nights or potlucks to include pie experiences like a pie bar can excite not only the occasion but also consumer interest. Altobelli suggested that manufacturers partner with retailers on solution-based bundling, highlighting how pies can help celebrate occasions or micro-holidays.
“Pies under-index with millennials and younger consumers,” Altobelli said. “Focusing on how to win these demographics, whether with unique and fun flavor experiences or functional benefits, may grow sales.”
2.5%
Offering artisanal pies made with clean ingredients and popular flavors promotes category growth. Considering the value proposition — whether price, convenience or functional claims — and what is important to specific consumer groups is a winning strategy. CB
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THE SMART BAKERY: CLOSER THAN YOU THINK
Bakers looking for efficiency, versatility and longevity need automation they can trust from a supplier that meets them where they are.
The future is now
For years, the idea of a “smart bakery” has been on the horizon … always in view, but seemingly intangible. Today, thanks to advances in processing automation, the concept is becoming a practical reality.
“Our primary objective is to meet the customer where they are in their automation journey,” said Rob Francis, head of applications, food sales for Coperion. “The initial step is collaborating to identify the core processes where we can be most effective and drive meaningful efficiencies.”
What are the goals and benefits of a smart bakery?
Implementing automation isn’t about replacing bakers; it’s about empowering them with technology that supports consistent quality, efficiency and growth.
Automation assists teams by taking on repetitive, physically demanding tasks, helping retain skilled workers and preserving critical knowledge on the production floor. It lays the path for a fully integrated bakery to meet today’s demands while gearing up for tomorrow as technology and skillsets evolve and generations transition.
On the production floor, smart controls help drive consistent product quality, keeping consumers loyal and brands strong. Automated systems help reduce turnover and shift workers into roles where their distinctive skills can be utilized.
At the same time, energy-efficient equipment and proactive, data-driven maintenance help minimize downtime and waste. And if recalls happen, advanced traceability and food safety capabilities help brands execute them quickly, efficiently and more precisely than ever before.
What does a smart bakery look like?
Every bakery is different; there’s no “one size fits all.”
Identifying common processes across operations is the first step to implementing proper automation.
In a smart bakery, improved process controls design creates high-quality data feedback, which leads to increased efficiencies and decreased downtime. Automated data exchange can also improve productivity, energy savings and traceability.
Layering integrated smart controls and data feedback onto existing equipment can help bakeries monitor and adjust
processes in real time. The result is tighter process control, less reliance on manual intervention and the foundation of a connected, smart facility.
For example, the Coperion VMI Verymix continuous dough mixing system is designed for high-capacity, 24/7 production. It’s known for consistency in handling a variety of doughs while running continually. Integrated data feedback tracks viscosity and temperature during kneading to adjust processing times based on ingredient variations or ambient conditions.
How does a bakery become smart?
At its core, automation is the practical application of technology to create efficiencies across the entire process. That includes fully integrated line controls that work to connect everything from ingredient storage and dosing to mixing, dough handling and forming, as well as packaging.
Whether it’s integrating process controls throughout the production line or providing intuitive machinery such as Automated Guided Vehicles for dough transport or robots for confectionery decorating, Coperion Food, Health & Nutrition offers a range of solutions for bakeries of all sizes along with starting points to bring the smart bakery concept to fruition.
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Crackers Come Clean
BY BETH DAY
Crackers are inherently versatile and convenient, checking multiple boxes for consumers. To hit a home run, manufacturers are recognizing evolving health trends and delivering crackers that not only include whole grains and high fiber but also support dietary preferences like digestive health and weight management.
Read how producers align R&D and operations to leverage current trends and create flavorful crackers that resonate with shoppers.
© Generative AI on Adobe Stock
Functional ingredients are emerging in bakery as consumers focus on healthier lifestyles and cleaner eating. Winslow, ME-based Better With Buckwheat’s crackers are made with nutritional ingredients and locally grown buckwheat that supplies complete plant protein and prebiotic fiber. The company is upgrading operations to grow its Better With Buckwheat cracker line and scale up its Better With Buckwheat Maine Crisps.
“The increasing use of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss has likely impacted sale of some bakery products,” said Lewis Goldstein, CEO of Better With Buckwheat. “Our product is nutrient dense, low glycemic, anti-inflammatory, and gluten- and grain-free, so we believe we are positioned to be a product that consumers using GLP-1 drugs would benefit from eating.”
