Commercial Baking February | Q1 2024

ISSUE Q1 FEB 2024

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FLOWERS FOODS’ PENNY PAT TERSON-SMITH

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ESG

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TEXTURE

www.commercialbaking.com

Hearthside Food Solutions LEADING OPERATIONS IN THE NEW ERA OF CO-MANUFACTURING

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AVA N T FO O D M E D I A

OUR MEDIA

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Paul Lattan President - Principal

Steve Berne Vice President - Principal American Society of Baking

Joanie Spencer Director of Content - Partner

COMMERCIAL BAKING Paul Lattan Publisher | paul@avantfoodmedia.com 816.585.5030

(Affiliated media brand)

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Commercial Baking is published by Avant Food Media, 1703 Wyandotte St., Suite 300, Kansas City, MO 64108.

Joanie Spencer

inaccuracies can occur. Consequently, readers using this information do so at their own risk. Commercial Baking

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Commercial Baking considers its sources reliable and verifies as much data as possible, although reporting

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FIND US ON

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

6

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IN THIS ISSUE

20

34

Hearthside Food Solutions: Art of the Possible

Penny Patterson-Smith: Innovation at C-Level

41

48

57

Emerging Brand: Tia Lupita Foods

American Society of Baking: Building a New Foundation

Critical Issues: ESG

Features PLUS: Look for QR codes that contain exclusive digital content throughout the issue.

Cover: At Hearthside Food Solutions, (from left) Mike Tuck, Darlene Nicosia and Bobbi Jo Raffetto are changing the game for cohesive operations in a modern era of contract manufacturing. Read more on page 20.

Photo by George Whitehill

9

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IN THIS ISSUE

Departments

65

TRENDS Product Development: Texture

65

Category Outlook: Bread

73

Category Outlook: Sweet Goods

79

I N N OVAT I O N S

85

108

Category Insight: Bread

85

Category Insight: Sweet Goods

93

Commercial Baking Channel

105

Supplier Solutions

108

Ad Index

112

QUICK READS

11

Editor’s Note

12

Seen and Heard

15

Business Intel

101

The Last Word

114

COMMERCIAL BAKING

A N OTE FR O M TH E ED ITO R

Culture Club Maybe it’s the “new year, new you” vibe, but I’ve been thinking a lot about culture lately.

As our company grows, we’re rethinking about who we want to be … as a business and an employer. This year, we’re implementing things like a hybrid office schedule, more documentation for our Impact Report, and a suggestion box a-la Ted Lasso.

Culture is such a nebulous term, but it’s critical to how companies function today. When was the last time you interviewed a candidate who didn’t ask about culture?

Most businesses want to cultivate a workplace environment that people want to show up for, a place they’re proud to professionally call home. But culture is more than that.

It’s also about how companies show up for the world around them. Little by little, more bakeries are working toward achieving B Corp. certification, and — even if they don’t realize it — more are engaging in environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives. The term may be new, but the practices behind them are taking hold.

And please don’t assume this is all about soft skills. Think about operational culture, too. When implemented well, quality, efficiency, innovation and safety initiatives can inspire people to participate in building a successful business, not just a better corporate ethos.

JOANIE SPENCER Editor-in-Chief | joanie@avantfoodmedia.com

On the pages ahead, you’ll meet organizations that are improving culture in all these aspects. And you’ll discover insights into how operational improvements, defined innovation and a focus on impact can achieve real business success.

WATCH NOW: What is culture, anyway? Joanie Spencer unpacks the fundamental impacts culture can have on bakery business.

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FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

When I see you out at events this year, let me know how culture is changing your business … and the industry.

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Seen eard H

AND

“We meet here as an industry to make this trade progress.

It’s unbelievable to see how we link up innovation and tradition.”

Detlev Krüger | advisory board chair | iba During his opening remarks at iba 2023

“As marketing departments look to implement [sustainable packaging materials], they need to bring in the operations team, the materials suppliers and the OEMs as early as possible.”

Jorge Izquierdo | VP, market development | PMMI On the importance of early collaboration with sustainability initiatives

“The ability to show collaboration is what’s needed in this changing workforce. People want to know that they are part of a team; they want to know that they are a part of something.”

Naomi J. Hardy | chief impact officer | Dunamis Change Solutions During an education session at NEXUS 2023

15

COMMERCIAL BAKING

SEEN AND HEARD

“Use ingenuity and creativity to think not only about how to create products that meet the nutrition requirements for service in the federal school meal programs, but also how to successfully market these products more broadly to support shifting taste preferences and provide more options for consumers seeking nutritious products.”

Cindy Long | administrator | USDA Food and Nutrition Service During a panel discussion on the Future of Nutrition Policy at the Bakers Fly-In 2023, hosted in partnership by ABA, ASB and RBA

WHEN PROOFING FLOOR SPACE IS TIGHT...

“Health and wellness will continue to grow in importance. I think part of that is demographically related, at least in the US, where the younger population is more interested in not only health and wellness but in sustainability.”

Tony Gavin | president | Bimbo Bakeries USA During a panel discussion on health and wellness at iba 2023

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SEEN AND HEARD

“You’ve got to figure out how to get your foot in the door, get noticed and set up an opportunity. Then you have to figure out how to blast through it with intentionality.”

JJ Birden | former NFL player | motivational speaker During the opening keynote speech at NEXUS 2023

“Initially it was, ‘FSMA … that’s what food safety people need to worry about.’ But no, it’s [also] warehousing operations. All kinds of departments need to be talking and understanding what their role is in all of this.”

Lucy Angarita | director, food supply chain optimization | GS1 US During the webinar, Are You Ready for FSMA 204?, hosted by Industry Dive

“People [need to] feel like they can use their skills to their greatest capability. If you control all the decisions they make, then they’re just a task manager. That’s not what most people want to do when they come to work. They want to give their best, make decisions and change the business for the better.”

Darlene Nicosia | CEO | Hearthside Food Solutions From Season 9 of the Troubleshooting Innovation podcast

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

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FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

F E AT U R E D B A K E R Y: HEARTHSIDE FOOD SOLUTIONS

ART OF THE POSSIBLE In a new era of co-manufacturing, Hearthside’s operations leadership takes a modern approach with a growth mindset.

BY J OA N I E S P E N C E R

To say the baking industry has changed would be the understatement of the decade. But for contract manufacturing in particular, the evolution is dramatic. What was once considered a resource based strictly on volume and capacity is now often a centrifuge of innovation for bakery brands of all types and sizes.

“I think the interesting thing about Hearthside, even in the past five years, is the sheer speed of growth and acquisition,” said Bobbi Jo Raffetto, COO of bakery co-manufacturing for Hearthside. “Our infrastructure, combined with our ability to partner with brands and quickly bring innovation to market, has become the big differentiator.”

For Downers Grove, IL-based Hearthside Food Solutions, serving as a world-class resource for not only production efficiency but also speed to market means innovating on all fronts. Acquisition activity — on both sides — has enabled Hearthside to change how it serves customers and the industry.

Today, Hearthside is rebooting its standards for excellence, in part through the diversity of thought that lives inherently in its leadership. With an executive team that touts roughly 250 years of collective experience, the breadth of their backgrounds — packaging, finance and CPG operations, to name a few — is almost as extensive as the portfolio of product capabilities. It took roughly 14 months to assemble the team, which is led by Nicosia, who took the helm as CEO in 2022.

“In 2018, an important milestone came together,” said Darlene Nicosia, CEO of Hearthside. “Both Partners Group and Charlesbank came together to acquire Hearthside and create the businesses between Hearthside, at the time, and [refrigerated and frozen producer] Greencore. That really gave us new capabilities in the fresh, refrigerated and frozen side of consumer packaged goods. To build the 34 plants in our infrastructure, it’s really been through thoughtful acquisitions and looking at what categories our customers play in.”

—Left (From left) Mike Tuck, COO of co-packing; Darlene Nicosia, CEO; and Bobbi Jo Raffetto, COO of bakery co-manufacturing; lead Hearthside’s new era of operational efficiency.

In 2021, Hearthside’s acquisition of I­nterbake Foods, which held the baking assets of Westin Foods, added six facilities to the portfolio and rounded out its bakery platform, solidifying Hearthside, in terms of square footage, as the largest privately held bakery in the country.

21

“When you come with these global-reaching CPG companies, and you start putting it together,” Raffetto said, “the horsepower is unbelievable.”

Nicosia spent nearly three decades at The CocaCola Co. before joining Hearthside, followed

by Raffetto’s 27-year tenure with Kerry Foods, along with Mike Tuck bringing 25 years with ­K imberly-Clark Corp. Tuck joined Hearthside last year as COO of co-packing for frozen and refrigerated. Raffetto and Tuck now collaborate across platforms — Raffetto focused on quality, regulatory and safety, and Tuck engaged with engineering and supply chain — to ensure cohesive operations throughout the network.

COMMERCIAL BAKING

HEARTHSIDE FOOD SOLUTIONS

Photo courtesy of Hearthside Food Solutions

For Hearthside, a cohesive operation means a customer can walk into any facility and know that, regardless of what’s being produced, the process standards are always the same.

While that network is known for its foundational Hearthside Performance System (HPS), the new leadership team added Agile — a continuous ­improvement approach with roots in the IT industry — to streamline operations throughout its facilities in the US and globally. Ten years ago, methodologies like lean manufacturing and Six Sigma made their way to the baking industry from automotive manufacturing; today, Agile is the new name of the game. Innovation starts with mindset at Hearthside, and incorporating Agile system-wide has fed that across all platforms of the company.

While HPS focuses on lean concepts for process standards, Agile enables the mindset of executing project iterations with speed and precision. In other words, implementing fast — and, when ­n ecessary, failing fast — shortens the timeline to successful innovation.

“We’re investing in those in-line systems that help with process controls to achieve and maintain the quality that customers are looking for.”

Bobbi Jo Raffetto | COO, bakery co-manufacturing | Hearthside Food Solutions

Topping HPS with Agile principles creates continuity throughout the company. But when operating 34 facilities — eight of which focus on baking — process parameters have to be the same in every facility. Immovable guardrails ensure that flexibility can happen when and where it’s needed.

“In co-manufacturing, you have two levers to pull,” Raffetto said. “You have to be efficient, and you have to reduce scrap. When customers walk into a factory, they don’t care if it’s a packaging operation, a bakery or a bar line. They just want to know that, essentially, the same guardrails are in place.”

Allocation of what’s produced in each facility requires a ­commercialization process based on plant ­c apacity and

“We’re using Agile not only for value creation projects within the plants but

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

also for business process improvement,” Tuck said. “We’re not moving away from lean; this just adds another layer to it. That means collaboratively, cross-­ functionally, we can achieve our goals.”

22

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equipment capabilities. From there, the commercialization team is in tune with the entire network to ensure allocations not only make sense for the whole organization but also meet customers’ specific needs or requests when they come up.

Oftentimes, it’s the end of the line where the most flexibility is needed, especially as post-COVID trends impact packaging arguably more than any other area. For example, variety pack demand is high for several product types and in channels such as club and c-stores.

“Through all our acquisitions and the capacity that we’ve built, we’re often looking at asset-out innovation,” Tuck said. “In our packaging area, for example, if a customer comes to us wanting multipacks or different configurations, we’ve got the assets available and the lung capacity to accomplish that very quickly.

It’s about installed capacity versus having to install new lines.”

The packaging flexibility can be seen in plants like Michigan City, IN, where the bakery’s seven packaging outlets enable a variety of configurations ranging from bag-in-box for retail to bulk packaging for foodservice. It’s also evident in McComb, OH — home to Hearthside’s largest bakery — where 17 packaging lines exceed the square footage of the processing area.

Throughout its history, Hearthside’s reputation stood on its platform of

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

Photos courtesy of Hearthside Food Solutions

The intentionality behind production scheduling is where incorporating Agile has made a big difference. In fact, one of the first Agile “sprints” was making capacity in all plants visible so that leadership could identify availability and constraints.

The Hearthside commercialization teams strategically allocate production based on capacity and customer needs.

process efficiency. More pointedly, the process is the product. However, acquisitions over the past decade — including the 2015 acquisition of VSI, then Europe’s largest ­functional bar manufacturer — brought Hearthside into the era of product development.

Sometimes it’s a matter of running a line more efficiently or improving product quality. Other times, Hearthside offers up regulatory expertise or engineering support.

And then there are times when the 25-person R&D team works with a customer to tweak a formula.

“There are areas like crackers and wafers, where we’re really well-positioned for innovation,” Raffetto said. “When you think about something like an ice cream sandwich and water migration from the ice cream to the wafer, we’re deep in the understanding of the science around that. We have this depth of knowledge throughout the network, whether it’s baking, bars or packaging.”

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HEARTHSIDE FOOD SOLUTIONS

For a company that accomplished 11 acquisitions in 13 years, operational continuity requires organizational structure. To achieve that, Hearthside uses a tier system for project communication and troubleshooting parameters. Tiers range from the plant floor — where issues happen daily and are within the operators’ control — up to executive leadership, which tackles strategy and critical issues. Each tier communicates to the next, up and down the chain, to streamline responsibilities and focus.

“It’s so easy to porpoise down to a problem and then stay in it and live there, but then you get distracted and can’t focus on strategy,” Tuck said.

“Our focus on tier-connected c­ hecking adds the foundational piece that allows us to think more strategically. Then we’re also able to work on problems coming out of the system specifically for us. [Other tiers] solve the things they can control, and we work on the ones they can’t.”

That said, the tiered structure doesn’t limit communication. Raffetto and Tuck lead town-hall style meetings with operations and cross-functional teams every six weeks to discuss issues such as safety, quality, delivery, costs and talent.

mindsets,” Tuck said. “And we realized that there were different ways people thought about safety within their facility.

Employee safety is number one for us, so we standardized it under Life Safety 9.”

