Bakery Review

Aug-Sept ’12

1

EDITORIAL

Publisher cum Editor

Rajneesh Sharma

rajneeshhammer@gmail.com

Associate Editor

Swarnendu Biswas Resident Editor

Sharmila Chand (Delhi) Ashok Malkani (Mumbai) Feature Editor

Kanishka Gupta Sub-Editor

Tapapriya Lahiri Layout & Design

Hari Kumar V. Narender Kumar

Advertising Sales

Delhi: Debabrath Nath, Sudhir Pandey, Ashish Jha Mumbai: Rajesh Tupsakhare Subscription Sales

Dattaram Gangurde Director Sales

Sanjay Anand

Director Operations & Finance

Rajat Taneja

Editorial & Advertising Offices: Delhi:

Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 1202, Pragati Tower, 26, Rajindra Place, New Delhi-110008 Phone: 25854103 Telefax: 25854105 Mumbai:

Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 105, 1st Floor, Aarpee Centre, Gufic Compound, 11th Road, MIDC, Near Tunga Paradise Hotel, Andheri (E), Mumbai-400 093 Phone: 28395833 Telefax: 28388947

E-mail: hammerpublishers@vsnl.net © 2012 Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. No article can be reproduced in part or as whole without prior permission of the Publisher.

Bakery Review is a bi-monthly magazine, printed and published by Rajneesh Sharma on behalf of Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd., 1202, Pragati Tower, 26 Rajindra Place, New Delhi. Printed at Swan Press, B-71, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase-II, New Delhi-110 028.

Annual Subscription rate within India is Rs. 450 and overseas US $110, for surface mail. Single issue is available for Rs. 90 in India and US $25 overseas. Cheques are payable to Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. Editorial Policy : Editorial emphasis in Bakery Review magazine is on

educational & informational material specifically designed to assist those responsible for managing Bakery & Confectionery business.

Articles are welcome and will be published on the sole discretion of the editor.

2

In the recent times, the Indian bakery industry is experiencing the presence of a slew of healthy products, many of which also happen to be tasty.

There are various socio-economic and sociocultural factors responsible for this trend.

Enhancement of the nutritional profile of the bakery products has emerged as a significant feature of our bakery industry. No wonder, the sugarless cakes and desserts, ragi cookies, multigrain breads are gaining currency among the upwardly mobile crowd. However, this significant section of Indian consumers is not very much willing to compromise on the taste because of their preference for healthy bakeries.

They are seen preferring those baked products which can provide great health with great taste, and are also looking for innovative and even experimental bakeries to cater to their evolving preferences. No wonder, convenience bakeries are also gaining prominence among India’s consumer choices, which in turn is feeding and fostering the ongoing fast food revolution.

This scenario presents with huge opportunity as well as challenge for the Indian bakery industry. On the one hand, the industry, especially the huge unorganised segment of the industry, is beset with the challenge to update its technology and know-how to cater to the evolving demand, while on the other hand, there are huge opportunities for those manufacturers of bakery products who can come up with innovative, healthy, tasty and aromatic bakery products with low-cost technology, at affordable prices. We discuss various issues pertaining to the trend towards healthy and tasty bakery products in India, in our Cover Story, which we hope our readers would find to be informative and insightful.

The role of packaging in the bakery industry simply cannot be overemphasised. Appropriate packaging can not only safeguard the nutritional value of the food products and facilitate towards maintaining their food safety, but can also provide important and relevant information about the constituents of the products, their nutritional profile, etc.

The packaging can also clearly inform the potential consumers about the storage conditions of the products, products’ net weight, prices, and their methods of usage. The right packaging also enables containing the product and thereby greatly facilitates its transportation. Of course, besides all these, the packaging should be attractive enough to induce the product’s prospective consumers to buy it from the shelves.

The environmental susceptibilities of the bakery products like cakes, breads and biscuits make their packaging an important means of their survival from bakeries/factories to the market shelves. Biscuits generally have low moisture content and high fat level whereas breads and cakes are characterised by high moisture content, supple texture and high water activity. Breads, cakes and biscuits are not only vulnerable to staling but also to crumbling, which makes appropriate packaging for them of crucial importance. We have attempted to focus on the relevance of packaging for the bakery industry, and the recent packaging trends for the bakery industry, in our Business Story.

Besides these two extremely relevant topics for our industry, we have explored various other facets and ongoing trends of the fast evolving Indian bakery industry, through our regular features and other informative sections, in this issue. We hope our esteemed readers would be able to spend some quality time between the covers of this issue, and the topics covered would facilitate to enhance their information base in some way or the other.

Aug-Sept ’12

I N S I D E 16 COVER STORY Balancing Health and Delight

20 BUSINESS Packaged Power to Safety

24 PROFILE The Healthy Taste of Red Mango

DEPARTMENTS 04 Events 08 News Scan 14 Focus 31 Industry 32 Health

26 OPERATIONS

34 Product Preview

Mixers for Bakers

28 TREND Biscuits Becoming Classy Cover Pix: Dobla BV

Aug-Sept ’12

3

E V E N T

BAKERY REVIEW

Fine Food India 2012:

A Tasty Recipe for Success

D

iversified Communications, the global organiser of food exhibitions across four continents, ran the second edition of Fine Food India in September 2012. The three day event was held at the Pragati Maidan Exhibition Centre in New Delhi, during 17th–19th September 2012.

Over 3500 retailers, buyers, importers, and hoteliers attended the show to meet manufacturers, producers, exporters, and sellers of food and drink items in India and around the world. Major participating brands included Pepsi, Electrolux, Himalayan Waters, Nestle, Rational, Amrit Food, Tata Chemicals and AGS Transact Technologies, Dabon International, and Wi-Not Beverage Solutions. Top international companies from Spain, Chile, USA, Australia, Italy, China, Russia, Malaysia, Thailand,

4

Poland, Mexico, Pakistan, Iran, and of course, India showcased their varied range of specialty and fine foods, gourmet foods, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, ingredients and spices, bakery and biscuits, confectionaries and snacks, dairy, and hospitality services.

Discussing about international participation, Andreas Karaiskakis, Minister Plenipotentiary for Economic & Commercial Affairs, the Embassy of Greece, commented, “Fine Food India is an interesting show in India. It is very well organised and the exhibiting companies are quite relevant to the business. The organisers are doing a good job in putting together a show of this calibre. It is the first time for Olivéma, a Greek company, to participate in Fine Food India and we will surely encourage other Greek companies to participate in this show, in the years to come.”

Along with excellent opportunities for networking and business development, the show hosted informative business fora, cooking demonstrations, international and local wine tastings, and Chef ’s masterclasses. Chef Sabyasachi Gorai, the Director of Olive Bar & Kitchen, also popularly known as Chef Saby, inaugurated the Chef ’s Master Class Theatre on 17th September. A seasoned food & beverage professional, Chef Saby elaborated on the ‘Art on plate’ methodology during his session in the Chef ’s Masterclass and explained that cooking is an art. He generously shared his ideas and recommendations on unique and exotic dishes, and also suggested useful tips and easier methods of cooking to his audience.

Other top Chefs to demonstrate their culinary skills in the Food Theatre and Chef ’s Masterclass were Chef Manish Mehrohtra, the Executive Chef of Indian Accent, Chef Yutaka Saito of Megu, The Leela Palace, Chef Mickey Bhoite of Le Cirque, The Leela Palace, Chef Gagandeep Sawhney of Qube, The Leela Palace, Chef Mohammed Jalaludeen from The Leela Palace, Chef Ludovic, International Culinary Advisor from Elle & Vire, Chef Thomas Blanchard, the Executive Chef from L’Opera, Chef Barnhard from The Lalit Hotel, and Chef Nishant Choubey from Dusit Bird Hotel.

The Indian Sommelier Championship continued its traditon of awarding the best sommeliers in India, in the 5th Indian Sommelier Championship; held on 17th September, at the Drinks Academy.

Sommelier Magandeep Singh, the founder of Wi-Not Beverage Solutions Pvt. Ltd., conducted the championship.

Aug-Sept ’12

Aug-Sept ’12

5

E V E N T

Sommelier Gurjit Singh Barry and Sommelier Gagandeep Singh hosted international wine tastings, whereas mixologist Yangdup Lama, Shariq Khan, and Jon Lilly conducted sessions on cocktail making, mixing and vodka tasting respectively.

Top restaurateurs from all over India attended the Restaurant Forum on the first day, which was moderated by Samir Kuckreja, the Founder & CEO, Tasanaya Hospitality, and the President of National

BAKERY REVIEW

Restaurant Association of India(NRAI).

The Retail Forum on the second day recorded full attendance. Major retailers like Avni Biyani, the Chief Executive Officer of Future Group, Mini Yadav, the Owner of Le Marche, Mohit Khattar, the MD and CEO of Godrej Nature’s Basket, Sanjay Tandon, the Managing Director of Epicure Frozen Foods and Beverages, and the Vice President of Dabon International (P) Ltd. and Claude Bertrand, the CEO of Dabon

ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA welcomed new country Uzbekistan as Central Asian grower, importer and exporter. Fresh Green Agro (FGA) Group targets new markets in Asia and signed up to exhibit at the show for the first time.

ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA, Asia’s leading fresh produce trade show, was held during 5th-7th September 2012 at its new venue; the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong. The extremely positive response from the market, evident in the surge in sales of exhibition space in comparison to that of the last year, was bigger and better this year than it had been in the previous editions of the show. This year, fresh produce companies from every corner of the globe set their sights on ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA, as the gateway to success in the crucial Asian market.

The latest companies signed up to exhibit included K Fresh (Thailand), Alquimia Fruits (Spain), and Locate and Grow (Singapore), to name a few. “Our main aim behind participating in ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA 2012 was to establish new partnerships with Asian countries and increase our stable partners in this market,” said Murat Kurshu, the Vice-President of FGA Group. “We believed in attending such a prestigious trade show, which had opened doors in Asia for us,” he pointed out.

6

International were some of the guest speakers who discussed opportunities for the Indian retailers to evolve with the changing Indian palate. Both the sessions in the Business Forum gave the food service operators and restaurateurs across India an understanding of the new trends, platform to discuss ideas, witness latest innovations and view a wide range of products specific to the industry.

According to Paul Phelan, International Director, Diversified Communications India, “Fine Food India 2012 was once again a great success with 135 exhibitors from 19 countries doing business with over 3500 visitors.

The ultimate aim of bringing together the hospitality, and food and beverage industry was not only accomplished but also exceeded our expectations. We believe that those who participated at Fine Food India as either exhibitors or visitors have definitely benefited through this initiative, and can imbibe what they have learnt, while moving forward in their own businesses.”

