Commercial Baking April | Q2 2024

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS WITH A REIGNITED VISION

Table Talk Pies

BAKING DREAMS COME TRUE.

Breads | Buns

Cookies | Crackers

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Pastries | Pizzas

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We welcome GBT GmbH Bakery Technology to our portfolio of complete baking solutions.

GBT baking experts have decades of experience in high performance, large volume product systems for artisan and flat breads, sweet pastries, pizzas and other baked goods. The team develops full baking system solutions with make-ups, proofers, tunnel ovens, and conveyors based on robust German technologies for large industrial bakers around the world.

AVANT FOOD MEDIA

Paul Lattan

President - Principal

Steve Berne Vice President - Principal

Joanie Spencer Director of Content - Partner

COMMERCIAL BAKING

Paul Lattan

Publisher | paul@avantfoodmedia.com

Steve Berne

Director of Media | steve@avantfoodmedia.com 816.605.5037

Erin Zielsdorf

Account Executive | erin@avantfoodmedia.com 937.418.5557

Joanie Spencer

Editor-in-Chief | joanie@avantfoodmedia.com 913.777.8874

Mari Rydings

Editorial Director | mari@avantfoodmedia.com

Jordan Winter

Creative Director | jordan@avantfoodmedia.com

Olivia Siddall

Multimedia Specialist | olivia@avantfoodmedia.com

Annie Hollon

Digital Editor | annie@avantfoodmedia.com

Evan Bail

Associate Editor | evan@avantfoodmedia.com

Beth Day | Maggie Glisan Contributors | info@commercialbaking.com

Commercial Baking considers its sources reliable and verifies as much data as possible, although reporting inaccuracies can occur. Consequently, readers using this information do so at their own risk. Commercial Baking is distributed with the understanding that the publisher is not liable for errors and omissions. Although persons and companies mentioned herein are believed to be reputable, neither Avant Food Media nor any of its employees accept any responsibility whatsoever for their activities. Commercial Baking magazine is printed in the USA and all rights are reserved.

No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the publisher. All contributed content and advertiser supplied information will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication, copyright purposes and use in any publication or digital product and are subject to

Baking ’s right to edit.

GROW YOIJRARTISANBREADPORTFOLIO WITHSANITARY, LOW-STRESSSHEETING ANODECORATING TECHNOLOGIES.

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42 Emerging Brand: Legally Addictive

22 Table Talk Pies: Iconic and Innovative

53

Critical Issues: Corporate Sponsorships

36 Bill Quigg: Loving Every Minute of It

61

Product Development: Portion Sizes

Photo

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A Priceless Point in History

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

WATCH NOW:

Past, present and future. Joanie Spencer talks about why the baking industry needs to rely on all three.

Sponsored by Bundy Baking Solutions.

At the end of February, we celebrated 100 years of the American Society of Baking (ASB) during BakingTECH, its annual event.

Historically, ASB and BakingTECH have been known for remaining rooted in tradition. But in recent years, a new generation has taken on leadership in the association and the BakingTECH planning committee, and they’re heading full-force into the future … while also respecting the past (the conference may be heading to Orlando next year, but the Baking Hall of Fame isn’t going anywhere).

Look around, and you’ll see this is where we are as an industry: Organizations are using time-honored traditions as the foundation for innovation.

It’s a theme you’ll see throughout this issue. A pie company springboarding innovation in its centennial year; the leader of the oldest family-owned cookie/cracker bakery modernizing workforce culture; iconic brands engaging in sponsorships in all-new ways.

Just a few years ago, the boomers and millennials were duking it out. Now, the millennials are showing Gen Z the ropes while boomers and Gen Xers calculate their succession plans.

While we live in a time of “innovate or die,” we also must accept that there’s no future without the past. The key, my friends, is balance. This is now a four-generation industry. Let’s take advantage of this priceless point in history and tap into one another’s experience, expertise and new perspectives … before AI does it for us.

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Seen Heard AND

“We know that 56 percent of our shoppers report they are still extremely concerned about inflation, so that means a lot of choices are being made about discretionary categories. We expect to see that throughout the rest of the year.”

Alex Trott | director of insights | 84.51° On consumer shopping behaviors during The Food Institute Podcast with Chris Campbell

“Vulnerability is a key factor in resilience.”

Kristen Spriggs | executive director | American Society of Baking During a keynote address for the Society of Bakery Women

“I think it will be a more robust workforce within the baking industry. It will be an industry that people will want to go into because of the longevity and the uniqueness.”

Liliana Economakis | division VP, customer development non-commercial | Aspire Bakeries

On the impact of the American Bakers Association’s strategic five-year plan for groups like ABA’s NextGen Baker

“Whether you are suppliers in this industry or bakers, you help feed our communities and feed America, and that really should get you going in the morning.”

Bill Bundy | president, global manufacturing | Bundy Baking Solutions During opening remarks at BakingTECH 2024

Still making huge

“Half the world gets 50 percent of their calories from grains, and if you’re in a developing country, it’s more than that.”

Julie Miller Jones, PhD, LN, CNS | Scientific Advisory Board member | Grain Foods Foundation From Season 10 of the Troubleshooting Innovation podcast

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“It won’t happen overnight, but regenerative agriculture can be a longer-term solution for restoring soil health.”

Clint Brauer | CEO | Greenfield Inc. Via LinkedIn

“Fear is the fear of loss.”

Kenyon Salo | motivational speaker

On how fear can impact trying new things

“Let’s continue to support today’s people who are giving a sense of purpose and value to the members of this beautiful industry that we all treasure.”

Catherin Herrera | director of baking technology | Bimbo Canada

Upon receiving the Rising Baker Award from the American Society of

Baking

“If you’re invested in your work and invested in the team with whom you ’ re working, you ’ re going to keep a safer environment, you ’ re going to pay more attention to what’s going on, and you ’ re going to make sure the baker next to you is safe.”

Josh Allen | founder | Companion Baking

Discussing

“This is an industry that finds solutions that are going to change the food system, so we’re the growth mindset industry.”

Angi Rassi | CMO

| Red’s All Natural Discussing the power of brand partnerships at Natural Products Expo West 2024

“I think today the most powerful brands are truly authentic brands. I think consumers want to connect with brands; they want to understand that there’s a real story.”

Alex Malamatinas | founder and managing partner | Melitas Ventures

Discussing how startups can scale up at Natural Products Expo West 2024

scaling up bakery operations during a lecture at Camp Bread

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ICONIC AND INNOVATIVE

BY MARI RYDINGS

—Lef t

When it started in 1924, Table Talk Pies produced bread by day and handmade pies by night. Today, it produces almost 300 million pies each year in various flavors and sizes.

The dichotomy between icon and innovation is an interesting one, especially for bakers. Classic brands are steeped in nostalgia and enjoy a deeply loyal fan base. But tradition can take sales only so far. To remain relevant and profitable, bakeries must capture the attention of new generations that may have different tastes and behaviors, and that often requires strategic ideation.

Worcester, MA-based Table Talk Pies has purposefully positioned itself squarely in the middle of this dichotomy. While the iconic brand prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary later this year, it is also moving forward with a vision to grow beyond its traditionally pie-centric portfolio.

“People in the Northeast grew up eating mini Table Talk Pies in their lunchboxes,” said Isaac Long, the company’s president. “It’s a very nostalgic brand and item for people here, and we make our everyday pies really well. But for us to be successful, we’ve got to grow in a sustainable manner while making sure we don’t disrupt the core of the business, which is what we’re really about.”

That Table Talk Pies can focus on growth is a testament to its beloved status in New England. The bakery has had its share of struggles over the years, but it could be considered somewhat of a comeback kid.

Greek immigrants Theodore Tonna and Angelo Cotsidas started Table Talk Pies in 1924. They baked bread by day and handmade pies by night, eventually growing the business to the point they pivoted to just pies. The pair operated the company until 1965 when they sold it to Beech-Nut. After changing hands many times, Table Talk went bankrupt in 1984 and closed its doors. It looked like the end of an era.

The brand may have been down, but it wasn’t out. The next year, Tonna’s son-in-law Christo Cocaine, who had worked closely with his father-in-law at the bakery for 20 years, bought the company out of bankruptcy and pumped new life into it. Harry Kokkinis, Cocaine’s son, eventually took the reins as the third-generation president and successfully led the company for 20 years.

Financial challenges reemerged in 2022, and Table Talk was once again on the brink of bankruptcy. A group of private investors with an appreciation of the company’s rich heritage stepped in. Long joined as a strategic advisor and was named president in June 2023, succeeding Kokkinis, who transitioned into the role of executive chair of the board.

“It was a couple of tough years for everyone who was working here, especially during the pandemic,” Long said. “There was a lot of

Table Talk Pies celebrates 100 years with a reignited vision and culture.

pent-up energy for getting Table Talk back to the strength it had a few years before. With new investors backing the company and providing capital, we’ve been able to go after opportunities we see in front of us.”

Those opportunities include exploring untapped markets and distribution channels and ramping up R&D with the goal of expanding Table Talk product offerings beyond pies.

“[On day one], we started a five-year plan for the company,” Long shared. “We started thinking about where we wanted to go in the industry and what else was out there instead of just focusing on the orders we were making or how to get through the current pie season.”

With three production facilities in Worcester — Bowditch, Southgate and Gardner, named after the streets on which they reside — Table Talk sells almost 300 million whole dessert pies

“For us to be successful, we’ve got to grow in a sustainable manner while making sure we don’t disrupt the core of the business, which is what we’re really about.”

Isaac Long | president | Table Talk Pies

and mini snack pies each year in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean nations.

It added a fourth production facility last year when it acquired then-bankrupt Patisserie Gaudet, a shuttered Canadian pie and tart manufacturer in the small town of Acton Vale, Quebec.

“We restarted production last fall,” Long said. “Right now, [the bakery] primarily serves major Canadian grocery chains. It has one line, which is our tenth production line. The reception has been pretty strong, and it’s helped us sell our mini pies in Canada because investing in a Canadian business has been a helpful talking point. And it’s a town of about 7,000 people, so having jobs back in the area is certainly helpful as well.”

Of the three Worcester facilities, the 40,000-square-foot Bowditch Street facility on the Worcester-Shrewsbury border is the oldest. It opened in 2015

The packaging line features the latest in cartoning automation combined with a hands-on approach for a personal touch.

Triple

and runs two lines, one for single-crust dessert pies and one for 4-inch mini snack pies. It is also the dedicated bakery for pies containing potential allergens such as pecans.

Five miles away in Worcester proper is Southgate, a 50,000-square-foot facility built brand new in 2017. Its three production lines are dedicated to 4-inch mini snack pie production. Cold storage and internal logistics are housed next door, and a new warehouse is under construction close by.

Just two blocks away from Southgate is the 135,000-squarefoot Gardner Street bakery, which opened in 2022. Here, production is dedicated to whole dessert pies ranging in size from 8 to 10 inches. On a typical day, three production lines create, bake, cool and freeze up to 150,000 pies per day. A fourth production line is slated to go online later this year.

“We make our own recipes for our dough formulas,” said Sydrick Speight, Table Talk’s production floor supervisor. “They have been in the family forever. People say it’s nothing to make a pie, but it takes a lot of work to make these pies. We make them from scratch, from the dough to the fillings. The pie line is our engine, and all the people making the dough and making the filling are our tires.”

To optimize efficiencies and output at the new bakery, Table Talk invested in a state-of-the-art, 90-foot, custom-built C.H. Babb tunnel oven, Italian dough mixers, CBF Bakery spiral coolers, JBT spiral freezers and a Syntegon cartoner system that forms the pie boxes.

“Before, we had box openers, box closers, people who put the pies in the boxes, and packers,” Speight said. “Now we only have a person who feeds boxes to the machine, a person who puts pies in the boxes and a person who steps in when help is needed. The positions rotate every two to three hours so one person doesn’t stay in the same spot for too long.”

Investing in R&D capabilities is also part of Table Talk’s long-term strategy to move beyond “just pie.” A new, larger test kitchen and internal lab has opened up opportunities, allowing the R&D team to flex its creative muscles and explore ways to grow in — and beyond — the pie category.

“We now have the space to move very quickly on projects,” said Jeff Warren, Table Talk’s R&D technical director. “We also love to develop new products with our customers. Sometimes, the customer comes into the test kitchen to develop with us.”

Investing in automation as it makes sense is part of the bakery’s long-term strategy.

The mural in a main area highlights Table Talk Pies’ past, present and future.

Mural by Eamon Gillen

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The R&D lab is the sweet spot, where the iconic and the innovative meet.