Through Life Safety 9, Hearthside has prioritized the stabilization of what safety means for every facility, and minimizing these nine risk factors are non-negotiable for leadership and throughout the workforce.

“Employee safety is number one for us, so we standardized it under Life Safety 9.”

Food safety and quality are also priorities for Hearthside, whose customers range from emerging brands to household names. Investment in real-time data collection enables the company to maintain quality and food safety standards, as well as customer specifications, across all 34 facilities.

Mike Tuck | COO, co-packing | Hearthside Food Solutions WATCH NOW: Bobbi Jo Raffetto explains the strategy behind a culture of operational efficiency.

From those meetings, safety has surfaced as a top priority. Based on town-hall feedback, leadership developed the Life Safety 9 initiative, which synthesized more than 20 independent safety programs to identify the top nine risks for serious injury in a plant. The program is implemented across the entire production network, and every employee is required to sign a documented commitment to safety.

“Today’s manufacturing runs on data,” Raffetto said. “We’re investing in those in-line systems that help with process controls to achieve and maintain the quality that customers are looking for.”

For example, the Seelyville, IN, bakery uses infrared technology that picks up thousands of data points to ensure dough is running in spec.

“With so many acquisitions, we r­ealized that there are different cultures and

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

“We have reiterated that all the other safety programs certainly still matter,” Raffetto said. “But addressing the situations identified in Life Safety 9 will reduce injury and improve our employee culture.”

26

HEARTHSIDE FOOD SOLUTIONS

Photo courtesy of Hearthside Food Solutions

Centerlining, a critical element of the Hearthside Performance System, ensures not only production efficiency but also product quality and consistency at every bakery.

or quality issues. We look at the data we collect versus what we budgeted from a cost standpoint, the weight of product going into the oven for quality, and the finished weight going to the customer.”

“Before this data was available, you wouldn’t know exactly where on the line or what part of the process was breaking down,” Nicosia said. “It would take you a long time to troubleshoot, and you’d have a lot of waste because it would take a while to get back in alignment. Our ability to use real-time information to understand why something may not be performing where we need it to be — and then very quickly make the changes necessary — is hugely important for our business.”

Operators have latitude to make adjustments within certain parameters, but when those options are exhausted, they have a clear understanding of when it’s time to raise the flag or go up a tier for troubleshooting.

Additionally, centerlining is critical for ensuring the proper baselines on equipment settings, and that comes with visual cues to communicate those guardrails. After all, Hearthside veterans may refer to HPS as “the Bible,” but in today’s workforce, few operators are willing to dig through a 3-inch binder for guidelines.

As long as HPS has been in place, there has been no such thing as a “yellow” KPI. Production lines are either in spec (green) or they’re out of spec (red), leaving no room for complacency on the lines.

Hearthside has a mantra to be “the best at getting better.”

At the Michigan City plant, controlling dough scrap on cookie and cracker lines relies on proper centerlining.

“We look at the best demonstrated performance in a facility, and we start from there,” Tuck said. “You don’t allow yourself to stay in that performance; you continuously improve from it. And having the growth mindset around the ‘art of the possible’ is a key factor in continuous improvement.”

“When we centerline the process, we ensure we have the right parameters in place,” said Jimmy Justice, plant director at the Michigan City bakery. “That helps us avoid excess weights

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

28

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INNOVATIONS FROM THE BAKERY FLOORS

Photo courtesy of Hearthside Food Solutions

As post-COVID trends still drive packaging needs, Hearthside focuses on flexibility at the end of the line.

When Raffetto and Tuck took the helm leading operations last year, they established heat maps in every facility to identify processing, efficiency and safety concerns. From there, they could apply the concept of near-term full potential to drive continuous improvement. The goal is to review the past 18 months and identify the best outcomes, whether in safety, efficiency, output or scrap, and set those as the new baseline.

“We used those heat maps to then identify where an operation had drifted or wasn’t at near-term full potential,” Tuck said. “We could then prioritize where we should go from there.”

In the COVID years, bakery and snack brands contracted innovation, paring down to the basic SKUs just to keep their heads above water. But on the other side of the pandemic, innovation is expanding again. With the high cost of capital and labor at an all-time low, there’s a driving need for collaboration with co-manufacturers.

It’s often said that baking is an art and science, but for Hearthside, the line between the two isn’t quite that blurred. Here, flexibility and innovation thrive inside tight operational guardrails.

With more than 2 million square feet of bakery production space, Hearthside Food ­S olutions plans investments around streamlined efficiency for customers ranging from emerging brands to household names.

Below is a list of innovations that can be seen throughout the eight bakeries in Hearthside’s 34-plant network.

AFA Systems cartoners APV mixers Baker Perkins wirecutters, rotary moulders, ovens Bartelt Packaging cartoners Benchmark Automation wrapper infeeds Blueprint Automation case packing Bosch wrappers, case packing Campbell Systems wrappers CMC America mixers Coma Group case packing Douglas Machine case packing Formost Fuji wrappers Heat and Control scaling GEA Imaforni wirecutting Kliklok cartoners Kreuter enrobers, cooling tunnels Langen cartoners Machine Builders & Design sandwiching machines, cookie cappers Peerless Food Equipment mixers Pro Pac conveying PWR Pack robotic pick-and-place Reading Bakery Systems ovens Rovema North America baggers, cartoners Schubert North America packaging StrongPoint Automation automated palletizing Wiegers Process Innovation cream system

LISTEN NOW: “We don’t want to make manufacturing an art; it’s a science,” Tuck said. “But we also want to focus on the growth mindset. It’s easy to get stuck and say, ‘This is the way we’ve always done it.’ But a growth mindset thinks about the art of the possible.” CB

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

Hear Darlene Nicosia in Season 9 of the Troubleshooting Innovation podcast, sponsored

by Reading Bakery Systems.

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Innovation at C-Level As Flowers Foods’ first chief innovation officer, Penny Patterson-Smith balances curiosity, agility and intuition.

BY J OA N I E S P E N C E R

All photos courtesy of Flowers Foods

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

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EXECUTIVE PROFILE: P E N N Y P AT T E R S O N - S M I T H

There’s an innate e­ntrepreneurialism a person must possess before ­jumping into a newly defined role. A move like that also requires courage, ­ambition and, above all, trust. As the first-ever chief innovation officer for Thomasville, GA-based Flowers Foods, Penny Patterson-Smith has it all.

With extensive work in innovation and brand management, ­ Patterson-Smith’s experiences are like the stones that paved the path toward this o ­ pportunity.

Prior to pioneering innovation as a job title at Flowers, Patterson-Smith was the company’s senior VP of cake brands, following a long career in chocolate innovation at The Hershey Co. and brand work at major CPG companies including Nabisco and Colgate-Palmolive.

With an undergraduate degree in government and economics and an MBA in business and policy studies, Patterson-Smith might not have predicted her trajectory. Then again, her solutions-oriented mindset and aptitude for leaning into the unexpected naturally led her down this road.

“When I started my career journey, I thought it would be a straight line, from A to B,” she recalled. “I quickly realized that there’s so much more to learn.

There’s a need for people with specific skills and strength areas, but we also need people who have a general perspective that can guide an organization forward or ‘pinch hit’ in different roles.

The reality is that you have to say ‘yes’ to make things happen, and I’m not afraid of a good challenge.”

“There have been three underlying tenets that have guided me as I’ve built my career,” Patterson-Smith said. “Being consumer-grounded; being a naturally curious, lifelong learner; and believing in the benefit of continuous improvement.”

“We don’t live in a static environment … people change, their habits change, and the world around them changes.

So, we need to understand how all those needs and wants are evolving.”

Penny Patterson-Smith | chief innovation officer | Flowers Foods

These principles did not just guide her career; they also made her keenly aware of the consumer voice.

As her brand management experience parlayed into innovation leadership, Patterson-Smith grew to understand how the two concepts must work together for both to benefit any organization.

“When I think about brand and innovation roles — and the requirements for those jobs — the skill sets needed are similar,” she said. “But they’re also different because you either need to flex different muscles or use the same ones in different ways.”

From her current vantage point, Patterson-Smith sees the importance ­ of mutual appreciation and respect from both sides. When that happens, branding and innovation can identify and drive longterm goals while keeping the organization united in its direction. She knows this isn’t a chicken-or-egg situation. It doesn’t really matter which comes first; success in the marketplace happens only when a brand is intrinsically intertwined with innovation.

In a company with a portfolio as extensive as Flowers’, innovation becomes a function that is simultaneously connected to and independent from the brands, while contributing to the company’s overarching objectives. That’s a complicated matrix to navigate, but it’s what excites Patterson-Smith the most.

Along that journey, Patterson-Smith identified certain guiding principles that would weave themselves throughout her ­branding and innovation experience.

“At the end of the day, innovation must support what the consumer wants and

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EXECUTIVE PROFILE

what the business needs,” she said. “That’s what keeps it interesting.”

It’s not only the leader who needs to have courage, open-mindedness and trust for a newly defined role. The same must be true for the organization as well. For Patterson-Smith, Flowers has it in spades.

“Having the organizational support and the mandate to stand up this function — with a really strong team in place — has made this transition a smooth one,” Patterson-Smith said. “Innovation is ­ something that I’m very passionate about, and I’m excited to expand this learning throughout Flowers so that more of us can build those muscles.”

It’s never easy building something from the ground up. One of the initial challenges was simply defining ­innovation. After all, it’s a nebulous — and quite subjective — term. For ­Flowers, Patterson-Smith said, defining it meant injecting it into nearly every facet of the company, including product development, packaging, technology, processes and even partner relationships.

How the company seeds innovation also impacts how it collects and analyzes information. It can be a moving target, but it’s paramount to Patterson-Smith.

“Even the tools we’re using are evolving,” she said. “They allow us to collect insight, develop ideas and facilitate product feedback more efficiently and with greater speed.”

For her, this is where the fun begins.

Innovation is more complex than tracking trends; Patterson-Smith is focused on anticipating meaningful trends to ensure innovation is a reliable growth

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

As Flowers Foods’ first chief innovation officer, Penny Patterson-Smith enjoys cross-platform collaboration like analyzing the packaging for Dave’s Killer Bread products with Mark Bremer, director of sales analytics.

lever for the company. This requires looking further out than what’s required for her colleagues on the brand side. Anticipating early allows her to identify trends and avoid fads while helping lead the market through thoughtful solutions. In some cases, that also enables her to identify opportunities in tangential markets across the entire portfolio.

So, how does she tap into such information and determine what to follow and what to avoid? It’s all about knowing where to look.

“I have to focus on assimilating information that’s readily available in different and fresh ways,” Patterson-Smith said. “Whether it’s looking across industry and finance or listening to consumers themselves, I have to pay attention to macro market trends and what our retail partners are interested in. We don’t live in a static environment … people change, their habits change, and the world around them changes. So, we need to understand how all those needs and wants are evolving.”

That’s how Patterson-Smith can uncover new, unmet or underserved needs — and identify how Flowers can meet them.

Perhaps in a similar way that Morpheus could read through the code in The Matrix, Patterson-Smith has a knack for looking through a breadth of information and identifying what is bubbling to the surface.

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EXECUTIVE PROFILE

“If you can assimilate the data, you can act on it,” she said. “Then we can do something that maybe our competitors haven’t seen yet. That’s what drives success, not only for Flowers but also our retail partners and the marketplace in general.”

The way she sees it, this is an open landscape of opportunity.

“If you can assimilate the data, you can act on it ... That’s what drives success, not only for Flowers but also our retail partners and the marketplace in general.”

Penny Patterson-Smith | chief innovation officer | Flowers Foods

WATCH NOW: Penny Patterson-Smith defines innovation and the benefits of incorporating it into a leadership role.

“There’s unlimited potential on the innovation front,” she said. “The challenge becomes prioritization and ensuring ongoing alignment across the organization. Smart innovation, paced in the right way, can become a reliable, consistent growth lever.”

By achieving that alignment, she can effectively leverage her resources to ­ deliver real impact through strategic, consumer-centric innovation that starts and ends with the brands and their goals in the overall portfolio.

Innovation doesn’t happen overnight, though. Part of Patterson-Smith’s intuitive nature is maintaining the patience to uncover market needs and having the wherewithal to develop the appropriate strategy for meeting them.

“A good idea may not reveal itself right away,” Patterson-Smith said. “It may just be a spark of an idea that needs time to be developed before judging whether it should advance or perish. If you make a decision too quickly, you could potentially lose something really big.”

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

Just as it’s not instantaneous, innovation also doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

Patterson-Smith may be Flowers’ first chief innovation officer, but she’s not working alone. She’s connected with leaders in R&D and innovation across all brands, as well as cross-functional teams including marketing, operations, procurement, sales and others.

consumer needs. Whether it’s the type of innovation, the techniques it requires or the areas it touches, she believes one word sums it up: mindset.

Throughout the Flowers organization, ­Patterson-Smith ensures regular project process updates, issues management resolution and ongoing prioritization. In some respects, she’s the centrifuge for innovation. Then again, she sees herself more as a cross-functional connector in a collegial environment.

The first step to that is, according to Patterson-Smith, curiosity. After all, it’s one of her career-long guiding principles. Being innately curious and open to learning is what led her to become chief innovation officer. Nurturing her passion for consumer needs, capturing and using institutional knowledge and wisdom, and maintaining a focus on solutions have been foundational for the successful start of this new chapter in her career and for Flowers Foods.

“This role is really about integration and connection,” she said. “Innovation services the broader organization, and if it’s done well, the strategies link tightly to our company portfolio and brand approaches. It’s our job to connect with cross-functional partners to bring ideas to life — and to the market — to make our consumers’ lives better.”

Given the opportunity to essentially define the new role, Patterson-Smith’s vision has always been rooted in

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“Everyone sees innovation as a function,” she said. “But if we started to bring it into our everyday jobs, imagine what kind of power that could bring.”