The exhibition closed with a note of thanks to the participants, with a promise to come back with an even bigger and better Fine Food India, in December 2013.

E V E N TS ’ C A L E N D E R Hotel Expo 2012 10-12 October 2012 The Venetian Macau, www.hotel-exhibition.com SIAL Paris 21-25 October 2012 Paris Nord Villepinte, Paris, France www.sial.fr The India Bar Show 26-27 October 2012 The Leela Kempinski, Gurgaon www.indiabarshow.com TRAFS 2012 25-28 October 2012 Hall 103, BITEC Bangkok www.thailandhoreca.com Oishii Japan 2012 and Delicioso Spain 2012 1-3 November 2012 Suntech, Singapore www.oishii-world.com

Aug-Sept ’12

Aug-Sept ’12

7

The new SelfCookingCenter® whitefficiency®

Efficiency meets culinary delight

up to

480

muffins in 23 minutes

The patented HiDensityControl® – the reinvention of cooking quality up to up to

30 % 70 %

more capacity and faster* less energy consumption*

Wide range of application – grilling, steaming, baking and much more.

The new HiDensityControl® – energy where the food needs it.

Operation is child´s play – can be done by everybody.

Visit our RATIONAL CookingLive event.

Reservations under www.rational-online.in or call our office in Gurgaon + 124 463 58 65.

* compared to kitchen without Combi-Steamers.

8

BAKERY REVIEW

Rich Graviss Launches Rich’s Premium Choco Rich Graviss has announced the launch of Rich’s Premium Choco, a range of premium chocolate compounds, for confectioners, bakers and Pastry Chefs. Confectioners, bakers and Pastry Chefs now have more options to meet the growing consumer demand. Rich’s Premium Choco provides great taste, flavour and workability. Packaged in sizes of 500 gm, Rich’s Premium Choco options are available in Dark, Milk and White varieties. Made from the finest cocoa beans from Ghana and Malaysia, they are great for making chocolate truffle icing, moulded chocolates, chocolate-based desserts, garnishes, chocolate cakes, mousse cakes, cheesecakes, fondues and many more. Chocolate lovers will be pleased to know that the Rich’s Premium Choco gives delicious rich flavour, creamy smooth texture and brilliantly glossy appearance. It melts fast and consistently, and is easy to use.

RICH’s team of sales and Chefs are available to customers at all times to help them get the best out of the chocolate be it in creating new recipes, designs or ensuring the perfect look using RICH’s Premium Choco. “The rising future demand for cocoa and chocolate means that we are constantly looking for better, more sustainable ways to ensure that chocolate is available for our customers and consumers to enjoy”, said Pankaj Chaturvedi, Executive Director & CEO, Rich Graviss Products Pvt Ltd. For years, Rich’s has been bringing delicious, creamy innovations that can be found in kitchens and bakeries around the world. Now the company has turned its attention to the chocolate spectrum. The packaging, which reflects the superior quality of the products, features high quality laminates with oxygen and moisture barrier property which ensures perfect aroma retention and longer shelf life. Rich’s Premium Choco is made with strict adherence to quality norms, assuring of a superior and consistent product every time one opens a pack.

Monginis Launches the Flavour of Festivity With the air of festivity permeating the season, the confectionary giant, Monginis has launched premium cookies to mark celebration with élan. Ultimates Premium Assorted Cookies, Imperia Premium Assorted Cookies, Dry Fruit Chocolate Rocks and Inspiration Premium Assorted Pastries and much more will be there in the stores for a lip-smacking treat to you, your friend, family and acquaintances.

Ultimates Premium Assorted Cookies have four variants, namely kesar, cashew elaichi, corn flakes and cherry bites. The Imperia Premium Assorted Cookies have also six variants comprising shrewbury, tutti fruity, badam, choco chip, oats and butterstoch, and kesar. Inspiration Premium Assorted Pastries also come in six flavours comprising alpine choco rocks, Gulliver’s gold, morning dew, blueberry fudge, raspberry fudge and tangerine fudge.

Ultimates Premium Assorted Cookies, Imperia Premium Assorted Cookies, and Inspiration Premium Assorted Pastries are pure vegetarian offerings.

Aug-Sept ’12

Aug-Sept ’12

9

N E W S

S C A N

BAKERY REVIEW

Max Foods Ties up with Griffin’s Max Foods, one of the premier importers & marketers in India, has tied up with New Zealand’s one of the largest food companies, named Griffin’s, to launch its products in the Indian market. Griffin’s produces renowned brands like Huntley & Palmers, Nice & Natural, and the Griffin’s brand itself . The 300 million USD company has plans to work exclusively with Max Foods to launch its entire range in India over a period of one year. Griffin’s has currently come up with the Nice & Natural Muesli, Granola and Exotic Fruit Bars along with the Huntley & Palmers cream crackers, for the Indian market. The Griffin’s biscuits & cookies are also some of the products launched by Max Foods. The next phase of launch includes the ETA snacks and the Cravers snacks.

Max Foods is currently working with major international brands.

Amit Lohani, MD, Max Foods India Pvt. Ltd., said, “The muesli & granola bars’ market is growing at a pace of 35 percent and we saw huge opportunity in the Nice & Natural Bars, for the Indian Market. The scope of growth in the health bars segment is enormous.” He also said that these muesli bars are “significantly lower in fat and carbohydrate content and are also low in sodium, which is important for healthy blood pressure.” Lohani viewed that Indians have taken fancy to cream crackers and the “Huntley & Palmers range would change their perception about high quality multigrain crackers.”

MoMo Café Awarded ‘Most Preferred Café Chain of the Year 2012’ Courtyard by Marriott, Gurgaon’s MoMo Cafe has recently won the ‘Most Preferred Café Chain of the Year 2012’ award, at the Indian Restaurant Awards 2012. The ceremony was organised by Franchise India.

The award was received by Rajneesh Kumar, Food & Beverage Manager, Courtyard by Marriott, Gurgaon.

Kumar said, “We are honoured to be recognised by the industry’s opinion leaders and peers. This prestigious and highly coveted award bears testament to Courtyard

by Marriott, Gurgaon’s positioning as a distinctively luxurious and well-designed hotel; excelling in India’s highly competitive hospitality market. Indian Restaurant Awards 2012 indeed inspires us to keep up the good work and exceed expectations of our guests.”

This award on the business of restaurants recognise the industry experts and felicitate achievers, innovators and suppliers who have contributed significantly towards the development of the food service industry.

10

Aug-Sept ’12

Aug-Sept ’12

11

N E W S

S C A N

BAKERY REVIEW

Monofloral Honey to Boost Indian Wellness Rise in urbanisation has brought about hectic lifestyle and eating disorders, which have been serious concerns for people on the fast track. There is also growing awareness amongst consumers on healthy and natural food products, which bolster body immunity without compromising on the taste. Riding on this trend, BrBee Products Pvt. Ltd. has introduced for the first time Unique Monofloral Honey under the brand name Honeylite. Honeylite will be made available in five variants - Himalayan Acacia Honey, Himalayan Thyme, Himalayan Forest Honey, Blackberry Honey, and Lychee Honey. Honeylite is extracted primarily from the nectar of one plant species. This multifloral honey comes across as full of natural aroma, flavour and nutrition and is a completely natural sweetener; Honeylite is claimed as 100 percent natural and pure with no preservatives or added sugar. The unblended honey is free from antibiotics and heavy metals with no micro-filtration done. BrBee Products has its state-of-the-art processing & packing centre at Kullu — in the laps of Himalayas.

Unveiling the new product, Goldie Gaba, the Director of BrBee Products Pvt. Ltd., said, “BrBee has been conceived to launch healthy and natural products to the consumers. We have been working with a single minded objective to offer a unique product to Indian consumers and we are only honey producing company in India which extracts primarily from

the nectar of one plant species. The concept of monofloral honey is new and BrBee honey is the result of paramount finesse, utmost care and phenomenal perfection.

Packaged with a touch of sensitivity; to preserve the taste true to its uniqueness, each bottle of our honey oozes with exotic flavour and embodies the distinct character of the natural essence of its parent flower.”

He further added, “BrBee Products invests in the very best of the resources and standard operating procedures continually.

Whether it is the placement of hives, or the finest mated queen bees, the extraction & processing of honey, we choose the very best. Utmost care is taken in packing, transportation & distribution so that honey gets to you in exactly the way nature intended — fresh and full of its natural goodness.”

CCD Unveils Frosteas Café Coffee Day (CCD), the pioneers of the coffee café culture in India, has launched a sparkling new range of ice cold beverages.

The iced teas launched are known as ‘Frosteas’ and besides that there is the energising range of ‘Lemonades.’ The Frosteas are lemon iced teas but with a difference. They come with a dash of spunky pomegranate, tangy cranberry and cool cucumber, and are designed to uplift your spirits at any time of the day. The new Lemon Frosteas come in three mouth-watering flavours — Lemon Pomegranate; delightful pomegranate flavour with yummy red jelly chunks, Lemon Cranberry; cranberry flavour and soft white jelly chunks, and the Lemon Cucumber; tinged with fresh cucumber flavour and topped with mint leaves.

The Lemonades are also available in three variants — Classic, Kiwi and Strawberry flavours. Classic Lemonade, with its mild tones of mint and ginger and topped with mint leaves, Kiwi Lemonade, the kiwi flavoured zesty lemonade with basil seeds, and Strawberry Lemonade, the strawberry flavoured lemonade with basil seeds, together and as well as individually, makes for a refreshing feel.

Commenting on CCD’s latest customer value initiative, K. Ramakrishnan, President-Marketing, said, “At Café Coffee Day we are committed to enhancing the experience of the consumers through exciting new recipes. These new beverages added to our menu are a recognition of the fact that every season needs a specialised offering, both in terms of ingredients as well as tastes.

The new range of Frosteas and Lemonades is designed to tantalise the mind and refresh the senses and is sure to make a mark among the youngsters with their flavours, which are unique, fresh and have a universal appeal.”

12

Aug-Sept ’12

Aug-Sept ’12

13

F O C U S

BAKERY REVIEW

It is Time for

Muffin Break

By Swarnendu Biswas

M

uffin Break, a renowned Australian brand of bakery café chain owned by Foodco Group Pty Ltd. with presence in 267 locations across Australia, New Zealand, the UK and now India, has very recently forayed into India with its first flagship café, which opened in New Delhi, in GK-II M Block Market. Muffin Break has a carved a niche in the Australian retail food industry, and is recognised for its CSR Golden Bean award-winning proprietary coffee blend.