“The core pie is still going to be apple, blueberry, cherry, pumpkin, pecan; that’s unlikely to change if you look at consumer behavior,” Long said. “Opportunity for growth isn’t in trying to sell more apple pies because the demand is relatively steady. As consumer preferences change, we have to diversify our business beyond the core. We have flour, sugar, shortening, ovens and freezers — there’s a lot of different products we can make on the same equipment.”

One such product is the new Brownie Lava Pie, Table Talk’s version of the popular molten lava cake. It features a pie crust base topped with a brownie and chocolate ganache.

“The Brownie Lava Pie is a great example of innovation,” Warren noted. “We can do so much more with this concept. We’re just scratching the surface.”

WATCH NOW:

Isaac Long shares how his team balances core offerings with new product development.

The bakery also recently released its first non-pie product offering — crumb cake — in blueberry, cinnamon and a New York-style, which features a heavier crumb, the preferred version of Northeasterners.

“With the crumb cakes, we wanted to move beyond the mindset of ‘just pies,’” Warren explained. “We worked with an ingredient company and found that for low capital investment, we can make anything in a square or different-shaped

“When considering a new idea, we always ask, ‘Is this a viable product that we can make, first, with quality, and second, with equipment we already have?’”

Jeff Warren | R&D technical director | Table Talk Pies

dish where we deposit batter or filling into it. The sky’s the limit.”

To reach that capstone, Warren and his team draw inspiration from many sources.

“We gather trend data from ingredient companies, flavor companies, Nielsen data and other sources,” he shared. “We also enjoy talking with our customers to learn about what trends they are seeing at the retail store level. And I love going into the store and seeing what trends are happening. Sometimes that leads me back to the lab, where I’ll start working on something. Sometimes, I just wake up, think of something and have to try it.”

LISTEN NOW:

Jeff Warren describes how he moved from oven attendant to head of R&D.

Possible new projects evolve out of those ideas as well as in formal ideation sessions at the leadership level and hallway conversations.

“There is a lot of creativity within the company,” Warren said. “When considering a new idea, we always ask, ‘Is this a viable product that we can make, first, with quality, and second, with equipment we already have?’ We talk about a lot of different factors before we move forward with commercialization. Sometimes we start with one idea, and during testing it turns out to be something so much better. That’s what I love about starting the process from the ground floor.”

The R&D team has been heavily involved in the party planning for Table Talk’s weeklong 100th anniversary

celebration slated for June, tasked with creating a special mini cake-pie for the local community.

“It’s half pie and half cake,” Warren said. “The bottom part is pie dough, then we deposit buttercream filling and bake a birthday cake with sprinkles on top of it. It’s definitely innovative and something you won’t see anywhere else. If it does well locally, we may expand it to our customers.”

While the new product will help kick off the June celebration, Table Talk intends to extend the recognition with other community events, including a “Pie-K” road race scheduled for September.

Whether it’s investing in upgraded equipment, professional training, or product development, one thing is clear: Table Talk’s employees are always top of mind.

“This isn’t a traditional private equity turnaround that’s driven by numbers,” Long said. “The benefit of spending a few months as a strategic advisor was I got to meet all the people and see the culture. Table Talk Pies is very people-centric, and the culture is a big part of this turnaround working. We are very much like a family, and that’s a testament to the leadership for the past 100 years, to have built and protected that. Many of the company’s employees live within short walking distance of the various facilities, and the area supports a vibrant immigrant community. In fact, nearly 10 different languages are spoken on the production floors.”

Table Talk has been fortunate in that it hasn’t experienced some of the labor issues that have plagued the baking industry in recent years. However, the inherent seasonality of the pie business comes with its own set of workforce challenges. During pie season, Table Talk must bring in surge labor to be able to run all lines and keep up with demand.

“We are always looking for skilled workers in the areas of production, industrial engineering and equipment maintenance,” Long said. “We are a very equipment-intensive business, and we are always looking forward to ensure we adapt to market trends and customer needs and maintain our position in the industry to keep the company around for another one hundred years.”

He views automated technology on the pie lines as one way to solve the labor challenge because it allows the bakery to scale up or down quickly and maintain and train its existing teams.

Focusing on culture has helped Table Talk avoid some of the labor challenges that have impacted the baking industry over the past few years.

A MEMBER OF:

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Adding data-driven, robust tools to help proactively manage the business and the investment in a new ERP system will also help.

“Real-time visibility and transparency will assist in automating our batch processes and, in turn, drive more accuracy and consistency for our production teams,” Long added.

Table Talk’s new leadership team knew it would take more than a significant capital investment in facilities and R&D to revive the brand and fulfill its vision. They knew it would also require employee buy-in and a significant culture change. They were prepared to tackle both.

“When you look at where Table Talk Pies was a year and a half ago, the thing missing was a cohesive strategic vision and a coalesced management team to provide people with a direction,” Long said. “We needed to align the energy and the efforts of people who have a common vision. People can get on board with a unified vision when it makes sense to them.”

It’s that vision — and a renewed focus on culture — that has placed Table Talk Pies squarely in the middle of iconic and innovative.

“Everybody’s here to do the same thing,” Long said. “When you get everyone marching in the same direction, it becomes culture. People understand it, and it becomes normal. The challenge was a culture overhaul. Today, the company is vibrant, and people are excited.”

Vibrant and excited … two words that describe exactly what’s needed to celebrate the past, present and future of a beloved brand. CB

INNOVATIONS FROM THE BAKERY FLOOR

Across its three US production facilities, Table Talk Pies produces about 300 million pies every year. The Gardner Street bakery, the company’s newest and largest facility, features some of the latest investments in automation. Below is a list of suppliers that will keep pies, crumb cakes and new products coming for another 100 years.

Bearing Specialties conveyor parts

Colborne Foodbotics pie machines

W.T. Beck kettles and filling tanks

CBF Bakery Systems oven loaders/ unloaders, spirals cooling systems

C.H. Babb tunnel ovens

JBT Corp. spiral freezers

MTG Inc. conveyor frames

Northstar Refrigeration freezer compressor system

Specialty Packaging wrappers, tape machines

Syntegon cartoner system

Videojet Technologies ink jet printers

Graphics on the truck doors illustrate vintage Table Talk, a reminder of how far the bakery has come.

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Loving Every Minute of It

Bill

Quigg,

president and CEO of Richmond Baking, has a lifetime of experience and an eye on the future.

BY JOANIE SPENCER

Photo courtesy of Richmond Baking Co.

Anyone who knows Bill Quigg is either a friend or a family member. But make no mistake: His circle is not small.

“I’m so fortunate to do what I do,” Quigg said. “This is a great industry, and there are just so many amazing people I’ve gotten to know over the years. It’s really fantastic.”

Quigg is not only president and CEO of Richmond, IN-based Richmond Baking Co. and its subsidiary, Versailles, KY-based More Than A Bakery, but he’s also the fourth generation of leadership in the country’s oldest family-owned cookie/ cracker bakery. While his roots run deep in the industry, he’s not afraid of doing things a little differently.

That comes from a foundational work ethic that was instilled by a combination of nature and nurture.

“This is something I’ve wanted to do since my dad would take us to the bakery on the weekends,” he recalled. “I was just a little kid, and I was already begging him for a job.”

That chance came the summer he was 12 years old and the code date function on the cartoner broke. The shift needed someone to manually stamp the boxes before they went onto the production line.

While some kids balk at working summers in their family business, Quigg was thrilled.

“I was working for minimum wage, and I was loving every minute of it,” he said. “That’s what set the die for me. I knew then it was what I wanted to do.”

Growing up in the bakery, personally and professionally, Quigg eventually embarked on a journey to take the company in a new direction … south to Versailles. Richmond Baking was expanding in terms of

“The best thing we can do for the industry is enhance communication and knowledge sharing. What are our strengths as individual organizations? How do we accentuate those separately while working together to make the industry stronger?”

Bill Quigg | president and CEO | Richmond Baking

capacity, and when the company landed on 112 acres that formerly housed a horse ranch, Quigg saw something more: a vision for More Than A Bakery.

This four-generation family bakery had a values-driven foundation, and Quigg has used those values to create a modern culture unlike anything the industry had ever seen.

“Creating More Than A Bakery — even the name — was a challenge,” he said. “It was a challenge to become more than what anyone else would expect, what anyone else would have as a job or even a career. We realized we had a clean slate to make this culture whatever we wanted it to be. It was a challenge for us, internally. Could we create a culture that’s unexpected and different? Could we challenge the norms?”

Shortly after the More Than A Bakery operation started up, Quigg questioned the traditional notion of work shifts and instead launched “school shifts,” allowing employees — Family Members, as they’re called in Versailles — the option to work 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., enabling parents to get their kids to and from school. It’s especially helpful for single working parents, a demographic that often walks a tightrope between work and childcare.

“A lightbulb came on,” Quigg said. “We realized that shift constraints were essentially excluding a whole group of awesome people. This change allows people to live their lives outside of the bakery and still feel happy and satisfied at work.”

Quigg’s propensity to lead differently comes from a simple philosophy: Life is short.

“We are only given so many heartbeats; that’s all God’s given us,” he said. “Let’s help everyone make the best of those.”

That philosophy is not just a way to cultivate belonging in the workplace. The idea that life is short impacts how Quigg thinks about the operation, including quality and food safety. Food manufacturing involves a level of risk that must be mitigated, every minute of every hour of every shift. By treating employees as family members — and, more importantly, human beings — Quigg believes it fosters transparency that perpetuates a culture of food safety and operational excellence.

“Not only do we genuinely care about the people who work here, but they also genuinely care about us and this place,” he said. “They care about their jobs, and they care about the products and our customers. And we want to make sure that when challenges occur, we’re open to talking about them. Rather than making people feel like they’re ‘in trouble’ for something, we talk through it and figure out solutions together to ensure our food is up to quality standards and as safe as it possibly can be.”

Quigg is quick to credit his father, Jim Quigg, for the values he instilled in him not only while growing up, but also throughout his career. They have played an integral role in one of his most important tasks, writing and maintaining the company’s mission, vision and value statements, which he’s been responsible for throughout the bulk of his career.

These family values go beyond the direct lineage from father to son. The best leaders surround themselves with greatness, and that is how Quigg views his wife, Felicia, who is VP of family pride for Richmond and More Than A Bakery, and his three daughters.

“While Dad had a tremendous influence on me, the family Felicia and I have built around our daughters, Cailyn, Lorelei and Brecklyn, that’s my support structure,” he said.

The instillment of core values came full circle a few years ago, when Quigg chose to step back from the statements and put them in the hands of the Richmond Baking leadership team. It was time for the team to collectively script the values they found to be the most important to them and for the company.

“I told them I would have ‘veto power’ because I didn’t want the company to have values that I didn’t personally stand for,” Quigg said. “And in the end, we came up with a set of values we could all stand behind, and I didn’t veto a single one. In fact, they wrote the value I wanted most — integrity — before I even asked for it.”

Just as his father had taught him integrity for the business, he has passed that on to the current leadership team.

Quigg leads with the family values he was raised on and relies on with his own family, (from left) daughter Lorelei , wife Felicia, and daughters Brecklyn and Cailyn.

Photo courtesy of the Quigg family

Photo by Jennifer Janikic

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Having that alignment has allowed Quigg to let go of daily tasks and use his role as president and CEO more holistically. With a trusted team in place, he can work on dozens of big-picture items that require collaboration and creative thinking.

There’s a murmur throughout the industry that Quigg is a company president who doesn’t use an office, and stories circulate among More Than A Bakery Family Members about the “good guy” who operates more like Undercover Boss than a member of the c-suite.

The reality is that Quigg wears the same uniform as the entire workforce, and he does his best thinking in More Than A Bakery’s open spaces like the break area. In fact, during lunch breaks, he can usually be found noshing on a sandwich at the tables with the rest of the bakery team.

LISTEN NOW:

Bill Quigg describes an organizational structure that resembles the rings of a tree trunk.

“The most important thing I can do is interact with Family Members and show them I’m someone they’d want to work with,” he said. “The more people can get to know me, the better off everyone is. That can’t happen if I’m holed up in an office. I like plopping down in the break room and eating lunch or having a snack with everyone because they’re the most important people here. It’s all about being real with people and establishing authentic relationships, rather than a transactional employer-employee relationship.”

Quigg is devoted to his company’s people, products and customers, but

it’s more than that. He’s also devoted to the industry, taking on leadership roles throughout the cookie and cracker production space. Quigg is a former board president for the Cookie and Snack Bakers Association (CASBA), for which his family’s business has played an integral role for decades, and board chair of the former Biscuit & Cracker Manufacturers Association (B&CMA), which merged with the American Bakers Association (ABA) in 2016.

He was also the first baker member of the BEMA board of directors.

