SOLUTIONS I N N O V AT I O N O V E R V I E W
Evolving Through the Uncomfortable BY LIZ GOO DWI N
© ÖZASLAN on Adobe Stock
No pain no gain, as they say. And the pandemic certainly brought pain to the baking industry. But as agonizing as the mountain of COVID-related challenges were (and still are), it bred evolution in the world of bakery suppliers. Equipment and ingredient companies alike took a hard look at how the world was changing and what their customers needed. As it turned out, baking operations have a lot in common with the rest of the world: They need dependability, flexibility and ways to keep everything clean. As the world was rapidly
shifting, cookies, cakes and bread became the consumer’s solace, and baking companies — and their suppliers — didn’t back down from giving them what they needed. In this Innovations Annual special edition, the Commercial Baking team dug into how the baking industry has not only risen to the occasion but also pushed industry standards into more ambitious territory. With improvements ranging from flexibility and sanitary design to complete customization, this special edition features a host of supplier
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solutions that can change the game for efficient bakery operations. Here are some of the top themes for a new decade of innovation. “The Great Resignation” has left nearly every area of business facing a workforce shortage. While the baking industry was not immune, the workforce shortage started long before the pandemic. A record 4.4 million Americans quit their job in September 2021, and with signs pointing to the shortage only getting worse, the baking industry has to think fast on how to retain talented employees
COMMERCIAL BAKING