Better With Buckwheat has made a number of changes to its manufacturing processes. Efforts to grow the business, enhance operational efficiencies and increase output are necessary to keep up with demand. For example, the bakery installed new equipment that allows for the simultaneous production of crisps and crackers.
“We set up separate mixing and baking lines for crackers and crisps,” Goldstein said. “This enables us to increase production of both because we can focus on the specific process for each of the product lines individually.”
Meanwhile, aligning current production capabilities with R&D helps avoid manufacturing disruptions and promotes efficient machinability. However, Maine Crisps are challenging to mass produce because they require a two-step baking process.
“The dough for the Maine Crisps is baked into loaves, and those loaves are sliced, baked again, checked for quality and sent to the packaging machine,” Goldstein explained. “Our crackers are extruded and require only one bake, so the process is simpler and takes less time.”
The biggest game changer for the company has been the addition of an ADCO high-speed packaging line, which improves efficiency, enhances the speed of production and supports future growth. The new cartoner has helped increase output and improve the quality of finished products.
“We began using the cartoner last November, and it has allowed us to increase our output substantially,” Goldstein said. “While we are still learning about the machine, we expect to further increase throughput as we better understand all facets of its operation.”
Better With Buckwheat is focused on growing business for its current flavors of crackers and crisps and plans to launch new categories and flavor profiles in 2027. While creating new and enhanced products is an important part of the plan,
the company still focuses on improving texture, taste and quality.
“We constantly monitor and adjust the baking time for the cracker loaves and crisps to get the best crunch and eliminate breakage in the packaging and shipping process,” Goldstein noted.
Sourdough crackers from Kansas City, MO-based Unbothered Foods were born out of the passion to create foods that people with digestive health issues can enjoy. Founder Morgan Murdock, a registered dietitian, launched the fermented shelf-stable pantry snacking crackers in 2023.
“Crackers are not easy to manufacture, and though ours are made with simple, whole ingredients, we use fermented dough, which is temperamental and takes time,” Murdock said. “As a start-up, it was difficult to find a co - manufacturer willing to do small runs and tackle a product that required 24 hours of fermentation. I needed the expertise of a bread maker and a cracker manufacturer with [an operation] small enough to understand fermented foods yet large enough to produce at scale.”
“The new cartoner has allowed us to increase our output substantially. We expect to further increase throughput as we better understand all facets of its operation.”
Lewis Goldstein | CEO | Better With Buckwheat
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Murdock found a partner willing to start small and learn the sourdough process. R&D required multiple test runs, dough reformulation and a built-in buffer to accommodate the fixed fermentation required for the crackers. After all, to make a true sourdough cracker, the process requires steps beyond just mixing and baking.
“Most commercial sourdough crackers are not made using a fermenting process, but instead flavored to taste like sourdough,” Murdock explained. “Without proper fermentation, those products miss the whole gut-friendly component, which is non-negotiable for me.”
It takes two days to produce Unbothered crackers from a sourdough
starter, which must be fed to ensure it’s activated when added to the cracker mixture. The dough is bulk fermented in barrels for more than 24 hours, then deposited on the line, run through the sheeters, docked, cut and baked. Fermented dough machines differently than regular cracker dough, and many variables impact success.
“Time, temperature and humidity impact the dough characteristics the most, and machining can be challenging if you don’t know what levers to pull to adjust the dough texture,” Murdock explained. “During hot summer months, the temperature in the bakery rises and speeds up fermentation, weakening the gluten bonds, so the dough doesn’t hold together well on the line.”
Conversely, when the temperature in the bakery gets colder, the dough can shrink and become difficult to handle. Even though it is processed through a roller and cut into shapes, shrinkage can result in a thicker cracker with the texture of a pita chip. Understanding how to handle the fermented dough in all temperatures and seasons is integral to maintaining product consistency and operations efficiency.
“We’re still figuring out how to best handle the finicky dough variations because we have only been working with our co- manufacturer since May 2025 and have not experienced a full year of seasons,” Murdock said. “Ultimately, a larger facility with more resources, like a temperature controlled room, will help regulate operations as we grow.”
Unbothered Foods adds seasoning to the crackers either by hand, or mixed in the dough, depending on the product and how it should look, feel and taste.
