June-July ’12
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EDITORIAL
Publisher cum Editor
Rajneesh Sharma
rajneeshhammer@gmail.com
Associate Editor
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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
India’s consumption of coffee has been steadily increasing by the year, at 5-6 percent on an average since 2000, and that can be primarily attributed to increased disposable incomes and impact of globalisation. This increased consumption of coffee, together with the emergence of a huge crowd of young upwardly mobile aspiring segments of population who are quite influenced by western tastes and are very much willing to experiment with their food & beverage choices has perhaps paved the growth of coffee café culture in urban India, that is amply reflected by the mushrooming of retail coffee café chains in the recent years. Now these café chains not only serve coffees and a stimulating environment for conversation but also a whole range of food items, which can cater to breakfast, lunch and dinner options. Many of these food items on offer are integral part of the bakery industry and we can very easily gauge that the continued growth of coffee café culture in India would give an impetus to the growth of the bakery industry in general, especially in the long-run. The frequenting of these sleek mushrooming food service outlets can easily influence the tastes of their regular customers towards assorted bakery products, which in turn can push the growth of bakery production in India. However, at the same time, small stand-alone bakery outlets and coffee shops may feel the heat of competition by these café chains, which we see are backed by national level and/or international level players. Whether they would be able to survive the competition from these big players is a question whose answer is full of doubts, because it is likely that the products of these standalone bakery outlets and coffee shops would become increasingly redundant to the trendy upwardly mobile young urbane experimental India, before the exotic offerings of these café retail chains with each passing day, especially if these stand-alone outlets are located in the upscale locality of the Indian metros and thereby potentially exposed to the competition of the food service giants. We attempt to discuss this and many other thought inducing factors behind the fast evolving trend of coffee café culture in urban India in our Cover Story. There is no denying the fact that despite the inherent and outside challenges, the Indian bakery industry is going through an impressive growth phase. Various socio-cultural and socio-economic factors are propelling this trend. The fact that the consumption of bakery products in India is at a dismal level as compared to the developed countries gives great potential for the further growth of the industry. Though the Indian bakery industry is characterised by significant growth, diversity, and the potential for attractive profits, but it is still largely unorganised. This calls for urgent attention by the government as well as the bakery industry. The Indian bakery industry, which is now influenced by the growing demand for healthy food in the society, needs to keep itself updated with the latest information on its potential and real consumers’ preferences and also on the recent technological developments pertaining to the industry. We have attempted to cover the various issues concerning the industry in our Business Story. Besides these exhaustive topics, we have attempted to holistically cover various other topics of interest through our regular sections, which we hope would encourage our readers to spend quality time between the pages, and also to arm themselves with new information and perspectives.
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.
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June-July ’12
I N S I D E 18 COVER STORY The Brew and the Bakery
24 BUSINESS Baking a Success Story
30 TREND Caking Designer Trends
DEPARTMENTS 04 Events 10 News Scan 16 Focus 38 Product Preview 40 Interview
34 PROFILE For Breads, Cakes and More
36 PRODUCT Exploring Artichoke Cover Pix: Dobla BV
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fter a successful launch in 2011, Diversified Communications, the leading convenor of food exhibitions across four continents, will present the second edition of Fine Food India from 17th – 19th September 2012 at Pragati Maidan Exhibition Complex, in New Delhi. Diversified runs the international award winning Fine Food Australia Exhibition, along with Fine Food Western Australia, Fine Food Queensland, Fine Food New Zealand, and Lunch Australia. Diversified Food Group offers over 25 face-to-face food & beverage events and conference programs in North America, the UK, Europe, Asia, Australia and now India. Fine Food India 2012— the international food, drink, equipment, hospitality & retail technology exhibition— will bring together over 200 exhibitors from developed food markets across the globe. Top companies from France, Spain, USA, Australia, China, Russia, Malaysia, Thailand, Poland, Mexico, Pakistan, Iran, Chile, Italy, and India will showcase 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. Fine Food India is aptly termed as an event ‘By the Industry, For the Industry.’ The expo is backed by the support of some of the highly influential Indian and international associations. Renowned industry names such as National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI),
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Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MOFPI), Agricultural & Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Hospitality Purchasing Managers Forum (HPMF), PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Indian Federation of Culinary Associations (IFCA) will extend their full support to the show. Fine Food India will host a number of
educative, entertaining and networking activities for the trade visitors. The Business Forum across three days will feature well-known industry specialists talking about latest products and technologies, trends, and the future of the food & beverage industry. Industry associations will actively participate and support these sessions by conducting specific sessions on import and export, retail, hotel and restaurant, etc. The sessions are free to attend. The Food Theatre is one of the most talked-about features of Fine Food India 2012. Electrolux, the globally renowned producer of household and professional appliances, will set up the Food Theatre with its state-of the-art equipment.
