CATEGORY LEADERSHIP AWARDS MUFFINS

For consumers who are determined to cut simple carbs from their diets, muffins can be an indulgence that some people can’t give up. Whether it’s the balance of sweet and sour in a cranberry and orange or a decadent chocolate muffin, consumers demand and expect a lot from muffins. Soft, fluffy and packed with a flavor punch, muffins suppliers continue to keep their products accessible in the bakery section and have allowed for consumers to recreate their favorite muffins in their own kitchens.

“Bake’n Joy’s clean label brand of bakery solutions is marketed under Kitchen Cupboard Clean Label Products name, and with products across multiple categories, this line provides retailers with the ability to tout the highest level of desired product attributes, such as no artificial flavors, preservatives, colors, high fructose corn syrup or high-intensity sweeteners to name a few,” Director of Marketing Jayne Kearney previously explained. “The term clean label is still considered an industry term, so we highly recommend retailers use messaging that conveys the use of pure, wholesome baking ingredients that are simple and familiar.”

Category leader Bake’n Joy Foods has remained busy, keeping the momentum and demand for muffins buzzing. At a time when most companies were at a standstill, Bake’n Joy Foods acquired L&M Bakery. L&M Bakery specializes in loaf cakes, fruit squares and a combination of items that were offered at supermarkets and other retail channels across the New England and Mid-Atlantic states. “Similar to our purchase of Boston Coffee Cake in 2009, this acquisition brings another iconic New England bakery manufacturer to Bake’n Joy Foods and allows us to provide our customers with a wider variety of bakery solutions,” Bob Ogan, President and CEO of Bake’n Joy said at the time of the acquisition. “Being a private family business, our values of caring for people and compassion are present throughout the organization. It drives who we are to our internal and external customers. I am truly excited for what this offers Bake’n Joy associates, the L&M team, and our customers.”

L&M Bakery’s inventory complemented Bake’n Joy Foods’ offering of predeposited frozen muffin batters and doughs, scoop batters, mixes and bases, fully baked loaf and coffee cakes and streusel toppings. The company has gone to great lengths to keep the category inclusive to consumers with dietary needs. A notable example occurred in 2020, when Bake’n Joy became the exclusive distributor of Freedom Gluten Free packaged donuts.

In recent years, Bake’n Joy introduced a Lemon Loaf Cake and scoop and bake batter along with Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake (no nuts,) and Apple Cider Muffins and Loaf Cakes. The muffins and loaf cakes were also offered in classic harvest flavors such as Pumpkin Spice, Zucchini Nut, Carrot Cake and Caramel Apple. “Bake’n Joy has a long-standing history of providing bakers across the country with high quality flavors of the season,” Kearney explained. “Freshness is a key driver of the purchase decision among Millennial shoppers. Bake’n Joy’s freezer to oven convenience enables instore bakeries to bake fresh throughout the day and evoke the senses to stimulate more impulse purchases of fresh baked muffins among this demographic audience.”

For nearly 80 years, Bake’n Joy has built and maintained partnerships with its retail customers. “We work hand and hand with them to develop proprietary bakery formulations that are unique to them, and provide competitive differentiation in the marketplace,” Kearney said. “We listen to our customer’s particular needs then leverage our best-inclass food technology team to deliver the highest level of product quality and satisfaction in the industry. It is this level of customization that makes Bake’n Joy the manufacturer of choice among some of the most distinguished grocery chains. Our customers recognize the importance of providing fresh, high-quality muffins, coffee cakes and loaf cakes to their bakery programs, and they turn to Bake’n Joy to deliver on this promise.”

Through its private label program, it’s highly likely consumers have enjoyed Bake'n Joy Foods without even realizing it. “Retailers purchase high-quality bakery solutions through our vast distributor and wholesaler network. What’s more, our product formats enable retailers to capitalize on fresh, on premise baking,” Kearney said.