Now, Quigg is taking the next step in his lifetime of industry service as ABA board chair, a two-year term that begins this month. For Quigg, the way to ride the momentum ABA has been building for the past two years is by bringing lessons from his days with CASBA and B&CMA. It’s all about collaboration.

“There are a number of great organizations in our industry,” he said. “The best thing we can do for the industry is enhance

communication and knowledge sharing. What are our strengths as individual organizations? How do we accentuate those separately while working together to make the industry stronger?”

Inside the Versailles bakery, Quigg’s teammates are Family Members, and in the industry, his colleagues are also his friends. That’s because for him, it always begins with finding common ground.

The strength of associations comes from the ability to set competition aside and work for the good of the industry, and that is foundational for Quigg in his tenure as ABA board chair and his hopes for the industry’s future.

“Collaboration makes sense,” he said. “It’s all about being stronger and thinking about the good of the industry. I think my background — not only from my business but also from my family and what my parents have taught me — has prepared me to understand and value differences and properly accentuate them for the betterment of our industry.” CB

At More Than A Bakery, Quigg spends a lot of time in community areas, often eating lunch with fellow Family Members.

Photo courtesy of More Than A Bakery

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Built on Belief

How

a non-compete clause created a cookie category disruptor that’s living up to its name.

BY ANNIE HOLLON

Entrepreneurship is not a linear path. It’s often full of unexpected circumstances, and for some entrepreneurs, it takes an unforeseen turn of events to bare the next opportunity. For Laura Shafferman, co-founder of Asheville, NC-based Legally Addictive, the story of her cracker cookie brand and entrepreneurial journey began bound in legal tape.

Shafferman worked in real-estate development marketing in New York City for more than a decade until she was laid off in 2015, a situation that triggered a non-compete agreement that locked her out of the industry for a year.

“Losing my job to no fault of my own and being held to this non-compete — that they would not let me out of — I was like ‘What am I going to do with my life?’” Shafferman said. “After over ten years in an industry, I’m just supposed to all of a sudden change industries? It’s not very easy to do that.”

During that time, an opportunity opened the door to an industry she had not initially sought out: food. A friend who ran Etsy’s holiday markets in New York City — multi-day events in Chelsea and Williamsburg featuring handmade goods — encouraged Shafferman to sell the cracker cookies she often brought to parties. Shafferman agreed to try selling them at the event, and the first domino fell for her new venture.

All photos courtesy of Legally Addictive

While simple in concept, Legally Addictive’s products are elevated through unique spices and toppings.

“The holiday market was a huge success,” Shafferman said. “The cookies sold out the first and second day. Now that I’ve been in business for a little over six years, I know that’s not necessarily proof of concept. But it was enough to give me the confidence to go out and try to make this into a business.”

While the type of cookie Legally Addictive makes is not a complicated baked good — saltine or graham crackers, toffee and chocolate are the primary ingredients — Shafferman found that no one was producing them on a commercial level. This discovery gave way for her to enter this niche category.

“I figured out that nobody was actually making this product anywhere else, or selling it with shelf stability, so I was like, ‘I’m going to make it my mission to create a shelf-stable version of this product using better ingredients,’” she shared.

Shafferman’s early success sparked her confidence to go all in on her new venture, even though she had no experience in the food space. Yet, in contrast to the 9-to-5, spreadsheet-filled grind she’d been living, the creative opportunities it offered were too good to pass up.

“In the beginning, this was really such a microbusiness powered by my credit card,” Shafferman said, revealing she worked five jobs to keep the business afloat in the early days of Legally Addictive. “We’re talking really early on when my only expenses were ingredients, raw materials, rent, insurance, packaging — the basics.”

Business went on like that until 2017, when Shafferman met her co-founder and future husband, Seth Eisman, a former television producer for programs such as Chopped

While the type of cookie Legally Addictive makes is not a complicated baked good ... Shafferman found that no one was producing them on a commercial level. This discovery gave way for her to enter this niche category.

“Between his organizational skills and my creative side, this was a perfect match,” Shafferman recalled. “It couldn’t have been better complementary skills.”

The pair was scrappy in building the brand, operating on a skeleton budget and not paying themselves for several years. The name came to Shafferman in the weeks ahead of the Etsy holiday market, and she established the LLC in 2015. She shared that believing in the concept played a major role in keeping the business in motion.

“Entrepreneurs have to be a little bit delusional in that you have to believe that whatever idea you have is going to pan out, and in order to move forward, there’s no other choice [but to believe that] because the amount of businesses that fail very quickly is extremely high,” she said. “To have that belief that you can make this happen and go against the odds is incredible.”

Legally Addictive’s financing has since extended past what Shafferman called “credit card dreams” with a Small Business Administration loan. The brand also recently participated in Mondelez International’s SnackFutures CoLab, a 12-week incubator program that included a $20,000 grant. Legally Addictive is currently also raising outside capital.

While building a business requires faith and tight purse strings at the start, the payoff comes in more than dollar signs.

“Looking back, this was a wild and challenging time, and it was also really exciting getting the product in the hands of people for the first time, and the reaction they would have gave us a lot of encouragement,” Shafferman said. “That positive, immediate feedback was extremely gratifying, and I absolutely loved it.”

EMERGING BRAND

Scaling up production is an ongoing process that is constantly evolving. In 2018, as output increased, Shafferman nabbed a cozy 900-squarefoot facility in New York City with 300 square feet of production space.

In July 2022, the brand moved to a 6,800-square-foot space in North Carolina to scale the business. The larger space includes more ovens, a copper toffee boiler, and a large tempering machine that automates the process of enrobing chocolate as well as dispensing sea salt.

“We started figuring out this process early on, but it wasn’t until we moved down here that we realized we could really do something about automation and scaling in this space” Shafferman said.

Whereas the homemade recipe may use a simple syrup-like mixture for the toffee and chocolate chips, Legally Addictive’s version elevates the cookie by using real toffee, ethically sourced chocolate and sea salt.

“… It was also really exciting getting the product in the hands of people for the first time, and the reaction they would have gave us a lot of encouragement.”

Laura Shafferman | co-founder | Legally Addictive

Laura Shafferman, co-founder of Legally Addictive, grew the business from a local operation in New York City to a brand with nationwide reach.

Given that Shafferman’s main goal with Legally Addictive is to make a product that tastes good, improving the base ingredients for the cookies is a small change that makes a major difference.

“Our name is pretty bold,” she said. “You have to have something that tastes really good to have a name like that, so we try to over-promise and over-deliver.”

Each Legally Addictive flavor name and profile has a story behind it, from the flagship O.G. to Surprise Party. The brand collaborated with Spicewalla, a North Carolina spice brand, to create spice-based variants Chai Masala and Mexican Hot Chocolate. The Everything variety, which has a cult following and features garlic and onion, stemmed from Shafferman’s commercial kitchen days when she found inspiration in cream cheese-filled croissants topped with everything bagel seasoning.

Legally Addictive’s reach spans nationwide and includes a contract with KeHE Distributors to supply its biggest customer, Foxtrot Market, as well as launch into premium grocery this year. The brand is looking to grow in other channels such as specialty grocers, gift shops, airports, hospitality, retail stores and direct-to-consumer.

“Our name is pretty bold. You have to have something that tastes really good to have a name like that, so we try to over-promise and over-deliver.”

Laura Shafferman | co-founder | Legally Addictive

Legally Addictive partnered with Spicewalla to create flavors such as Mexican Hot Chocolate.

During the brand’s early years, Shafferman focused on distributing Legally Addictive in local NYC stores. Now, the company’s distribution is coast-to-coast.

“We’re in stores all over the country, but most of them are in the Midwest, the South and all over the East Coast,” she said. “We have a smattering on the West Coast but not as many due to shipping [constraints].”

Now located in the South and with a much wider reach, she’s intent on saturating the Southeast with Legally Addictive.

“Southerners are the perfect customer,” she said. “They are people who love to entertain, and they will never show up at your house without a gift. I was raised in the South, and I love that culture.”

Beyond the perks of southern hospitality, expanding in this region makes good business sense in terms of shipping. Given the company’s North Carolina operations, products ship within two days to about 50% of the country, which is critical during the summertime when chocolate is involved.

As the brand celebrates its six-year anniversary, Shafferman eyes a future where her cookies find their place next to household brands like OREO and Tate’s Bake Shop. Once Legally Addictive is in the specialty grocery channel for a couple of years, the plan is to

expand into more conventional grocery stores and anchor with a retail partner.

“We eventually would like some help with the company, somebody who really can take this to the next level,” Shafferman stated.

When it comes to her greatest takeaway in building Legally Addictive, Shafferman’s main insight is a nod to Nike’s signature slogan.

“I still have to remind myself every single day that things don’t have to be perfect, I just have to get out and do it,” Shafferman said. “As women, sometimes we can be extremely hard on ourselves and we think that everything has to be perfect before it goes out, and it doesn’t have to be. You have to keep at it, you cannot stop.” CB

THE VALUE OF HONEY

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SCALED-UP INNOVATION

As a global leader in the food industry, Puratos USA collaborates with commercial bakers, retailers, foodservice companies and distributors to develop the on-trend and innovative products consumers want.

Puratos has the knowledge and expertise to help mid- and large-size baking companies navigate evolving consumer behaviors, complex regulatory requirements and labeling demands, with customized solutions that help their businesses stay competitive, relevant and moving forward.

Ingredient Expertise for Commercial Baking Solutions

At Puratos, R&D experts continuously explore emerging consumer trends, ingredients and technologies, always looking for ways to push the boundaries of what’s possible for customers.

From commercial bread and cake enzymes to fruit fillings and clean label alternatives, Puratos offers a full range of ingredient solutions to help commercial bakers create one-of-kind, high-quality products that are cost effective and easy to manufacture.

• Acti — This range of clean-label, enzyme-based solutions can help extend the natural freshness of muffins, cake donuts, brownies and other baked goods. They can also decrease batter cost by reducing the need for expensive ingredients such as eggs.

• Intens Fresh — This freshness enzyme keeps breads fresher nearly 50% longer than previous technology and nearly four times longer than breads without freshness enzymes.

• Intens Puraslim — This enzyme-based innovation offers a solution for reducing expensive fat in recipes. It imparts a soft texture and short bite for the ultimate eating experience.

• Topfil and Vivafil — These bake-stable fruit fillings can help extend the shelf life of baked goods. They come in a range of flavors, textures and formulations, and are available in pouches, pails, drums and totes.

Whether it’s clean label requirements, no-no lists or ingredient bans, Puratos’ experts understand the impact each can have on commercial bakers. They help customers make the best decisions to address consumer needs when navigating a complex regulatory environment.

Industrial Technology and Equipment

Puratos’ seven Innovation Centers in the US feature state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment and dedicated spaces for bakery, sweet goods and chocolate innovation. Through decades of manufacturing and technology investments, the company has refined its processes to ensure consistency at scale for every batch. Bakers and food executives can explore their creativity and trial new solutions alongside teams of expert researchers and technical advisors.

To support its growing customer base, Puratos plans to open a dedicated bakery glaze plant on its Pennsauken, NJ, campus by 2025. It will be the first such plant in the US. The company recently expanded its West Coast operations to include a new manufacturing line at its Rancho Dominguez, CA, facility and relocation to a state-of-the-art warehouse and distribution facility in Gardena, CA.

Taste Tomorrow: On the Cutting-Edge of Consumer Food Trends

Puratos is relentless when it comes to collecting fresh, in-depth consumer trend data that gives bakeries a global perspective on where the food industry is now … and where it will be tomorrow. Companies that partner with Puratos can tap into this data to develop their next product innovation.

Taste Tomorrow , Puratos’ proprietary research program, is the largest consumer insights ecosystem in the world. The company engages several sources to compile its Taste Tomorrow data, including:

• A quantitative study conducted in 50 countries with over 20,000 consumers

• Qualitative research with foodies and industry experts

• Global and local consumer behaviors; attitudes; and choices in bakery, sweet goods and chocolate

• Consumer conversations tracked across social media, search engines and blogs using always-on semantic artificial intelligence for a real-time view of what’s trending, just emerging or going viral

With products and services in more than 100 countries, Puratos has its finger on the pulse of scaled-up innovation.

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Smart Partnerships

With the right approach, corporate sponsorships can bring on the benefits.

BY MARI RYDINGS

For bakeries looking to increase brand awareness, attract a new consumer demographic or maintain a loyal fan base, engaging in a corporate sponsorship can be an effective strategy for companies of all sizes. But it’s not as simple as signing on the dotted line and sending a check. These types of business-to-business relationships need time to reach their full potential and require thoughtful preplanning and a commitment to playing the long game.