World famous Michelin Star Chefs present their best creations made up of quality ingredients and diverse recipes, influenced by world-class cuisines. The Chefs Masterclass will make its debut at Fine Food India this year. Talented Chefs from all over the country will demonstrate their culinary skills by presenting delicious authentic cuisines. Along with demonstrations, expert Chefs will conduct learning sessions on the knowhows of grilling, baking and frying. Another noteworthy feature of Fine Food India 2012 is the Drinks Academy, a zone dedicated for the makers, buyers and consumers of beverages. Sampling and tasting of some of the finest wines from India and the world, cocktail mixing workshops and sommelier competitions would keep the attendees of the Drinks Theatre refreshed. Under the able guidance of Magandeep Singh, India’s first French certified Sommelier, the 5th Indian Sommelier Championships will recognise the best in the wine industry. A panel of expert judges with their discerning tastes for fine wines will judge the finalists on their food and wine matching skills, wine handling skills, wine service prowess, and wine tasting quotient. For those interested in closing business deals or networking in a relaxed ambience, the VIP Lounge is the perfect retreat. The facilities in the VIP Lounge will not only ease out the serious businessmen but would also give the expo an international look and feel.
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ndia’s market for the food service segment is heating up, with more than 3 million licensed and unlicensed restaurants in India, as per the Food Franchising Report 2011. Moreover, the Rs. 75,000 crore restaurant industry accounts for 56 percent of the food services sales, making it the largest category in the food service sector in India. The restaurant industry today stands as the second largest spending category in the retail and leisure segment in India. In the franchising industry too, it occupies the second position, only after the predominant education sector. Moreover, the Indian restaurant industry can easily withstand economic fluctuations. After the astounding success of Indian Restaurant Congress & Awards 2011, which was build on the theme of ‘starting a restaurant business’, Franchise India Holdings Limited is coming up with the second edition of the Indian Restaurant Congress and Awards. The Indian Restaurant Congress & Awards came up as a first-of-its-kind event for the restaurant and food service industry last year, in August 2011. Expounding the success of the restaurant and food service industry, the Indian Restaurant Congress & Awards brought close to 500+ food service professionals, 200+ restaurant brands, 70+ industry experts, 1000+ award nominations, which together brought out great networking and learning opportunity for the restaurant operators across the nation. This year’s theme is all about attaining scale. Niren Choudhary, MD, Yum brands, is spearheading this forum as the Conference Chair, and puts forward this year’s theme as ‘Think Big and Act Fast.’ He further elaborates saying that, “The Indian market has high growth potential and is attracting many brands and many entrepreneurs, and those that have the strongest consumer value proposition will eventually win; those who will execute against their dream, their customer value proposition with speed will eventually dominate. Thus, Think Big because we need to dream audacious dreams. And Act Fast because it is eventually the execution of these dreams with speed that will create superior economic models.” Gaurav Marya, President, Franchise India, believes that now is the time for a paradigm shift in the focus of the restaurant industry and with the 2nd edition the event envisages to capture that trend. “What a difference a year can make! In my professional capacity and interaction with many food service operators, I have seen the restaurant industry shifting its focus from ‘Should I grow’ to ‘How should I grow’? The sizzle in the industry fosters expansion and with most economic indicators looking favourable, now is the time for astute restaurant operators to plan the next phase in their company’s growth,” explained Marya. The Indian Restaurant Congress has created a benchmark for the restaurant fraternity for covering every tier of the food service sector during the course of the two-day conference, bringing together what really matters in strategic and operative terms. The congress will be showcasing the best of radical evolutions that can eventually build up a robust future by combining the macro with micro; encapsulating consumption trends and market potentials with success factors. Parallel to the Indian Restaurant Congress will also be Food Service and Franchise Expo, which is being regarded as the most credible B2B food service expo in Asia. With the industry’s overwhelming support, the forum is said to grow even bigger and better as it creates world-class prospects for all the stakeholders in the food service environment, ranging from suppliers to business seekers. The awards stand as an integral part of the forum and will honour, recognise, felicitate and applaud the proficient Chefs, restaurants and restaurateurs who have excelled in their respective domains and have contributed immensely to the F&B industry. The forum, which will be held at The Claridges, Surajkund, New Delhi, on 27th & 28th August 2012, will witness the release of an Indian Restaurant Industry Report in association with The Franchising World Magazine. The two-day forum will witness top Chefs, leading restaurateurs and some very important F&B professionals and journalists networking with each other.