Photo courtesy of Unbothered Foods
Photo courtesy of Better With Buckwheat
For example, pieces of cheese are added by hand to the Cheddar crackers at the end of the process for an artisanal look that the brand is known for. However, Murdock said that as the company scales, adding equipment capable of machining ingredient toppings would improve product quality and consistency.
Currently, operations run twice a month, producing up to 3,000 bags of crackers per day. This means there’s room for growth.
“We are committed to producing a healthy, gut-friendly cracker, but it has obvious challenges, requiring more time and labor which impacts our price points,” Murdock said. “Our crackers cost between $6.99 and $8.99, especially if sold on the East or West Coast. Ours is not a cheap product to make, and we are constantly working on efficiencies.”
Packaging is completed manually for Unbothered Foods’ crackers. Resealable pouches retain freshness and make for convenient snacking. Product breakage is minimal since the crackers are not sheeted as thin as other crackers. The sourdough component makes them strong enough to stand up to dense dips or a melted brie.
The company ships directly to independent retailers nationwide using multiple online platforms, such as Amazon, the company website, Misfits Market and Good Eggs.
“This year, we’re partnering with a larger broker and focusing our expansion efforts on the West Coast since our co-manufacturer is located there, and the California customer understands the benefits of sourdough and is willing to pay a higher price point,” Murdock said. “From a store standpoint, breaking into that market is a big goal for us this year.”
It’s been a difficult year for many commercial bakers, as the industry has encountered labor and supply issues and higher costs due to tariffs. For Better with Buckwheat, that has meant higher prices for some of its ingredients.
“We have a limited number of imported ingredients, and up until this point we have absorbed all cost increases and not passed them on to our consumers,” Goldstein said. “Instead, we are working to remove costs from our production and purchasing through operational efficiency and new processes.”
Going forward, Murdock believes the biggest challenge is finding a sourdough cracker expert that can continually help
with the food science behind future innovation plans and a larger manufacturer to help scale production. Unbothered Foods is busy with projects in its new-product pipeline and has partnered with a company to further enhance production of the brand.
“My end goal is to become a national brand,” Murdock said. “I am excited about this new partnership, which will help us speed up our fermentation process and reduce the amount of labor currently needed to produce our crackers. If testing goes well and the fermentation and flavor remains the same, this enhanced process would be a game changer.”
Evolving health needs and dietary preferences present unlimited opportunities for cracker producers. Combining functional ingredients and appealing flavors and textures with the versatility and convenience of crackers can stimulate growth. CB
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Infinite Possibilities
BY BETH DAY
Pie is timeless, yet evolving consumer tastes reach beyond its traditional offerings.
Here, a few pie manufacturers share their insights on balancing modernized production with handcrafted details … and why collaborating with customers to expand flavors and sizes is the cherry on top.
From its beginnings baking homestyle pies for Marie Callender’s restaurants to starting its first pie company in 1988, Salt Lake City-based Rocky Mountain Pies has mastered the art of pie making. The company blends expertise with precision manufacturing and a commitment to crafting pies that help customers increase sales or save on labor.
“Our team has been in the pie business since the 1970s, developing a wide variety of proven profiles that we can adapt to fit the challenges of any new pie project,” said Mark (Par) Grandinetti, founder and president of Rocky Mountain Pies. “We communicate with our customers to understand the important flavor profiles in their marketing area, and we work to create the type of pie products that set them apart from their competitors.”
Rocky Mountain designates manufacturing lines for each product style. High-speed lines are used for pie crusts, fillings and crimping as often as possible to increase efficiency and output, but operations can slow from 100 pies per minute to between 40 and 60, depending on what’s being made.
The bakery’s lines produce both singleand double-crust pies. Double-crust pies move through the automated glazing
station, which finishes the top crust with whole egg prior to baking. The equipment captures the egg run off, allowing Rocky Mountain to collect and refrigerate it for reuse, which minimizes ingredient waste.
“Some [manufacturers] spray sugar water or a baker’s shine on pies, but this technique turns the top layer of a doublecrust pie into a sugar cookie instead of flaky pastry,” Grandinetti explained. “While the egg glazing process slows down the lines, this tradeoff creates a point of difference with our pies that is going to stop the cart and grow our customers’ businesses.”
“Commercial bakers must constantly consider whether to use expensive labor when automation can be more efficient and maximize output.”