Paul Zindrick, VP of corporate sponsorships for Brand Activation Maximizer (BAM), a sports and entertainment marketing agency, advises companies considering a corporate sponsorship to think about three things.

“First, how much do you want to spend for the sponsorship and activation?” he suggested. “Second, how are you going to leverage the sponsorship against your corporate strategies? In other words, why are you doing this? And third, what does success look like and how are you measuring it?”

Photo courtesy of The Killer Brownie Co.

The Killer Brownie Co. team developed a full-scale activation strategy using in-house resources for its partnership with the Cincinnati Bengals.

This is advice Horsham, PA-based Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU) took to heart six years ago when it was further developing its shopper marketing program. As part of that effort, the baking company explored how to partner with its largest grocery customer, The Kroger Co., and the grocer’s NASCAR racing team.

“Sports marketing and consumer marketing play together from a sense of ‘How can we surprise and delight our shoppers on a regular basis with the brands they love and create excitement?’” said Ken Gronholm, senior sales director and Kroger team lead for BBU. “We thought it would be a good idea, as a joint partnership, to see the benefits on both sides. Being a part of this race partnership is one way we’ve been able to do that.”

The partnership is a collaboration between BBU, Kroger, the race team and BAM, with the agency bringing everything together.

From the start, BBU understood that optimizing the partnership meant full participation.

“We didn’t want to just check a box with the partnership,” Gronholm said. “We decided that if we were going to invest, we were going to be all-in and make sure we were getting value out of it. We’ve worked with BAM to develop the program over time with the goal of being best-in-class and becoming the benchmark for success. One of the keys to elevate our game was working hard on the division activation plan. This has evolved over time and brings us the ability to activate locally and get more ‘personal’ with the shoppers leveraging our world-class DSD system.”

Engaging the help of an agency or brand consulting firm with experience in navigating large-scale corporate sponsorships has its benefits.

“Having a trusted guide within this world is really important,” Zindrick said. “We understand the landscape and are experts in helping negotiate sponsorship packages. We know how to guide companies based on strategic initiatives, what to suggest and then couple that with the activation side of things.”

On the flip side, Dayton, OH-based The Killer Brownie Co. proved it’s possible to successfully negotiate and activate a large-scale sponsorship using just internal resources. The company entered into a multi-year partnership with the Cincinnati Bengals NFL team in 2022.

Beyond financial support, successful partnerships require time and active participation from everyone involved.

Photo courtesy of Bimbo Bakeries USA

Photo courtesy of Eli’s Cheesecake Co.

Corporate sponsorships can take many forms, including providing product for events of all sizes.

CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY AND THE ART OF OLD WORLD BAKING

It’s where we began. For the past century, Brolite has created a variety of naturally fermented cultured flavors. Designed to give bakers a handcrafted taste in no time, these flavors are a great addition to any formula.

Our sours range from strong and pungent to sublte and delicate flavors giving the baker an exact flavor profile needed. Brolite ferments various flours for specific amounts of time, then dehydrates the custom flavor before it is finally milled into a fine, easily handled, free-flowing powder.

Unique artisan flavors made easy for any baker and any baking application.

“We paid for the intellectual property and the use of the Bengals’ marks to be able to promote our brand,” said Chimene Ross, president of The Killer Brownie Co. “It was really up to us to decide how to blow it up. You have to be willing to commit the time, energy, resources and money to activate it. If you don’t have the resources — or a plan to get the resources — to activate a sponsorship, then it’s probably a waste of money.”

The company’s four-person marketing team developed and implemented a fullscale activation strategy.

“We did a lot to activate the sponsorship, and it was all really scrappy,” said Jessica Uttinger, director of marketing and creative for The Killer Brownie Co. “Our biggest investment was in wrapped buses with banners that said, ‘Official Brownie of the Bengals,’ with a massive picture of our brownie and the Bengals stripes on the side. Everything else was just what we could pull off in-house.”

Whether a sponsorship is activated internally or with the help of a third party, one factor rings true: the ROI runway is long.

“You have to be in it for the long haul,” Zindrick said. “There’s no point of just putting a logo on something and hoping that somebody buys something. The longevity and brand recognition are important. The longer you’re in it, the better it should perform for you.”

The upfront expenditure of time, money and resources can be substantial. Clearly defining long-term goals and keeping those in mind during the process are essential.

“It’s a marketing play for the long-term,” Uttinger said. “We could start to see some lift within our contract period, but it

“It’s a marketing play for the long-term. We could start to see some lift within our contract period, but it was really about building our brand story over the next 10 to 20 years that made the investment absolutely worth it. It’s really for the future.”

Jessica Uttinger | director of marketing and creative | The Killer Brownie Co.

was really about building our brand story over the next 10 to 20 years that made the investment absolutely worth it. It’s really for the future.”

For similar reasons, Torrance, CA-based King’s Hawaiian recently partnered with the Toronto Maple Leafs NHL team. One of its expected long-term outcomes is to increase brand awareness in the Canadian market. The sponsorship includes advertising in and around Scotiabank Arena, the hockey team’s home base, and a branded concession stand, the King’s Hawaiian Junction.

“Since our brand first came to Canada in 2018, we have set out to cement King’s Hawaiian’s role in Canadian food culture,” said Holger Kraetschmer, the bakery’s CMO. “We’ve also set out to drive trial and hope that after consumers try [our product] at the King’s Hawaiian Junction eatery, they purchase the rolls at their grocery stores.”

That doesn’t mean all metrics are on hold, just that companies may need to broaden their definition of success in the short term.

LISTEN NOW:

BAM’s Paul Zindrick shares how BBU incentivized its NASCAR sponsorship to enhance workplace safety.

“There are a lot of different ways a company can measure the effects of its sponsorship that are outside of the traditional measurement tactics,” Zindrick shared.

For The Killer Brownie Co., ROI revealed itself quickly after activation — and in a completely unexpected way.

“While the sponsorship legitimized our brand outside of the company, it also strengthened the culture within it,” Uttinger shared. “People felt like they were stepping up to this other level. It was something I totally didn’t expect. But just seeing how all of the employees responded to the sponsorship, it just felt they had so much pride in it. So that alone, I think, is another great reason to do it.“

Defining the “why” in a corporate sponsorship agreement is just as important as defining the budget and metrics for success.

“A successful partnership shouldn’t just create value for the two brands involved but should also create a better experience for consumers,” Kraetschmer said.

“Additionally, it’s critical that both parties are clear on a shared goal for the partnership, and balance flexibility with maintaining their own authenticity during the collaboration.”

Chicago-based Eli’s Cheesecake Co. has engaged in various sponsorships for more than 40 years and knows a thing or two about making sure the “why” makes sense for everyone involved. The company has been a corporate sponsor of Taste of Chicago since 1985 and is often tapped to create specialty desserts for big events in and around Chicago. For example, last year, the Chicago Sports Commission asked Eli’s to create a 500-pound cheesecake to help welcome NASCAR to the city for the first time. Eli’s sponsorships go beyond special events.

The company also provides desserts to more than 400 organizations every year.

“It’s about being really strategic about who you partner with,” said Elana Schulman, director of special projects at Eli’s Cheesecake. “Does it actually connect back to who you’re trying to target with your brand? Does it add value on both sides? Does it align with your company’s values?“

A corporate sponsorship can be an effective way to increase brand awareness and grow market share when it’s developed thoughtfully. By establishing clear goals and outcomes, working with a partner with similar goals and values, and committing to go all-in on participation, it can take a brand to new — even unexpected — heights. CB

Photo courtesy of King’s Hawaiian

Attention-grabbing advertising as part of a corporate sponsorship, such as King’s Hawaiian’s display at Scotiabank Arena, is one way to drive brand recognition.

POST-CONSUMER RECYCLED CONTENT IN BAKERY PACKAGING

2025 is a critical year in terms of sustainability because many companies have made commitments to make their packaging more sustainable by the end of the year. Some of these commitments include designing 100% of their packaging to be recyclable, compostable or reusable; and incorporating a minimum of 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content.

Being able to incorporate recycled content in direct food contact applications does not come without challenges, but there are commercial products available in the market today, both in North America and Europe. St. Johns Packaging launched the first polyethylene bread bag incorporating 30% PCR content in the UK market in 2021 and in the US market in 2023. These products are being manufactured using PCR resins from mechanical or chemical recycling processes, depending on the regulations in each region. St. Johns Packaging has also invested time and resources to find the right sources of PCR materials to guarantee quality and consistency in the final product, a critical factor in this space.

The bags with PCR content provide an improved environmental footprint vs. traditional bags and allow brands to contribute towards their sustainability goals, offering more sustainable packaging solutions to consumers. They are still recyclable, offer reductions in the use of fossil-based materials and lower the carbon footprint of the packaging. In addition, the performance of these bags is very similar to that of traditional bags, minimizing the impact on the filling/ bagging equipment.

However, one of the many challenges faced by the recycling industry is a lack of investment due to the limited uses of recycled plastics. Brands have an opportunity to

incentivize the recycling industry by utilizing recycled materials in their products and creating a driving force at the end of the supply chain, fostering investment and growth in this critical industry. If companies with sustainable packaging commitments stay true to their pledges, demand for recycled plastics is expected to grow as we approach 2025, and it will therefore be more and more challenging to source those materials. The opportunity is here today for more brands to join the movement and be part of the circular economy.

With a focus on the bakery market, St. Johns Packaging is truly committed to developing sustainable and economically viable packaging solutions for the baking industry, while at the same time reducing food and plastic waste. The incorporation of recycled content is essential in the journey towards circularity and Net-Zero.

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LONG

Just the Right Size

Affordability, freshness and reduced food waste are a few reasons consumers are gravitating toward smaller portions.

BY MAGGIE GLISAN

The American diet has changed drastically over the past 50 years. Gone are the days when three square meals were the standard. With today’s active lifestyles and varied diet preferences, what the average person eats in a day is anything but one-size-fits-all. Perhaps that’s why portion sizes are no longer standard as bakers offer more diverse portion options to reflect this shift.

Single-portion and individually wrapped items are in greater demand as the trends toward higher-quality desserts and smaller sizes continue. Pillsbury recently introduced Single-Serve Brownies to help foodservice operators tap into that need. They come in Molten Chocolate Ganache and Molten Caramel varieties and are baked in craft paper liners that give a more premium “made-in-house” appearance.

According to the “2022 Life Through the Lens of Bakery” study from the American Bakers Association (ABA), 64% of shoppers make room in their budgets for an occasional baked treat. Betsy Kelly, consumer insights associate for the bakery channel at General Mills Foodservice, said indulgence is one of the key trends driving innovation.

“Everyone needs a moment of reprieve; a moment to indulge themselves,” Kelly said. “Baked goods are often a delicious and approachably priced way to indulge. Combine that with an individually portioned product, and you check the box for a balanced diet as well.”

Affordability, freshness and more adventurous eating are a few of the other factors sparking consumer desire for smaller or individually packaged bakery items, according to Kelly.

Photos courtesy of Nature’s Bakery (top) and Entenmann’s (bottom)

Individually wrapped baked goods and single-serve treats satisfy demand for portion control.

“An individually packaged item allows consumers to purchase just the amount they need,” she said. “It allows them to consume the product while it’s fresh. Individual items also allow consumers to try a greater variety of items, with a smaller commitment to one flavor or variety.”

Recent research from Rich Products confirms that line of thinking. A sentiment tracking survey found that smaller and more affordable products like cookies, cake slices and morning sweets can lower purchase barriers and encourage personal indulgence, exploration and more. A complementary shopper segmentation study from Rich’s identified a segment of consumers it calls “Special Treat Seekers,” people who look for value and find that fresh items from the bakery can feel special. For this group, there is increased interest in smaller-sized options in baked goods that emphasize value.

Los Angeles-based Otis Spunkmeyer, an Aspire Bakeries brand, is innovating similarly in this space. It recently debuted a 3-ounce individually wrapped brownie geared toward foodservice, in-store bakeries, c-stores and vending.

Paul Stippich, director of marketing for Otis Spunkmeyer, underscored the importance of quality when it comes to individually packaged products — especially those looking to capitalize on consumers looking to indulge.

“We see the willingness to spend on single-serve bakery items diminish when the options for impulse purchases are low-quality choices,” Stippich said.

More active lifestyles, on-the-go eating occasions and the expanded role of snacking — or “snackification” of the American diet — are also key

“For consumers who are looking for single-serve portions … muffins, loaf cakes, pies, cakes, pastries and parfaits all have a place as a single-serve.”

Paul Stippich | director of marketing | Otis Spunkmeyer

factors impacting innovation in portion sizes and what kinds of foods best lend themselves to smaller or singleserve iterations.