The Foodco Group, which besides Muffin Break, also owns coffee chain named Jamaica Blue, and the premium donuts chain named Dreamy Donuts, has 370 franchise business retail outlets across Australia, the UK, China and other nations.

This bakery café chain, which began its delectable journey in 1989 with its Queensland outlet, offers a vast range of products that are freshly baked and prepared on site every day, which are supplemented with gourmet espresso coffee menu and extended beverage range. Muffin Break has much more than its wonderful freshly baked muffins. The chain has an extensive

14

Aug-Sept ’12

BAKERY REVIEW

range of sweet and savoury choices, including slices, cakes, wraps, savoury pies, sandwiches and more.

Muffin Break will be licensed in India through New Delhibased South Asian Food and Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary company of South Asian Hospitality Services Pvt. Ltd. Here it deserves a mention that South Asian Hospitality Services Pvt. Ltd. is a multi-franchisee of renowned restaurant brands, which include names like Moti Mahal, Subway, Nirula’s, Quiznos, Muffin Break, Rita’s Rajdhan, Dosa Hut among others.

SAHSPL operates around 55 restaurants and a food court in 14 cities all over India. South Asian Food & Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary company of South Asian Hospitality Services Pvt. Ltd., has acquired the master franchise right of whole of India for Muffin Break.

According to Parvin Juneja, the Chief Executive of South Asian Food & Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., 40 Muffin Break stores are expected across India by 2017. At the initial stage, the opening of Muffin Break outlets will be concentrated in north India only, and from 2013 onwards, the aroma of Muffin Break’s offerings would spread across other parts of India too.

Muffin Break will not only be offering a range of flavours in muffin but will also cater to the tastes of the coffee lovers in India. “We are proud to open the first Muffin Break cafe in India and with this, we endeavour to swirl the taste buds of the muffin lovers across the nation. Also, with our past experience of providing high quality food products, we plan to further open more such bakeries catering to the interests of muffin and coffee lovers in India,” elaborated Juneja.

Speaking on the opening of their flagship café in India, Robert Fitzgerald, the Executive Director, Foodco Group Pty Ltd., expressed that they were pleased with this partnership.

“We are pleased to have partnered with an organisation which has been in the Indian hospitality industry for over a decade now. Their experience, coupled with Muffin Break’s unique brand strength and product offerings will deliver Indian consumers with India’s best bakery and coffee products,“ he asserted. According to Fitzgerald, Muffin Break would have 20 stores across the country, within three years. It is expected that there will be five Muffin Break outlets in India by the end of

Aug-Sept ’12

F O C U S

this year.

According to Fitzgerald, the USP of Muffin Break in India is that “All our products are freshly made in our outlets on a daily basis, and involve natural ingredients.” This trait of Muffin Break is universal across all its outlets. For the Indian market, Muffin Break has an exhaustive range of flavours, which include mulberry and chickoo flavours, and its specialty muffin varieties include gluten free muffins and low fat muffins among others.

Juneja informed that each Muffin Break outlet in India will involve an initial investment ranging from Rs.70-90 lakh, and he is expecting a turnover of Rs. 8-10 crore in the ongoing fiscal of 2012-13, from the present and forthcoming Muffin Break outlets in India.

There is no denying the fact that in the India’s rapidly developing café coffee culture, with consumption of coffee in India showing a steady increase of 5-6 percent per annum since 2000, there is enough market space for bakery café chains like Muffin Break to sell their premium products to the upwardly mobile urban India.

However, at the same time, Muffin Break needs to take into account of the competition that it is likely to face from Café Coffee Day, Barista Lavazza and also foreign giants like Starbucks and Costa Coffee, to find its own place in the volatile and price-sensitive Indian market.

Though CCD’s strategy, according to Fitzgerald, has been revolving around mass market beverages, but it is difficult to believe that many of CCD’s upwardly mobile target consumers comprising smart college going crowd and corporates with reasonable disposable incomes; looking for sleek café ambience for having innovative coffee concoctions with sumptuous bakery products, along with animated conversation, would not be the target consumers of Muffin Break too.

But one can assume that the freshly baked products of Muffin Break, which are prepared on its sites, can be one of the important factors that can help the chain to stand apart from the heat of frenzied competition in India. Its awesome variety of more than 200 muffin flavours with which it is aiming to flood the Indian bakery market, may give it another marketing edge.

Robert Fitzgerald (L) and Parvin Juneja

15

C O V E R

S T O R Y

Balancing

Health and Delight 16

BAKERY REVIEW

Nowadays, in the Indian bakery industry, taste and health are no longer mutually exclusive. Healthy and seemingly ‘boring’ products like corn, rice, wheat and oats may create something which is not only inwardly healthy but also outwardly tasty.

In a popular television advertisement for the baked snack named Aliva Multigrain Waves, a very popular Bollywood actress also mouths the slogan of outward taste and inner health in her usual inimitable style, which clearly indicates the underlining current trend of a section of people’s growing interest for healthy and as well as tasty bakery products. Ashok Malkani finds that amidst the present trend of health with taste, the bakery industry of the country needs to maintain a delicate balance between delight and lite.

Aug-Sept ’12

C O V E R

BAKERY REVIEW

S T O R Y

M

any experts from the industry have stated that the Indian consumers were showing preference towards convenience foods, and also an inclination towards healthy bakery products. The reasons can be attributed to higher disposable incomes, time constraint and increased health consciousness. As many nuclear families with working couples are finding less time to cook, they are opting for convenience foods or fast foods in breakfast, and even lunch and dinner, which often include bread and butter, pizza and burger.

The rising health consciousness and the increasing need to combat lifestyle diseases can be regarded as the factors influencing the consumption of healthy bakery products.

High rates of obesity, heart problems and diabetes have placed the importance of healthy eating in the front and centre of the young and as well as the aged people’s menu. In fact, many of those who can afford healthy food in India are opting for it, but they are not necessarily inclined to compromise on the taste factor. This trend is tapped by the bakery industry of India, which is reflected in a slew of healthy and tasty products in the market.

The Healthy Need The bakery and confectionery industry – with its vast array of cakes, ice creams, chocolates and other goodies for those with the sweet tooth – has realised the necessity to cater to the demands of their patrons and come up with sugarless and cholesterol free sweets.

The namkeen manufacturers have introduced baked stuff instead of fried goodies. A section of consumers with

Aug-Sept ’12

high disposable incomes(their number is no longer insignificant in today’s India, a country which lives in many centuries simultaneously) who play a crucial role in shaping consumer trends in the country, are willing to pay markedly more for tasty bakery items with healthy profiles.

This healthy bakery trend is not only a reaction against our lifestyle diseases; it is also a product of growing awareness through Internet and television, the two potent mediums of our century.

Consumers are now getting savvy about different fats, which include trans and saturated fats, and consequently are demanding for trans fat free alternatives of their preferred baked foods.

In the recent times, enhancement of the nutritional profile in bakery products has emerged as a significant trend in the Indian bakery industry.

Manufacturers are also endeavouring to spruce the nutritional value of traditional bakery products through the addition of functional ingredients, such as omega-3,

multigrain, probiotics, etc.

Like in the west, in India too consumers are demanding baked products with increased content of omega-3 fatty acids. These polyunsaturated fatty acids contribute towards cardiovascular health, and may help in reducing the blood pressure and checking the emergence of heart disease. They are also seeking an enhancement of healthy fibres, reduction of calories, and reduction in sugar content in their baked products, which together may make munching of bakery products eventually a guilt-free choice for many in the country. Sugar-free bakery items are also gaining currency, with sugar-free cakes and desserts and chocolates becoming trendy snacking options among health conscious Indian crowd.

Replacing sugar with natural sweeteners to improve the nutritional status of food products is fast gaining currency in the realm of Indian bakery industry. Medical experts recommend that you go for sweets which use natural sweeteners like agave nectar, dry fruits, natural apple sauce and smashed bananas, stevia, raw honey, molasses, etc.

Besides these natural sweeteners, several artificial sweeteners can also be healthily used in bakery products.

Isomalt is one such artificial sweetener.

It is a type of sugar alcohol, whose primary application is for its sugar-like physical properties. It has negligible affect on blood sugar levels, and does not encourage tooth decay. Isomalt has low calorie content, and is friendly to the

17

C O V E R

S T O R Y

tooth. Furthermore, Isomalt has only half the calories of sugar.

Overall, the seemingly conflicting objectives of eating pleasure with wellness can be achieved in the bakery sector by addition of those ingredients which adds to the nutritional value without offsetting the products’ original flavour and taste.

The National Institute of Nutrition, the apex body of nutrition in the country which is a part of the Indian Council of Medical Research, has urged the manufacturers of bakery products to look for ingredients like zero trans fat and high fibre. In order to keep abreast with the changing consumer trends, the body has called on the country’s bakery sector to lay more emphasis on technological innovations and better ingredients.

“The food industry is riding on a health wave; an increase in consumer awareness about health concerns has led to most of the bakery products being augmented with health benefits from fiber and whole grains,” viewed B. Maheshwari, Senior Consulting Analyst with Frost & Sullivan.

However, the addition of whole wheat and fibers disrupts the gluten network, which could lead to processing difficulties, changing organoleptic properties and causing quality problems.

Using enzymes offers a way out. Enzymes interact with the gluten network,

18

BAKERY REVIEW

strengthening and stabilising the dough during processing, baking, and proofing.

The escalating demand for whole grain and high-fiber bakery products will thus positively impact market progression in the bakery’s enzyme sector as well.

Succinctly, a sizeable section of upwardly mobile and even middle-class India is looking for tasty and healthy ready-to-eat foods, which include a great many bakery products too. They are also demanding greater variety and innovation in their bakery products.

This trend has opened a new age of challenges and opportunities for the Indian bakery industry at large. There is the opportunity to become more creative in one’s offerings which can have the potential to take the market by storm,

and there is the challenge for the bakers and entrepreneurs in the bakery industry to update their information on products, technology, and services to meet the changing needs of the Indian consumers.

High Demand and Challenges In spite of the onerous task of satisfying these two seemingly contradictory needs of the consumers, the emerging economies, in 2011, experienced strong retail growth across most bakery categories. According to Euromonitor International, static or negative growth in bakery volumes within developed markets was offset by the impressive growth in emerging regions, particularly Latin America and Asia-Pacific.

According to the same globally renowned research body having an extensive network of strategic analysts across 80 countries, regionally AsiaPacific appears insatiable in its demand for bakery products, which is primarily due to growing consumption in China, but also increasingly in India.

