2024 Impact Report
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
— DENNIS GABOR
PHYSICIST | NOBEL PRIZE WINNER
About
Avant Food Media launched in 2020 with the goal to modernize trade media.
Three accomplished veterans in baking media — Paul Lattan, president; Steve Berne, executive VP; and Joanie Spencer, VP — saw an opportunity to help the industry meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world.
Focused on the future, Avant established a digital-forward media model that speaks directly to decisionmakers in the industry. Our completely new approach to B2B media revolves around storytelling that focuses on what matters: the data, trends and innovations reshaping the business of baking.
Avant’s goal is to serve not only our readers and advertisers, but also the communities and environment in which we operate. As a forward-thinking company, we’re joining the growing movement toward better business. We envision a world in which everyone recognizes their social and environmental impact to create not only a better industry but also a better society. This report shares our work toward that goal.
“We want to cast a light on people in the industry whose contributions don’t always make it to the forefront.”
— JOANIE SPENCER VP | AVANT FOOD MEDIA
The Team
Lily Cota ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Erin Zielsdorf ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Olivia Siddall MU LTIMEDIA DIRECTOR
Joanie Spencer VICE PRESIDENT
Jordan Winter CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Steve Berne EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Maddie Lambert ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Annie Hollon DIGITAL EDITOR
Mari Rydings EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Paul Lattan PRESIDENT
Social Impact
Web coverag e
Commercial Baking offers fresh insights on trends and innovation for the baking industry. In the 793 web stories we published in 2024, we covered topics such as...
CORPORATE DONATIONS
WOMEN’S INITIATIVES
DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION
SUPPLY CHAIN TRANSPARENCY
To Build A Bakery
With women comprising only 33% of all bakery owners in the US, Avant Food Media is proud to have featured all female bakery owners in Craft to Crumb ’s To Build a Bakery series.
SOURCE: WIFITALENTS
Established in 2023, the series spotlights how bakery owners are growing their businesses. These stories range from establishing a brick-and-mortar for the first time to opening additional locations across the country.
Troubleshooting Innovation, a Commercial Baking podcast, brought the story of The Women’s Bakery to life in its final season of the year. You’ll hear how this social enterprise is supporting East African women with economic empowerment through bakery jobs and training.
Commercial Baking magazine
In our coverage, we spotlight industry thought leaders with diverse backgrounds.
38 Seen & Heard QUOTES
4 Exec Profiles
4 Last Word
Craft to Crumb mini-mag
These deep-dive stories explore how bakers across the country have found success.
4 Featured Bakeries
*BIPOC is an inclusive term that refers to Black, Indigenous and people of color
4 Baker Profiles
“Service Fridays” volunteering
The Avant Food Media team organizes quarterly volunteer days to impact the area we’re most passionate about: food. In the Kansas City metro, 1 in 11 people — including 1 in 8 children — are at risk of hunger.*
That’s why we donated 34 working hours to volunteer at Harvesters Food Network in our hometown of Kansas City, MO.
Social Impactor of the Year
This brand-new feature in Commercial Baking ’s Innovations Annual issue highlights one baking company’s dedication to social change.
In 2024, we’re sharing the story of Chicago-based Eli’s Cheesecake Co. , which is making a positive impact with product donations, recruitment initiatives for refugees and people with disabilities, and more.
Corporate giving
This year, Avant Food Media donated $1,700 to local and national nonprofits.
We supported Camp Rainbow, CROP Hunger Walk, the Society of Bakery Women, Special Needs Boy Scouts and more.
Sustainability
Environmental impact of printing Commercial Baking magazine
In 2024, we printed 3,584,092 total pages, equating to 84,091 lbs. of paper. This translates to 5,173 lbs. of carbon emissions. That’s the same amount of emissions as ...
DRIVING A GAS-POWERED CAR FOR 1,000 MILES
On the next page, you’ll see how we’re addressing this impact via our partnership with the National Forest Foundation, which regenerates the paper and energy we use in our business. We also meticulously curate the Commercial Baking circulation list, ensuring that only those engaged with the content receive the printed magazine. As a result, we not only reduce paper waste but also minimize the number of trucks and fuel required to ship our product.
Building a zero-waste media brand
We launched our second publication, Craft to Crumb, to be a digital-only product. This thoughtful approach meets bakers where they’re at — on-the-go and on their devices — to maximize impact while benefiting the environment.
Sapling Program
To offset the environmental impact of printing Commercial Baking magazine, Avant Food Media has become a partner with the National Forest Foundation (NFF) to plant one tree for every print ad page we sell. In 2024, that’s 312 trees.
By supporting the re-greening of national forests, Avant Food Media is putting environmental sustainability into action.
Did you know that national forests...
•span 193 million acres
•sustain 3,000+ species of wildlife and 10,000+ species of plants
•offer 150,000+ miles of multi-use trails, 4,300 campgrounds and 1,200 boating sites
“We’ve set the standard for editorial excellence in the baking industry. We want to set the standard for good business, too.”
— PAUL LATTAN PRESIDENT | AVANT FOOD MEDIA