“The good news is, we’re already hitting strides and building real momentum,” she noted. “The beauty is that we have these great brands, and our portfolio strategy is working. Now, we’re ready for more, and that’s why I’ve been tapped with leading this effort. Establishing a strong foundation that can drive growth well into the future … who wouldn’t love to do that?” CB

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EMERGING BRAND: T I A L U P I TA F O O D S

Not Your Tia’s Tortillas Tia Lupita Foods is reshaping the idea of what a tortilla can be.

BY A N N I E H O L LO N

Food can be a family affair, a uniting force that honors tradition and fuels generation after generation. Whether from familiar flavors and ingredients or recipes passed down over time rendering nostalgia, the tie between family and food rings especially true in baking. That familiarity is something Hector Saldivar, founder and CEO of Tiburon, CA-based Tia Lupita Foods, knows all too well.

In Mexican culture, tia, which directly translates to aunt, is often used as a term of endearment for female friends, parents or loved ones, all of which fit the case for the company’s namesake. As a result, Tia Lupita affectionately gets its name from Saldivar’s mother.

“It’s my way of saying that although Tia Lupita is my mom, she’s your aunt,” Saldivar explained. “It’s a way of welcoming [someone] into the family.”

All photos courtesy of Tia Lupita Foods

Since officially launching in 2018, Tia Lupita’s portfolio has grown beyond salsa to include grain-free tortillas and tortilla chips. However, the brand’s story began in 2005 when Saldivar, born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, moved to California and began his search for an authentic hot sauce.

Tia Lupita Foods’ cactus-based products are disrupting the tortilla category.

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“When I moved here, most of the hot sauces in the United States were vinegar-based and runny,” Saldivar recalled. “For the most part, their number one ingredient was water or vinegar. I was taken aback a little because with my mom’s hot sauce, our number one ingredient is actually the pepper: red or green jalapeno, chipotle, habanero, whatever it is that we’re using.”

That self-fulfilling mission continued with Saldivar’s need for a tortilla that tasted like home but met his health needs.

“I love tacos, but I’m always on a diet,” he shared. “Tacos and diet should never be in the same sentence, but in Mexico, we figured out that by mixing nopales [cactus] with corn masa, we’re able to add fiber to the tortilla, hence reducing the net carb content and calories.”

A regular tortilla has a higher calorie and carb count than one made with nopales, and the cactus-based variety — which benefits from the plant’s characteristics of being a low glycemic superfood high in antioxidants — appeals to healthconscious consumers.

“It’s almost a three-to-one ratio; you could eat three cactus tortillas versus one regular tortilla,” Saldivar noted.

Because Saldivar didn’t have easy access to tortillas that met his nutritional needs, he would buy cactus tortillas during his trips to Mexico and bring them back to California. With innovation lacking from what was in the market at the time, this drove the creation of Tia Lupita Foods.

“They were not available in the US market, and so when I started Tia Lupita, I figured out that I could pivot

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

While hot sauce was Tia Lupita Foods’ flagship product, the brand pivoted to fill a gap in the BFY tortilla category.

the company from being a hot sauce brand into a food brand,” Saldivar said.

On the financial side, Saldivar selffunded the company for the first couple of years. It has since undergone several rounds of fundraising, including a seed funding round in October 2023 that brought in $2.6 million. The funds will support Tia Lupita’s expansion into retailers across the US and rising demand for better-for-you Hispanic products.

Grant money from participating in accelerator programs also helped.

In 2021, Tia Lupita was part of the inaugural class of the Tequila Don Julio Fund, a program that encourages Hispanic entrepreneurs and provides business support and a $20,000 grant to each of the five finalists.

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EMERGING BRAND

With a product line that nods to the health interests of consumers, especially those who share a similar heritage, Tia Lupita’s story becomes about more than hot sauce and tortillas.

Saldivar’s company was also named as a finalist in the Juntos Crecemos (Together We Grow) cohort of PepsiCo’s Greenhouse Accelerator Program in July 2023, a six-month mentorship opportunity that provided 10 early-stage, Hispanic-owned businesses with a $20,000 grant.

Yet, one of the biggest turning points for the young brand came when Saldivar received the call to pitch Tia Lupita to the investors on ABC’s Shark Tank in early 2023. The process took a year, with Saldivar waiting on standby while continuously updating the show’s producers on the company’s status.

“Finally getting the call to go to LA and film was all surreal, and striking a deal with Kevin O’Leary — the one and only ‘Mr. Wonderful’ — was pretty neat,” Saldivar recalled.

The entrepreneur walked out with not only a deal but a new national audience.

“I only invest in businesses that have the potential to be the ‘crunch’ in the market, and Tia Lupita Foods has the right recipe for success — a crispy investment that satisfies both taste buds and portfolios,” O’Leary said about what stood out about Tia Lupita Foods that made him invest.

“Shoppers are looking for a story behind a brand; that’s what I saw was missing,” Saldivar said. “Hispanic brands in the United States were not offering any of that. I came here in 2005 selling nostalgic Mexican food products to Mexican immigrants. Now with Tia Lupita, I’m selling Mexican food to the children of these immigrants.”

“Shoppers are looking for a story behind a brand; that’s what I saw was missing.

Hispanic brands here in the United States were not offering any of that.”

Hector Saldivar | founder and CEO | Tia Lupita Foods

“Since we couldn’t get fresh nopales in California, we had to figure out a way to bring the cactus from Mexico in a way that it would survive transportation and be usable,” Saldivar said.

The solution? Dehydrating and pulverizing the cactus into a flour-like form, which could then be safely transported into to the US. Getting the right mix of masa and cactus is pivotal from a texture and structure standpoint. Too much cactus and the product stiffens and isn’t malleable.

Figuring out that ratio — or as Saldivar called it, the “secret sauce” — took three to six months.

Currently, Tia Lupita has four product lines and a presence in 7,000 stores.

The next area of focus for the brand is streamlining distribution. Its reach, Saldivar noted, is a testament to the products, which include grain-free tortillas made from popular alternative flours such as cassava, tapioca and coconut, and upcycled okara flour, which is high in protein and fiber. In combining the cactus flour with these other alternative flours, Tia Lupita is shaking up the tortilla aisle.

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

While there are several ways to create these tortillas, manufacturing them in the US is different from producing them in Mexico, where there is direct access to cactus.

“I partnered with some food scientists to come up with this concept and there were many iterations and many failures,” he shared.

While establishing the best ratio of the dry ingredients was critical for the

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EMERGING BRAND

product’s integrity, getting the right flavor profile for these alternative tortillas was also a top priority. This especially rang true in feedback from Whole Foods Market in 2019. While the retailer liked the product’s health attributes, taste was king … and necessary to get the Whole Foods business.

“They said, ‘If you can make a great tasting tortilla, we’ll bring it in,’” Saldivar recalled. “It has to be great tasting; there’s no ifs or buts about it. You can’t sacrifice flavor when offering a better-for-you product.”

Once the Tia Lupita team achieved that desirable taste — and buy-in from Whole Foods — Saldivar began his search for a co-manufacturer that could help the company scale up its production.

“There was a lot of doubt and insecurities because we had the buy-in from Whole Foods, but I couldn’t find someone to make them,” Saldivar recalled.

The search, conducted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, was a struggle. Saldivar explained that some co-manufacturers were unable to create the products in part because of the dough’s incompatibility with their equipment. Additionally, co-manufacturers were producing at max capacity and didn’t have the flexibility to take on a new customer, not to mention supply chain instability.

But Tia Lupita’s luck changed when the company landed a partnership with the oldest tortilla factory in San Antonio.

“We were able to find a really great partner that had the right equipment and capacity,” Saldivar said. “It was a lucky break that we found this tortilla factory.”

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

Founder and CEO Hector Saldivar dreams Tia Lupita Foods will become the No. 1 Mexican food brand in the US.

Beyond brokering the deal with O’Leary, appearing on the show had a major impact on the business through sales. In the days following the episode’s premiere on April 14, 2023, Tia Lupita’s online sales alone totaled a third of what the brand sold in 2022 across all channels. That spike in consumption didn’t slow down; the post-Shark Tank consumer base has stuck around for what the brand has to offer.

Saldivar’s appearance on the show did more than boost sales and raise money; it also relayed his entrepreneurial journey from immigrating to the US in the 2000s to standing before major investors still mourning the loss of his father in the weeks prior to filming.

Looking ahead, Saldivar dreams of making the brand named after his mother the No. 1 Mexican food brand in the US and is narrowing his focus on reaching profitability as fast as possible without growing too quickly.

“We want to make sure Tia Lupita gets recognized as a brand that offers amazingtasting products that are not only better for you but better for the planet as well,” he said.

“We will continue to offer innovation and bring exciting products with bold flavors, but I want to be disciplined and establish a solid base first with the product lines we have.”

“We are breaking the mold and bringing innovation to what was a stale-ish category,” Saldivar said, noting the cuisine’s reputation for being unhealthy and a lack of innovation from big names in the category. “I’m trying to change that perception.” CB

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Building a New Foundation As the American Society of Baking marks its centennial, its leaders share what the future has in store.

Photo courtesy of the American Society of Baking

Since its inception 100 years ago, the American Society of Baking (ASB) has continued the cultivation of community through events connecting people at every level of the industry, from students getting their bearings to industry vets with decades of know-how.

Through their leadership on ASB’s executive committee, Lewis, VP of supply chain quality at Thomasville, GA-based Flowers Foods and Cruz, VP of operations at Horsham, PA-based Bimbo Bakeries USA, lend boots-on-the-ground insight to the association’s new movements. A year into her tenure, Spriggs is reshaping the association’s future.

Annie Hollon, digital editor of Commercial Baking, spoke with Kristen Spriggs, executive director; Eric Lewis, board chair; and Xochitl Cruz, first vice chair, in an exclusive conversation that spans the past, present and future of ASB.

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

The trio discussed their perspectives on how changes being implemented at ASB balance legacy and innovation.

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CB E XCLU SIVE: AMERICAN SOCIETY OF BAKING

Hollon: ASB is celebrating 100 years. How does it plan to innovate while honoring its history?

tives. We tend to get in a routine, and moving locations and venues will help members meet new people as well as make connections with a variety of individuals entering this industry.

Cruz: When we look at ASB’s membership demographics, we have a great mix. As we work on our strategy for the upcoming years, we’re trying to develop content and plans that will add value.

We’re thinking about mentorship programs, where those who have been with us for many years and have rich backgrounds can tell us about how they got where they are and the challenges they’ve experienced. The more we help the industry attract people and represent the baking industry as a good place to make a career, the more we also benefit the membership.

BakingTECH is also seeing some updates. How do the new elements reflect plans for growth?

About 23% of ASB’s current membership is under the age of 40. How are membership recruitment tactics evolving to connect with this demographic?

“The more we help the industry attract people and represent the baking industry as a good place to make a career, the more we also benefit the membership.”

Xochitl Cruz | first vice chair | American Society of Baking

Cruz: A few years ago, we surveyed the membership on what they thought about Chicago and if they would be open to changing locations, and their response was very positive. Part of the future vision is to be disruptive with our offerings. Switching locations, with BakingTECH to start with, is a great way to demonstrate our commitment to innovation and growth with members’ input.

Spriggs: At ASB, we are doing ­significant work with students and universities. We have an entire committee dedicated to developing resources, programs and engagement opportunities for the younger professionals in particular.

We’ve had some opportunities for mentors to informally take on a mentee through BakingTECH and other ways, but one of our initiatives that we’re planning to invest in is a mentoring program where it truly is like matchmaking.

Lewis: Our Young Professionals group is a very active membership segment that wants to be involved. A lot of us didn’t have that opportunity when we were coming up, but I’m excited that we’re able to now provide those opportunities and have that much participation. They’re forming and shaping the society they want.

Through elements such as the Young Professionals committee and the Rising Baker Award, how is ASB recognizing and elevating the incoming workforce?

Lewis: There’s a lot of tradition, and hosting BakingTECH in Chicago is a big part of that tradition.

But I do think that by changing it, this will change perspec-

Lewis: We have so many people coming in that we want to create more ways to

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Lewis: Each organization has its own priorities and focus, and it’s better for the industry that we’re able to focus specifically on what we want: developing individuals. Each organization has it’s own focus, but we all need each other, and we are a stronger industry together when we collaborate.

recognize them, whether it’s a service award or an outstanding performance.

One way people feel they’re making an impact in the industry is when they feel they are well-equipped to do their job and have the right training. In this regard, the Education Hub is going to be a game changer. We have a lot of options and offerings for the incoming workforce that will benefit their personal and professional development.

What are your closing thoughts about ASB’s next 100 years?

Lewis: We’ve all developed throughout our careers, but we didn’t learn it on our own. There’s a deep foundation of learning that has been passed along over 100 years. Some of us have been a part of this for 25% of the society’s existence, and there are a lot of people that have been here for 40%. There’s a deep pride and shared knowledge that can grow exponentially.

How has collaborating with associations such as the American Bakers Association (ABA) supported ASB’s work and the future of the industry?

Spriggs: This industry is very collaborative. There’s plenty of need, and we can all collaborate and support one another.

What we did with the Bakers Fly-In was a perfect example. We’re a 501(c)(6); we could do legislative and regulatory work, but we don’t need to because ABA does it really well.

Cruz: We have a great legacy. We have 100 years of experience, so that legacy is fundamental, and it’s our foundation for the innovation ahead. ‘Legacy plus innovation’ is one of our mantras.

Partnering with them to make it an even greater success was exciting … to see the numbers that turned out, the connections we made, and supporting that collaborative effort to raise our collective voices was really powerful.

As we think about the future of ASB, I’m very excited about what’s ahead because we have great support from the industry. Our focus on growing membership is going to be key to continue innovating and creating educational content. CB

Photo courtesy of Bundy Baking Museum

Through recognition programs such as the Baking Hall of Fame, ASB honors its foundation while forging into the future with new initiatives.