Mark (Par) Grandinetti | founder and president | Rocky Mountain Pies
Running the brand’s iconic twisted lattice pies also slows production. That’s because this style is labor- intensive, requiring the lines to be modified to generate the manually placed lattice strips, which are woven vs. crisscrossed on top of each other.
“Commercial bakers must constantly consider whether to use expensive labor when automation can be more efficient and maximize output,” Grandinetti said. “Our award-winning twisted lattice pies may slow down production, but the hand-laid lattice creates an artisanal look that resonates. We perfected the combination of automation and labor to make production smooth, and it pays off.”
The majority of production for Minneapolis-based Rise Baking Co.’s pie brands is reinforced by automated systems designed to ensure consistency, food safety and efficiency at scale. This process allows operations to deliver reliable quality across high volumes while maintaining the standards Rise Baking customers expect. Still, sometimes a product calls for handcrafted finishing.
Lone Star Bakery
Photo by Olivia Siddall | Avant Food Media
“While automation is essential for production, some select steps for our pies are completed by hand where it enhances the final product, particularly when it comes to appearance, finishing touches and overall quality,” said Mike Docherty, EVP, marketing, R&D and innovation at Rise Baking. “We focus on using the best approach for each product and process, blending automation with hands-on care to consistently deliver high-quality pies that perform well for our customers and their operations.”
With decades of experience, the company has found that each pie variety comes with its own nuances, and no specific pie is more challenging to produce than another. However, one of the consistent production complexities is the crust itself.
“The flaky, delicate texture that makes pies so appealing is also what makes them fragile to handle at scale,” Docherty explained. “From intricate lattice tops to crimped edges and decorative finishes, keeping product integrity from production through packaging requires great care.”
For more than a century, San Antonio-based Lone Star Bakery has merged family traditions with innovation driven by progress. As modern freezing techniques evolved to allow freshly baked products to be shipped, the bakery scaled its business and now serves foodservice distributors and grocery chains and manufactures fried pies for some of the top 200 QSR brands.
Operating out of two 200,000-square-foot facilities, Lone Star Bakery acquired a new Easy-Mac pie line for its original plant to better meet demand for its fried pies. The Easy-Mac line required some adjustments to the pie filling formulation to account for cooler facility temperatures, which impacted the viscosity of the filling and impeded a smooth run through the pipes.
“Adding this equipment has enhanced our efficiency and improved output to meet our customers’ needs,” said Tracy Fletcher, third-generation president of Lone Star Bakery. “The filling formulation did not fundamentally change, but small modifications were made to ensure efficient processing. The new EasyMac pie line produces 2,000-pound batches of filling
in addition to the 3,000-pound batches of filling made in our other facility.”
The fried pie production is mostly automated, with industrial mixers used to process 1,000 pounds of dough per batch. The mixed dough is deposited on the sheeting line, where top and bottom dough sheets are made. Fillings are cooked in kettles, cooled using large votators, and piped or spot-deposited onto the bottom dough sheet with the other sheet placed on top.
Pies are crimped, cut into rectangles and placed directly into the spiral freezer. When frozen, they are run through a glaze waterfall, which creates a bubblelike texture on the surface. That way, when the pies are fried, they remain crispy without too much oil seeping into the dough.
“From intricate lattice tops to crimped edges and decorative finishes, keeping product integrity from production through packaging requires great care.”
Mike Docherty | EVP, marketing, R&D and innovation | Rise Baking Co.
“We tried frying without the glaze, but the pies were too greasy,” Fletcher said. “The glaze helps create a quality end product that we can stand behind.”
Lone Star uses a standard dough for its individual pies, and the special glaze is added to all unbaked pies, regardless of flavor. The fillings are where Lone Star gets creative.
“Developing new flavor profiles for our customers can require extensive collaboration and coordination,” Fletcher explained. “Sometimes a customer’s idea for a new flavor is more challenging to implement, and a test run must be conducted to ensure the filling pumps work with the formula.”
Fletcher described a particularly challenging cookie dough filling. By the time the filling was ready to run on the line, it was too viscous to run through the filling pumps. The ingredients had to be reformulated several times before operations could get the product to run smoothly.
Savory fillings can also be tricky to machine.
“We actually created a savory chicken pot pie for a customer that was sold as a limited-time offering,” Fletcher said. “The main challenge with savory fillings is that particulates within the mixture must be uniform and not too large to pump through filling pipes.”