According to Datamonitor, the market for bakery and cereals in India increased at a compound annual growth rate of 12.5 percent, between 2004 and 2009. According to Market Publishers, the market size for the Indian bakery industry was pegged at 4.7 billion USD in 2010, which is expected reach 7.6

Aug-Sept ’12

C O V E R

BAKERY REVIEW billion USD by 2015.

The increased demand for innovative and even experimental range of bakery products, similar to those available in the developed western markets, along with the changing perception of bakery cafes as popular hangout zones among the young upwardly mobile crowd, have fostered the retail chain revolution in bakery sector, and convenience bakery is gaining momentum among India’s fast food preferences.

Globally also many of the bakery trends are not much different from that of India, though in developed markets, the demand for bakery products seem to have been saturated.

For example, the emergence and growth of indulgence and convenience bakery is a global phenomenon. According to Euromonitor International, continued product development has enabled the bakery industry to capitalise on the global convenience and snacking trends. Portability and functionality remain key issues, and snacking breads, wraps, sandwich pockets and other products have galvanised the industry.

As consumers become increasingly globalised, a growing variety of packaged ethnic bread products are also becoming available, notes the research body.

However, despite the high demand for bakery products in India, fostered by various socio-economic and cultural factors, the fact remains that the per capita consumption of bakery products in India per annum is nowhere near that of the standard of the developed countries.

This rather than causing despondency should be a case of exploring untapped opportunities. This indicates that this existing high demand is spruced with a very high potential for the Indian bakery industry.

With maturing of globalisation, India is being perceived as a potential growth market for the Indian bakery industry.

Buoyed by this growing demand, there has been a profusion of bakery chains, and café chains selling a variety of bakery products, which have mushroomed across the country.

Aug-Sept ’12

Enhancing Information and Technology But we should always remember that along with rising demand and high consumer potential for bakery products, the bakery industry in the country is also beset with challenges. The challenge for the Indian bakery industry is not only to produce healthy and tasty products, but also to produce innovative products with variety. For today’s trendy consumers, the bakery products should not only be good to health, taste good, be innovative, but also should look good. “As the present generation looks into newer bakery products — those which are appealing in taste and convenience — the bakers have to face the challenge of updating the information, technology, products and services in order to meet the changing needs of the Indian consumers,” pointed out Ramesh Mago, MD, Kitty Industries, and the President of AIBMA. According to a research report titled ‘Bakery Products: A Global Strategic Business Report,’ announced

by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. product appearance significantly influences impulse purchases of bakery items, and therefore constitutes an important consideration in the purchase

S T O R Y

of bakery products. This global trend is also becoming pronounced in a predominantly price-sensitive market like India. Yes, these products should emanate a feel good aroma too. The fast-changing consumer preferences, in terms of health, taste and variety are keeping the industry on its toes.

One of the creative ways to capture the developing bakery market for newage entrepreneurs entering this buoyant industry is to come up with therapeutic bakery products or at least healthy bakery products with great taste and affordable prices. They are expected to tap huge demand in the increasingly health conscious, increasingly hedonistic and always price sensitive market of India. Of course, they should also look and smell great too.

The huge unorganised sector of the country’s bakery industry can also increase its participation into the area of providing new-age creative bakery products, provided these are facilitated with low-cost technology, easy finances and relevant infrastructure, by the state.

In our country, unorganised bakery sector players accounts for 65 percent market share of the entire bakery industry, and it caters to huge chunks of population in rural and even urban India. It is not pragmatic and sensitive to keep the sector away from this potential growth scenario.

There is a pressing need for developing healthy bakery products using low-cost technology, which needs to be addressed not only by the state but also by the scientists and innovators.

Moreover, in the present scenario, the bakers in India need to continually tailor their products to the changing market needs perhaps more than ever before, and in doing so they need to keep updating their information base and technological skills. Without continual honing the skills in baking science and technology it would be very difficult for the industry to cater to the evolving demand in the market.

In this regard, more schools for baking science and technology are also needed to boost innovation and entrepreneurship in this direction, which will eventually give an impetus to the industry so that the untapped potential of the Indian bakery sector doesn’t remain untapped. In this regard, besides the governments, the private sector should also play its role. 

19

B U S I N E S S

BAKERY REVIEW

Packaged

Power to Safety In the realm of food & beverage, the baking industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the country perhaps preceded only by wheat flour, and fruits and vegetables processing sectors. It is also the largest of the processed food industries in India, characterised by steadily increasing production.

And the packaging is of crucial significance for the bakery products. Packaging in bakery is closely linked with the production, preservation, storage, transportation, and marketing of bakery products. The packaging of bakery products can be regarded as a combination of science, arts and technology. Packaging not only makes the products attractive and thereby increases their salebility, 20

but also safeguards them from harmful germs and other environmental affects, and also effectively helps in containing them.

For arriving upon the appropriate packaging option/s for bakery products, it is necessary to know the nature and composition of the product on which a given packaging would be introduced, its expected shelf life under specific conditions of storage in terms of light, temperature, humidity, and presence of oxygen, and the types and causes of deterioration that the product may undergo during its handling and storage. Here Ashok Malkani examines the necessity for packaging of bakery products and the different types of packaging options for different bakery products.

Aug-Sept ’12

B U S I N E S S

BAKERY REVIEW

P

ackaging can be defined as the wrapping material around a consumer item that facilitates the product to get easily identified, helps to describe the essential constituents and attributes of the product and to retain its health and taste, and also to promote its marketability. Succinctly, the basic functional requirements of packaging, in general, are protection and preservation, enhancing the reach, communication of relevant information, and increasing the salability of the products concerned.

The Role of Packaging The right packaging should not only protect the product from environment, but should also provide relevant information about the contents, storage conditions, net weight, and the methods of usage of the product; it should also provide information on the date of manufacture and expiry (if any), price and nutritional value of the product. Whatever the physical nature of packaging involved, it should be transparent in character as far as its communication is concerned. In other words, the right packaging should clearly tell the would be consumer the type of the product and its manufacturer.

Packaging should also effectively help in containing the products so that the products can be transported from one place to another easily and quickly. For example, without packaging breads and biscuits would not have become a part

Aug-Sept ’12

and parcel of the consumption profile of middle class India. Besides these of course, the packaging should be attractive enough to encourage the marketing potential of the product. Attaining all these above-mentioned factors through a single packaging is a challenging proposition, which calls for great professionalism in the packaging industry.

The choice of appropriate packaging material is influenced by several factors.

They include specific sensitivities of the product to be packaged towards moisture, oxygen and other facets of environment, storage conditions, shelf life of the product, the target segment where the product is to be marketed, operating margins of the product, and the biodegradability and recycling potential of the product among others.

Packaging in Bakery Packaging has become an essential element of modern day production and marketing, and the bakery business is no exception. All these above-mentioned factors influencing the appropriate packaging options and all the abovementioned purposes of packaging are very much relevant to the bakery industry also.

In fact, in bakery products, the role of packaging cannot be overemphasised, especially given the environmental vulnerabilities of three chief bakery products, which are biscuits, breads and cakes. The fact that a great many of the bakery products are prone to chemical breakdown and mould growth makes their packaging crucial to their commercial viability. Fermentation problems in packed breads and pastries

are also not uncommon, which also necessitate the prudence in packing options as far as bakery products go.

Like in other industries, the packaging for bakery products should be done while taking into account of the product characteristics of the bakery products concerned.

It should be remembered that since bakery products often have their own distinctive flavours, the packaging materials for bakery products should not transmit their own odour to the products.

In fact, this should be the golden rule for packaging of all types of food & beverage products. Packaging in bakery industry or rather the entire food & beverage industry, besides being non-toxic in character, should also be inert to food.

Here it deserves a mention that a majority of the bakery products are marketed fresh and are stored at ambient temperature, though it is desirable to store cream, cakes, and fruit filled pies under refrigerated or frozen storage conditions in order provide them with a longer shelf life. It is very much important to ascertain the spoilage potential of bakery products before deciding on their appropriate packaged option.

Though bakery products are cooked at high temperature, yet they are subject to spoilage. In this context, the proper packaging of bakery products assumes great importance. Like a great majority of processed foods, bakery products can also be victims of physical, chemical, and microbiological spoilage. While physical and chemical spoilage problems thwart or impede the shelf life of bakery products with low and intermediate moisture

21

B U S I N E S S

levels, the threat of microbiological spoilage is the main challenge to tackle for bakery products of intermediate and high moisture levels.

Breads, Cakes and Biscuits The day-to-day operations of the bakery industry cannot survive without packaging because products like biscuits and breads, the two main products of the bakery industry are likely to go stale, if exposed for long to open air. Biscuits generally have low moisture content, and are endowed with high fat level. The essential ingredients in biscuits are wheat flour, sugar, salt, fat and shortening, and flavouring agents, which together makes biscuits sensitive to moisture and oxygen reactions. When fat gets exposed to moisture and atmosphere, it gets oxidised and this induces rancidity. Thus high fat content of biscuits results in lowering their shelf-life if exposed to air for long duration. Biscuits are also fragile in nature, which also necessitates their packaging.

Breads and cakes are other bakery products with potentially vulnerable shelf-lives. These products are characterised with high moisture content, supple texture and high water activity with low resistance and tendency to crumble and go stale. Though breads have low fat content and thus doesn’t need to be saved from oxygen, they have hydrated starch, which makes them susceptible to staling, thus impeding its shelf-life. Bread is also vulnerable to loss in aroma or flavour, which entails that its packaging material used must be able to prevent pick up of undesirable offflavours. As breads tend to lose moisture to the atmosphere, they need a slightly water-vapour resistant packaging material so as to prevent the crust from becoming soggy.

The undesirable changes during the storage of breads and cakes may entail moisture loss, staling and loss of freshness, and thus their packaging material must possess moderately effective moisture barrier properties. Hence the

22

BAKERY REVIEW appropriate packaging material for the cakes and breads must be such that it conserves the moisture content, prevents staling and keeps the products fresh for maximum possible duration.

At the same time, if the package is too much water-vapour resistant, it may lead to inside condensation and fogging, which may pave in mould growth. Cakes should also have packaging options similar to that of breads. Waxed paper and plastic films are good packaging options for breads and cakes. In both breads and cakes, the packaging should also have enough toughness, so as to protect these soft items against possible physical damage.

Not only biscuits, cakes, pastries, and doughnuts are also found in various shapes, sizes and forms. Since cakes, pastries and doughnuts are loaded with moisture content they are susceptible to mould growth and therefore the right packaging material selected for them should ensure that it does not facilitate mould growth. Worldwide, the packaging material used for cakes, pastries and doughnuts are Polypropylene (PP), Cast Polypropylene (CPP), Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) etc. while the choice of the film depends upon the technology employed and economics.