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

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Difco Group Continues its Baked Snack Expansion The Lebanese cereal experts add baked chips and baked tortilla chips to their SNIPS® brand with help from RBS

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

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SPECIAL SECTION: A DV ERTO R IA L

After processing in the rotary cutting station, the cut potato dough product pieces are fed into the RBS SPECTRUM OVEN ®.

S

tarting in Lebanon in 1998, what is now the Difco Group opened the first and only cereal factory in the Middle East. The mission? Make high-quality cereal accessible to all. At the time, the only available cereal product options were foreign brands with limited distribution.

muesli- and granola-based products, and is today dedicated to manufacturing Poppins brand products. The second facility opened in Ferzol, Lebanon in 2018 to support the launch of the SNIPS snack line, a project that began a few years earlier.

Today, Difco Group consists of four companies, two manufacturing facilities, 500+ employees, and two successful brands – Poppins® breakfast cereals and breakfast bars, and SNIPS® baked salty snacks. Between them, the brands comprise more than 800 SKUs distributed across the Middle East and Africa.

Moving into baked snacks Initially, Difco Group had been part of a larger company with expertise in the manufacturing and distribution of fried snacks.

Following consumer demand for more healthy snacking options, in 2016 the long-established cereal experts decided to draw on their fried snack experience and expand into baked snacks.

Producing all of those SKUs are two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. The first opened in Mansoura, Lebanon in 2006. This 20,000 sqm plant was upgraded in 2018 to produce

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The overriding mission – to make the baked snacks available to all – was the same that launched the Poppins cereals brand. But

COMMERCIAL BAKING

SPECIAL SECTION: A DV ERTO R IA L manufacturing the new baked products would be quite a different task. To help support its expansion into healthy snack production, Difco Group started looking to the world’s leading bakery equipment manufacturers for innovative production solutions.

When Difco Group contacted the U.S.-based Reading Bakery Systems (RBS), it learned that the company’s regional sales representative is Lebanese. It was a nice coincidence, but Difco Group was more impressed to learn that RBS had what appeared to be an ideal solution for manufacturing products in the growing SNIPS line – the Multi-Crisp Baked Snack System.

As part of its long-term strategy, Difco Group sought an automated system that could boost product consistency and efficiency while reducing the number of employees needed to operate the line. The modular, fully automated Multi-Crisp Baked Snack System checked all of those boxes.

The system features an Exact Mixing FX Continuous Mixing System. Unlike more labor-intensive batch mixers, the Continuous Mixing System automatically distributes small amounts of moisture evenly into large amounts of powder, a process that is particularly well suited to the hydroscopic powders that would be used to make several SNIPS products.

An intuitive touchscreen system enables precise, automated production and quality control.

Innovation Center is a licensed food production facility used for product research and development, as well as RBS equipment testing and demonstration.

The system also includes the SPECTRUM OVEN®, which features separate modules that enable precise, “hands-off” quality control.

Each module has preset, recipe-driven controls, so operators don’t have to spend time manually changing parameters during production.

After weighing its options, Difco Group placed an order for the Multi-Crisp Baked Snack System in January 2018 and soon began working closely with RBS to install the line in its new plant in Ferzol.

As its consultations with RBS continued, Difco Group learned that the equipment manufacturer could also provide product and recipe development at the company’s Science & Innovation Center. Located at the Reading Bakery Systems’ U.S. headquarters in Robesonia, Pennsylvania, the Science &

Automating baked chip production As part of Difco Group’s five-year expansion plan, the MultiCrisp System would initially be dedicated to producing several SNIPS baked potato chip varieties. They decided to

After baking, the chips are fed into a 3-Pass convection dryer that efficiently reduces the product to its final moisture.

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The finished chip products are fed into packaging.

configure a version of the line that would support 750 kg of chip production per hour and allow for future product differentiation and expansion.

Production on the Multi-Crisp System begins with the automated FX Continuous Mixer, which optimizes food safety

“...their innovative technology and product support is helping us take our success to the next level.” by eliminating dough exposure to the environment during mixing.

From the mixer, dough travels along a transport conveyor and is automatically fed into a 2-Roll Sheeter.

Unlike the 4-roll sheeters used on traditional wheat-based cracker lines, the 2-roll sheeter is designed to handle more “sensitive” doughs – potato, corn, pea, multi-grain, and others – that are more difficult to sheet and form.

For additional product flexibility, Difco Group included a rippled gauge roll to create rippled baked chips as well. From there, an integrated conveyor moves the sheet through a rotary cutting station that pressurizes the dough against a rotating die assembly while continuously cutting it into distinct product shapes.

A successful launch and beyond Once the line was commissioned in the spring of 2019, an RBS process technologist worked with the Difco Group team to perfect the SNIPS baked potato chips.

Launched in July of 2021, the line includes five baked potato chip flavor varieties – Sea Salt, Salt & Vinegar, French Cheese, Honey Mustard, and Barbeque. Currently, the automated MultiCrisp System is operating on one 10-hour shift per day and is producing about 150 tons of chips per month – all with just one operator.

Difco Group reports that consumer feedback on SNIPS baked potato chips has been extremely positive, and is reflected by a 20% increase in demand every month since the launch.

Following the introduction of its baked potato chips, Difco has since been using the Multi-Crisp System to produce a new line of baked tortilla chips in four flavors – Nacho Cheese, Sour Cream & Onion, Sweet Chili Pepper, and Sweet Corn. Development of crackers and high-protein snacks is also well underway.

As Difco Group’s Deputy General Manager Sabine Daher summarizes, “Our SNIPS baked snack products were already an international success story before we began working with Reading Bakery Systems, but their innovative technology and product support is helping us take our success to the next level.”

Finally, in the Ferzol line configuration, the cut chips travel through three modular, 12-meter oven convection zones and a Multi-Pass Dryer. This convection baking system provides a balanced bake and develops the interesting texture of the chips. The Multi-Pass Dryer efficiently brings the product to its final moisture and provides the operator with greater process control.

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CRITICAL ISSUES: ESG

© Deemerwha Studio on Adobe Stock

The Business of ESG This growing area of compliance is creating new opportunities for bakeries.

BY M A R I RY D I N G S

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) is quickly becoming a critical issue for food manufacturers, mainly because of the impact it could have on how they operate. Pressure is growing for companies to be more transparent about their long-term continuous improvement plans for supporting positive environmental and social change. It’s leading many to develop a comprehensive ESG framework to help guide operations.

Along with increased consumer demand for a focus on ESG, a few other factors come into play. Ingredients marketplace

company TraceGains published a report, “The State of ESG Compliance for the Food and Beverage Industry,” which included a survey of 343 large, global food and beverage companies. Results indicated that 32% of companies are focusing on ESG compliance because of the evolving regulatory environment, 27% because of consumer demand, and 18% to remain competitive.

It’s not enough for a brand to say it’s striving to be a force for good and tout its accomplishments. Savvy stakeholders want tangible evidence that companies are folding ESG practices into the fabric

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of their organizations vs. passing the responsibility along to the compliance and human resources departments.

“It has become increasingly apparent that companies must integrate and align their ESG efforts with corporate strategy,” said Eric Jacobson, VP of investor relations and ESG for Thomasville, GA-based Flowers Foods.

“Doing something just to say you did it, without a focus on how it will benefit the company, brand and stakeholders, can backfire. Staying focused on delivering value in a responsible way is more critical than ever.”

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CRITICAL ISSUES

ESG is multi-faceted and complex, and there’s no standard formula for building — and governing — the framework created. While companies choose their focus areas or pillars based on the needs of their stakeholders, the overarching goal is the same across all industries: Make a positive impact on the planet (environment); employees, customers and communities (social); and the organization’s conduct (governance).

Last year, Ardent Mills transitioned its corporate social responsibility program to an ESG framework called Nourish: Intention & Impact, guided by stakeholder feedback and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

“We’ve been on a sustainability journey for quite some time,” said Jeff Zyskowski, VP of supply chain for Ardent Mills. “In the past 12 to 24 months, the ESG space has just exploded. It’s become much more holistic. We had an opportunity to step back and consider how we can be more intentional and better integrate ESG into our daily operations. We prioritized around what’s emerging and what we thought our plants and people should be focused on. It helps us bring our mission, vision and values to life.”

Similarly, Mexico City-based Grupo Bimbo unveiled its ESG program, Nourishing a Better World, in early 2022.

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Environment

Social

Governance

Climate change Packaging waste Reduced carbon emissions Reduced waste Renewable energy Sustainable packaging

Diversity, equity and inclusion Employee benefits Health and safety Human rights Impact on local communities Working conditions

Accountability

“The program is cross-functional across the value chain, so there’s overlap between the three pillars,” explained Chris Wolfe, senior director of corporate environmental and sustainability for Bimbo Bakeries USA, one of Grupo Bimbo’s business units. “Each pillar (Baked For You, Baked For Life and Baked For Nature) has a champion, but all of our general managers for our various operations have a role.”

Operating within an ESG framework creates several business-related benefits in addition to being a force for good.

“Understanding the company’s purpose combined with a defined ESG strategy will generate greater competitive advantage, financial performance, employee engagement/retention and corporate reputation,” said Kirsten Green, director

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Ethical standards Executive compensation Leadership diversity Procurement practices

of ESG for Global Prairie, a purposedriven global marketing firm that is a 100% employee-owned Public Benefit Corporation and a top 1% Certified B Corporation. “ESG is a business strategy that drives long-term success, sustainability and impact.”

Through his leadership with Ardent Mills’ ESG program, Zyskowski noted another benefit: the opportunity to connect with customers and growers in a new way.

“We’re all learning and growing and evolving in this space, and it’s changing so rapidly,” he said. “With our customers wanting to do the exact same thing, we’re putting our heads together to think about how we can partner in the ESG space. It’s generated greater connectivity with our customers as well as with the growers who make our raw materials.”

Visual by Avant Food Media

“A significant challenge was understanding where to focus and how,” Jacobson said about how Flowers Foods chose its pillars. “To manage and oversee our efforts, we established a clear governance structure that includes a cross-functional ESG steering committee, an ESG executive committee and our board of directors. Additionally, our materiality assessment helps give direction and prioritize areas of focus.”

What is ESG?

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CRITICAL ISSUES

© Stephane Geus on Adobe Stock

TraceGains’ research indicated companies are thinking about ESG on many different levels.

According to its report, 64% of companies surveyed acknowledge the significance of ESG; 46% said they already prioritize ESG performance in sourcing partners and ingredients; and 50% said they would be willing to stop production on new products if they couldn’t ensure compliance with relevant ESG guidelines.

64%

of companies acknowledge the significance of ESG. Source: TraceGrains

“We commend brands that ethically and sustainably commit to meeting important ESG goals in the products they bring to market,” said Gary Nowacki, CEO and founder of TraceGains.

While the ultimate goal of ESG initiatives is to create a healthier world for everyone, companies are in business to make money.

Establishing an ESG framework requires a significant time investment, and implementing more common ESG practices such as transitioning to more sustainable packaging, sourcing ESGcompliant suppliers, increasing wages and prioritizing employee well-being have upfront costs associated with them.

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driving financial success, business longevity, and meaningful social impact.”

With a significant labor shortage predicted for the commercial baking industry — 53,500 jobs are expected to go unfilled by 2030, according to a recent American Bakers Association (ABA) workforce study — finding and retaining quality associates is a priority for most bakeries. A well-balanced ESG strategy may help solve the problem.

“We see that more and more associates care about what we’re doing,” Wolfe said. “We use ESG as a recruiting tool because the new generation values what we’re doing to protect the planet. It’s part of our culture. We try to make it something that they can all relate to. A lot of things we implement come from our frontline, so they are very engaged as well.”

Jacobson attributes the success of Flowers Foods’ corporate responsibility program to employee engagement, too.

“Our team was actively involved in identifying and setting priorities through the materiality assessment and receives communications on ESG activities via our company intranet,” he said. “We believe the more aware and involved employees are in our program, the more vested they will become in its success.”

That said, Green believes companies can successfully engage in ESG and keep their bottom line intact.

Quantifying the impact of social initiatives such as employee engagement to stakeholders can be a bit mystifying.

Unlike sustainability efforts, there aren’t tangible outcomes to measure.

“Companies with successful ESG strategies balance purpose and profit and acknowledge that these two attributes aren’t ‘either/or,’ but rather ‘and/with,’” she said. “If approached creatively and strategically, purpose and profit can work in tandem, woven throughout an organizational strategy and

“The success of social efforts can be difficult to measure,” Jacobson shared.

“We use anonymous employee opinion surveys to help us evaluate employee satisfaction and identify opportunities to improve the overall Flowers experience.”

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CRITICAL ISSUES

Figuring out how to define KPIs and set benchmarks for this particular prong of ESG is on the radar for many companies.

next 10 years, especially as it relates to Scopes 1, 2 and 3 of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol.

“Being able to quantify the S in the ESG space is an opportunity that will continue to receive focus and get shored up as folks work to make that as targeted, efficient and effective as they can,” Zyskowski said.

“Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions are very tangible,” he said. “Scope 3 is not easy. We’re relying on third parties to work with us. We have more than 500 different suppliers, and they’re all at different levels.”

As the baking industry settles into 2024, there are plenty of ESG-related trends on the horizon. For starters, companies will begin to bring their ESG programs into balance after several years of focusing primarily on environmental factors.

TraceGains’ research supports Wolfe’s prediction. Its ESG report found that food companies are allocating more capital toward technology, with 55% indicating their increased investment is being driven by the need to support supply chain transparency and traceability, 48% reporting they need technology to manage supplier and vendor standards and compliance, and 43% saying it could help them reduce their carbon footprint and GHG emissions.

“I think it’s about being balanced across the entire ESG,” Wolfe said. “You don’t want to go too far in one direction by focusing too much on the planet and ignoring the people or the product.”