Currently, Lone Star’s frozen fried pies are manually packed into trays and shrinkwrapped for cold storage. Fletcher is exploring evolving innovation and could potentially acquire new, more cost- effective packaging equipment.
To preserve peak freshness and quality, Rise Baking also ships its pies frozen to lock in flavor and texture from the moment they leave the production facilities.
“Post-shipping, we offer multiple formats, including ready-to-bake and retail-ready options that fit a variety of operational needs, designed to make things easier for our customers,” Docherty said.
Understanding a customer’s operational needs is integral for pie manufacturers. To this end, Rocky Mountain works to develop product solutions to minimize labor, improve quality and simplify jobs for its customers. For example, its parbaked fruit pie program doesn’t require customers like foodservice operators or in-store bakeries to have a professional baker on-site to properly prepare pies.
Additionally, Rocky Mountain worked with D&W Fine Pack to create new halfpie tins and packaging.
“We retooled our pie machine to produce the new half pies, which helps our customers reduce in-store labor and packaging costs by offering a half pie, sealed and ready for sale,” Grandinetti explained.
Smaller sizes are also driving new business for Rocky Mountain. It’s producing a new line of 6-inch cream pies to supply customers with pies at a friendlier price point. Grandinetti emphasized that the pie category’s biggest challenge is finding out how to engage with consumers to grow incremental sales from January to August and create unique pie options to stop the shopping cart and increase impulse buys.
Pie formats are definitely a part of the process for Rise Baking Co. brands, which produce a range of full- and snack-
size pies that fit on-the-go lifestyles. All products are tested for flavor, bake performance and consistency with the goal of making it easier for customers to serve a great product every time.
“Our R&D and production teams work together from the beginning to make sure new pie offerings can be produced consistently at scale while still delivering great quality for our customers,” Docherty said. “Classic flavors are the foundation of the portfolio, but our team also looks for ways to add a twist to favorites with more options like caramel apple, giving consumers a little something extra.”
Evolving tastes and occasions are shaping production for pie manufacturers. Combining modern technology with handcrafting allows operations to make pies that meet customer specifications and give consumers a reason to eat pie all year long. And that promotes category success. CB
Photo courtesy of Rocky Mountain Pies
Demand Forecasting in the ‘Appetite Economy’
Planning for the consumer shift toward GLP-1-friendly products requires discipline.
BY ALI FURMAN, PWC
A drug that began in diabetes care is now the centrifuge for one of the most significant shifts reshaping the food industry.
The rise of GLP-1 weight loss medications is a physiological shift akin to tech breakthroughs like the smartphone. According to PwC analysis of Numerator GLP-1 panel data, by late 2025 roughly one in five US households reported having at least one GLP-1 user, an increase from less than one in 10 just 12 months prior. Adoption is climbing as oral pill formats emerge and insurance coverage expands. Twenty percent of non-users say they will consider the drugs if access and affordability improve.
For wholesale bakers and food and beverage leaders, a reset is already underway.
PwC analysis of Numerator GLP-1 panel data shows household spending patterns are shifting. In homes where a GLP-1 user is the primary grocery shopper, food spending declines 4%-6% within the first year. Single-person households experience steeper reductions, between 7%-9%, as dollars migrate toward fresh, protein-forward and nutrient-dense offerings. QSR spending falls roughly 5%, while casual dining declines closer to 2%, signaling a reduction in frequency more than a retreat.
Total household spending does not fall at the same pace. Across categories, overall spend declines by just 2%-3%. Consumers are reallocating.
Dessert consumption illustrates this shift. Everyday dessert frequency declines, particularly in impulsedriven items such as candy bars, packaged snack cakes and ice cream pints. Indulgence, however, does not disappear. Spending becomes more concentrated around premium, occasion-based desserts such as restaurant-quality cheesecake, gourmet pastries and shareable desserts tied to celebrations. Portions are smaller, but expectations regarding quality and ingredients are higher.
Physiology helps explain the pattern. While savory cravings tend to decline persistently, sweet cravings follow a different trajectory, an initial reduction that proves less sustained. The result is fewer habitual sweets but continued demand for desserts that are perceived as high quality and experiential.
In short, consumers eat less overall, but think more about what they eat and are more intentional when they do.
For mid- to large-volume bakeries, the question is unavoidable: If consumers eat less, will they buy less?