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Hong Kong International Tea Fair 16-18 August 2012 Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, Hong Kong www.hkteafair.com Ahara International Food Fair 2012 23-25 August 2012 Chennai Trade Centre www.aaharchennai2010.com India F&B Pro + Hospitality Expo 6-9 September 2012 Expo Centre, Panaji, GOA www.trinityworld.biz Asiafruit Logistica 5-7 September 2012 AsiaWorld-Expo www.asiafruitlogistica.com Food Tech / Bakery Tech & Hotel Tech 2012 7-9 September 2012 Milan Mela Exhibition Complex, Kolkota www.kolkatafoodtech.com Sweet and SnackTec India 2012 11-13 September 2012 Bombay Exhibition Center, Mumbai www.koelnmesse-india.com Fine Food India 2012 17-19 September 2012 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi www.finefoodindiaexpo.com Annapoorna World of Foods India 2012 26-28 September 2012 Bombay Exhibition Center, Mumbai www.worldoffoodindia.com 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
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Food&HotelAsia2012 (FHA2012) and Wine&SpiritsAsia2012 (WSA2012)
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fter a flurry of business-making and relationship-building activities conducted over four days, Food&HotelAsia2 012(FHA2012) and Wine&SpiritsAsia2012 (WSA2012) have once again surpassed all previous records by emerging with a new high score. The event saw more than 60,000 industry visitors, exhibiting staff, conference speakers and delegates, and media in attendance. This represents more than 10 percent increase compared with its previous edition. 44 percent of the total attendees hailed from overseas. FHA2012 and WSA2012 showcased an even stronger line-up of state-of-the-art products, services and cutting-edge technologies, alongside exciting world-class competitions and thought-leadership conferences, which gathered over 60 world’s leading industry experts and powerful speakers. “Positive feedback from show participants further testifies the tremendous success of FHA and WSA, and exhibitors are already scurrying to secure their space for the next edition in 2014. The outstanding attendee result strongly affirms that the show is Asia’s most relevant biennial trade event for the F&B and hospitality industries,” said Chief Executive of the show organiser Singapore Exhibition Services (SES), Stephen Tan. “You can feel the buzz of business negotiations as you walk through the aisles. The attendees are happy because they are pleasantly surprised at the spread of products, services and solutions. We do see a probable increase in size for FHA2014, and in anticipation of this, we will increase our exhibition area to occupy Halls 1 to 9, including the newly built MAX Atria and Max Pavilion,” added Tan. As a one-stop sourcing and relevant networking platform for industr y professionals, the exhibition is expected to hit US$3 billion worth of business deals, based on pre-registered visitors who have indicated their sourcing budgets for purchases. Overall, exhibitors and international group pavilions were delighted with the quality of buyers they have met and
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with the results achieved. Many from the show did meet potential distributors from various countries in Asia for their products. “This is our fourth time exhibiting. We are always happy with FHA, which is the reason why we are here. FHA helps us to meet our importers, distributors, and customers. The event is an effective platform to meet everybody in one place. FHA is getting bigger. We will certainly return to the show in 2014, and will continue to leverage on future editions of FHA to reach out to more markets, such as Japan,” elaborated Roshan Tisswaratchy, Director Sales, MJF Group, Dilmah, Sri Lanka. “This exhibition has really grown a lot. We have witnessed very good quality attendees so far. A participant of FHA for about 20 years, we will always be present at this show as it is a very important show for us,” pointed out Harbans Singh, Managing Director of UbiQ Global Solutions, Malaysia. “We have Italian companies participating in every sector of the show. FHA is the most important trade show for us in South-east Asia,” concurred Andrea Caselli, President of Organizzazione Vittorio Caselli Srl, the organisation that is responsible for putting together the two Italian pavilions and coordinating the show for all Italian exhibitors. Visitors Pleased with Wide Spread of Quality Exhibitors at Show “ Taken together, FHA2012 and WSA2012 is a real eye-opener. Together with two big importers, Werdenberg International Corp and Alternatives Food Corporation from the Philippines, I am able to identify my specialised food product needs under one roof. That makes it a very effective trip for both parties. It is also a great place for networking!” explained Mark Biddle, the Executive Chef from The Bellevue Hotels & Resorts, Philippines. “It is my first visit to FHA and WSA. It is a big show with well-balanced product segments. I am truly impressed and have made many good business contacts”, averred Peter Andrist, CEO of The Ambassador’s Sky