Green expects to see an increase in regulation and accountability for environmental compliance.

“We will see more uniformity and transparency in guidelines around carbon monitoring and offsetting, in addition to an increased adoption of companies addressing climate change and reducing their environmental footprint,” she said.

“We see that more and more associates care about what we’re doing. We use ESG as a recruiting tool because the new generation values what we’re doing to protect the planet.

It’s part of our culture.”

Chris Wolfe | senior director, corporate environmental and sustainability | Bimbo Bakeries USA

The good news is most baking companies already have ESG practices in place, even if they aren’t currently operating within an official framework. Bakers can look to industry associations for help with starting or growing their ESG efforts.

For instance, in October 2023, ABA released its ESG Technical Guide, which provides an overview of topics members may find relevant to their operations.

Green also identified new standards around data collection and reporting as an area to watch.

ESG is dynamic, changing as the world changes, but its foundation and goals are here to stay.

“We believe we will soon see even more policies and standardization for measuring and reporting ESG data and companies will be held to a higher standard of transparency to substantiate their claims,” she said.

“Environmental, social and governance strategy is critical to cultivating a healthier world,” Green said. “Operating a business in a responsible, equitable and sustainable way is not only the right thing to do for clients/customers, employees, communities and the planet, but it is also a winning recipe for corporate success.” CB

In the long term, Wolfe predicted a drastic change in technology over the

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P R O D U C T D E V E L O P M E N T: TEXTURE

Perfect Pairings Complex texture profiles satisfy consumer demand for something different.

BY M AG G I E G L I SA N

© gillianvann on Adobe Stock

Any expert knows taste is king. The density of a cake, the flakiness of a crust, and the crumb structure of a loaf of bread may not fall into the category of flavor, but all play a big factor in the overall eating experience of a baked good, and consumers are setting an increasingly high bar when it comes to what they expect from texture.

Texture contributes to consumer perceptions of quality — freshness being chief among them — and is impacted by many factors, including ingredient quality, environmental factors and moisture content.

“The texture of a baked product is one of the key attributes of a consumer’s perception of freshness,” said Jesse Stinson, director of research, development and applications at Corbion. “As baked products age, they go through a process of starch retrogradation (staling), which leads to products with a firm, dry and stale texture. Enzyme technology has advanced over the years, enabling consumers to have a baked product that remains soft and fresh. In addition to the eating experience, the mouthfeel of a product is often a consumer’s first indicator of a product’s freshness.”

Betsy Kelly, consumer insights associate for the bakery channel at Minneapolis-based General Mills Foodservice, said that for consumers, texture is critical.

“First and foremost, a product must live up to its expected texture,” she said. “We expect a mousse to be smooth and not grainy. We expect a croissant to be flaky with a honeycomb interior and ever so slightly crisp exterior, not squishy as if someone accidentally hit the steam inject in the oven.”

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PR O D U CT D E V ELO PM EN T

Kelly shared that it’s important for bakers to understand how product textures relate to time, whether it’s time in production, the product delivery timeframe, how long the product is in a pastry case, or the time it’s on a plate.

“With time and texture, we are constantly asking will and how the texture could change or become compromised if timing is off in one of these stages,” she said.

Consumers are also savvier than ever and have an ever-expanding global curiosity when it comes to food. They take croissant-making classes at their local bake shops, troubleshoot sourdough bread baking questions in Facebook groups and watch The Great British Baking Show with rapt attention. They expect authenticity — especially when it comes to regional foods — and if texture is subpar, they notice.

“The smartphone really exposed everyone to foods of the world,” Charpentier noted, sharing examples like the fluffy Japanese cheesecake, which went viral around 2017, as the kind of global dish that creates major buzz online and has consumers clamoring for more new-to-them discoveries.

Photo courtesy of Hostess Brands

Nailing that just-from-the-oven freshness can be a challenge, especially for commercial bakers producing at scale, noted Richard Charpentier, CMB, CEO of consulting company Baking Innovation. But when it comes to premium baked goods, consumers have higher quality standards, with texture being one of the top factors.

Layering familiar flavors and textures into single-serve sizes offers portion control and affordable indulgence.

“Experimenting with texture allows for more variety in what we offer which, ultimately, allows us to reach more consumers and satisfy their desire for delicious and multifaceted pastries.”

Isabel Ghysbrecht | international category manager, patisserie | Vandemoortele USA

Bakers who are paying attention, he said, can act quickly and tap into that demand.

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“The advantage is that the US is a really fast-moving market, and bakers can see something on social media and say, ‘I’m going to offer that to my customers,’” Charpentier added.

Unexpected twists on nostalgic and familiar foods also appeal to consumers looking for unique eating experiences, which is of particular interest to younger generations.

“Throughout 2023, we saw a major focus on texture because it was a way to provide reassuring, familiar classics with an unexpected, intriguing twist,” said Isabel Ghysbrecht, international category manager of patisserie at New York City-based Vandemoortele USA. Per Vandemoortele’s research, 64% of consumers like to try food with different textures, and Ghysbrecht said the company expects that number to rise.

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PR O D U CT D E V ELO PM EN T

Photo courtesy of Vandemoortele USA

Multi-textured baked goods that blend different taste experiences are gaining popularity with consumers looking for something a little different.

Perhaps that’s why bakers are experimenting more with combination textures and finding success with multi-layered baked goods. Products with contrasting textures — blending a crispy or crunchy component with a soft, fluffy crumb, for example — are popping up in a variety of forms and becoming more popular across categories.

For example, Vandemoortele USA tapped into the trend recently with two new multi-textured desserts, Maple Pecan Cake and Cookies ‘N Cream Pie. The Maple Pecan Cake is a soft cake with a creamy maple center and crunchy buttery pecans; Cookies ‘N Cream Pie features a crumbly cocoa shortbread crust with a smooth, dense chocolate and vanilla cream filling, all topped with a crisp sprinkle of cookie crumbles.

From a sweet treat-lens, Kelly said, General Mills is seeing multiple textures in large particulate inclusions and as a variety of fillings as popular trends.

48%

of consumers say they care more for the texture experience than for the ingredient list of a food product.

Source: Innova Market Insights Research

“Experimenting with texture allows for more variety in what we offer, which, ultimately, allows us to reach more consumers and satisfy their desire for delicious and multi-faceted pastries,” Ghysbrecht said.

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“Contrasting textures can take a basic product to a premium product,” she shared. “From a filling perspective, chocolate-flavored filling remains a crowd-pleasing classic option, but we’re also seeing seasonal-flavored fillings gain traction. For instance, an autumninspired apple pie filling may include apple chunks and pie crust pieces or maybe it’s a silky-smooth apple puree with warm, brown baking spices.

Whether it’s an added creamy filling, a crunchy layer of praline or cookie crumbles, there are countless ways to add textural contrast to baked goods.”

Combining textures in baked goods is nothing new; take the molten chocolate cakes that lived on every fine dining menu in the early ’90s, for example. But today, bakers are more innovatively tapping into the trend of adventurous eating and unique culinary experiences often highlighted through social media.

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PR O D U CT D E V ELO PM EN T

It’s been more than 10 years since Dominique Ansel’s cronut took the world by storm, and yet similar, over-the-top desserts and hybridized baked goods still excite consumers.

A gluten-free bread with a dense crumb or a gummy vegan cake, for example, won’t cut it with discriminating health-conscious consumers. In fact, according to Innova Market Insights research, 48% of consumers said they care more about the texture experience than about the ingredient list for any food product.

Inclusions are effective for bread bakers, too, especially those with items in the better-for-you category. Milwaukie, OR-based Dave’s Killer Bread products, which are loaded with grains and seeds, and Los Angeles-based La Brea Bakery’s Cranberry Walnut Loaf, made with California walnuts, are just two products that appeal to the interest in textural contrast for baked goods with functional benefits.

CPG brands are also tapping into the excitement around multi-textured treats and snacks. Hostess Brands, which was recently acquired by Orrville, OH-based The J.M. Smucker Co., introduced Kazbars to its product lineup early last year to appeal to its consumer base.

be a costlier endeavor, he said, consumers are willing to pay a higher price when the result lives up to the expectation.

The individually wrapped bars — available in Chocolate Caramel and Triple Chocolate flavors — have six different components, including a soft chocolate cake, creamy filling, sweet crunchy candy pieces and layers of either caramel or chocolate, all enrobed in a smooth chocolate coating. While it was originally developed to appeal to young men, the product has been a hit with millennial moms and kids, too, suggesting the overall trend has broad appeal.

“Consumers are continuing to look for indulgent baked goods that are made with quality ingredients and even fewer artificial ingredients,” Ghysbrecht said.

“They’re also wanting these indulgent items to feel premium, and that’s where combining different textures comes into play in a single baked item. Baked goods with a crispy element complemented by a luxurious creamy filling feels and tastes like a more premium product than a single-texture item, providing more value to the consumer.”

When it comes to the premium category, Charpentier said ingredient quality becomes a key factor, and a combination of attention to detail and consistency in production is key to achieving more premium products. Although that tends to

Texture combinations can also be a way of elevating a baked good into the premium category.

However, premium indulgence isn’t the only category in which great texture is a necessity.

Photo courtesy of La Brea Bakery

Charpentier said that at the end of the day, it’s a pleasing multi-sensory experience that drives the repeat purchase.

“Indulgence comes from the standpoint that we’re all using our senses,” he said.

“And our senses do not discriminate.”

Consumers might be willing to compromise in some areas, but texture isn’t one of them.

“People might be open to a new flavor,” Charpentier said, “but if the texture is ‘weird,’ they’re put off by it.”

If taste is king, texture surely shares a seat at throne.

“Texture and flavor go hand in hand,” Kelly said. “You can’t deliver a successful product without delivering on both.” CB

Inclusions such as nuts, seeds and fruit can elevate a baked good from basic to premium.

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C AT E G O R Y O U T L O O K : B R E A D

Versatile, Affordable, Convenient

Any Way You Slice It Consumers turn to bread as a reliable, convenient and affordable solution for nutrition. Constrained by limited food budgets, families are eating out less, opting instead to cook at home, which can require buying more groceries.

Bread is a versatile, yet familiar, food that meets multiple needs.

B Y B E T H D AY

With 54% of consumers eating at home more often, it is no surprise that Mintel forecasts the packaged bread market to reach $32.77 billion by 2027. Consumption of budget-friendly products like sliced bread increased to 73% in 2023, up from 67% in 2021, according to Mintel’s “2023 Packaged Bread” report.

Perimeter Bread by Dollar Share*

CRUSTY | MEAL: 48.2% SANDWICH: 45.4%

PANINI | CIABATTA | FOCACCIA: 2.4% SPECIALTY: 2.9%

ALL OTHER: 1.0% HISPANIC: 0 .1 %

SWEET BREAD: 0.0%

Total US Multi-Outlet w/ C-Store (Grocery, Drug, Mass Market, Convenience, Military and Select Club & Dollar Retailers) | Latest 52 Weeks Ending Dec. 3, 2023 Source: Circana OmniMarket Integrated Fresh, a Chicago-Based Market Research Firm (@WeAreCircana) * Dollar shares have been rounded to the nearest tenth.

The largest consumers of premium sliced bread are young families, households with higher incomes, three-person households, older adults and retirees.

Source: Circana

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Additionally, the latest Circana retail sales data reflects increasing consumer reliance on packaged bread.

Center store sandwich bread posted $9.69 billion in dollar sales, garnering a 6.4% increase vs. a year ago, based on figures for the 52 weeks ending Dec. 3, 2023.

Circana completed a bakery item innovation analysis of products launched in 2022 and the first half 2023 that included line extensions and new brands. New private label items were not included in the analysis. Innovating within existing brands by using familiar ingredients in new and different ways boosts variety and engages consumer interest with new flavors, formats and textures.

Melissa Altobelli, senior VP of bakery and dairy for Circana, explained that line extensions from existing brands — as opposed to new brands — accounted for almost 80% of new item dollars in the first half of 2023.

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C AT E G O R Y O U T L O O K : B R E A D

Better-For-You Boom Carbs remain a dietary concern for many consumers, with 31% of people saying they would eat more packaged bread if more low-carb options were offered, according to Mintel’s 2023 report, “A Year of Innovation in Bread and Bread Products.” Circana’s bread analysis revealed that keto/ low-carb breads are also preferred by boomers and Gen Xers, higher-income purchasers, two-to-three person households, and established workers with no children.

Consumers, especially those in older d emographics, also showed interest ­ in fiber-rich alternatives, with 44% of boomers citing whole grain as their top consideration when purchasing bread as compared with 20% of overall consumers citing that choice.

Better-for-you innovation is driving about one-third of branded unit sales growth for the center store bread category, according to Altobelli. Breads that align with current health and wellness trends, such as keto or low carb, and that contain healthier, functional ingredient options like whole grains and seeds, appeal to consumers.

In response to that interest, Horsham, PA-based Bimbo Bakeries USA’s Arnold, Brownberry and Oroweat brands introduced three high-fiber, no-sugar, ketofriendly products, including seeded sliced bread, sandwich thins and Keto Ham/Hots. Dave’s Killer Bread, owned by Thomasville, GA-based Flowers Foods, launched its Epic Everything Bread with Flax & Chia Seeds and Thin Sliced Good Seed club items.

31% of consumers would eat more packaged bread if more low-carb options were offered.

Source: Mintel

Flavor Profiles, Health Claims Drive Sales

Center store panini/ciabatta/focaccia increased in dollar sales and unit sales, up 22.1% and 16%, respectively, over the same period last year, influenced by specialty bread innovation and private label items.