The biscuits on the other hand need highly water-vapour resistant packages, though they should also be tough to compensate for the by and large fragile nature of the biscuits. The packaging material for biscuits should also be fat and oxygen resistant. BOPP films have widespread application in the packaging of biscuits, which are sensitive to humidity and oxygen. Laminates such as cellophane/PE, coated foils, and

metallized polyester/PE are also popular options in biscuits’ packaging.

Furthermore, India’s humid climate contributes to the compulsion for the bakery products to be appropriately packaged. Besides catering to health necessities, packaging also facilitates convenience factor in bakery products, and helps breads, biscuits and cakes to become user-friendly food items during travels. In fact, biscuits are convenient snacking options during travels and even at homes, largely because of their variable pack sizes.

Aluminum and Bakery Nowadays, aluminum foils are gaining currency in the realm of bakery products.

Aluminum foil containers are dependable and versatile, bright and reflective, and stay in their original shape and texture throughout the rigours of processing and marketing, thereby facilitating the providing of the end-consumers with fresh and wholesome bakery products.

They can withstand all types of cooking operations, and have ease of handling, usage and disposal.

One of the major advantages of aluminum foils is their compatibility.

Even uncoated aluminum foil does not react with the vast majority of foods. A range of approved food-contact coatings ensure full protection against any possible reaction, which might be caused by acid or alkaline ingredients. The aluminum is also conducive to heat, resulting in low processing, chilling and re-heating times.

From below blast-freezing temperatures to grilling options, aluminum foil containers can be effectively used, without involving the risk of cracking, melting or charring whatsoever. Moreover

Aug-Sept ’12

BAKERY REVIEW

aluminum doesn’t support bacterial growth, and neither does it absorb moisture, grease and grime, leading to hygienic packaging options.

Their endurance and strength are the other packaging strengths of aluminum foils, as is their remarkable adaptability to multiple heating and cooking options.

The compatibility of aluminum foils with varied printing methods provides the designers ample creative potential to develop product or brand identity through aluminum foil packaging.

Moreover aluminum foil packaging facilitates economy in transport as well as storage. Aluminium containers can also be recycled again and again, without suffering loss of quality and with very less cost of energy, which makes aluminum an environmentally-friendly and sustainable packaging option too.

The Innovative Packaging Trends Use of gases for packaging of bakery products is also not very uncommon nowadays. Modified atmosphere packaging or MAP, despite its high cost of installing, has experienced wide usage in preventing spoilage of bakery products.

MAP is especially suitable for enabling gas packaging of breads, pastries, and pies. MAP can be effective in preventing mould growth.

Since mould is an aerobic microorganism, its growth can be effectively curtailed by packaging the bakery products in a modified atmosphere of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen (N2), thereby minimising the oxygen content.

Carbon dioxide and nitrogen are the most commonly used gases in the gas packaging of bakery products. However, nitrogen is effective only when the residual oxygen percentage is low. MAP enhances the shelf life of bakery products, maintains their quality, and improves the overall cost-effectiveness of bakery

Aug-Sept ’12

operations.

Aseptic packaging is another of the new trends in packaging being used in the bakery industry. However, aseptic packaging is not a new concept. Here it deserves a mention that Nielsen introduced the aseptic packing of foods in Denmark prior to 1913 and in 1921 patent for this process, which is termed as aseptic conservation, was granted.

The term aseptic connotes the absence or exclusion of undesirable organisms from the product, package or other specified areas. Aseptic packaging entails filling of commercially sterile products into sterile containers under aseptic conditions and sealing of the containers so that the reinfection is prevented, that is ensuring that they are hermetically sealed.

For packaging of pre-sterilised and sterile products like milk and other dairy products, desserts, fruit juices, soups, sauces, etc. aseptic packaging is very much applicable. For packaging of non-sterile products like yogurt and other fermented dairy products also aseptic packaging can be introduced to avoid infection by microorganisms.

Then there is active packaging, which is a large group of packaging modifications directed towards enhancing the shelf life of the food products. It involves enhancing the shelf life of foods by altering the environment around the food in such a manner so that the growth of microorganisms is prevented or delayed. Oxygen-scavenging systems, moisture absorbers, antimicrobial incorporated directly into the packaging matrix are some of the relevant examples of active packaging for the bakery industry.

Yes, bakery industry today has an important place in the industrial map of the country. Bakery products have become popular in the country among cross-section of populations, irrespective of age group and geography. Thus their proper preservation and marketing have assumed increased importance, and one way of doing this is by packaging them with materials that will seal in their freshness for a long time as well as convey a gamut of useful and relevant information about these products. Of course, the packaging should also be visually appealing so that the consumers will be encouraged to pick the packaged products from the shelves. 

23

P R O F I L E

BAKERY REVIEW

The Healthy Taste of

Red Mango

By Tapapriya Lahiri

Red Mango, a prominent frozen yogurt and smoothie brand, has established its foothold in the Indian food and beverage market with its offerings of 100 percent natural, non-fat & low fat gluten-free frozen yogurts fortified with pro-biotic. Already established as a healthy food option in many countries with 190 outlets in the United States, Red Mango is the first frozen yogurt brand to be certified by the National Yogurt Association with the Live & Active Cultures seal. Here it deserves a mention that Red Mango was named the number one smoothie and frozen yogurt chain in America in Zagat’s 2011 National Chain Restaurants Survey. Red Mango has over 265 stores across the world and is expanding its base in India as well.

For India, Rahul Kumar holds the rights of franchise of Red Mango as a division of Maez One Retail & Food Pvt. Ltd. I happened to have an interaction with this CEO of Red Mango in India. The young entrepreneur has introduced this frozen yogurt chain to India with the first Red Mango’s flagship store in the country, in New Delhi. In the interview, he talks about the expansion plans of the Red Mango brand in the country, his store plans, about the frozen yogurt market in India and much more. The excerpts of the interview follow: Please throw some light on the expansion plans in India?

Within a span only eight months, Red Mango has expanded rapidly and within this short period of time, Delhi-NCR is having five chic stores of Red Mango. Our maiden store in India was launched at Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, which was soon followed by outlets at other places of Delhi-NCR like Connaught Place, Great India Palace, Noida, Select CityWalk, Saket, and Ambience Mall, Gurgaon. Red Mango plans to open 12

24

to 15 stores in India within this year, mainly focusing on big cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore & others.

Within this financial year, Mumbai will see high street stores for Red Mango outlets. Rather than looking for having stores within malls, for Mumbai, I am identifying the numerous locations where high street stores will be perfect.

Being a QSR, what kind of store plan you have proposed?

For a QSR, the visual appeal of the

stores matters a lot. In this fast-paced lifestyle, guests tend to stop by at the store only if it has an appealing look.

My concept is to build up at least one or two flagship stores in each city followed by small and mid-level stores embodying chic designs, which Indian youth can make their hangout place while savouring healthy QSR food.

All the flagship stores in the cities will have space ranging between 12001400 sq ft. We are also planning kiosks in different cities to serve our potential guests quickly.

Aug-Sept ’12

P R O F I L E

BAKERY REVIEW What is the present consumption level of frozen yogurt in India?

Kindly tell us about some of your marketing initiatives for Red Mango, in India The rate of consumption of frozen yogurts in India is still very miniscule.

However, in the same breath I must say that over a period time, their consumption is increasing at a very fast rate. Projecting Red Mango as a youth brand, we have chosen social networking sites as a great platform to market our products. Besides, for the first time in India, Red Mango has organised the Froyo festival to make the frozen yogurts popular, which will be made an annual festival to mark the healthy consumption of frozen yogurts.

Red Mango has got some exclusive flavours and toppings.

Please enlighten on them Our strategy of wellness is to focus on bringing premium flavours, which includes Madagasgar Vanilla, Sonoma Strawberry and many more to add

Aug-Sept ’12

of cereals for topping. Providing the all natural and non-fat yogurt at an economical price range, with raw materials imported from different countries, was our biggest challenge.

Though we have been successful in creating a niche for our products in the Indian food and beverage market, we are not resting on our laurels. The expert team in the US is continually innovating the quality of Red Mango products through research and development.

on. Madagasgar produces one of the finest vanillas in the world, and we use imported fruits as our yogurt toppings.

Furthermore, for making our yogurt offerings healthier, we offer an array

Being in a competitive F&B market, what strategies you have chosen to stand apart from the competition?

Our strategy is to make people aware about the benefits of the consumption of healthy yogurts through various campaigns. A pro-biotic yogurt will help to build a better immune system. We are also in a rapid expansion mode to reach other Indian metros where we can create the ‘Froyo’ segment with our different array of yogurts.

25

O P E R A T I O N S

BAKERY REVIEW

Mixers for Bakers

By Kanishka Gupta levels,” said Rohit Kumar, Director, Mod Kitchen Equipment.

Planetary and Spiral

M

ixers play a very important role in bakery/confectionery operations. A mixer is a kitchen appliance intended for mixing, folding, beating, and whipping of food ingredients.

Mixers come in two major distinctions; hand mixers and stand mixers. A hand mixer is a hand-held mixing equipment.

The modern electrically powered type consists of a handle mounted over a large enclosure containing the motor, which drives one or two beater/s. The beaters are immersed in the food to be mixed. A simpler manually operated type, which preceded the evolution of the electric mixers and is still being rampantly used, consists of a handle with a hand-operated crank on the side, geared to two beaters.

The handle is held with one hand and the crank is turned with the other, turning the beaters.

However, if you choose to go deeper beyond these broad categories, you will find that there are variety of mixers available in the market which include planetary mixer, blending and dough

26

break mixer, spiral mixer, fork mixer (typically used for baguettes), artofex mixer, which simulates human arms; vertical mixer, horizontal mixer, high speed mixer (with or without vacuum), and continuous mixer.

Irrespective of the type of mixer that is used in bakery operations, its principal aim remains constant, which is to develop the gluten to maximum gas retention capability. The mixers play a great role in influencing the final structure of the crumb.

“In old days, dough was made by hands. It has evolved to present day mixers to maintain the consistent quality of bakery and confectionary products every day, which involves high production of different items. Mixing time is also reduced through different mixers by mixing actions with different mixing speeds as well as stirring. Speed also allows in preparing the required and desired recipes for long time reliability, most of the time, and also enhances the productivity of bakery and confectionary items at different

In India, there are mainly two types of mixers in the market, spiral mixer and planetary mixer. Spiral mixer is designed to mix dough for breads, pizzas and chappaties. “Planetary mixer is also known as all purpose mixer. It comes with three different types of tools; dough hook, dough beater and whip. Each tool has its function. Dough hook is used for making bread and pizza. Dough beater is used for making potatoes, mixing for cakes and icing. Whip is used for whipping cream and beating egg whites,” informed Kumar.