Chef, India. “It is definitely a very fruitful trip. FHA is very enriching and is the best way to widen our network with suppliers,” opined Arlene Nacpil, Purchasing Manager of MacroAsia Catering Services, the Philippines. Asian Launch Pad for the Global Food and Hospitality Industry FHA and WSA have always been seen as trendsetters in the eyes of industry professionals, and the events are highlyregarded by exhibitors as the choice platform in Asia to launch their latest products and cutting-edge technologies and services. The latest product offerings and deals sealed at FHA2012 included: • The worldwide launch of a state-of-theart professional dishwashing technology, the M-iQ series, by German-based Meiko. • Drawing on a 100-year-old rich heritage, deZaan Gourmet made its first brand appearance in Asia with its new gourmet chocolate collection, which aims to inspire Chefs, craft bakers and chocolatiers to produce sensational chocolate collections. • Belgian company Night Orient launched its 100 percent alcohol-free ‘champagne,’ a sparkling grape drink very similar to champagne, in Asia. • Regular exhibitor Kong Shiang Engineering (KSE) sealed sales of kitchen equipment worth more than S$1 million at FHA2012. The company sold a gigantic 400kg capacity multi-function vacuum pressure cooker for S$4,25,000 and a vacuum seal form fill packaging machine worth S$1,00,000 to an Italian buyer; a 200kg capacity multi-function steam cooker to a Philippines buyer for S$3,25,000; and a pilot multi-function steam cooker worth S$2,50,000 to an Indonesian buyer. Many exhibitors had also chosen FHA2012 and WSA2012 as the key events to expand their presence in Asia, an example of which is La Marzocco, who was at the exhibition to promote its best-selling Strada coffee machines.
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A Swiss Café Chain Arrives in Delhi GAMA Hospitality Ltd, a franchisee of the Switzerland-based group Global Franchise Architects (GFA), brings Swiss café chain Coffee World in New Delhi for the first time. These international outlets of the Gama Hospitality Group were launched in Lajpat Nagar, Rajouri Garden and Noida recently. On the eve of these launches, Gaurav Agarwala, the Director of GAMA Hospitality said, “We are very happy to launch Coffee World to New Delhi. GAMA Hospitality plans for expanding the brand in other cities like Mumbai, Pune, and Siliguri soon. We have made an investment of Rs. 30 crore in this venture to open various outlets across north and east India.” Going by the positive response of the people, GAMA Hospitality also has plans to open more outlets across New Delhi/NCR. “The menu on offer will provide a wide array of options for our customers with the aim of delighting every palate. There is something for everyone here, which will make you come back for more,” asserted Agarwala. Coffee World – a premium specialty chain of coffee houses - offers a comprehensive range of hot and iced coffees and freshly made complementary foods such as waffles, sandwiches, signature cakes, muffins and cookies. The flagship products of Coffee World include freshly baked waffles, sandwiches and frappes. Coffee World’s other popular recipes include freshly baked signature cakes. Today Coffee World has over 100 stores in eight countries — Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Sudan, Thailand, the US and Vietnam—and is expanding across national boundaries to reach and touch more consumers with its pleasurable settings, superb products and its Swiss hospitality.
Mad Over Donuts Launches High-Street Store in Pune Mad Over Donuts has inaugurated its first ever high-street store in Pune, after launching of its four stores across the prominent malls of the same city. Located at JM Road, this store embodies the predominant youth culture of the city. The JM Road is said to be at the helm of Pune’s economic activities, and houses a large number of international consumer brands and a number of fast food joints and coffee shops. Mad Over Donuts is widely known for its 100 percent egg less, fresh, delicious gourmet donuts and refreshing coffees. The brand has created a distinct positioning for itself in the F&B segment. The company already has 37 stores all over India within a short span of less than three years, with expansion plans of doubling the count of its existing stores by end of this fiscal. The strategy at Mad Over Donuts has always been to focus on the ‘Love at First Bite!’ experience, which encompasses not just excellent product quality, but also the fun experience that one tend to get whenever one walks into a Mad Over Donuts’ store. “Pune is synonymous with vibrant youth culture and that is one of the reasons why we are happy to come back to Pune. It is indeed a delight to launch our fifth store in this beautiful city. This is our first high-street store in Pune. Mad Over Donuts has been loved by one and all and we are sure this store too will receive a warm welcome,” elaborated Tarak Bhattacharya, COO, Mad Over Donuts.
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Cookie Man’s Tasty and Healthy Treat We all love cookies, but not all cookies are necessarily healthy. For healthy munching, Cookie Man has introduced a delicious range of no-added-sugar cookies in four delightful flavours – chocolate, cinnamon, coffee and short bread. These cookies have no added sugar, are devoid of cholesterol and are comprised of ingredients which are nutritious and are loaded with dietary fibre. Cookie Man has mastered the art of taking the calories out of cookies without affecting the distinctive premium taste that the brand is known for. The recipes for these cookies have been developed with scientific precision by Cookie Man’s in-house nutrition team.