Source: Circana

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

Altobelli also noted that flavor drivers for bread included Hawaiian, brioche and pretzel, which were introduced by top brands such as Sara Lee Artesano and Nature’s Own. These profiles are among the fastest-growing bread flavors. Evansville, IN-based Lewis Bakeries leveraged both health claims and the popular Hawaiian flavor with the launch of its 5-Seed, Honey and Hawaiian Buns. The company also introduced a club size of its KETO Hawaiian Sliced Bread.

Center store panini/ciabatta/focaccia increased in dollar sales and unit sales, up 22.1% and 16%, respectively, over the same period last year.

Altobelli said center store’s success with specialty breads like ciabatta was influenced by innovation and new private l­ abel items.

Overall declines in the perimeter for specialty bread segments may be attributed to items no longer being available in some retailers, and consumers turning to the center aisles for other options. However, there are some pockets of growth in the perimeter. Altobelli offered North Andover, MA-based Jessica’s Brick Oven Bakery’s artisan specialty bread as an example. It is showing strong growth, with 41% increases in dollar sales and 30% unit growth vs. a year ago.

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Basic But Essential Providing simple meal solutions focused on staple purchases like sliced bread is a win for producers. Promoting premium breads to help elevate at-home meals without sabotaging food budgets or involving significant prep time also offers an opportunity for growth. Well-known brands that use familiar ingredients in different ways can boost variety and attract consumers with new flavors, textures and formats.

Total Center Store Bread Sales

For bread producers, it is also worth considering key user demographics when promoting expanded uses and occasions. Millennials are core c­onsumers of ­packaged bread. ­Thirty-two percent are buying more store brands, and 31% are regularly buying new bread types as they seek more v­­ ariety and new ways to use bread products, according to the Mintel “Packaged Bread” report.

The report also noted that parents with children under 18 are often challenged to meet diverse eating demands. Bread delivers on versatility for these consumers, with 41% saying they eat packaged bread from the center store more often due to comfort eating, trying new products and finding new uses for bread. For premium sliced bread, the Circana data identified the largest consumers to be young families, as well as those with higher incomes, three-person households, older adults and retirees.

Leveraging the evolving interest in BFY and product variety generates opportunities to remain competitive in the bread category. Clever innovation from existing brands that can create exciting new products that cater to specific groups will engage and attract consumers and promote growth for the category. CB

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

DOLLAR SALES ($ IN MILLIONS)

% CHANGE VS. A YEAR AGO

SANDWICH

$9,685.10

6.4%

CRUSTY | MEAL

$364.61

12.7%

ALL OTHER

$248.63

-3.9%

SWEET

$54.87

14.1%

PANINI | CIABATTA | FOCACCIA

$35.61

22.1%

SPECIALTY

$31.96

7.3%

HISPANIC

$1.44

16.2%

TOTAL

$10,422.22

6.4%

Total US Multi-Outlet w/ C-Store (Grocery, Drug, Mass Market, Convenience, Military and Select Club & Dollar Retailers) | Latest 52 Weeks Ending Dec. 3, 2023 Source: Circana OmniMarket Integrated Fresh, a Chicago-Based Market Research Firm (@WeAreCircana)

Leveraging the evolving interest in BFY and product variety generates opportunities to remain competitive in the bread category.

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Sweets That Satisfy

Worth the Splurge While tighter food budgets and higher prices are impacting sales, consumers are still purchasing sweet baked goods to satisfy indulgent cravings. Circana reported center store desserts/sweet snacks posted $3.69 billion in dollar sales, an increase of 7.4% vs. a year ago, based on data for the 52 weeks ending Dec. 3, 2023, supported by positive dollar sales growth in all five categories. Center store pies recorded the largest dollar sales increase, at 14.2% vs. a year ago. Unit sales in the category were up 6.5% vs. a year ago.

B Y B E T H D AY

Playing on nostalgia, tried and true flavors are the largest and some of the fastest growing, and they are impacting the most dollar sales across desserts/sweet snacks and morning bakery subcategories.

Center store desserts/ sweet snacks posted

$3.69 billion in dollar sales for the 52 weeks ending Dec. 3, 2023.

Source: Circana

Center Store Snack Cakes by Dollar Share*

SNACK CUPCAKES: 20.0%

ROLL: 13.5% ALL OTHER: 3.2% NUT SWIRLS: 1.8%

BAR | FINGER: 61.5%

HISPANIC: 0.0%

Total US Multi-Outlet w/ C-Store (Grocery, Drug, Mass Market, Convenience, Military and Select Club & Dollar Retailers) | Latest 52 Weeks Ending Dec. 3, 2023 Source: Circana OmniMarket Integrated Fresh, a Chicago-Based Market Research Firm (@WeAreCircana) * Dollar shares have been rounded to the nearest tenth.

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Producers have expanded their portfolios by creating sub-brands — new products from current popular brands — and by forming brand partnerships to offer new and exciting treats, said Melissa Altobelli, senior VP of bakery and dairy for Circana.

In fact, Circana’s bakery item innovation analysis, which studied new products launched in 2022 and the first half of 2023, noted that line extensions accounted for nearly 80% of new item dollars in the first half of 2023.

For example, Horsham, PA-based Bimbo Bakeries USA’s Entenmann’s brand introduced Cake Truffles, an indulgent new format, and its Thomas’ brand rolled out Chocolate Chip and Blueberry Oat muffin tops.

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Islip, NY-based CakeBites expanded offerings through partnerships with brands such as M&M’s, as well as themed packaging featuring Star Wars characters and the Elf on the Shelf.

Launches of sweet baked goods with premium claims remain niche but also a focus of innovation as consumers seek to treat themselves to small luxuries.

Launches of sweet goods with premium claims remain niche but also with a focus of innovation as consumers treat themselves to small luxuries, according to Mintel’s 2023 report, “A Year of Innovation in Cakes, Pastries, and Sweet Goods.”

Additionally, smaller-sized offerings appear to be encouraging new eating occasions. Altobelli noted that single-serve snacks, cupcakes and brownies had the highest share of new item dollars in the first half of 2023.

While healthier bakery options hold appeal in other categories, there are only small pockets of growth — less than 1% — in better-for-you sweet goods bakery products despite health claims such as high protein, gluten-free, no preservatives and vegan/vegetarian.

Source: Mintel

Pack-Size Options Are Popular The sweet goods category caters to consumer indulgences, Altobelli said. Permissible indulgent items offered via multi-packs are on trend, as well as smaller pack sizes.

Offering a range of pack options — for example one, two or a half-dozen croissants, pastries or muffins — help meet varying needs and budgets while limiting food waste.

Including a variety of flavors for larger packs and trays provides options for bigger households that need to satisfy multiple taste preferences.

Dollar sales of perimeter assorted/multi-pack pastry/ Danish/coffee cake increased

94.2%

Altobelli noted the perimeter is doing a nice job of offering multiple pack-size configurations that cater to diverse consumer needs. Dollar sales and unit sales were up for pastry/Danish/coffee cake trays, at 41.7% and 31.6%, respectively. Perimeter assorted/multi-pack pastry/Danish/coffee cakes grew 94.2% in dollar sales over last year. Unit sales increased as well, up 80.8% vs. the same time a year ago.

vs. a year ago.

Source: Circana

Offering a wide variety of options is a winning approach for this category. Consumers have different definitions for what it means to treat themselves, so manufacturers that can provide a range of product types with interesting flavors and formats available in multiple pack sizes will better satisfy consumer needs.

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

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Sweet goods that appeal to a range of consumers are popular. Take muffins for example. In the center store, mini muffins enjoy 80% of the dollar share, likely driven by their appeal to younger family members, but not necessarily to adults.

However, dollar sales and unit sales dropped 4.2% and 12.7%, respectively, vs. a year ago, which could point to a flattening of the subcategory, Altobelli explained.

Center Store Muffins by Unit Sales (in Millions) 200 168.85

150

100

50

38.27

Dollar sales for center store full-size muffins were up

24.6% vs. a year ago.

0 MINIMUFFINS

FULL-SIZE MUFFINS

Total US Multi-Outlet w/ C-Store (Grocery, Drug, Mass Market, Convenience, Military and Select Club & Dollar Retailers) | Latest 52 Weeks Ending Dec. 3, 2023 Source: Circana OmniMarket Integrated Fresh, a Chicago-Based Market Research Firm (@WeAreCircana)

Source: Circana

Dollar sales for center store full-size muffins were up 24.6% vs. a year ago, and unit sales increased 17.2%. Altobelli indicated these increases were driven by Los Angeles-based Aspire Bakeries’ Otis Spunkmeyer brand of assorted individually wrapped muffins and Thomas’ new muffin tops.

In the perimeter, dollar sales of assorted/ multi-pack muffins were up 26%, and unit sales increased 15.6% vs. a year ago.

Muffins with standard flavors like chocolate chip, blueberry, banana/banana nut and chocolate account for the majority of sales, Altobelli observed, though there has not been much innovation happening with this particular sweet good.

Familiarity Impacts Sales Playing on nostalgia, tried-and-true flavors are the largest and some of the fastest growing, and they are impacting the most dollar sales across desserts/ sweet snacks and morning bakery

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

subcategories, Altobelli said. Chocolate, vanilla and apple are favorites for desserts, while plain and blueberry are popular for the morning bakery sectors. Meanwhile, assorted selections are table stakes for the perimeter of the store.

Flavors driving double-digit growth in dollar sales and unit sales for dessert differ by store location. In center store, more traditional flavors like cookies and cream, pecan, strawberry, and vanilla are popular, while more unique offerings such as peanut butter, triple chocolate and confetti rainbow are boosting growth in the perimeter.

Expanding occasions with additional offers reminds consumers that sweet goods can meet the needs of multiple eating occasions such as breakfast, snacks and dessert and is a strategy for driving sales. Special occasions and social gatherings also offer opportunities to encourage consumers to build bigger baskets.

As consumers seek “elevated experiences,” manufacturers can innovate with new taste experiences, a theme in Circana’s “2022 New Product Pacesetters,” but also seen in new launches in sweet goods. Altobelli shared that familiar iconic brands are on the move, especially those in center store, where branded products in particular are moving into new formats.

Innovation with familiar brands; offering a range of variety, size and packaging options; and expanding eating occasions hits the sweet spot for future growth in the sweet goods category. CB

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Striking a Balance B Y B E T H D AY

Photo courtesy of Aspire Bakeries

Bread is the staff of life, consistently providing simple and affordable nutrition.

Its versatility appeals to busy consumers, and commercial producers are finding that artisan breads elevate the at-home eating experience.

However, converting the small-batch baking method of artisan bread to a larger-scale automated production process requires a coordinated effort to balance production capabilities and innovation goals.

Here’s what a few bread bakers had to say about how they’re meeting that challenge — and others.

“Baking delicious artisan bread for our customers is never without challenges,” said Jon Davis, VP of culinary development at Los Angeles-based La Brea Bakery. “As far as technology goes, La Brea Bakery is always looking to build in efficiency to help control costs without sacrificing the quality of our bread.”

While automation is necessary to save time and resources, artisan breads need a human touch and longer processing times to preserve quality and authenticity. La Brea Bakery and its parent company Aspire B ­akeries continually assess what areas of

85

repetition in the production process can be automated as well as how to regularly introduce new technology into its bakeries.

“One of the harder breads to machine is ciabatta, as well as any similar kind of dough that is higher in hydration,” Davis said. “The breads are harder to run because they are softer, so it’s important for the La Brea Bakery team to closely monitor the line to ensure the runs for these breads are smooth.”

Interest in healthier bread options that support dietary needs are important for

COMMERCIAL BAKING

C AT E G O R Y I N S I G H T: B R E A D

many consumers, and bread is widely perceived as a good source of fiber and nutrients. La Brea Bakery launched its vegan-certified plant-based brioche bun to foodservice and restaurants in April 2023, offering a ­ one-size-fits-all solution for operators who want an elevated artisan bread that appeals to all dietary demographics.

“The challenge of smaller portions is to have the ability to consistently produce small items with accuracy. Portion size and scale weight of the breads are crucial to control, so you need equipment that is able to handle tight weight and small format breads.”

Creating a plant-based bun that tastes like traditional brioche with a structure strong enough to hold sandwich toppings was challenging.

Plant-based ingredients have different properties and require a different baking process, and that also comes with ­e quipment considerations.

“Due to available bakery space, we decided to make our plant-based brioche bun at one of our bakeries used for custom dairy-free foods made for our customers,” Davis shared.

“We reinvented the La Brea Bakery

Brioche Bun to be dairy free, and after much work, we were successful in maintaining the hallmark texture and buttery flavor of a traditional brioche bun.”

In the ingredient space, the availability of heritage and ancient grains has significantly increased over the past couple of years and sparked innovation.

For Davis, these grains bring even better nutrition, texture and flavor profiles to La Brea Bakery breads.

“Personally, I’m always looking at new grains and flours that can bring unique and interesting characteristics to our existing breads or any new breads that we have in development,” Davis said.

“No special equipment is needed in working with whole grains. The advances in whole grain ingredients provide food safety and ease of handling hydrated grains, along with other formats like flours/inclusion blends that were not available before.”

Jon Davis | VP, culinary development | La Brea Bakery

© charunwit on Adobe Stock

Artisan breads made with ancient grains can help consumers elevate their at-home meals.

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Innovation with mix-ins like fruit or nuts appeal to consumers. While limited-time offers can boost sales, adjusting formulas and recipes can wreak havoc for production lines. When La Brea Bakery produces breads like its iconic cranberry walnut loaf, which has large quantities of inclusions, production scheduling and the separation of ingredients are taken into consideration.

“High-inclusion breads can leave residue on the line, so a thorough clean-down is necessary after running them,” Davis explained. “It’s important to run neutral doughs first, followed by breads with inclusions. Similarly, the plant-based brioche needs to be run first, ensuring the dough has no exposure to nonplant-based ingredients so the bread upholds the plant-based claim.”

Similarly, by leveraging existing production lines and ovens used for traditional core products, Nashville, TN-based Crown Bakeries was able to commercialize new bread products, such as its croissant buns.