“Bakery products that have a sturdy structure, are handheld and leave minimal mess make for great single-serve items,” Kelly said. “Nobody wants their baked good to fall to crumbs in their lap or leave their fingers sticky. Brownies and bars fit all these requirements.”

Stippich echoed this notion, sharing that oftentimes, on-the-go consumers who want a sweet treat will look to single-serve bakery products such as cookies and brownies.

“For consumers who are looking for single-serve portions for other reasons — to pack in a lunchbox, to practice portion control, or to eat in a setting where a fork or spoon is handy or where crumbs won’t matter — muffins, loaf cakes, pies, cakes, pastries and parfaits all have a place as a singleserve,” he said.

According to Mondelez International’s “2022 State of Snacking” report, 61% of consumers already take the time to portion treats before eating them, and 78% say they take time to savor indulgent snacks, suggesting plenty of opportunity to expand product offerings in this area of permissible indulgence.

“True indulgence continues to outpace the other snacking segments, particularly in better-for-you/wellness and permissible indulgence,” said Christine Cochran, SNAC International president and CEO, during an August 2023 webinar hosted by ABA and SNAC International. The webinar also cited Circana data indicating 62% of consumers want snacks to be fun and indulgent.

61% of consumers portion treats before eating them.

Source: Mondelez International

Multipacks and variety SKUs may also offer bakers a way to tap into the snacking behaviors of consumers. Per Circana data, 49% of shoppers seek multipacks, with 32% noting they like them for portion control and 29% reporting they prefer them for less food waste.

Although 100-calorie packs are nothing new — they were launched by Kraft in 2004 — bakers still innovate in the space with new SKUs that reflect this ongoing consumer demand. For example, Pasadena, CA-based Nature’s Bakery recently released Fig Bar Minis, a 100-calorie snack-size version of its classic bar.

Other bakers are also capitalizing on consumers’ interest in having “just a bite.”

In 2023, Wexford, PA-based Nonni’s Bakery debuted Nonni’s Bites, bite-size biscotti or “biscottini,” a more snackable version of its full-size cousin. Islip, NY-based Cake Bites has found success with an ever-expanding line of grab-and-go mini cakes; and Islandia, NY-based Entenmann’s, a Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU) brand, recently launched Brownie Drizzle Drops, a pack of eight

individually wrapped bite-size brownies. This year, Shelby Township, MI-based Ethel’s Baking Co. revamped its dessert bar packaging to showcase the product and its new portion sizing, giving consumers a much clearer picture of what’s inside.

When it comes to the bread aisle, smaller loaves are becoming increasingly popular in response to changing consumer behaviors. Some shoppers are trying to scale back on gluten or carbs, so smaller portions serve as a form of permissible indulgence. Others prefer to purchase half loaves more frequently to ensure the freshest bread possible. More still are conscientious of food waste and are even willing to spend a little more if it means throwing away less food.

Within the past five years, a number of bakeries have introduced “thin slice” or “small slice” versions of their traditional sliced bread loaves, and more continue to follow suit as a way to appeal to health-minded consumers looking to incorporate bread in smaller portions as part of a balanced diet.

Product image courtesy of Ethel’s Baking Co.

Ethel’s Baking Co. is one brand that has recently adjusted its packaging and portion size to better accommodate consumers and retail partners.

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Arnold, Brownberry and Oroweat Breads, under the BBU umbrella, have smaller-slice formats of their signature Oatnut and 100% Whole Wheat varieties; Milwaukie, OR-based Dave’s Killer Bread, a Flowers Foods brand, offers thin-sliced versions (which clock in at 60 to 70 calories a slice) of all seven of its sliced loaves; and Petaluma, CA-based Alvarado St. Bakery has a thin-sliced line of its freshly sprouted wheat breads.

Kansas City, MO-based Farm to Market Bread Co. has been selling half loaves of its popular Grains Galore whole grain bread since the company’s early days more than 30 years ago but more recently started offering half loaves of its Cinnamon Raisin bread as well.

“Our breads are all-natural; we don’t use any artificial preservatives, and they have short shelf lives,” said John Friend, president and CEO Farm to Market Bread. “So having the smaller size allows people to finish their loaves before they go bad.”

Historically, the bakery’s 1.5-pound sliced Grains Galore bread has been its second-best seller (behind its classic sourdough), but in the past three years, the smaller .875-pound halfloaf has surpassed it in sales. Friend contributes the shift to a greater effort on the part of consumers to reduce food waste, which according to Kerry Group’s “Left on the Shelf” global food waste study, is on the mind of 97% of North American consumers.

“Our breads aren’t going to last five days, and [the half-loaves] just make them easier to finish,” Friend said.

Because of the increase in demand for smaller-size breads, Friend suggested it might be time to consider expand -

ing the option to other varieties (like its sourdough) but noted the crumbto-crust proportions would need to be considered.

“Sourdough is a really crusty bread, so you’re going to lose a lot of the crumb when you bake a smaller size,” he said. “You have to think about what lends itself best to sliced bread.”

Sustainability and packaging can also affect food waste efforts. Any progress that might be made on the food waste front could ultimately be negated by the impact generated by more packaging to accommodate an increased number of SKUs.

Excessive packaging is also a turn-off for an increasing number of consumers for whom reducing waste is a top priority. Per Mondelez’ report, seven out of 10 shoppers say they usually reach for snacks that have less packaging.

Stippich said sustainability is a key tenet of Aspire Bakeries’ Corporate Social Responsibility strategy, so in developing

products that require extra packaging, such as single-serve foods, the company works to minimize the impact.

“The Otis Spunkmeyer individually wrapped brownie has a very thin packaging material which adds about two percent to the total weight of the package and cookie,” Stippich said. “Compared to other types of material such as a paper-based or plastic wrap with a label, this is an example of ‘light-weighting.’”

As consumer consciousness and environmental concerns grow, bakers who make a commitment to sustainability through more efficient packaging — even as portion sizes change and diversify — can go a long way in building brand loyalty.

The consumer appetite for single-serve baked goods, smaller bread loaf sizes and individually wrapped treats, whether it be for portion control, affordability or reducing food waste, is growing. And it’s bringing along the opportunity to get creative in the bakery. CB

In the bread aisle, half loaves help consumers control portions and reduce food waste.

Photo courtesy of Farm to Market Bread Co.

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Nothing Flat About Tortillas

BY BETH DAY

Health Trends Present Opportunities

Tortillas and flatbreads deliver on convenience and versatility at an affordable cost. Considered a healthier alternative to bread, they can be filled or topped with ingredient combinations that cater to many consumer preferences, while also supporting most popular diets.

Center Store Wraps/Flatbreads Dollar Share*

PITA: 38.5%

FLATBREAD: 11.0% NAAN: 9.0% ALL OTHER: 4.8%

WRAPS: 36.8 %

Consumers will continue to buy tortillas, because they deliver on multi-family usage, which is a definite contributor to this segment’s overall success.

“Tortillas are still benefiting from health trends, with low-carb driving much of the growth in 2023,” said Melissa Altobelli, senior VP of bakery and dairy for Circana. “Specific to tortillas, 99 percent of dollars come from purchases in center store. Consumers look for tortillas in those center aisles because the presence and variety of options are much bigger there.”

When analyzing sales for center store tortillas, it is important to note that Circana evaluates tortillas within the Mexican food category, along with hard-shell tacos and taco kits. The center store definition of the wraps/flatbreads segment excludes tortillas.

Tortillas make up the bulk of the segment when evaluating them along with wraps/ flatbreads/pita/naan as a category. Center store hard/soft tortillas/taco kits grew 11.8% in dollar sales and 2.1% in unit sales vs. a year ago, according to Circana data for the period ending Jan. 28, 2024.

Low-carb, gluten-free, keto and vegan varieties are driving sales of tortillas and flatbreads, according to recent market analysis of the category by Grand View Research. Boosting production of these health attribute-specific baked goods creates growth opportunities for manufacturers as more consumers adopt specific diets.

Center store tortilla growth is being driven by Irving, TX-based Mission Foods, private label, and San Pedro Garza García, Mexico-based Guerrero Tortilla brands. Growth for Mission and Guerrero, both subsidiaries of Gruma Corp., is due to launches of zero net carb sub-brands in 2023.

Mission Foods’ tortillas make up almost 40% of the category market share, posting 12.8% growth in dollar sales and 3.4% unit sales vs. a year ago, according to Circana. Dollar and unit sales of Guerrero tortillas increased 15.7% and 4.2%, respectively.

While growth in the tortilla category is being fueled by new zero net carb and low-carb offerings, Altobelli noted that regular tortillas and flatbreads still account for the majority of sales.

Dollar sales of refrigerated tortillas have been driven primarily by the Tortilla Land brand, which is owned by San Diego-based Circle Foods LLC. This brand plays in the betterfor-you space with its version of fresh, ready-to-cook tortillas made with only five ingredients.

Altobelli noted that growth for both center store and refrigerated tortillas is due to offerings of healthier product options. Tortilla Land refrigerated tortillas posted 20.7% growth in dollar sales with a 10.2% increase in unit sales vs. a year ago. Additionally, Austin, TX-based Siete Family Food’s grain-free tortillas saw a 22% increase in dollar sales and a 21.1% increase in unit sales, including some distribution gains.

Perimeter Tortillas/Wraps/Flatbreads Sales

Naan and Pita Drive Perimeter Sales

Conversely, perimeter tortillas are declining significantly, down -20.2% in unit sales with a 10.2% price increase. Overall, price increases were more significant for the perimeter tortillas and flatbreads segments than for naan and pita, per Circana. There is also less variety of tortilla items on the perimeter.

“We are not seeing better-for-you offerings or variety on the perimeter for tortillas, so there may be opportunity for those options, such as low carb or that type of variety, to compete with center store tortillas,” Altobelli observed. “However, I don’t think that higher prices are driving where consumers are shopping for tortillas.”

In the perimeter, the tortillas/wraps/flatbreads category includes tortillas, wraps, flatbreads, naan and pita. Success for this overall category is stimulated specifically by naan and pita. Increases in these subsegments are compensating for the decline in individual tortillas, wraps and flatbreads sales. Overall dollar sales for naan grew by 9.4% and unit sales increased by 5.9% vs. a year ago, according to Circana.

Altobelli said that growth in the naan bread sub-segment is being led by Toronto-based Stonefire, which innovated in 2023 with on-trend savory flavor profiles. Stonefire’s new varieties include Garlic, Everything, and Caramelized Onion. Perimeter naan and pita interest may be influenced by a lower level of price increases and by consumer efforts to replicate restaurant experiences at home.

“Shoppers are utilizing restaurants less frequently as reported in our December survey, down six points from November,” Altobelli said. “We know that 85 percent of meals are

CATEGORY OUTLOOK: TORTILLAS | FLATBREAD

being prepared at home, and consumers want restaurant quality and taste at home, which lends itself well to perimeter bread categories.”

Altobelli explained that location is likely another factor, as naan is easier to find on the perimeter, and consumers perceive perimeter bakery products to be fresher or more premium than packaged items on center store shelves. However, she noted that because Stonefire has a big presence for naan in center store, it might be a barrier for new naan products there.

Perimeter naan bread had $192.1 million in dollar sales for the 52 weeks ending Jan. 28, 2024.

S ource: Circana

Opportunities Exist for Center Store Flatbreads

The center store wraps/flatbreads sub-segment, excluding tortillas, is declining in both dollar and unit sales. The level of price increase was similar for wraps/ flatbreads as compared with tortillas, 8-10%, so it is not likely consumers are choosing tortillas over wraps and flatbreads due to price increases.

Tortillas, like bread, are a convenient and versatile pantry staple, catering to the numerous nutritional needs and taste preferences of everyone in the household. While there may be some trade down, consumers will continue to buy tortillas, because they deliver on multi-family usage, which is a definite contributor to this segment’s overall success.

Top Five Center Store Pita Brands by Dollar Sales ($ in Millions)

“The wraps/flatbread segment is small when compared with center store tortillas, likely due to these items getting lost on the shelf with the vast array of tortilla options available,” Altobelli explained. “Producers may consider placement, variety and packaging as an opportunity for flatbreads and wraps to become more visible on the center store aisles.”

One brand showing strong unit sales growth in center store is Lawrence, MA-based Middle East Bakery. While there is a pocket of growth for pitas and flatbreads in center store, the bakery is small with limited distribution as compared with larger players, which are experiencing declining sales.

Although sales are down in private label pitas and flatbreads, there’s a marketing opportunity to target consumers who are trading down to spend less on offerings they consider comparable to other brands.

Center store naan and pitas saw high price increases, which contributed to both dollar and unit sales declines. The bulk of center store naan sales are private label brands, and Altobelli said there may be a perceived quality issue, with consumers looking for restaurant-like naan products on the perimeter.