The no–added sugar cookies are priced at Rs.230 for 240 grams and Rs.360 for 360 gms and are available at all Cookie Man outlets across the country. They have a shelf life of one month when stored at room temperature in an airtight container. On the launch of the low sugar cookies, Pattabhi Rama Rao, the President of Australian Foods India Pvt. Ltd. said, “Customers today make very informed and conscious decisions on what they buy and consume. At Cookie Man, we have always been in touch with our customers’ preferences. We would like to offer our customers healthier choices without compromising on the quality and premium taste of our products. The launch of the no-added-sugar cookies is the first step in this direction.” Here it deserves a mention that Australian Foods (I) Pvt. Ltd. is an Indo-Australian joint venture, which commenced its business operations in India with the launch of the first Cookie Man outlet in Chennai, in January 2000. Today, Cookie Man works on a franchisee model and is the leader in the field of fresh baked cookies, in the country.
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Tata Coffee Wins Green Business Leader Award Bangalore-based Tata Coffee Limited has been presented with the FE-EVI Green Business Leader award in the FMCG category. The ‘FE-EVI Green Business Leadership Award 2011-12’ is initiated and conducted by The Financial Express and Emergent Ventures India to map the greening of corporate India and to felicitate green leaders. The Green Business Awards aims to recognise businesses and organisations in India which successfully operate with environmentally sustainable practices. The award was presented by Corporate Affairs Minister, Veerappa Moily at a glittering award ceremony held in New Delhi, marking the World Environment Day. Tata Coffee was felicitated under the FMCG category for its continued commitment and actions towards biodiversity conservation and natural resources management. Tata Coffee is committed towards the environment and works in tandem with nature to produce quality crops. The company has been acknowledged and admired as an excellent case where biodiversity conservation is being done in a way that it becomes profitable for the environment, society as well as for the company. Introduction of new crops, better utilisation of waste for enhancing soil fertility, efforts to conserve the fauna habitat and engagement of the local community have been the key facets of the biodiversity conservation. “Tata Coffee is committed to building sustainability and is constantly identifying opportunities for greening its business,” said Hameed Huq, MD, Tata Coffee Ltd. He further added, “It is important to realise that the task of environment protection is a universal responsibility of all.”
An Effort to Prevent Sales of Chinese Milk Products Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is keeping a close watch over in and around the city of Pune to curb down the sell of Chinese milk products in the city. These products may contain melamine — a harmful chemical found in some Chinese dairy products. The FDA has restated that they would initiate strict action against those who would be found selling milk products imported from China in and around the city of Pune, which are banned in India. According to Chandrashekhar Salunke, Joint Commissioner (Food), FDA, Pune, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) had issued a notification on 3rd June by which it extended the ban on the import of milk and milk products from China, till 23rd June 2013. The extended ban covers the import of Chinese chocolates and chocolate products, candies, confectioneries and any other food preparation with milk as an ingredient. Salunke has also added that “in the year 2008, DGFT had first banned the import of Chinese milk products after reports suggested that they contained an industrial chemical called melamine, which damages kidneys in the long run.”
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Britannia Continues its Energy Drinks to Lose Their Drive Towards Health Energy Tag After a prolonged controversy over energy drinks in India, all the Foods energy drinks brand in the country would soon have to scratch off Britannia Industries, in its endeavour to strengthen its presence in the health food market, has announced that it would come up with a new range of breads, including multifiber, multi-grain, whole wheat and honey oats, in the near future. Britannia Industries has already launched vitamin enriched bread in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab recently. According to Anuradha Narasimhan, Category Director, Health and Wellness, Britannia Industries Ltd. the new healthy range of breads will soon be launched in the country. She also informed that the market size of healthy food products in the country is pegged at Rs. 5500 crore, which is exhibiting a growth of more than 15 percent per annum. However, creation of nutritious food products is nothing new to Britannia, which has come up with a slew of healthy snacks in the recent past. These endeavours by Britannia can give a healthy boost to the Indian health food industry. Here it deserves a mention that out of country’s total bread market of Rs.1300 crore, Britannia claims to have 50 percent market share. With a total turnover of Rs. 5500 crore, Britannia has a production capacity of 60,000 tonnes per month.