“In the planetary type mixers, the bowl is a non-rotating bowl, and the spindle rotates in a planetary motion around the inner circumference of the bowl.

Hence this mixer is meant mainly for mixing of flour, cream and other batters of different consistency. Generally, these mixers are used for bakery and can be of widely varying capacity, ranging from 5 litres to 180 litres,” elaborated Debashish Bhattacharya, Director (Projects & Sales), Rite Equipments.

“In the spiral mixers the bowl is a rotating unit and the spindle rotates inside the bowl. The spiral mixers are of two types; one meant for high fluid and less flour, and the other for less fluid and more flour. Both the types of spiral mixers are primarily used for dough making of semi hard to hard consistency. Capacities of spiral mixers vary from 20 kg dough to 200+ kg of dough for more heavy duty and load consuming units,” elaborated Bhattacharya.

Hotel bakeries and confectionery outlets also use a variety of mixers.

“The primary ones are spiral dough mixer, planetary food dough mixer, and multi-functional food dough mixer,” pointed out Santosh Reddy, Pastry Chef, Radisson MBD Hotel Noida. “Traditional confectionery shops like ours use planetary

Aug-Sept ’12

BAKERY REVIEW drive and high energy mixers with capacities ranging from 3. 30 liters to 60 liters for making sponges, breads and confectionery,” pointed out Atul Tandon, Partner, Wengers.

Facilitating Operations A mixer generally facilitates profit to the operations. Uniform mixing reduces waste and improves process control.

Smooth surfaces and durable materials make cleanup fast and easy. This all means economical operations. Due to its reliability, mixers from companies like Hobart are likely to give years of dependable, low cost service. The Hobart mixer’s planetary action ensures uniform mixing. Its mix arm can reach every part of the batch. Moreover, Hobart mixers are flexible in the kitchen. Most Hobert mixer models allow use of bowls of more than one size, and several agitator styles are available to handle specific mixing tasks.

The first stage in dough processing is mixing. In bakery operations, during the mixing process both the development of the dough and the temperature of the dough are established. If both of them are not exactly correct, the processing and the product quality will have a setback.

If you do the mixing wrong, there is no possibility to correct it at a later stage.

Mixing is the only discontinuous step in the otherwise continuous process of bakery operations. Therefore in mixing an even greater discipline is required than in other bakery operations. Another facet of mixing is that all ingredients involved must be correctly weighed and that all ingredients should be added to the dough.

In a conventional spiral mixer, the mixing time of around 12 minutes will be required for a dough of about165 kg,

Aug-Sept ’12

O P E R A T I O N S

important for any individual to get depending on such factors as trained on the usage of the mixers the quality of the flour and or rather of any equipment used the mixing method. The time in the bakery and pastry kitchen of salt addition will influence before using it. Training is always the mixing time; delayed important because their wrong salt addition will shorten usage may involve compromise of the mixing time. During individual’s safety, and also because these duration of 12 minutes these machines are expensive,” there are a number of stages, Debashish Bhattacharya pointed out Reddy. which are pick up when the dough is sticky, cold and lumpy; initial development when the dough is getting Purchasing Factors warmer, smoother and drier; clean up Suppliers like Mod Kitchen Equipmen when the dough is at maximum stiffness t determine the requirement of bakeries and comes together as one mass and when for mixers by the size of the bakery and the colour changes from yellowish to more the volume of bakery products to be white; final development when the dough produced. “The sales tools, sales leads and is at its correct temperature and handling market surveys play their very important quality; letdown, when the dough is roles in determining the requirement of too warm and sticky and lacks elasticity mixers for bakeries, confectionaries or and has too much flow; and finally, the catering operations,” said Kumar. breakdown stage when the dough is Bakeries in hotels like Radisson MBD beginning to liquefy.

Hotel Noida too have their methods for Besides the time of salt addition, determining the type of mixers they need. mixing times will also depend on the “It is always important for a Chef to know speed of the mixer, the design of the his surroundings, like what the work mixer, dough size in relation to the mixer’s level is, what the quantity of production capacity, dough temperature or the is, and last but not the least, what is the efficiency of the cooling systems, quality desired quality of the products. All these of the flour, water absorption capacity of factors determine the choice of the mixers the flour, which again is influenced by the in our operations,” asserted Reddy, who particle size, the amount of shortening pragmatically opines that it is always very (more shortening will increase mixing important to choose the right mixer for times), the amount and type of reducing use. and oxidising agents, and the quantity “Mixers are purchased depending of milk solids and other ingredients that on the application and the quantity of compete for water. Here it deserves a products or goods to be manufactured. mention that the higher the concentration Normally we try to source from the of milk solids and other ingredients are, best local suppliers for reason of service the longer the mixing time will be because backup,” explained Tandon. “We have there will be less water available for gluten supplied primarily planetary mixers, development. ranging from 5 litres to 160 litres of Overall, mixers offer a lot of different makes like Hobart, Caplain, advantages and benefits to the bakery Kolb, etc. At the same time, we have and confectionary operations. “It is also supplied spiral mixers mainly from always a great challenge to make great Caplain and Kolb,” stated Bhattacharya. pastry and other bakery products. So it is “In general, any 120+ room hotel always important for a Pastry nowadays does have a Chef to use the right bakery/ dedicated bakery consisting confectionary mixers to not of a host of equipments only make great products at pertaining to bakery some points of his career, but operations, including deck also to stay consistent in his oven, convection oven, rotary brilliance,” explained Reddy. oven, and mixers. Generally “Mixers are labour saving and the cost of mixers is 18 offer consistent quality,” added percent to 22 percent of the Tandon. But their proper total kitchen equipments’ usage requires exhaustive cost in a bakery,” articulated training. “It is always very  Bhattacharya.

Santosh Reddy

27

T R E N D

BAKERY REVIEW

Biscuits Becoming Classy

By Swarnendu Biswas

B

iscuits and breads comprise the major segment of the Indian bakery industry, accounting for 82 percent of the total value of the 6.9 billion USD worth Indian bakery industry.

It indicates that though the Indian bakery industry has of late been flooded with fashionable lifestyle products like croissants, muffins, designer cakes and high-end chocolates, the bakery industry in India is still predominantly need-based.

The fact that the annual per capita biscuit consumption in India is just 2.1 kg, which is negligible as compared to the biscuit consumption levels in the US and Europe, makes India’s biscuits market hold tremendous potential, especially in the context of various favourable socio-economic factors.

However, despite its low consumption in India, the consumption of biscuits in the country is rising steadily, which is

28

reflected in the impressive growth of the country’s biscuits market over the years.

Though of imported origin, over the years, breads and biscuits have graduated to become needs of middle income and even lower middle income households in urban India. India is the second largest producer of biscuits in the world, second only to the US. The immense role of biscuits in India’s snacking options can be gauged from the fact that still biscuits business accounts for 90 percent of the sales of Britannia Industries Ltd., which has a plethora of bakery products on offer, which of course include breads and cakes. Today biscuits have high acceptance in India, across a gamut of socio-economic and demographic profiles.

Traditionally, breads and biscuits come under the purview of needbased bakery products, and still most of the breads and biscuits in India are need-based products, but healthy

multigrain breads and premium biscuits have emerged in the market in the recent times in a big way, and have become part of lifestyle choices of upwardly mobile India. However, the premiumisation trend in the Indian biscuits industry is not only visible in upwardly mobile and elite India.

People with lower incomes are also seen upgrading their consumer preferences from the affordable glucose biscuits to mass cream biscuits and mass cookies.

The Socio-economic Influences During the recent years, the Indian biscuits industry is showing a marked shift towards premium offerings, which can be attributed to increased disposable incomes, not only in metros but also in small towns of India, the growing wave of health awareness spearheading across the society, and also to the influences of globalisation through Internet and television. Now

Aug-Sept ’12

T R E N D

BAKERY REVIEW many Indian consumers are not content with glucose and marie biscuits, and are seen opting for more premium and healthy biscuits.

Along with the growth in disposable incomes in small towns, the growth of the mall culture and the spread of big retail chains like Big Bazaar in tier-II and tier-III cities are also contributing towards the increased demand for premium biscuits and cookies. The increased exposure to global lifestyles has also led to evolution in India’s consumer preferences, which include biscuits too.

In terms of pricing, the biscuits industry in India can be broadly divided into four segments, namely economy, middle, premium and super-premium segments. Of course, there are other classifications like glucose segment, cookie segment, etc. but these are classifications based on varieties and not economics.

The Premium Trends Though the overall biscuits market

Aug-Sept ’12

is growing at 14 percent per annum in the country, according to the industry experts, the premium and the super-premium segments of the Indian biscuits industry are believed to be growing at more than 30 percent on a year-on-year basis. According to Anuradha Narasimhan, Category Director —Health and Wellness, Britannia Industries Ltd., in the Indian

biscuits market, its premium segments are experiencing a much faster growth than the growth of the overall Indian biscuits market.

Presently, the economy and middle segments account for about 70 percent of the total biscuits market in India, though in the backdrop of the growing trend of premiumisation of biscuits in India, their share is expected to

29

T R E N D

come down in the near future. Biscuit manufacturers in India are coming up with varied range of biscuits to tap the rapidly growing premium biscuits market in the country. A great many companies are also likely to introduce biscuits catering to the premium and super-premium segments, in the near future. What is significant is that the glucose segment, which generally falls in the purview of economy and middle segments, has lost its market share, plummeting from 39 percent in 2010 to 33 percent in 2011.

Whether be it Parle Products, India’s largest manufacturer of biscuits and confectionery for almost 80 years which is renowned across India for its Parle-G brand, or the Britannia Industries; whether it be the Kraft Foods or the ITC, many big players in the Indian biscuits market is going for premiumisation.

Parle Products with its Hide & Seek, and Hide & Seek Milano, Britannia with its TreatO and GoodDay Choconut and GoodDay Chocochip cookies, Kraft Foods with its Oreo cookies, ITC with its high-end variants of Sunfeast have made their impact in the premium biscuits segment in a significant manner.

Anuradha believes that, “The biggest shift happening in the Indian biscuits industry over the last few years is the movement towards premiumisation.”