Versatility is an advantage for both tortillas and flatbreads. While tightening food budgets factor into consumer purchases, it seems low carb innovation, perceived health claims, quality freshness, convenience and availability are influencing success for baked goods in the category. CB

Yeast Raised Donuts

Cake Donuts

Honey Buns

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The Hole Story

BY BETH DAY

Donuts are a stand-out category as far as performance in both center store and perimeter locations.

Indulgence In Charge

Convenient, indulgent treats appeal to today’s on-the-go consumers, and donuts deliver on portability, offering an array of tasty options to satisfy a variety of needs. Donut manufacturers are constantly innovating with inventive new flavors and mashups, while also offering traditional favorites. It is no surprise the market for donuts is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.8% between 2024 and 2032, according to a report by Expert Market Research (EMR).

While inflation-weary consumers are cutting back on non-essentials, they are still indulging in some categories. Consumers remain true to their love of a sweet treat from time to time, and donuts appear to be a popular choice. They are a stand-out category as far as performance in both center store and perimeter locations.

“As seen in our latest ‘State of Snacking,’ true indulgence continues to outpace other snacking segments,” said Melissa Altobelli, senior VP of bakery and dairy for Circana. “Donuts are outperforming all other sweet goods categories, except for pies, up 1.2% in units in the store perimeter and down only -1.9% in units in center store.”

While unit sales for center store donuts are showing slight declines in the latest 52 weeks ending Jan. 28, 2024, Altobelli explained that they are at a higher level than in pre-pandemic periods. Perimeter donut unit sales continue to show growth, though they are not back to prepandemic levels yet.

Full-size donuts are the bulk of category sales in both center store and perimeter locations. Center store full-size donuts account for the majority of sales while

also driving the unit sales decline, Altobelli shared. Private labels are benefiting from consumers trading down due to budget constraints as a result of inflation, a common theme across many food and beverage categories. In fact, dollar sales of private label full-size center store donuts increased 9.5% and unit sales went up 5% vs. a year ago, according to Circana sales figures for the period ending Jan. 28, 2024.

Altobelli observed that Hostess Brands, recently acquired by The J.M. Smucker Co., is the only major brand showing unit sales growth, up 1.6%. This growth is being driven primarily by Donettes and Donettes Bouncers. The baker was the No. 2 new-item brand in the first half of 2023. In turn, new Hostess products represented 23% of total center store donut new-item sales.

The return of in-store bakeries within supermarkets and groceries has contributed to the increased consumption of donuts on the perimeter.

S ource: EMR Report

In-Store Bakery’s Renaissance

The return of in-store bakeries within supermarkets and groceries has contributed to the increased consumption of donuts on the perimeter, according to the EMR report. Perimeter donuts feature freshly baked convenience in a variety of flavors, pack sizes and assortments. Typically offered at lower cost, they have the added appeal of one-stop shopping, making them attractive to value-conscious consumers.

Perimeter

assorted and single-flavored multi-packs of full-size donuts account for 50% of category sales.

Source: Circana

Perimeter assorted and single-flavored multi-packs of full-size donuts account for 50% of category sales, Altobelli stated. Assorted/multi-pack donuts have shown strong growth, reporting 17.5% increases in dollars and 4.4% growth in unit sales, according to Circana.

“Despite budget constraints, consumers are still indulging with a sweet treat, and assorted multi-packs lend themselves to having a favorite flavor that each person in the family will enjoy,” Altobelli said.

Offering a variety of pack sizes for full-size donuts, such as singles, two-count, half dozen and dozen, appeals to consumers whose family size and needs vary. The variety of pack sizes of full-size donuts on the perimeter is also fueling growth for the category because consumers are trying to limit waste since they are on a budget. The smaller varietals cater to people who just want one or two donuts and not a large pack.

For the donut category overall, Altobelli said, it appears that center store and perimeter growth increased in dollar sales due to price increases, whereas perimeter donuts experienced both dollar and unit growth. Though center store showed a slight unit sales decline at -1.9%, donuts still outperformed other sweet goods categories.

“It will come down to value perception,” Altobelli explained. “For example, if consumers are trading down because a product tastes the same as brand and costs less, it is harder to convince them to trade back. However, if branded

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donuts differentiate themselves by offering unique flavors, health benefits or preferred packaging, among other attributes, consumers will purchase because of the perceived value. Whether affordable price, desirable product attributes, size or packaging, there are many ways to drive value.”

Dollar sales of perimeter specialty donuts increased

20.9% vs. a year ago.

S ource: Circana

Mini Having a Major Moment

While center store donut holes had double-digit growth in both dollar and unit sales, mini donuts dipped in the opposite direction, dropping -21.4% in dollar sales and -25.9% in unit sales vs. a year ago. Conversely, perimeter donut holes are flat in terms of dollar sales, but perimeter mini donuts have seen substantial dollar and unit sales growth in the latest 52 weeks. Center store donut holes bounced back in 2023, but account for less than 2% of category sales. Its perimeter counterpart, however, makes up 11.4% of the dollar share.

Donut holes have had recent success in the center store, but they only account for 1.4% of category sales. Vernon Hills, IL-based Prairie City Bakery’s Old Fashioned donut holes leveraged convenience with its packaging, and the brand is driving unit sales growth, Altobelli noted. The donut holes are packaged in a plastic cup with an attachable lid, making them easy

Specialty Donuts by Dollar Sales ($ in Millions)

Total US - Multi Outlet W/ C-Store (Grocery, Drug, Mass Market, Convenience, Military And Select Club & Dollar Retailers) | Latest 52 Weeks Ending Jan. 28, 2024

Source: Circana Omnimarket Integrated Fresh, A Chicago-Based Market Research Firm (@WeAreCircana)

to grab and go, and the container fits into a car’s cup holder.

Altobelli noted that while mini donuts account for less than 1% of perimeter donut sales, donut holes, though declining, are a bigger piece of the pie, with 7% of unit sales. As a result, she observed that donut holes may be a better opportunity than mini donuts for producers on the perimeter due to size and growth.

In addition to donut multi-packs winning on the perimeter, perceived freshness of perimeter baked goods is also a likely contributor to overperformance vs. center store. As budget-constrained consumers continue to eat the majority of meals at home, perimeter donuts offer more value in comparison to branded center store counterparts.

Specialty Especially for Consumers

High-end donuts are gaining popularity, with consumers splurging limited food dollars on specialty and more premium fresh donut options, according to the EMR report. Dollar and unit sales of both perimeter and center store specialty donuts increased despite their higher prices. Perimeter specialty donuts increased unit

sales by 6%, with dollar sales growing by 20.9% vs. a year ago.

“These increases are likely influenced by consumer interest in elevating indulgent eating experiences at home,” Altobelli said. “Consumers are treating themselves and looking for restaurant- or coffee shop-like experiences at home. Treating and indulgence play into specialty donut success.”

The increasing availability of channels frequented by today’s consumers can be an opportunity. The EMR report found the expansion of QSRs, specialty donut shops and cafes across various regions has made donuts more accessible. The foodservice sector remains dominant in the market, offering freshly made donuts for consumers looking for quick, on-the-go treats. Similarly, increasing availability at retail outlets that offer prepackaged and ready-to-eat donuts appeals to convenience and the ability to purchase in bulk.

Donuts remain a quintessential indulgence for consumers. Expanding channels; innovating with flavors, packs and sizes; and delivering on the need for a good old-fashioned treat spells success for the donut category. CB

Way to Grow

BY BETH DAY

Whether wrapped around savory fillings, topped with favorite ingredients, or served warm and fresh all by themselves, tortillas and flatbreads are staples for consumers, who often perceive them as convenient and healthy options. With interest in international cuisines and foods with limitless versatility growing, manufacturers are finding opportunities in a variety of uses and eating occasions.

However, new opportunities often bring new challenges. Here are how some tortilla and flatbread producers are formulating for flavor, texture and functionality while also solving the operational hurdles of producing the low-carb, gluten-free and keto friendly varieties consumers want.

Denver-based Insignia International (formerly Flagship Food Group), whose tortilla brands include La Tortilla Factory and Mama Lupe’s, understands the importance of balancing traditional processes and premium ingredients with advances in technology. While automation has evolved to help manufacturers scale output for tortillas, dough formulation is most important for producing a quality product with superior taste and functionality.

“Timing is key depending on the composition of ingredients in a particular tortilla product,” said Adam Butler, CEO of Insignia International. “If the dough sits for a long time, it becomes harder to produce and more difficult to run through the hopper on the manufacturing line. It must be moved quickly from processing and mixing the ingredients to the production end where the dough is formed, heated, baked and cooled.”

Photo courtesy of La Tortilla Factory

While demand for BFY tortillas has created opportunities, there are operational challenges.

Photo courtesy of Insignia International

Scaling tortilla output via automation without compromising dough quality is a delicate process.

Butler added that La Tortilla Factory is especially committed to producing the highest quality tortilla products, noting that using only fresh, premium ingredients makes a big difference in the finished product’s taste, texture, strength and flexibility.

“This commitment to quality ensures the functionality and the freshness of our tortillas, and it is a big part of La Tortilla Factory’s pedigree,” he said. “Our procurement and logistics groups do a great job to ensure all ingredients in our tortillas are fresh and of high quality.”

Corn tortillas are a basic element of many Latin foods, yet corn-based products can break easily. Ingredient considerations and adjustments during processing can help. Some producers use a traditional production process called nixtamalization for corn tortillas, which makes the corn masa mixture easier to grind. If the corn isn’t nixtamalized, the resulting dough can be difficult to form and lead to problems in the tortilla press and with final products.

Tiburon, CA-based Tia Lupita Foods stays true to these authentic techniques and uses a porous volcanic stone, called a metate, to grind the nixtamalized corn.

“Our tortillas are made using this age-old process, which is different than processes used by many other tortilla producers because it is more labor intensive,” said Vince Giudice, head of operations at Tia Lupita Foods. “The challenges that keep us up at night come down to scaling the nuances of our manufacturing process for mass production while being true to traditional tortilla production.”

The company’s corn tortillas are made with cactus sourced from Mexico to add

“The challenges that keep us up at night come down to scaling the nuances of our manufacturing process for mass production while being true to traditional tortilla production.”

Vince Giudice | head of operations | Tia Lupita Foods

health benefits. When comparing the production of flour- or corn-only tortillas, using a high-fiber ingredient like cactus makes the dough even more difficult to run on traditional tortilla lines.

“Adding fiber can make a dough tough to work with, so a lot of R&D and trial and error was necessary to ensure we created a high-fiber tortilla that also tasted great and would hold up as volume increased,” Giudice said.

From a production standpoint, timing is even more critical for gluten-free vs. traditional flour tortillas. The gluten in wheat flour is what makes dough more malleable and easier to process. Gluten-free products and similar formulations, however, must be processed very quickly to ensure proper texture and a functional finished product, Butler explained. La Tortilla Factory introduced keto tortillas that are machined similarly to other low-carb items and are run on the same production lines.

Like tortillas, flatbreads such as naan and pita have a clean ingredient list and are considered a healthy option. Flatbreads also provide a blank slate for creating new and interesting meals.

Ridgefield, NJ-based Toufayan Bakeries produces more than 100 varieties of baked goods, including fresh flatbreads and pitas created to meet a variety of consumer uses and dietary needs, such low carb and gluten-free. Similar to tortillas, these formulations also challenge operations.

“The hardest products are actually our gluten-free lines,” said Karen Toufayan, VP of marketing and sales at Toufayan Bakeries. “Maintaining the softness and taste consumers want takes so many adjustments, from recipes to

You make it. We pack it. End-of-line packaging solutions for the bakery, snack and tortilla industries. BPA loads your packaged and naked products into cases and various secondary containers including your hffs machines, wrapper chain in-feeds and indexing thermoform machines. We

temperature and time, even down to the temperature in the bakery or local humidity.”

There have been some flavor and shelflife innovations in the tortilla category. For example, Mama Lupe’s expanded its tortilla lineup last year with Flavor Pack Tortillas in six new flavors: Ranch, BBQ, Buffalo, Churro, Chocolate and Pumpkin Spice. Flavored tortillas can be difficult to manufacture because maintaining the production process can diminish the flavor profile.

“A lot of flavoring must be added during tortilla production in order for it to pack a punch in the finished product,” Butler explained. “For tortillas, there is not a bullseye for consumer flavor trends. A palate development must be reached, and it is difficult to appeal to a mass audience.”