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their ‘energy’ tags from their packaging. Instead they would have to re-brand their products as ‘caffeinated beverage.’ According to the new standards being introduced by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the body has asserted that such beverages must carry a safety warning for potential consumers stating that such drinks are not recommended for “children, pregnant or lactating women, persons sensitive to caffeine and sportspersons” as well as “no more than two cans are to be consumed per day.” In a recent meeting, FSSAI has finalised some new standards for such drinks and also decided to make tighter rules in the energy drinks sector following health related concerns to the high caffeine content of non-alcoholic beverages. The new draft standards also say that “no nutrition information, including vitamin and nutritive claims, should be given on the label.” Moreover, India’s food safety watchdog has said that the warnings should be displayed in principle display panel in bold with a “bigger” font. Under the new standards, FSSAI has also set the upper limit for caffeine in the caffeinated beverages at 320 ppm (parts per million). According to K. Chandramouli, the Chairperson, FSSAI, the draft standards have now been sent to the health ministry for their notification.
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The Taste of
Sweet Rings By Tapapriya Lahiri
M
any Indians have a sweet tooth, and many of us want to complete our meal with a dessert. Therefore it is but natural that many international players in the food & beverage segment are now interested in tapping India’s inherent interest towards sweets with their frozen yoghurts, smoothies, donuts and other dessert delights. Mad Over Donuts (M.O.D), a Singaporean gourmet donut brand, is making its presence felt in select pockets of urban India with their yummy and colourful donuts. Mad Over Donuts currently has a strong foothold in cities like New Delhi & NCR, Mumbai, Pune & Bengaluru and are soon looking forward to opening new stores in other metropolitan cities. Within a short period of time, Mad Over Donuts has carved a niche for itself in India’s burgeoning F&B industry. The brand’s vibrant, youthful character has found a strong resonance among
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its target consumers and the brand has evolved into a lifestyle choice for many. The brand has quickly gained a huge fan base by successfully integrating a superior product offering, a friendly and fast service style, and vibrant interior design and environment. M.O.D has emerged as a name synonymous with fresh, delicious, mouth-watering 100 percent eggless donuts, which serve as the perfect combination with M.O.D’s refreshing coffees. The recipes of Mad Over Donuts has been developed by a team of world renowned F&B specialists. The products development team has over 150 years of combined bakery experience and has invested more than a year and hundreds of trials in perfecting the right recipes for the donuts or donuts for that matter. The two most common types of donuts available at M.O.D are ring donuts and the filled donuts. Among the ring donuts Midnight Beauty, which presents itself as dark chocolate laced
with white chocolate drizzle can entice any passionate chocolate lover. Then there is the temptation of The Original Sin with its smooth milk chocolate decorated with white chocolate. Among the ringed versions, don’t miss out on Nuts Over Donuts where you can savour melt-in-your-mouth milk chocolate with a sprinkle of crushed nuts. The delicacy is geared to make you go literally nuts over donuts. Mama Mia! with its sprinkle of Italian herbs and sautéed garlic on oodles of cheese makes for a delicious date with gastronomy. Almond Einstein, CINNA-Ster, M.O.D – My Original Donut, Coco Loco are some of the other scrumptious ringed donuts available at the M.O.D stores. Together, these ringed delicacies with their exotic names and heavenly tastes are termed as Rings of Desire. The filled donuts are flattened spheres injected with fruit preserves, cream, custard, or other sweet fillings. Among the filled donuts, Berrylicious, where
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berry glaze with a dollop of forest berry cream and a dot of fresh berry compote creates a heavenly treat, happens to be one of my favourites. In the recent past, Mad Over Donuts has launched its tenth store in Delhi at DLF Promenade Mall, Vasant Kunj, which also happens to be the donut chain’s 38th store in the country. Mad Over Donut outlets provide the guests the opportunity to see how a donut is prepared fresh and live, involving
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immense expertise. This facilitates to ensure the guest satisfaction towards hygiene and other related issues. The company has a unique donut theatre concept, the first of its kind in India. The M.O.D stores, which are spread across malls, airports and high streets, are specially designed to showcase the donutmaking process and this provides a multisensory experience for the customers. The stores have glass viewing areas that allow guests to watch the entire preparation
process, from dough to donuts; an exciting proposition for both the young and the not so young guests. According to Tarak Bhattacharya, Chief Operating Officer, Mad Over Donuts, the Singapore-based donuts chain, which is about to enter the café segment by the end of this year, is experiencing healthy growth since the beginning of its operations in India. The stores of Mad Over Donuts are company owned and operated only.