She believes that the current trend towards premiumisation would not only continue but also grow in magnitude. Presently, with the spread of globalisation, growth in disposable incomes and the growth in the mall culture, the premium segment of the Indian biscuits industry has huge potential, which is largely untapped.

“We believe that in India, the premium biscuits segment is quite small as compared to what its potential could be,” proffered Chitranjan Dar, the CEO of ITC Foods. He perceives that that a lot of premiumisation in the Indian biscuits market is going to happen.

The fact that the mass segment of the Indian biscuits industry, which comprise the economy and middle segments taken together, is characterised by large volumes, low

30

BAKERY REVIEW margins and fierce competition. In the biscuits industry, margins increase with the value chain of the products. For example, margins for glucose and marie are much less than that of creams and digestives. Therefore, it is likely that the global players will concentrate more on the premium and super-premium segments of the Indian biscuits industry to bolster their revenues and profits.

Moreover, in the mass segment, they are likely to find great difficulty in competing in the already crowded market space with low price points, with the existing established players like Parle Products, and Britannia

Industries, who are masters in the mass segment of the biscuits industry, and also with numerous local biscuit manufacturers spread across the country.

Healthy Munching At the same time, there is no denying the fact that along with shift in market preference towards premium biscuit brands, healthy munching options like digestive biscuits and oat cookies are also gaining market prominence. The healthy wave, fostered by the global awareness and as well as the need to tackle the growing menace of lifestyle diseases like diabetes, hypertension and obesity, etc. in urban India, has also spread across the bakery industry; resulting in the introduction of a number of healthy bakery offerings in the market, which include healthy biscuits too. Nowadays, a select breed of Indian consumers for biscuits is not only seen experimenting with flavours and textures, but is also showing preference towards those healthy biscuits which are great in terms of taste too.

Britannia’s NutriChoice range has brought in bites of health on the

dining tables, with its diabetic-friendly offerings like Britannia NutriChoice Ragi Cookies and Britannia NurtiChoice Oat Cookies. Besides Britannia, there are other players too making a foray in the healthy biscuits segment. Britannia’s NutriChoice is supplemented by Sunfeast’s Marie Lite Oats, which offers marie biscuits with the goodness of oats, and Parle Actifit Digestive Marie among others.

GSK Consumer Healthcare’s Horlicks Biscuits is another healthy biscuit option in the market, which can cater to the growing preference for healthy snacking habits. United Biscuits, one of the world’s pre-eminent branded snacks businesses, has also pushed its McVitie’s portfolio.

McVitie’s, which was launched in India only in 2010, comprised 20 percent share of the quickly evolving digestives biscuits market in India by 2011. The product was having presence in more than 150 Indian towns by 2011. PepsiCo has also come up with Quaker Oats cookies in India. Here it deserves a mention that most of the healthy biscuit options are covered by the premium and super-premium segments only.

Though presently, the health segment comprise only a miniscule part of the total Indian biscuits market, accounting for just 2 percent in volume terms and even less in value, but the market share of this segment is increasing, especially in upwardly mobile urban India.

However, all said and done, players operating in the middle and economy segments or the mass segment in the biscuits market need not fear, for the mass segment is still dominating the biscuits market in India, and is expected to do so for many years to come despite their real and expected loss in market share, in the present and future respectively. However, this loss in market share, which can be temporary; depending upon the prevailing trends, can eventually lead to a more permanent loss, that is the loss of mind share. And a loss of mind share prevents the brands from bouncing back into their former market shares. 

Aug-Sept ’12

I N D U S T R Y

BAKERY REVIEW

Geared to Boost

Food Testing

E

dward Food Research and Analysis Centre (EFRAC) is one of the largest integrated food testing and research facilities in India. It was inaugurated in May 2012 by Partha Chatterjee, the Commerce and Industries Minister, Government of West Bengal, at Barasat, Kolkata. The newly opened laboratory, perhaps the largest and most advanced food testing laboratory in Eastern India, built with an investment of Rs.35 crore, has a built-up area of around 21,000 sq ft and houses independent laboratories for providing residue analysis, food and agro product analysis, microbiological analysis, environmental testing, water and waste water testing, metals and mineral analysis, and plastic product testing.

In the country, food testing as an industry has witnessed a paradigm shift in the last decade with growing awareness about the quality and safety of food across various verticals of the Indian food & beverage industry. Another factor that has triggered phenomenal advancement in food testing and certification techniques is the discernment among consumers and their demand for being absolutely conversant with products that are being used. The time for such a food testing laboratory in eastern India, when food safety is fast becoming an important yardstick for the organised food business in the country, is very apt.

The laboratory is endowed with five different wings, namely, Trace Analysis Lab, Ultra Trace Analysis Lab, Food Lab, Water Lab & Microbiology Lab. EFRAC’s strength lies in its team of highly qualified and skilled scientists, most sophisticated equipment and modern technology. It is all set to be the leading food safety solution provider in the country through offering a wide range of technical advice and consultation to the Indian food & beverage industry.

Aug-Sept ’12

The laboratory boasts of high-end, highly automated and accurate instruments like GC QQQ MS, GC HRMS, GC MS, LC MS/MS, HPLC, ICP MS, FTIR, AAS, IC, TOC Analyzer, Biochemistry Analyzer, Automated Kjeldahl & Soxhlet extraction systems, GPC, CHN Analyzer, RT PCR, etc. By incorporating and using sample tracking LIMS software, the EFRAC laboratory is equipped to offer its services at exceptionally low prices by reducing the time to get results.

EFRAC comes as a single-point solution provider for all quality assessment and testing related requirements in a dynamic and challenging food industry scenario of India. Overall, EFRAC embodies technological advances in food testing to facilitate the F&B industry to secure food safety and preserve brands’ wellearned reputation. Apart from testing for nutritional and proximate parameters, the food testing laboratory can also test for the residues of pesticides, mycotoxins, heavy metals and can conduct microbiological analysis.

This unique facility also has the capacity to offer services as varied as pesticide analysis, heavy metal analysis, chemical analysis, microbiological analysis, GMO testing, Dioxin Analysis, antibiotic analysis, Mycotoxins Analysis, Food R&D, training & consultation, all under one roof. EFRAC is the only facility in Eastern India with the ability to conduct Dioxin Analysis.

EFRAC offers independent, efficient and cost- effective research and analytical services that are expected to facilitate reduction of business risk for all players in the food processing industry across the country. EFRAC is specially equipped for advanced auditing and certification of products, processes and systems to applicable international standards.

The comprehensive facility has

the potential to extend its services to myriad sub-sectors of the F&B industry which include fruit & vegetables, fruit concentrates, beverages (alcoholic & nonalcoholic), spices and condiments, pulses & cereals, sugar and confectionery, meat and marine products, egg and poultry products, milk and milk products, potable and nonpotable water, edible oils, etc.

ERAC has also designed training programmes for food and water analysis, pesticide residue analysis, and microbiological analysis, which in the short as well as in the long-run is expected to ably cater to the demand for qualified professionals in the industry to handle sophisticated laboratory equipments pertaining to food testing, for the growing F&B industry of India.

EFRAC has tailored the course modules to enable students in such a way so that they can gather practical experience in handling, operating, and maintaining the ultramodern, highly sophisticated and automated instruments, which are used for the high-end analysis in the field of chemical and biological science, that in turn have influences on the food & beverage industry.

Apart from students, this training module will also be very beneficial for food safety and hospitality professionals, and scholars engaged in the food & beverage industry, where they could spruce their professional skills and academic knowledge with current advancements in science and technology.

With the growing need for comprehensive food testing in the industry in the backdrop of the implementation of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the role of EFRAC is expected to be crucial in the near future.

It is expected that with its enviable base of manpower and infrastructure, EFRAC would give a fillip towards the healthy culture of food testing in India that is already gathering momentum. 

31

H E A L T H

BAKERY REVIEW

Fruits From the

Brown Tree

By Kavitha Srinivasa

F

or the uninitiated, Chennai conjures up images of a staid city which sleeps early.

However, image doesn’t always reflect the reality in all its fascinating hues. Brown Tree outlets are among the growing number of retail outlets in the city which remain open till midnight. They are not watering holes for unbridled hedonism, and they still attract people who stop by after a hard day’s work to pick up different flavours of chocolates, breads and cakes, among other delicacies.

A visit to one of the Brown Tree stores make us understand why the store chain is the latest happening to the city’s food & beverage scenario. It is not everywhere

32

that you can find hi-end Lindt chocolates, pralines and ready-to-eat garlic breads or organic breads. Bread is historically considered cake’s poor cousin.

However, at Brown Tree bread is trendy, as the stores retail different flavours of bread including whole wheat bread from brands like Krust.

Fancy and Healthy

providing healthy products like dry fruits, spices, roasted snacks or teas,” added Abhinandan B, the Director of Brown Tree. Brown Tree stores manage to create a market for health products which also taste good. One can check out sugar free breakfast cereals or diet mueslis and jams like the Danish Diabetic Jam, which look pretty convincing. Consumers can step in to try out honey flavoured snacks and energising granola bars.

Along with these comes fancy stuff like Tiffany biscuits, apart from labels like Gingerbread. This is not to be mistaken for the ordinary gingerbreads as the label sells vanilla cookies, almond leaf, fenugreek straws and custard cookies, among other delectable flavours. The indulgent lot can also treat themselves to Ano Danish Butter Cookies. There is also Biskotto, packaged in strawberry, vanilla and chocolate flavours. Nutrifud is another brand which adorns the racks. Overall, at Brown Tree there is an assortment of high-end baked offerings, which also include fluffy rich milk cakes and wholesome plum cakes.

The health quotient of Brown Tree is reflected through its almond mix, amla juice, blackberry juice, organic forest

In fact, Brown Tree’s range is so diverse that it is difficult to classify this retail chain selling a range of wonderful bakery products, and much more. At the most, Brown Tree can be classified as a health food retail chain. “It is neither a regular chain of grocery stores nor a gourmet deli. We sit between them

Aug-Sept ’12

H E A L T H

BAKERY REVIEW

part of the comprehensive marketing strategy. “About 25 percent of our annual turnover comes from festive sales. This year, we would expect to increase this figure to 30 percent as we have spread to newer locations. Given this location spread, our range of boxes and marketing plans together make it possible for us to achieve the desired targets,” pointed out Abhinandan B.

Taste in Diversity The area of Brown Tree stores varies from 800 sq.ft. to 1000 sq. ft, yet within this limited space they manage to pack in quite a healthy punch. The well lit interiors, glass walls and neatly structured honey, organic teas, Borges Extra Light Olive Oil and myriad other offerings, which together can endow refreshing feel to many of the baked delights available at the Brown Tree stores.