For Tia Lupita Foods, Giudice said the company believes it has struck a balance between production with added-fiber ingredients and great taste. He noted strong growth and continued consumer interest in the

“The hardest products are actually our gluten-free lines. Maintaining the softness and taste consumers want takes so many adjustments, from recipes to temperature and time, even down to the temperature in the bakery or local humidity.”

Karen Toufayan | VP of marketing and sales | Toufayan Bakeries

company’s cactus-based tortilla products, which are preservative-free and kept frozen, which helps with shelflife challenges.

Recent advances in shelf life extenders have helped increase production efficiency in the tortilla category. Butler believes the most interesting innovation has been with organic mold inhibitors since freshness is a key attribute for tortillas, particularly for organic products. He noted that an effective mold inhibitor that is organic and does not affect taste and texture is a game changer.

“The reality is that organic products are harder to manufacture and have higher ingredient costs,” Butler explained. “If we can manufacture products that stay fresher longer, it is good for us, because we can increase the quality of our products. These mold inhibitors can really help us lean into that market.”

Advances in preservatives are resulting in category growth for flatbreads, according to a report by the Interna -

tional Market Analysis Research and Consulting (IMARC) Group, which found that some flatbread producers are using different preservatives to maintain quality without compromising taste. The report also determined that more effective packaging and the use of sorbates and benzoates as standard preservatives to inhibit yeast, water activity, and moisture to extend shelf life supports category growth.

Operational challenges for tortilla and flatbread production are consistent with other areas of food manufacturing. Labor is a real concern, and employee retention issues must be addressed. On the production floor, a highly variable working schedule can be difficult for employees, so implementing stated schedules at least a week in advance can make a huge difference. Jobs with highly repetitive tasks are susceptible to turnover. Reviewing those jobs and working to make all positions more value-added and less redundant is beneficial for employees and company culture.

© Schankz on Adobe Stock

Highest shape accuracy!

“Labor is a fundamental part of our production, and as an industry, we must improve jobs and working environments with the goal of creating a level of automation and job descriptions that increase value-add positions and drive ownership and accountability for employees,” Butler said. “It is incumbent upon every company to ensure they are doing these things to drive retention and engagement and make it a more sustainable effort.”

While the supply chain has mostly stabilized, there are still unexpected disruptions. Toufayan said the food industry is again at the top of the list when it comes to supply chain hurdles. She explained that from agriculture commodity shortages to challenges within the labor market, bakeries are finding solutions and adjusting their margins and plans almost on a daily basis.

Having a dependable continuity of supply plan in place before challenges occur is optimal. The plan should focus on those unique or custom ingredients that are critical to production and that may be harder to find if disruptions arise.

LISTEN NOW:

Adam Butler discusses the importance of supply chain preparedness.

“When faced with these challenges, manufacturers consider those strategies to get our best products to market and look to the highest volume products in order to disrupt the least number of consumers,” Butler said.

As an emerging brand, Tia Lupita is expanding output opportunities without changing its traditional production

processes. Giudice said that while the company is always considering options for additional manufacturing capacity, it is more important to continue making the best possible products.

No matter what innovation or health-and-wellness need is driving tortilla and flatbread trends, consumers are looking for the right texture and fresh taste. Butler emphasized that taste is always king — and the first consideration when innovating with food — and tortillas must move the needle for impact.

“While consumers may not be able to pay for organic tortillas, they are willing to pay for tortillas that have great texture and that are made with better quality ingredients,” he said.

Growth in the tortilla and flatbread categories is about finding out what mainstream consumers really want and how much they are willing to pay. Improving production capabilities for quality low-carb, gluten-free and organic products will continue to promote growth. However, producers must also innovate with operational advances that improve taste, texture, freshness and functionality, which consistently drive consumer purchases for this category. CB

Photo courtesy of Toufayan Bakeries

Flatbread manufacturers must address a variety of formulating challenges when making diet-specific products.

WORKHORSE

The Deep Dive into Donuts

BY BETH DAY

“Time to Make the Donuts!” This iconic Dunkin’ Donuts commercial featured Fred the Baker and became a symbol of manufacturers’ commitment to baking fresh, hot donuts for consumers to enjoy daily. Four decades later, more than 10 billion donuts are produced in the US every year, according to a report by Expert Market Research (EMR).

Here’s how a few producers are responding to consumers’ continued love affair with donuts.

© Kamil on Adobe Stock

Donut holes afford bakers the opportunity to experiment with new flavors.

Photo courtesy of Mel-O-Cream Donuts International

Small- to mid-size donut manufacturers often rely on both automated and manual production processes to fulfill their customers’ request for product variety.

Springfield, IL-based Mel-O-Cream Donuts International is a family-owned and operated mid-sized company producing a wide variety of donut styles to fit its customers’ operational needs. With demand increasing around value-added donuts at the store level, Mel-O-Cream is making a high volume of frozen dough and pre-fried formats.

“We sell the pre-fried frozen products, and that is our niche,” said Chad Larson, COO and VP at Mel-O-Cream. “Some of our customers still fry our donuts at the store level, and in large quantities, and others ice and finish the donuts on-site.”

Milwaukee-based Grebe’s Bakery has been in business for more than 70 years. For the past few years, the company has focused on innovation and increasing production.

“We have devoted operational efforts to increasing higher volume output for our donuts because there is incredible need for product,” said Colton Grebe, chief strategy officer and co-owner of Grebe’s Bakery. “We use all custom equipment,

and our fryer was specifically designed for Grebe’s Bakery and is ‘one of one’ in the US.”

Grebe’s Bakery dough styles are made using a cold fermented straight dough process, which was commonplace during the ’60s and ’70s. Once the dough is mixed, it rests for four to five hours to develop the fermentation flavors and age the dough.

“While this technique has its challenges, the best results are that this dough style is really easy to machine, develops a lot of flavors and helps extend shelf life by extending the fermentation,” Grebe explained.

After the donuts are fried or baked, most are finished by hand, giving them an artisan-quality appearance.

“My grandfather used to say that donuts should never look the same coming out of our bakery, as it takes away from the eating experience,” Grebe said. “They are like snowflakes; not one is exactly the same.”

“At the end of the day, bakers use all the same ingredients, mainly flour. The difference is how you work with it and how you handle the product. Obviously, you can use special fats and ingredients to up your game, but where we see the quality difference is in the process.”

Colton Grebe | chief strategy officer and co-owner | Grebe’s Bakery

Batter donuts, which are chemically leavened, are produced with a plunging system that can deposit either fried or baked dough. Lenexa, KS-based Hostess Brands’ Donettes are batter-made mini donuts available in multiple flavors.

“Through our work to optimize our operations, we have established an efficient and seamless process to deliver our Donettes,” said Frank Cirillo, senior manager of communications for Orrville, OH-based The J.M. Smucker Co., which owns Hostess Brands. “This process starts with developing the light cake donut that consumers expect. We then have the ability to add different finishes through our powdered, frosted, double chocolate, crunch, glazed and old-fashioned varieties. This approach streamlines production regardless of flavor or format, so consumers experience consistent quality no matter their preferred variety.”

Hostess Brands constantly evaluates opportunities for advancements in equipment and processes, and one area of constant focus has been in mixing the batters.

“Like all of our products, ensuring a smooth, consistent mix of the donut batter is essential to the overall quality,” Cirillo explained. “We have continued to [seek] equipment that helps to improve our consistency, quality and efficiency.”

While more a style than a flavor, donut holes are popular with consumers. The smaller size enables people to try more than one flavor at a time, and there is a flavor for everyone. Donut holes also satisfy consumer interest in affordable indulgence and portion control.

Unlike a traditional yeast-raised donut hole, Grebe’s Bakery donut holes are made from a batter and deposited directly into the fryer, which, at first, came with a distinct set of challenges.

“Our first production run did not go well because of the product’s shape and our production layout,” Grebe said. “Our conveyor system has a steep incline out of the fryer, so all the donut holes started rolling back down the conveyor. We came up with a unique way to overcome this obstacle by machining the donut hole to have an irregular shape, making it easier for the long journey through our cooling system.”

For Mel-O-Cream, the most difficult products to make are filled donuts or items that have different components because much of the production process is done manually, which underscores the labor challenges faced by the food industry.

“When you must inject additional labor into the process to make these types of products, it’s challenging,” Larson said. “We do not produce filled products every day of the week, so that presents the problem of filling part-time shifts for limited hours.”

LISTEN NOW:

Colton Grebe shares the informal process that jumpstarts R&D.

When it comes to flavor innovation and product development, Grebe credits the creativity of his team in terms of formulas and flavors. The bakery prides itself on being one of the world’s largest producers of fresh paczki, a filled donut that originated in Poland and is part of Fat Tuesday celebrations. The product is only available from Grebe’s Bakery for 11 days out of the year.

“We make a total of 40,000 donuts in an ordinary day,” Grebe said. “Over the

course of the Fat Tuesday celebration, we will produce more than 250,000 paczki in 11 days, with our biggest production day totaling more 80,000 in one day.”

International cultures and cuisines are also influencing flavor trends in the donut space.

“We are watching some emerging flavor profiles coming out of Asia, such as mochi, a rice-based donut that uses a different kind of batter than cake donuts and requires a different type of processing,” Larson said, noting that while Mel-O-Cream ships nationally, West Coast business remains a growth area for international-inspired flavor development. “As that grows, I suspect we may have more inquiry from customers about these flavors,” he added.

While the donut category is known for indulgence, the global market is being driven by the introduction of healthier varieties with reduced fat, along with some interest in vegan and gluten-free donuts, according to the EMR report. From a manufacturing standpoint, improving the quality or reducing the amounts of oil used may benefit producers and consumers.

“We are looking at better choices for oils used to fry donuts,” Larson said. “We are also exploring better processes to block some of the oil absorption in the donut naturally to prevent some of the oil uptake in the product, especially those formats such as crullers and fritters, which retain more oil. There are health and cost benefits to advances in this area.”

Grebe’s Bakery considers eating quality when deciding which oils to use. Certain oils eat clean, while others do not. Oxidation and stability of fats in the oils play a huge role in these characteristics.

“With the great advancements we have seen in data and technology, it is exciting to look ahead to even greater opportunities to improve how we continue to deliver products that consumers trust.”

Frank Cirillo | senior manager, communications | The J.M. Smucker Co.

Then again, it’s not just the complicated ingredients that require attention, especially in terms of the overall process.

“At the end of the day, bakers use all the same ingredients, mainly flour,” Grebe noted. “The difference is how you work with it and how you handle the product. Obviously, you can use special fats and ingredients to up your game, but where we see the quality difference is in the process.”

On the equipment side, Larson noted that the evolving technology of collaborative robots, or cobots, could take some of the labor constraints out of the production process and allow manufacturers to move valuable labor to other areas that require human touch. He believes this advance is a game changer for manufacturing.

The most significant operational hurdle for Grebe’s Bakery has been scaling up its business, which has been challenging in a tough labor market.

“Most large-scale producers use all automation, while for smaller donut shops, production is all hand done,” Grebe said.

“Our bakery has found a niche somewhere in between where we add what we call ‘the love factor’ to our automated processes.”

Technology, data and analytics have also played an increasingly important role in the manufacturing advances seen over the past few years. Hostess Brands has made a concerted effort to expand its use of data and leverage the latest technology to improve operations.

“With the great advancements we have seen in data and technology, it is exciting to look ahead to even greater opportunities to improve how we continue to deliver products that consumers trust,” Cirillo noted.

While donuts are a relatively small segment of the bakery sector, the category has a loyal following. Consumers tend to turn to relatively inexpensive indulgences, like donuts, when they need comfort. As a result, these manufacturers remain busy with production efforts, constantly evolving and innovating to produce the highest quality products to delight their customers and donut lovers everywhere. CB

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Personnel Protection

Directors and officers insurance plays a key role in risk management.

BY TOM PANOS, BKS PARTNERS | BALDWIN RISK

In today’s increasingly complex legal environment, businesses face a heightened prospect of liabilities and litigations, often driven by adverse news events. Directors and Officers (D&O) liability insurance is an essential policy designed to protect members of a leadership team against claims that may arise from decisions and actions taken as part of their duties that could potentially impact profitability and operations.

D&O insurance coverage has become a regular coverage for large multinational companies, but all sizes of organizations — public, private or non-profit — have potential exposures. There is increasing demand for small- and mid-size enterprise (SME) D&O coverage, though penetration is still low due to a lack of awareness and education. Smaller companies may not think they are big enough for D&O insurance, but this is not necessarily true. Lawsuits are increasingly costly, and for a small- or mid-size company, a single litigation can be a huge financial burden. D&O coverage can be tailored to meet the needs of SMEs, with lower retention and lower limits.