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Brew
The and the
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Fostered by various socio-economic and socio-cultural factors and a predominantly young population, urban India is witnessing the growth of coffee café culture in a big way. Earlier in our college days, there were few stand-alone coffee houses here and there where many a romance, poetry and revolution blossomed, which are slowly disappearing from our metropolitan landscape. They are getting replaced by the sleek and business like coffee café retail chains, which are an embodiment of the emerging corporate culture and fun loving experimental lifestyle of upwardly mobile India. Now Café Coffee Day and Barista Lavazza are no longer the only significant players in the crowded coffee café retail food service chains. Many internationally renowned names have already entered this field, and they are likely to be long-run players in India’s burgeoning café culture. These outlets are not only the right addresses for having a great cup of coffee along with animated conversation pertaining to business or leisure. In many of these hangout zones for all age groups one can easily have breakfast, lunch and dinner options. It doesn’t deserve a mention that in modern day café retail chains, which are mushrooming across urban India, bakery products do play a very critical role. Conversely, the growth of coffee café outlets in India does have great significance for the growth of the bakery industry too. Here Swarnendu Biswas explores the evolution and growth of the coffee café culture and what it holds for the bakery industry of India.
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n India, coffee is primarily produced in the three southern states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, with Karnataka leading the way by accounting for nearly 53 percent of the country’s coffee production. It is followed by Kerala which contributes to 28 percent of the country’s coffee production, and Tamil Nadu contributing 11 percent of the total country’s coffee production. India produced 314, 000 tonnes of coffee during 2011-12, but according to Jawaid Akhtar, Chairman, Coffee Board of India, more than 70 per cent of the coffee produced in the country is channeled towards exports. Italy, Russia and Germany are the largest buyers of coffees exported from India.
India is Loving Coffee However, today the popularity and the consumption of coffee in India are now no longer confined to its southern strongholds. The above statistics reveal great potential for the growth of coffee production in India, as the demand for coffee consumption is showing appreciable increases across pan India. Since 2000, according to Akhtar, the coffee consumption in India has been growing at 5-6 percent annually, on an average. As compared to these recent years, in the previous decades, the growth in coffee consumption in India was just 2 percent per year, on an average. What is more important is that the proportion of occasional coffee drinkers in the country has shown an increase in the last few
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years in the non-south regions, a section which the coffee café retail chains would not be naïve to not tap. Presently, the annual coffee consumption in India is 100,000 tonnes. We are also witnessing the trend of many tea drinkers in the country making a smooth transition into being coffee drinkers. Neither does the fame of coffee among the Indian coffee connoisseurs limited to the historically famed Indian filter coffee or for that matter, the espresso coffee. Though Indian filter coffee, which is a sweet milky coffee made from dark roasted coffee beans and chicory, in the ratio of approximately 80:20 respectively, has been a commercial success since the 1940s and is still very
much popular in the southern states of India, the country’s taste for coffee has become more cosmopolitan and varied, and has grown much beyond the appreciation of this vintage version of the brew.
The Wafting Factors “Coffee has made a transition from being a traditional beverage consumed primarily in south India to a youthful and trendy beverage having a national presence, which is now consumed in myriad forms and in sleek retail formats,” observed Akhtar. The increasing coffee consumption in India in the recent years can be attributed to the increased disposable incomes among select pockets of urban Indian society, whose numbers, given the mammoth population of India, are far from being a negligible marketing entity. It can also be attributed to the increased exposure to the global brewing flavours on more number of Indians than ever before as a result of the spread of globalisation. The increasing demand for coffee has been supplemented by a huge crowd of young upwardly mobile, western lifestyle influenced aspiring population who want to experiment with their food & beverage choices. This combined effect has perhaps eventually pave the growth of the coffee café culture. In today’s India, not only the upwardly mobile crowd in the metros, but also the
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aspiring middle class in tier-I and tier-II cities are seen increasingly perceiving a visit to a café and/or a restaurant as not only an eating out option but also a lifestyle option. This trend has also fostered the growth of coffee café culture in India. These days, many of the young and even the not so young crowd in the sleek coffee cafes are seen sipping Americano, Mocha, and many other exotic varieties of this brew, which not so long ago were foreign to the then comparatively insular tastes of young India.
The Chain Reaction The retail revolution of the coffee cafes in India can become easily evident from the astronomical growth of two early bird players in this segment — Café Coffee Day, and Barista Lavazza. The first CCD outlet was set up on July 1996, at Brigade Road, Bangalore and within one-andhalf decade this organised retail café chain giant is having 1319 outlets across the country, with aims to increase this number to 2000 by 2014. In 2010, Café Coffee Day accounted for a 75 percent share of the Indian retail coffee market. Cafe Coffee Day has also launched its outlets in Karachi, Vienna and Prague. The market potential for coffee chain outlets in India has sparked interest among foreign beverage conglomerates too. Barista Coffee Company Limited, which was established in 2000 in India, was brought over by Lavazza; Italy’s number one coffee company, in 2007.