Companies can no longer rely on growth from frequency, impulse or large portions. They must compete for a larger share of a smaller appetite.
In many cases, they already do. Units per basket decline. Categories built on indulgence, impulse and habitual snacking face early pressure.
Yet GLP-1 users do not disengage from food. They demand more from it.
Consumers scrutinize labels. They pay closer attention to protein, fiber and key micronutrients such as zinc, iron and copper. They shop across more stores to curate baskets that align with evolving health goals. When they dine out, they trade up for higher-quality meals and ones that feel social and experiential.
This shifting dynamic forces a strategic reset. Companies can no longer rely on growth from frequency, impulse or large portions. They must compete for a larger share of a smaller appetite.
Winning in this environment requires precision.
Portion size and pack format become critical levers. Smaller portions and resealable packaging align with fewer eating occasions. Portion control no longer signals compromise; it signals alignment with broader wellness goals.
In foodservice, smaller plated desserts, high-protein breakfast items and balanced snacks may outperform legacy staples. Operators report strong uptake when protein additions appear clearly on menus or packaging, and consumers show willingness to pay for nutritional upgrades that align with personal health goals.
At the same time, no single GLP-1 consumer profile exists. Younger urban singles, suburban families and older empty nesters exhibit different patterns. Micro-demographic insight may separate reactive operators from proactive ones.
Executives do not need perfect foresight. They need discipline.
First, quantify exposure. Track unit velocity, pack-size mix and basket composition across channels to identify which SKUs show early softness and which demonstrate resilience or growth.
Second, engage in scenario planning. What happens if GLP-1 household penetration reaches 30%? What if oral formats reduce friction? What if additional clinical indications expand beyond weight loss, sleep apnea, addiction and other conditions? Modeling can sharpen investment and portfolio decisions. New use cases could widen the consumer base and accelerate demand shifts.
Third, elevate organizational literacy. Cross-functional teams like sales, marketing and finance should stay close to this shift to design products and messages that align with evolving consumer behaviors.
GLP-1 medications have already changed consumption patterns and are redefining how people think about indulgence, health and identity. Large food and beverage companies are already responding by optimizing digestion, rethinking portion architecture and extending into health ecosystems. Wholesale bakers should respond with the same urgency.
The message is clear. The appetite economy does not eliminate opportunity but reallocates it from frequency to intentionality. CB
Ali Furman is PwC’s US Consumer Markets industry leader across the firm’s three lines of service: Advisory, Assurance and Tax. Her portfolio includes PwC’s Retail, Hospitality, CPG, Travel, Airlines and Restaurant sub-sectors. Leveraging her extensive industry experience and the PwC network, she works closely with senior leaders to grow, transform and take advantage of disruption in the constantly changing landscape of Consumer Markets.
Commercial Baking Channel
Our multimedia collection is full of videos, podcast episodes and more, where you can get a deep look — and listen — into the exciting shifts happening in the baking industry.
TechTalk with Reading Bakery Systems | WCX Wirecut Machine Capabilities
Sam Pallottini, director of cookie, cracker and pet food, talks about the newest innovations in the company’s WCX wirecut machine. www.readingbakery.com
TechTalk with Coperion Food, Health & Nutrition | Smart Bakery Integration
Josh Lamkins, head of process automation, shares how system controls updates and investments in full process solutions can make the concept of a smart bakery a reality. www.coperion.com/fhn
TechTalk with Middleby Bakery | Automation for Decorated Cake Lines
Scott McCally, president of Auto-Bake Serpentine and sweet goods category manager for Middleby Bakery, discusses the technical aspects of the company’s full line of automated solutions for decorated cakes. www.middleby.com
TechTalk with FANUC America | Robotic Technology for Bakery Operations
Wes Garrett, executive director of global accounts, outlines the various applications for and benefits of using robotic technology in bakery operations. www.fanucamerica.com
Ashworth | interpack 2026 Booth Trailer
Stop by Ashworth at Hall 13, Booth C27 to view the company’s innovative conveyor systems and automation technology. www.ashworth.com
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IMA FLX Hub | interpack 2026 Booth Trailer
Stop by the IMA FLX Hub at Hall 17, Booth A20 to see the company’s high-performance product-handling and packaging solutions in action. www.ima.it/flexible-packaging-hub
Tracy Fletcher on building a home base for Lone Star Bakery
Tracy Fletcher, president of Lone Star Bakery, talks about the company’s path to building its first full-scale manufacturing facility.