“Our operations team has been incredibly creative and resourceful this year in their approach to getting the most from our production lines and equipment,” said Yianny Caparos, president of Crown Bakeries. “The collaboration with our engineering teams has delivered these new capabilities for our customers with minimal disruptions.”

Foodservice and in-store bakery operators are finding their customers prefer smaller portions, creating a need for smaller-sized product from artisan bread producers. Adjusting for size impacts the manufacturing process.

small items with accuracy,” Davis said.

“Portion size and scale weight of the breads are crucial to control, so you need equipment that is able to handle tight weight and small format breads.”

Foodservice operators have also expressed interest in products with extended shelf life as a way to reduce waste and food costs. Frozen product options can offer solutions for portion size and shelf life, which in turn impact production decisions for bakers. La Brea Bakery breads are frozen, so its customers can thaw and serve, or bake just the portions they need.

At Crown Bakeries, the R&D team constantly seeks the latest innovations in shelf-life extension. Caparos observed that it can often be a challenge to meet the ever-shifting goal posts of shelf-life requirements, which is why the bakery regularly tests and evaluates new technology and ingredient formulations.

“Changes to consumer eating habits are consistently evolving. We must maintain flexibility in both our R&D capabilities and manufacturing processes to deliver on these trends quickly for our customers.”

Yianny Caparos | president | Crown Bakeries

“The challenge of smaller portions is to have the ability to consistently produce

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

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“Changes to consumer eating habits are consistently evolving,” Caparos said.

“Ingredients can suddenly land on cleanlabel requirement lists, or nutritional awareness may be prompted by new cultural influences. We must maintain flexibility in both our R&D capabilities and manufacturing processes to deliver on these trends quickly for our customers.”

© industrieblick on Adobe Stock

In addition to the breads it sells through retail, Aspire Bakeries offers contract baking to certain customers. Beginning the R&D process for these projects requires a clear ­ p roject brief, in-depth conversations with customers to determine their needs and wants, and agreement on the end goals. For Davis, this interactive process helps reduce production challenges along the way.

While automation saves time and resources, artisan breads still require a human touch to convey authenticity.

“Consumer trends move faster than R&D,” he said. “We can see a trend live and die on social media in a matter of a few weeks or months. Before chasing after a consumer trend, our team wants to ensure that the trend will stick and that meeting it is achievable.”

In addition to keeping up with consumer needs, supply chain issues, labor shortages and rising ingredient costs have also impacted manufacturers’ abilities to innovate within the category.

Maintaining strong relationships with suppliers is essential, especially when supply disruptions occur. Suppliers also experience issues with their raw materials, which can cause an unexpected chain reaction.

“The threat of ingredient shortages at any time keeps the La Brea Bakery team on our toes,” Davis explained.

“For example, if there is a starch shortage, a lot of trial and error goes into finding ingredients or a combination of

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

ingredients that will result in breads with equal or better quality.”

Currently, most of the supply challenges involve specialty ingredients. Although they are used in smaller quantities, even this can cause disruption if bakers cannot get them. Crown Bakeries has benefited from strategically monitoring and purchasing commodities, as well as building solid supplier relationships.

“We have been very fortunate to have had minimal issues on that front, and I am confident it is because of the work our team has done in selecting the right partners and fostering those relationships,” Caparos said. “As raw materials continue to experience market volatility, maintaining regular, transparent communication with our network of suppliers has been key to controlling our costs.”

Fortunately, the supply chain challenges La Brea Bakery experienced over the

90

past few years have lessened. Now, concerns surrounding the labor shortage and its impact on operations are top of mind.

“What keeps me up at night now is ensuring we have a solid workforce,” Davis said. “It is a challenge that is being experienced nationwide. For anyone in the baking industry, to ramp up production and increase outputs, we must ensure that there are enough people working in our bakeries and that we continue to look for people who want to work.”

Striking the balance between production capability and innovation is an ongoing challenge for commercial bread manufacturers. Bakers must take into account a host of considerations when making strategic decisions about production equipment, processes and staffing, while creating innovative, high-quality bread products that are accessible to all consumers. CB

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Sweetly Premium B Y B E T H D AY

Increased demand for affordable indulgence and smaller portion sizes has challenged sweet goods manufacturers.

Here’s what they had to say.

Photo courtesy of Vandemoortele USA

No matter how much consumers seek healthier foods and functional ingredients, their love of sweet goods runs deep.

They provide comfort and nostalgia as well as the occasional decadent splurge or indulgent reward. Premium products made with clean, quality ingredients engage people who are willing to pay a premium price for artisan bakery items.

Freezer-to-oven items offer foodservice operators a convenient option.

Photo by Olivia Siddall | Avant Food Media

Artisan pastry production at scale requires a fine balance between automation and human touch.

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As consumer awareness of more niche baked goods has grown, Nashville, TN-based Crown Bakeries has noticed historically high interest in unique and artisanal laminated dough and batterbased products.

For decades, Swedesboro, NJ-based Banneton Bakery, which also manufactures artisan laminated dough products, has stayed true to its traditional croissants and pastries while innovating in step with consumer trends. Its freezer-to-oven pastries are pre-proofed, pre-egg washed and available in multiple varieties.

“We have captured a very small, niche market among our supermarket customers, where our high-end, all-butter French croissants and pastries resonate with increasing sales,” said Victor Litinetsky, owner and president of Banneton Bakery.

© Olga on Adobe Stock

“Taking familiar items such as croissants, cinnamon rolls or muffins and transforming those flavor and texture profiles into new and enticing formats has been a huge part of our innovation focus,” said Yianny Caparos, president of Crown Bakeries.

Facing production challenges created by the pandemic, Banneton Bakery shifted its focus from food­­ service to building a strong presence in retail grocery stores by expanding its freezer-to-oven technology. Tapping ­ into the supermarket sector paved the way to new customers, resulting in the need to invest in a 100,000-square-foot production space with five lines specifically devoted to producing all variations of croissants and Danish items.

With the return of its foodservice customers over the past couple of years,

“When producing our whole grain products, we adapt our equipment and production procedures in order to create more precision with the aging process in our retarding rooms. This has resulted in a premium whole grain dough for our multi-grain croissants.”

Victor Litinetsky | owner and president | Banneton Bakery

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

94

the company is expanding its production facility another 30,000 square feet and adding a sixth production line.

“We are fortunate that our premium quality products appeal to consumers, and that makes us very optimistic about 2024 and 2025,” Litinetsky said. “Hence, we are continuing to expand our production capability to service our customers in foodservice and retail.”

Founded by Belgium-based company Vandemoortele, Banquet d’Or offers foodservice operators frozen baked goods that are easy to prepare and provide professional-grade results.

Its patented Bake’Up technology was designed to ease the process of freezer-to-oven baking to produce authentic European pastries in 25 minutes.

“We get questions from all over the world, but now our customers are asking how to bake our Banquet d’Or Bake’Up items in the new high-speed ovens,” said Johan Coppens, culinary advisor and master baker for Vandemoortele. “We have learned to adapt a bit, because the faster timing makes the baking process quite different.”

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Frozen bakery items deliver on convenient preparation methods while maintaining a quality product. Last year, Banquet d’Or introduced its freezer-to-oven pinched croissant designed as a customizable, versatile vehicle for toppings. Made from the same French recipe as the brand’s all-butter croissants, they are part of a growing portfolio of European bakery goods that embrace a clean-label standard.

Though consumers love indulgent treats, they also want healthier options with functional ingredients.

Innovation with whole grains is a big part of Banneton Bakery’s immediate future growth with the production of its multi-grain croissants featuring the Whole Grain Council stamp on the packaging.

“Just like with a fine wine or cheese, fermentation and the aging process of the dough takes time, and whole grain dough takes longer than traditional dough,” ­Litinetsky explained. “When producing our whole grain products, we adapt our equipment and production procedures in order to create more precision with the aging process in our retarding rooms. This has resulted in a premium whole grain dough for our multigrain croissants.”

Consumers have shown interest in Banneton’s artisan products offered in different styles and formats.

To respond, the company launched a croissant bread loaf that is a top seller. Processing the croissant loaf results in fewer layers than a traditional croissant, but it still has the same buttery flavor and flaky crust delivered in a slice.

“Our innovation is at its highest level,” Litinetsky said.

“The croissant bread is a challenging product to make, as there are many adjustments, such as the fermentation timing.”

Banneton uses a fully automated process to create sweet goods that feature a variety of made-from-scratch fillings, although the production output for these products is less than that of the butter croissants.

Similarly, Banquet d’Or is creating traditional sweet goods in new formats, such as a squareshaped product to satisfy consumer demand for

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

something different. Forming the square shape, or other custom shapes, requires manual adjustment using a mould into which the thawed dough is shaped or pressed and then baked.

Smaller-sized formats also appeal to foodservice operators and the consumers they serve. Producing smaller sizes means production capabilities must be adjusted with different cutters and precise automation to ensure those portions are equally sized.

“All products require their own setting to produce,” Coppens said. “The more complex the product, such as a braid with a filling or a finish with nuts, the more difficult it is to make. For this, we have hired the best people who know how to adjust the lines. We invest in the lines and certainly our people, so we always bake the best products in a profitable way, while also producing new products, shapes or fillings.”

“We get questions from all over the world, but now our customers are asking how to bake our Banquet d’Or Bake’Up items in the new high-speed ovens. We have learned to adapt a bit, because the faster timing makes the baking process quite different.”

Johan Coppens | culinary advisor and master baker | Vandemoortele

Innovation requires a delicate balance of customer needs, equipment and processing adaptations, skilled labor, and time. From an equipment perspective, Coppens noted that for Vandemoortele’s foodservice and in-store bakery customers, high-speed ovens have made a huge impact on the final baked version of the products. The faster timing must be adjusted to compensate for variables such as ­p roduct weight, format or style, end result, and whether the product is fully frozen or partially thawed. All of these factors influence the baking time.

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“Alto Shaam makes a very flexible oven that is highly suitable in restaurants, delis and service stations, but less so for baking large quantities in bakeries and supermarkets,” Coppens said. “I am always happy when I can work with an Alto Shaam oven and wish that there were more in the kitchens or stores.”

Labor considerations certainly impact sweet good bakers and their operations.

Production processes for croissants and other artisan pastries require finetuned precision between automation and human touch. For Crown Bakeries, labor is a challenge and an opportunity.

In an effort to stabilize its workforce, the company invests in team members with continuing education programs like the “Rise to Success” scholarship program.

“Since COVID, much of the workforce is still displaced,” Caparos said.

“This means that traditionally difficultto-staff periods, such as second and third shifts, are even tougher to fill.

Investing in initiatives like ‘One Crown’ brought forth enhancements to many of our employee welfare areas and break rooms at several plants.”

Vandemoortele invests a lot of time in its people, so the teams are equipped to find solutions when necessary. They know how to solve problems and use the newest techniques on the line.

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

© okrasiuk on Adobe Stock

Coppens explained, for example, that to reheat or bake a panini or pizza the temperature must be set higher, around 460°F, and the baking or heating time will vary between 30 seconds and two minutes. However, when baking off a croissant or sausage roll made of puff pastry, the temperature must be 360°F with a baking time of 7-11 minutes, which is still less than half the time as compared with a regular oven.

For Coppens, the best way to navigate machinery and formula difficulties is to invest in the people running the lines.

When supply chain issues emerge, the team pivots to keep production on track.

At times, a disruption within the production process can create an opportunity to try something new that turns out to be better than before.

“Our team is always looking for solutions when disruptions occur,” he said.

“We’ll either find another channel or offer an alternative product to meet our ­customers’ needs.”

Banneton Bakery remains dedicated to preserving the artisan quality of its bakery products, which is central to its mission. In certain areas of the process, the company has actually moved toward less automation and more human touch throughout the production process than in the past.

“We deal with the largest, highquality producers and manufacturers that supply ingredients and packaging materials, which help keep operations working normally,” Litinetsky said. “In addition, we have an excellent labor pool

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and have no problems hiring employees.

People are happy to come to work for us because we are a family-operated business with a warm atmosphere.”

Looking ahead, it is important for bakers to remain prudent when weighing innovation with production capability considerations. Consumer trends drive innovation, but there is typically a timing and cost challenge, among other production issues.

“When a company develops a lot of products to keep pace with trends, it can be very expensive,” Coppens noted. “Determining if a new trend is going to stay around and be worth the investment is the biggest challenge.”

Artisan sweet goods are an affordable luxury that elevate at-home eating experiences. Clean, quality ingredients that embody health claims and satisfy cravings will also engage consumers. To create artisan indulgences that are both familiar and unique, manufacturers must consider all aspects of production capabilities and continually innovate processes, equipment and products. CB

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BUSINESS INTEL

Social Compliance Auditing 101 Knowing what to expect during this type of audit can help companies prepare.

B Y C O L L E E N V I E N , A S S O C I AT I O N O F P R O F E S S I O N A L S O C I A L C O M P L I A N C E A U D I T O R S

The word “auditing” conjures up images of accountants peering over financial records or maintaining quality assurance standards such as ISO 9001.

However, social compliance auditing is neither of these. Instead, it independently assesses an organization’s compliance with its social and ethical responsibilities, health and safety regulations, and labor laws.

These types of audits are conducted across multiple industries in more than 100 countries, potentially anywhere there are workers. They occur not only in sophisticated manufacturing environments such as toys, automobiles, electronics and consumer products, but also in highly regulated environments like commercial bakeries and other food production facilities, as well as in agriculture, fishing, textiles, apparel and footwear.

In its simplest form, a social compliance audit is an in-person audit of a work site or facility, where an auditor who has been specifically trained on areas such as labor rights, local laws, occupational health and safety (OHS), business ethics, and management systems verifies that the company is respecting the human rights of workers.