Though many of these products of Brown Tree don’t come cheap, yet there is a market for such gourmet offerings.

It is a start-up company, but thanks to the growing demand of its products the company has branched from its maiden store, which was started in Chennai in July 2009, into many outlets in the city.

Eventually, the chain decided to make foray into the Bangalore market, with its first store in the Garden City in April 2011. From then on, it established an assortment of stores in various parts of the city, known for spearheading the IT revolution in India.

Growth of the Tree Here it deserves a mention that the success of Brown Tree rests on the vision of two young entrepreneurs, Dinesh Kumar and Abhinandan B. Kumar’s expertise in the retail industry led him to perceive Brown Tree as a health food retail chain. Abhinandan, who stepped in later, has built the business with Kumar.

They began their journey as food entrepreneurs as they realised that the market needed a full-fledged store that offers nourishing alternatives. Eating right and snacking sensibly is their mission, which has been accomplished through a line of health snacks sold under the Brown Tree label. Bitter gourd chips, soya nuts and cholesterol free khakra made of wheat and not all purpose flour (maida) are some of these offerings.

Aug-Sept ’12

Presently, Kumar, the Founder of Brown Tree and Abhinandan B. as its Director are together spearheading the growth of the Brown Tree brand. Now there are eight Brown Tree outlets in Chennai, and four Brown Tree outlets in Bangalore, all within a span of three years.

While the Bangalore outlets are yet to catch the attention of late night customers, they have already gathered a sizeable number of customers who drop by to take home premium Swiss chocolates like Goldkenn. While shopping, you can also treat yourself to edible gold coins. There are also liqueur chocolates from the legendary Danish brand Anthon Berg. These miniature edible ‘dark chocolate bottles’ filled with spirit brands, are sold individually or in packs. The small individual bottles cost Rs. 65 each, and are popular during festive occasions.

Having tasted success in two big cities of the south, this year Brown Tree Retail Pvt. Ltd. has endeavoured to extend its footprint on a national level through a virtual store. For the festive season, the retail chain has opened out opportunities through online channel for its real and potential consumers to procure delights in the form of dry fruits, roasted health snacks and sugar free goodies, among others.

As part of its marketing plans, the retail chain endeavours to tap markets in Chennai and Bangalore through channels like radio, print and outdoors.

The retail chain is also in the process of tapping online consumers through social media. Food websites will be

rows of stacked items make Brown Tree stores look like any other up-market retail store. However, it is the awesome range, like the dry fruits variants which go up to 80 varieties and spices that scale up to 65 varieties, make Brown Tree different from other run-of-the-mill retail players in the food & beverage industry.

The retail chain has also managed to address different price points by offering an assortment of gift hampers in the form of leaf baskets, metal baskets, fancy cardboard boxes and glass jars. This season, the retail chain has introduced new dry fruit gift hampers, which includes a variety of white pumpkin nuts, pine nuts, pecans, garlands of dry figs, apricots and other high-end dry fruits, which may not be easily available at other retail outlets.

“Our target consumer usually is anyone who is looking for a healthy change in her/his food intake and consequently demands more healthy products into her/his diet plan. We predominantly cater to women but we do have a large footfall of men coming in for snacks and chocolates too,” highlighted Kumar. 

33

P R O D U C T

P R E V I E W

BAKERY REVIEW

Sensuously Premium Delights

Tower Whip Topping AB Mauri Pvt. Ltd., the leading yeast & bakery ingredients company, is launching its ‘Whip Topping’, under its flagship bakery brand named TOWERTM. After winning several accolades in the South-west Asian markets, the new TOWERTM WHIP TOPPING is here to storm the bakeries in India. TOWERTM Whip Topping is a premium

quality product that has been designed by AB Mauri’s global experts, making it a perfect blend of performance and taste.

It not only compliments the creativity of the Chefs with its superior stability and perfect sheen, but also delivers a blissful experience while relishing a cake.

TOWERTM Whip Topping is a product of intensive market study on this category, and of extensive trials conducted in the Indian market to match user requirements. This focussed approach has helped AB Mauri in achieving another milestone and the company is happy to present this product to the bakers in the country with pride and honour.

AB Mauri India Pvt. Ltd. info@abmauri.co.in

Puratos’ Carat Coverlux is a premium range of dark, milk and white multi-purpose compound chocolates made primarily with fractionated fat and refined to a smooth texture. They afford great chocolate taste, thanks to the intense flavour of the specially selected cocoa powders, and give a mouth feel that is similar to that of Real chocolate.

The impeccable refining process gives these chocolates their fine and smooth texture. Their shiny appearance owe to the high quality of vegetable fat as an ingredient. Their superior shrinking properties facilitate easy demoulding. These chocolates have multi-purpose roles in bakery operations. They can be used for decorating, enrobing, and in flavouring of patisserie, muffins, fillings and mousses, and are especially suitable for moulding.

Puratos’ proven know-how in chocolate processing guarantees superior products with excellent taste, texture and viscosities. Matched with its expertise in bakery and patisserie, Puratos is able to offer great possibilities to meet the needs of today’s bakers, patissiers and chocolatiers.Compound chocolates for industry usage is a specialty of Puratos. They bring a wide range of benefits to the chocolatier. and chocolate manufacturer.

Puratos Food Ingredients India Pvt. Ltd. dhiren.kanwar@puratosindia.com

The information published in this section is as per the details furnished by the respective manufacturer/distributor.

In any case, it does not represent the views of Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd.

ADVERTISER’S INDE X COMPANY

PAGE NO.

COMPANY

PAGE NO.

AB MAURI INDIA PVT. LTD.

BC

NEENA ENTERPRISES

12

APPLE BAKERY MACHINERY PVT. LTD.

25

RANS TECHNOCRATS (INDIA) PVT. LTD.

FIC

BUNGE INDIA PVT. LTD.

11

RATIONAL INDIA

08

DABON INTERNATIONAL PVT. LTD.

01

REMINGTON STEEL ARTS

29

EAST INDIA MANUFACTURE & TRADING CO.

23

SATELLITE PLASTIC INDUSTRIES

10

KAMANI OIL INDUSTRIES PVT. LTD.

05

SIGEP/AB TECH 2013

13

MRS. BECTORS FOOD SPECIALITIES LTD.

BIC

THE CONNOISSEURS

09

NAGPAL BROTHERS (REGD.)

07

PRODUCT PREVIEW

34

* BC - BACK COVER

34

* FIC - FRONT INSIDE COVER

* BIC - BACK INSIDE COVER

Aug-Sept ’12

Aug-Sept ’12

35

I N T E R V I E W

BAKERY REVIEW

Infusing Passion in Baking

By Sharmila Chand and aroma wafting from these bread rolls were part of my early inspiration.

Another inspiration which made me move towards this profession was my mother. She encouraged me a lot to excel in this profession.

He began his career in 1995 with Vivanta by Taj- President, Mumbai as the Commis Chef, and since then there has been no looking back in his career. Narendra Lendave, Pastry Chef at The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace, has been working creatively and hard, since the past 16 years. His varied experiences also include working on a cruise liner.

Though every aspect of bakery excites him but he admits he has a strong predilection towards French patisserie. “I have always had a passion for pastry; it really completes me. It allows me to showcase my skills, and be creative,” asserted Lendave. His talent and interest are spruced by the International Certificate of Professional Education in Pastry-making, Chocolate, Confectionery, and Ice cream from International Culinary School in Paris, France. The excerpts of the interview follow: What is the predominant current trend in the Indian bakery industry?

There is a definite trend when it comes to molecular gastronomy, and in terms of incorporation of food additives, with new techniques to dessert components. Certain things like stabilisers or hydrocolloids allow us to achieve textures and elements that weren’t really possible before. However, I think that you need to be careful, and make sure your overall technique is well-rehearsed before you start using all kinds of gels and foams on your plate.

Who or what was/were your inspirations behind taking up this profession?

Being born and brought up in Mumbai definitely exposes you to the early morning bread rolls called the pao & brun pao from the local bakeries, which are traditionally had with Indian tea. The wonderful taste

36

What are your hot selling bakery items?

They are yummy French macaroons.

What is the demand for bakery products in India, these days?

The need for baked products has been encouraged by the changing lifestyles.

The bakery market in India has shown rapid recovery from the economic recession, recording strong growth over the recent years. Factors fuelling market expansion of bakery products include convenience, affordability and health benefits of baked products. Demand for healthier fortified baked products has also driven the sales of bakeries.

What is the demand for trained professionals in the Indian bakery industry, in the context of this impressive growing phase of the industry?

Of course, becoming a professional baker or Pastry Chef requires an enormous amount of training, and with the growth of the bakery industry, the trained bakers and Pastry Chefs are in demand these days.

What about the health quotient?

How do you take care of that aspect?

The first thing I take care is to check the ‘fat content’ in my items. However, cutting fat is to add other complex flavours. I try to replace butter with healthy oil or with a fruit puree.

We also often add spices, a little bit of cardamom, honey, vanilla, citrus zest, and saffron, etc. Then we have sugar free, dairy free & egg less ingredients. These are necessities in today’s lifestyle.

What is your favourite tool and why it is so?

I think the number one tool for anyone

in the kitchen should be her/his own hands... Having said that, my favourite man-made equipment is the one that doesn’t get worn out easily.

What are the essential requirements of a successful Pastry Chef?

As a Pastry Chef one has to be passionate about his job, and be willing to work for long hours. However, if you come in to this profession by compulsion, then it becomes a challenge to excel in it.

What are the challenges a Bakery Chef has to face in his job?

The noisy work environments are a challenge. You can’t always expect to create your delectable desserts in peace as kitchens are traditionally loud environments.

To maintain a balance between personal and professional life is a challenge of this profession. Moreover, the Pastry Chef should know that every individual of the team is different. Finding the right balance between personalities, goals, and the focus of each of your team members while maintaining the same high standards in production, and vision is also a challenge.

What do you like about your job?

The best part of my job is that it allows me to translate my imagination into reality in exactly the way I want. I enjoy the creative aspect of the job the most.

What is your strengths as a Pastry Chef?

My strengths are my patience, passion, and creativity. The fact that I am willing to face long hours, hard work and competition, also happens to be my strength.

What is your professional dream?

I want to become a renowned Bakery/ Pastry Chef.

What is your motto in life?

One of my mottos in life is to never become complacent and challenge oneself everyday to do something creative and constructive to improve one’s daily life and career in the process.

Aug-Sept ’12

DELENG/2011/39507

Aug-Sept ’12

37