Morgan Murdock on creating gut-healthy snack options
Morgan Murdock, founder of Unbothered Foods, discusses the “why” behind the sourdough cracker brand.
Brandy Lee McNamee on turning challenges into opportunities
Brandy Lee McNamee, president and CEO of Bake Fresh, describes how current headwinds facing the industry can lead to positive change.
ARTISAN AT A GLANCE
NUTS FOR COCONUT
Coconut is no longer just a tropical flavor. Outside of sunny summer days, bakers are finding new applications for the ingredient, adding it into croissants and donuts for a subtle flavor.
Artisan innovation is flourishing. From unique flavor combos to boundary-breaking baked goods, see what’s trending in retail bakery cases.
POWERED BY
Photo courtesy of Jen’s Pastries
SMALL SEED, MAJOR IMPACT
From pies to cookies, bakers are using black sesame as a base flavor or garnish to add a touch of nutty flavor to sweet and savory baked goods.
A SIP OF SOMETHING NEW
Following the success of matcha, bakers are leaning further into the popularity of tea varieties, creating fusion foods such as cinnamon rolls with Earl Grey glaze and jasmine green tea cakes.
LONG LIVE THE KOUIGN-AMANN
Whether served with the classic crown on top or filled with pastry creams, the complex yet decadent laminated pastry is the crown jewel of various bakery cases.
BLACK CURRANT STAYS CURRENT
Named McCormick’s 2026 Flavor of the Year, the tart berries are making their way into bakeries, popping up in everything from scones to cruffins to chiffon cake fillings.
Photo courtesy of New June
Photo courtesy of The Black Walnut Bakery
Photo courtesy of Four & Twenty Blackbirds
Photo courtesy of Quail & Condor
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Through the Consumer Lens
The ultra-processed food (UPF) conversation has moved from academic journals to the bread aisle. For bakers, the instinct is to play defense: argue the science, lobby for better definitions, wait for NOVA to be clarified. That’s a mistake. Consumers aren’t waiting for scientific consensus; they’re trying to buy food that feels right for them now.
The consumer driving this conversation is one I call the “Integrity Seeker.” For years, the healthconscious shopper focused on the “chemistry” of food, scanning ingredient lists for words they couldn’t pronounce. That mindset hasn’t disappeared, but it’s gaining a physics companion. Integrity Seekers are asking a new question: Why are you breaking down a perfectly good whole thing (like a grain or fruit) just to rebuild it? They judge food by how far it’s been transformed from its original form, drawing a sharp line between processing that exploits an ingredient and processing that enhances it. Extruding, isolating and puffing read as exploitive (done to force palatability or disguise cheap inputs). Fermenting, stonemilling and even laminating read as justified, done in an understandable way to make food convenient and delicious.
Consumers aren’t rejecting processing if it’s justifiable, and baking is the original justified processing. Heat transforms flour and water into bread, not disguising a less expensive input, but unlocking it. That puts bakers on the right side of this conversation, but you have to claim it, not assume it.
First, market time as a macro. If you list “10 grams of protein” on the front of the pack, why not “48-hour ferment”? UPFs are defined by speed, and marketing “slow” short-circuits that perception. Second, serve as a bridge to kitchen logic. “Pre-gelatinizing” can sound exploitive, but “overnight oat bread” describes a similar process in language consumers trust. Third, use a retained narrative. “Enriched” can read as nutritional theft; you stripped something whole and added back something lesser. Talk instead about what you retained. “Retained” signals you respected the ingredient enough to leave it intact.
The UPF conversation doesn’t need to be seen as a threat. Bakers who tell the story of their process, rather than defending the word “processed,” will be the ones consumers choose to trust. CB
Kevin Ryan, founder and CEO of Malachite Strategy & Research, advises CPG and retail leaders on building robust innovation pipelines and setting future-facing innovation strategies. His 25-year career includes strategic leadership roles at Amazon and General Mills. Ryan holds a PhD in food science and an MSc in food anthropology. He shares insights through the FoodStuff newsletter, 3 Squares podcast and as a regular keynote speaker for audiences navigating the intersection of consumer culture and commercial opportunity. For more information, email kevin@malachite-strategy.com
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