There are many players, roles and responsibilities within the ecosystem of social compliance auditing

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that affect when, where, why and by whom an audit is conducted. This includes brands and retailers who request social audits of their suppliers as a condition of doing business. These parties may also dictate the depth and scope of the audit, based on the level of services they commission.

Industry standard practice indicates that effective consideration generally requires a minimum of one day on-site for small facilities with fewer than 100 workers. For larger facilities with more workers, two or more days are required on an incremental basis, based on the number of workers and the physical size of the facility.

During the audit, the auditor observes both working and environmental conditions as part of OHS practices at the facility, including production areas and any other relevant areas frequented by workers such as residential, recreational or cafeteria areas, or an employee health center.

The auditor also reviews processes and records, conducts management interviews and speaks with workers confidentially about social compliance issues and working conditions. The auditor may also take photos of the facility and photocopies of policies or records.

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BUSINESS INTEL

Brands need to be cautious in selecting audit firms and determining the right depth and scope of audit for their supply chains, based on a thorough risk assessment.

New directives such as enhanced human rights due diligence and restrictions on imports of goods made from child or forced labor have made the work of these auditors more important than ever.

At the end of the audit, the social compliance auditor issues the facility the firstdraft outcome, including any areas of non-compliance. A severity scale is assigned to non-compliance to guide the facility in the timing of remediating or correcting any issues.

Audit firms are responsible for ensuring they have enough qualified auditors to meet the business needs of their clients.

Brands need to be cautious in selecting audit firms and determining the right depth and scope of audit for their supply chains, based on a thorough risk assessment.

The adage “you get what you pay for” is critically important. Before contracting with an auditing firm, companies should have a clear understanding of what the audit will cover.

The auditor also sends a written report to the organization paying for the audit, which is typically the facility itself, one of its customers or another entity. In some cases, this may revise compliance, non-compliance and/or change the severity of a non-compliance based on the detailed post-visit review of auditor notes and supporting materials such as documents or photos collected during the on-site audit.

To prepare for a social compliance audit, companies should always be thinking about possible hidden risks in their operations that can be addressed through a continuous improvement plan focused on the social aspects of their business. CB

Social compliance auditors must be part private investigator or investigative journalist, part psychologist or therapist, part occupational engineer, and part labor lawyer. They need to be capable of building rapport and trust with workers in order to get them to let their guard down and share details of their actual work experience.

— Colleen Vien is president of the Association of Professional Social Compliance Auditors (APSCA). The association was created to ensure the professionalism and credibility of individuals who conduct social compliance audits. APSCA has a membership of nearly 5,000 auditors and over 60 audit firms with locations in more than 100 countries. Contact her at colleen.vien@theapsca.org.

Through their work, social compliance auditors have helped combat employee exploitation and identify forced labor.

Highlighting the need for action, the International Labor Organization estimates that in 2021, 28 million people worldwide were subject to forced labor.

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COMMERCIAL BAKING CHANNEL

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 Georg Koutsogiannis, Schubert Georg Koutsogiannis, senior account manager, shares the benefits of automation and innovative packaging solutions for high-quality baked goods. www.schubert.group

TechTalk with Tony Maniscalco, SideDrive Conveyor Tony Maniscalco, national sales manager, discusses ways automation can help improve ­ ­p roductivity and sanitation in commercial bakeries. www.sidedriveconveyor.com

A Day at Potter’s Crackers Dive into a day at Potter’s Crackers, a cracker company that transitioned from a local farmers market brand to a specialty brand that supplies retailers in 48 states.

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COMMERCIAL BAKING

COMMERCIAL BAKING CHANNEL

Catching Up with Commercial Baking: Tony Martin at the Bakers Fly-In The president of Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe discusses some of the main takeaways from the event and the value it provided to the baking industry.

Troubleshooting Innovation: Listen to all nine seasons While Season 10 is in the works, catch up on all nine seasons of Troubleshooting Innovation, the industry-leading podcast that examines topics such as operational efficiencies, product development challenges and fresh leadership concepts.

Certified Master Baker Prep Series Commercial Baking’s sister publication Craft to Crumb teamed up with the Retail Bakers of America to produce the CMB Study Hall Series. This library of training videos can help bakers of any type who are seeking master baker certification.

2023 Commercial Baking Wrapped From podcast seasons and web articles to TechTalks, videos and more, check out highlights from Commercial Baking in 2023.

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SUPPLIER SOLUTIONS

Bread slicer and bagger AMF Bakery Systems’ Combo Bread Slicer and Bagger system offers maximum flexibility and reliability for slicing and bagging a variety of breads from standard loaves to fruited breads.

The pendulum scoop drive and patented flusher discharge conveyor offer a smooth loaf bagging transfer. The single-swivel operator control panel allows for easy monitoring of slicing and bagging processes. www.amfbakery.com

Rotary template system Burford Corp, a Middleby Bakery brand, launched the Smart Seeder+. It saves 20% to 50% of seeds, minimizes waste and cleans up pans. A dual-purpose rotating drum acts as the template and reclaim system, allowing the unit to provide accuracy and savings. The Smart Seeder+ also includes rotary templates for different pan configurations, high-friction belting, and water spray and split. www.burford.com

Shelf-life extender Corbion released the Ultra Fresh Advantage 600 to reduce bakers’ vulnerability to sugar prices while protecting shelf life. The patent-pending enzyme technology prolongs product shelf life, enhancing resilience, softness and balanced moistness. It also generates the release of sugar in the baking process, reducing the amount of sugar needed as a raw material. www.corbion.com

AGVs for production material transport Diosna created Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) to support automation concepts for effective dough production. Equipped with state-of-the-art navigation systems, AGVs transport raw materials and products with precision and efficiency within defined workflows. AGVs offers a more efficient operation for a more continuous and autonomous flow. www.diosna.com

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COMMERCIAL BAKING

SUPPLIER SOLUTIONS

Curated ingredients portfolio Eurogerm presents “The Art of Signature,” the new Collection #10 which showcases specialty flavors, colors, textures, vegetarian recipes and appropriate properties. The curated portfolio of ingredients and solutions helps millers, bakers and pastry chefs create a range of signature products. www.eurogerm.com

Horizontal packaging machine Harpak-Ulma released the FR 400 Twin, a high-output horizontal packaging machine for the bakery, confectionery and biscuit industries. This compact machine combines two machines into one, doubling output and optimizing efficiency while reducing required space by 50%. User-friendly with easy maintenance, the FR 400 Twin has a long-term service life, reducing the total cost of ownership and overall savings. www.ulmapackaging.com

IT ALL STARTS WITH STORAGE

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Round dough moulder Multivac/Fritsch refined the PROGRESSA bread line with a new round moulder for greater efficiency and precision. Hand-shaping dough can create inconsistencies and be time-consuming.

The Round Dough Moulder ensures every dough ball is perfectly rounded and uniform in size. This precision guarantees consistent quality in the end products, regardless of the product type. www.fritsch-group.com

Predictive maintenance tool Unifiller introduced Unfiller+, a digital tool that empowers frontline operators to troubleshoot problems and train and share knowledge while reducing downtime and optimizing performance. Customers can keep track of all their settings and information in one location via a tablet, laptop or mobile device. www.unifiller.com

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Ad Index The following advertisers appear in this issue. We encourage readers to reach out to these companies through the listed website or email for further information. This index is provided as a service to readers and advertisers, but Commercial Baking does not assume any liability for errors or omissions.

Please send any updates or corrections to info@commercialbaking.com.

AB Mauri

64

w w w. abmna .com customerser vice . abmauri@abmauri .com

American Bakers Association

103

www.commercialbaking.com/subscription

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7, 77

Sifting through the noise Print magazines Digital editions Website Newsletters Multimedia

99

115

Capway Automation

16-17

Cavanna Group

75

w w w.c avanna .com sales@c avannagroup.com

10

w w w. arde ntmills .com info@ardentmills .com

Charles Ross & Son Company

71

w w w. mixe rs .com mail@mixers .com

Ashworth

100

w w w. ashwor th .com sales@ashwor th .com

Corbion

116

w w w.corbion .com foodus@corbion .com

Avant Food Media

51, 104

w w w. avantfoodmedia .com info@avantfoodmedia .com

Baker Perkins

25

BC Williams

Eurogerm

56

w w w.euroge rm - kb .com contact@eurogerm - usa .com

w w w. bake rpe rkins .com bpinc@bakerp erkins .com

Formost Fu ji

29

w w w.formo stfu ji .com sales@formostfuji .com

8

w w w. bcwilliams .com info@bcwilliams .com

Curated for decision makers...

Cain Food Industries

w w w.c apwayautomation .com sales@c apwayusa .com

w w w. apexmotion .com info@ap exmotion .com

Ardent Mills

13

w w w.c ainfood .com sales@c ainfood .com

w w w. amfbake r y.com sales@amfbaker y.com

Apex Motion Control

Bundy Baking Solutions w w w. bundybakingsolutions .com info@bundybakingsolutions .com

w w w. piecouncil .org pieentr y@piecouncil .org

AMF Bakery Systems

39

w w w. bakewithbrolite .com s .delghingaro@broliteproducts .com

w w w. ame ric anbake rs .org info@americ anbakers .org

American Pie Council

Brolite

Fred D. Pfening Co.

40

w w w. pfe ning .com sales@pfening .com

Bettendorf Stanford

87

w w w. bette ndor fstanford .com jatkins@bettendor fstanford .com

GEA

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w w w.ge a .com/e n/food/bake r y alber to. beltramello@gea .com

Subscribe now.

BluePrint Automation w w w. blueprintautomation .com sales@blueprintautomation .com

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31

Great Western Manufacturing w w w.gwmfg .com sif ter@gwmfg .com

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AD INDEX

Handtmann

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Harpak-Ulma

92

w w w. harpak- ulma .com info@harpak- ulma .com

4

w w w.dhe nr yandsons .com info@dhenr yandsons .com 110

5

w w w. intralox .com customerser vice . baker y@intralox .com

95

2

w w w. jkingredie nts .com sales@jkingredients . net

81

91

Rademaker

84

Reading Bakery Systems

52-55, 61

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Reiser

43

Repco

67

Rexfab

89

Paul Lattan paul@avantfoodmedia.com 816.585.5030

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Kubota Brabender Technologie

3

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Schubert

19

w w w. schube r t.group sales@schuber t- na .com

37

w w w. lalle mand .com baking @lallemand .com

Shick Esteve

32-33

w w w. shicke steve .com info@shickesteve .com

45

w w w. le saf freye ast.com b. hanes@lesaf fre .com

Steve Berne steve@avantfoodmedia.com 816.605.5037

Unifiller

78

w w w.unifille r.com info@unifiller.com

83

w w w. middle bybake r y.com nicole . plantenis@middlebybaker y.com

MoistTech

63

w w w. repcoworld .com/bake r y info@rep coworld .com

w w w. kaak .com jlaros@ka ak .com

Middleby Bakery Group

PMMI

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w w w. jlsautomation .com sales@jlsautomation .com

LeSaffre

23

w w w. re adingbake r y.com info@readingbaker y.com

J&K Ingredients

Lallemand

Peerless Food Equipment

Request the media kit

w w w. rade make r.com sales@rademaker.com

w w w. ipco .com sales .us@ip co.com

Kaak

27

w w w. pmmi .org info@pmmi .org

Intralox

JLS Automation

Oakes

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w w w. impe rialind .com morgan @imp erialind .com

IPCO

72

w w w.oake s .com info@oakes .com

Henry & Sons

Imperial

Multivac/Fritsch us . multivac .com cecily. pickering @multivac .com

w w w. handtmann .us ma x . king @handtmann .us

Vantage

69

w w w.vantagegrp .com info.food @vantagegrp.com

111

moisttech .com/applic ations/human -food- moisture info@moisttech .com

Zeppelin Systems USA

59

zeppelin - syste ms .com/us/industrie s/food- industr y info@zepp elin - usa .com

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Erin Zielsdorf erin@avantfoodmedia.com 937.418.5557

COMMERCIAL BAKING

THE LAST WORD FROM JOHN FRIEND

Photo by Liz Goodwin | Avant Food Media

Building Blocks Everything I know about bread I learned from my dad.

president and CEO of BEMA, and that opened doors to dozens of other connections.

Well … almost everything.

Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to visit tons of other bakeries and learn best practices for efficiency, food safety and automation. Yes, I discovered that “automation” doesn’t have to be a blasphemous term in an artisan bakery.

My dad taught me the fundamentals: Quality, care and the importance of time. When it comes to sourdough, you just can’t shortcut.

He started Farm to Market Bread Co. when I was just 8 years old, and I wasn’t much older when I knew I wanted to take over the family business someday. When that day came, I was armed with a business degree and a lifetime of lessons from working at the bench and driving the delivery routes. But the truth is, when you get to a position of leadership, even in a company you’ve spent your life around, you’re never done learning.

My dad passed his formulas on to me, and those will never change. Our San Francisco-style sourdough is the foundation of Farm to Market and always will be. But I’m learning where and how to scale appropriately, and I’ve discovered the areas of the process where automation can benefit the business and, in some cases, improve the product without sacrificing my father’s fundamentals.

I learned about bread from my dad, and through my own professional development, I’ve learned how to be a commercial artisan. That’s what’s great about being a family baker … I have the honor of carrying on a legacy while also creating one of my own. CB

I realized quickly that I needed to build a network.

Farm to Market is an artisan bread company, and to be honest, this breed of bakers can be — for lack of a better term — a little bit “snobbish” about bread, especially regarding what’s made at scale. But building a network meant I had to shake that mentality. Thanks to mentorship from my friend Mark Boyer, former CEO of Tippin’s Pies, I opened my mind to what can be learned from others around me. Mark introduced me to Kerwin Brown,

FEBRUARY 2024 Q1

— John Friend is president of Kansas City, KS-based Farm to Market Bread Co. It was founded by his father, Mark Friend, in 1993.

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