Companies usually purchase D&O insurance because lawsuits are expensive, and the costs associated with them are rising. Moreover, if companies do not have a good D&O insurance program in place, it is unlikely they will be able to attract top managerial talent given the potential risks involved.

D&O insurance reimburses the costs incurred by board members, managers and employees in defending against claims made by shareholders or third parties for alleged wrongdoing. D&O insurance also covers monetary damages, settlements and awards resulting from such claims.

If a company cannot indemnify its directors, officers or employees for amounts resulting from these claims, D&O insurance will pay those costs, which protects personal assets. If the company indemnifies the individual for such costs, D&O insurance will reimburse the company. The D&O policy will also provide some coverage for the company itself if it is sued.

Coverage is usually for current, future and past directors and officers of a company and its subsidiaries. This means that even if an individual is no longer employed with the company, if a claim is made against them for alleged wrongdoing during the policy period, they will still be covered under the policy in force when the claim is made.

The structure of a D&O insurance policy depends on which of three insuring agreements are purchased. These are referred to as ABC policies and are standard-form policies for publicly listed companies. In some jurisdictions, private or non-profit companies may consider only purchasing AB coverage as a cost-saving measure.

Companies usually purchase D&O insurance because lawsuits are expensive, and the costs associated with them are rising. Moreover, if companies do not have a good D&O insurance program in place it is unlikely they will be able to attract top managerial talent, given the potential risks involved.

Common D&O risk scenarios include breaches of fiduciary duties; legal actions brought by shareholders against directors and officers for various reasons, such as mismanagement or failure to act in the company’s best interests; inaccurate or misleading financial or operational reporting; misrepresentations or omissions in a prospectus; non-compliance with industry regulations or laws; deaths resulting from the company’s actions or negligence; and inability of a company to fulfill its financial obligations.

Common D&O exclusions include fraud; intentional criminal acts; illegal remuneration or personal profit; claims made under a previous policy; and uninsurable penalties.

The outlook for the D&O market in 2024 carries an expectation of continued hardening of the market; stricter scrutiny of potential risks; the expanding role of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors; regulatory changes; and cyber risks. Collectively, these signal a shifting landscape.

The hardening of the D&O insurance market means higher prices and potentially stricter terms and conditions, coupled with insurers becoming more selective about who they cover. Geopolitical tensions and increasing cyber threats pose substantial risks that have already resulted in heightened claim frequency. These trends show no signs of letting up in the future, likely necessitating further market hardness.

Additionally, insurers in the D&O market will continue to tighten their underwriting standards as they strive to balance profitability with risk. This focus implies that they will increasingly scrutinize factors such as corporate governance, the company’s risk management framework, and financial health during the underwriting process.

ESG factors are set to play an ever-increasing role in D&O coverage in 2024. The global shift towards sustainability and responsible business practices means directors and officers will be held accountable to a wider range of stakeholders. This shift will probably lead to a surge in ESGrelated D&O claims, necessitating insurers to recalibrate their risk assessments and coverage policies accordingly.

Regulatory changes are continuously impacting the D&O insurance market, and that’s unlikely to change. Regulatory bodies worldwide are stepping up their requirements for corporate transparency and governance, and non-compliance can lead to significant penalties. This continued pressure is likely to result in additional D&O claims, adding to the overall risk.

Finally, advances in technology across industries will likely lead to a corresponding rise in cyber threats and digital vulnerabilities. This means directors and officers will carry increased responsibilities for managing cyber risks, leading to potential claims in the D&O space. Insurers will likely extend their risk assessments to include cybersecurity readiness.

Increasing potential for liabilities and litigations combined with the trends noted above implies that companies and board members will need to adapt and bolster their risk management strategies for optimal D&O coverage CB

Tom Panos, MBA, is a partner at BKS Partners | Baldwin Risk. He has more than 15 years of experience in the commercial insurance industry and uses his diverse background to build mutually beneficial relationships. Contact him at tom.panos@bks-partners.com

First in Multimedia

These

Commercial Baking

Avant Food Media is the leader in innovative video content. These originals take media to the next level and have become baking industry favorites.

We are the premier media source for the commercial baking industry.

TechTalks

Booth Trailers

Innovation Minutes

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 Nico Roesler, Reading Bakery Systems

Nico Roesler, North American pretzel and snack equipment sales manager, discusses the capabilities of low-pressure extrusion technology and the innovation it presents to pretzel manufacturers. www.readingbakery.com

TechTalk with Clay Miller, Burford Corp.

Clay Miller, president, explores the innovative solutions available to bakers looking to produce the perfect bun. Sponsored by Middleby Bakery. www.burford.com

TechTalk with Joe Layton, Puratos USA

Joe Layton, VP of R&D, takes a deep dive into Puratos’ technical expertise available to commercial bakery teams seeking to innovate. www.puratos.us

TechTalk with Dave Hipenbecker, Fritsch

Dave Hipenbecker, regional sales manager, shares the benefits and functions of the Fritsch IMPRESSA bread line. www.fritsch-group.com

TechTalk with Nicola Menardo, Tecnopool

The president of TP Food Group North America — Tecnopool’s subsidiary in the US — chats about the advantages of the TEC industrial frying system. www.tecnopool.it

Lisa Papaloni, Aspire Bakeries, on Pennant puff pastry

Aspire Bakeries’ director of strategy, marketing and innovation highlights Pennant’s versatile frozen French puff pastry sheets.

Penny Patterson-Smith on innovation at Flowers Foods

Penny Patterson-Smith, chief innovation officer, reflects on how her role at the baking company has identified key areas for innovation.

Bobbi Jo Raffetto, Hearthside Food Solutions, on being the best at getting better

Bobbi Jo Raffetto, COO of bakery co-manufacturing, dives into the company’s mantra to “be the best at getting better,” and how that innovative mindset is carried out in day-to-day processes.

Trina Bediako, New Horizons Baking Co., on the future of the baking industry

Trina Bediako, CEO, shares her perspective on how the next generation of the baking industry is starting to take shape with the American Bakers Association’s new strategic plan.

Brian LeComte, Gold Medal Bakery, on being a localized industry

Brian LeComte, president and COO, provides his insights on the benefits and challenges that come with being a localized industry.

Eric Dell and Bill Quigg on ABA’s strategic plan

Eric Dell and Bill Quigg, president and CEO, and first vice chair of the American Bakers Association, respectively, discuss the values and benefits of the association’s new strategic plan for the future of the baking industry.

Essential®Soft

Bread wastage remains a concern in the food supply chain. While there are many reasons for the millions of loaves of bread wasted, Lallemand Baking can help bakers address this issue.

Essential® Soft is an enzyme-based bread softener with built-in tolerance to prevent overdosing while improving initial crumb softness and extending product freshness throughout expected shelf life.

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Catching Up with Commercial Baking : Catherin Herrera at BakingTECH 2024

Catherin Herrera, director of baking technology –technical services at Bimbo Canada, shares what it means to receive the American Society of Baking’s 2024 Rising Baker Award. Sponsored by Shick Esteve.

Catching Up with Commercial Baking : Eric Lewis at BakingTECH 2024

Eric Lewis, VP of quality and food safety at Flowers Foods, covers the highlights of the event and his main takeaways from his time serving as the 2023-2024 board chair of the American Society of Baking. Sponsored by Shick Esteve.

Catching Up with Commercial Baking : Erin Sharp at BakingTECH 2024

Erin Sharp, 2024 Baking Hall of Fame inductee, shares her insights on her legacy in the industry. Sponsored by Shick Esteve.

Troubleshooting Innovation podcast | Season 10

Julie Miller Jones, PhD, LN, CNS, a member of the Grain Foods Foundation (GFF)’s Scientific Advisory Board, and Charlotte Martin, RD, a consultant for GFF, debunk several myths surrounding bread. Sponsored by Lallemand.

Solutions

Sifting technology

Great Western Manufacturing has developed new sifting technology to enhance the sifter inspection process, and increase profits and quality control standards. The Qi sifter processes large volumes of dry products to optimize the sifting process. The design allows a maintenance professional to inspect screens, gaskets, cleaners and bottom dome up to 75% faster. www.gwmfg.com

Flowwrappers for sliced bread

Cavanna provides both hermetically sealed and one-end, open-flow wrapping solutions for sliced bread. Both options can use a recloseable feature. Hermetically-sealed flowwrapped loaves can have an extended shelf life beyond 60 days with a clean label and tamper-evident packaging. www.cavanna-usa.com

Touchscreen thermal profiler

ECD released the M.O.L.E. EV6, a touchscreen thermal profiler that enables bakery floor access to information like S-Curve milestones to eliminate guesswork and improve productivity. The device seamlessly integrates with ECD baking sensor technologies BreadOMETER, CakeOMETER and OvenBALANCER for a scalable baked goods solution that delivers comprehensive product quality control and maximizes yield. www.ecd.com

Detroit-style pizza pans

Bundy Baking Solutions’ Detroit Pizza Pans, made from 26-gauge carbon steel, create an authentic Detroit-style pizza. Pre-seasoned with Bundy’s proprietary AMERICOAT ePlus silicone glaze, the pans ensure easy release and clean-up. They are available in 8- by 10-inch and 10- by 14-inch sizes. www.cmbakeware.com

Organic enzyme blend

Corbion’s Organic Ultra Fresh Premium 235 can be used in organic or non-GMO flour tortillas and flatbreads. It helps improve the softness, flexibility and eating quality of the product over an extended shelf-life. The blend can be used with various applications. www.corbion.com

Horizontal form-fill-seal machine

IMA Group released the PANDA BS RS flowwrapper that can be used for a broad range of small-, regular- and medium-sized products. The PANDA is fed using the FLOWPOCKET and seals packets of buns with a rotating jaw with an output of up to 300 ppm. www.ima.it

Bi-directional bowl rotation mixer

Hobart’s HSL130 spiral mixer offers a 130-pound mixing capacity and can incorporate ingredients for artisan bread. It features bi-directional bowl rotation to improve consistency and mix dough batches as small as 10% of the mixer’s maximum capacity. The bowl and hook rotation are designed to lower friction and temperature. www.hobartcorp.com

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Multi-shaft mixer

Clean-label enzyme solution

Puratos developed the Intens Soft & Fine, a new clean-label solution with a unique blend of enzyme technologies that delivers initial softness, finer crumb and longer shelf life for bakery items. The enzyme solution meets the growing demand for cost-effective alternatives to ingredients. www.puratos.us

Ross designed its Versamix VMC-100 mixer for vacuum operation up to 29.5 inHg. It has interchangeable 100-gallon mix cans, each fabricated with a 50-psig, ASME code-stamped jacket for heating and cooling via glycol. The custom electrohydraulic system is engineered to fully raise the motor drive in 15 seconds. www.mixers.com

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

Steve

THE LAST WORD FROM TRINA BEDIAKO

Disruption through Diversification

Like any other industry in the US and around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic showed us all that we had to assess who we are and verify who we wanted to be. The baking industry was already changing, and the pandemic only sped up the pace.

Now, the landscape is more competitive than ever, with larger companies buying smaller brands and private equity groups looking for quick “buy and sell” events. Under my leadership, New Horizons took an introspective look at our business, mission and vision, and made some bold decisions on the direction we want to go.

We have built a diverse leadership team in terms of race, gender and bakery background, and we’ve tapped into a variety of skill sets to create authentic diversity of thought. With a long history as a baking company, we have avid respect for bakers and the industry. But we also recognize that growth can’t happen without some degree of change.

We were not afraid to become industry disruptors, and we’ve taken our growth in a new direction and become more than a bakery. Our vision was to become a leader in nutritional solutions in the food industry.

New Horizons’ acquisition of two ingredient companies has enabled us to not only penetrate new markets and customers but also vertically create our own supply chain solutions. We can provide more product

offerings to existing customers, identify more new customers, and offer secondary and tertiary solutions to our industry colleagues.

Diversification is critical to longevity and succession, and that means not putting all your proverbial “buns in one basket.”

Not every baking company can diversify the way we did, but change is inevitable, and disruption is powerful. We are lucky to have a strong team of young food scientists on our staff. Who are your next-generation thinkers, leaders and disruptors? Newcomers to the industry understand markets and appreciate diversification of the palate. And they can assist in attracting more young people.

These decisions are not easy; they take time and resources. But if you have a clear vision of who you are — and who you want to be — you’ll find the courage to make the change that’s right for you. CB

Trina Bediako is the CEO of Norwalk, OH-based New Horizons Baking Co., a producer of hamburger buns and English muffins for QSR, foodservice and retail. Last year, New Horizons acquired Graffiti Foods, a liquid blend s olutions provider, after the 2022 acquisition of Coalescence, a dry blend producer. New Horizons plans to integrate both companies, rebranding as New Horizons Food Solutions LLC.

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