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The Barista Lavazza chain of espresso bars delivers a truly Italian coffee experience in warm, friendly and relaxed environments. At last count, there are over 200 Barista Lavazza Espresso Bars and Barista Lavazza Crèmes across 30 cities in India. The UK-based Costa Coffee, which is the second biggest coffee chain in the world with presence in 25 countries, has been wafting its aroma among the coffee consumers of India since the last seven years. In fact, it is the first international coffee chain which entered India, in 2005. The chain already has 100 outlets in India, and is on a rapid expansion spree. These cafes of Café Coffee Day, Barista Lavazza, and Costa Coffee are not only frequented by students and young professionals, but also by middle-aged and over the hill persons. Within the last two years of its presence in India, Costa Coffee has come up with 65 outlets in the country. “I think we have created an international coffee culture in India and we plan to exploit this by opening a minimum of 50 stores a year,” asserted Andy Marshall, Managing Director, International Markets, Costa Coffee. Apart from having presence in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune, the international coffee chain will have presence in Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chandigarh within the next two years. In the ensuing five years, Costa Coffee will come up with cafes in airports, highways, hospitals, multiplexes, and even embassies, and has already planned
Rs.300-350 crore for this expansion. However, the steep rentals in parts of Mumbai and Delhi, which Marshall states are even higher than that of London and New York, poses a big challenge for the growth of this international coffee chain in these two metropolis. Dunkin’ Donuts has also made its foray into India in the recent past. It already has three outlets in India, and the brand occupies a unique spot; between cafes and quick service restaurants. Jubilant FoodWorks Limited (JFL), which already has rights for Domino’s Pizza, has entered into an alliance with Dunkin’ Donuts early last year to bring the brand’s restaurants to India. Jubilant FoodWorks plans to open several new Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants this financial year — all in the NCR region. There is a plan for opening approximately 80100 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in the country over the next five years. The much anticipated entry of the US-based Starbucks into India, the largest international coffee café chain in this planet, is expected to further heat up the competition in the premium retail coffee market. Last year, Starbucks had formed a joint venture with Tata Global Beverages and is envisaging to open 50 outlets by March 2013. Its first outlet is expected to be launched by August-September this year, in Mumbai.
Selling an Experience There is no denying the fact that the national and international retail coffee café chains are thriving in the Indian market not only by selling their products but also by selling a holistic experience, which is greatly lapped by the affluent and as well as the middle class educated, urban, and urbane youth, and also by the not so young but aspirational crowd. However, the products are also not to be discounted, because without the innovative products on offer, the experience factor is likely to fall flat on its face, especially in a market like India, which all said and done, is still highly price conscious. These classy retail outlets do not only offer various exotic coffees. Nowadays, sleek retail coffee café chains are not only about serving assorted varieties of fragrant coffees in hot and cold options. They are also introducing several innovative concoctions where varied
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BAKERY REVIEW coffee beans with exotic desserts are playing new music on the taste buds of a new generation of Indians. All these concoctions are supplemented with filling snacks, which can cater to breakfast, lunch and dinner options. For example, the menu at Dunkin’ Donuts’ outlets in India does include a range of donuts, Dunkin’ Donuts original blend drip coffee; espresso-based beverages, as well as a delectable range of sandwiches made out of artisan breads such as focaccia, croissants, ciabatta, bagels. The exhaustive beverages menu has been spruced with fruit milkshakes, smoothies and tea catered to Indian taste preferences. Along with a wide range of hot and cold coffees, you would get cookies, muffins, burgers, sandwiches, etc. at the outlets of Café Coffee Day. Among the innumerable delectable offerings at Café Coffee Day outlets include Chicken Burger, Paneer Tikka Sandwich, Spinach Corn Sandwich, etc. and mouth-watering desserts and sundaes like Choco Black Forest, Chocolate Fantasy, and Mocha
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Choco Delight, which together can infuse more sumptuousness to your experiences with exotic beverages like Vegan Shake, and Kaapi Nirvana, thereby pepping up your conversations. Succinctly, these sleek air-conditioned cafes are offering an array of exotic delights of both liquid and solid varieties, often in wonderful combinations, along with their understated rejuvenating ambience, and they present themselves not only as eating out or hanging out zones, but as extensions of one’s lifestyle choice. And bakery products like sandwiches, burgers, croissants, chocolates, etc. do play a big role in the success of these café chains.
The Baked Implications There is no denying the fact that the growth of coffee café culture in India, besides giving an impetus to the coffee production in the country, is likely to foster the popularity of burgers, sandwiches, cakes, muffins, ice creams, etc. among its consumers thereby further contributing to the globalisation of
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Indian tastes, which is already gaining maturity. So one can expect the growth of the café culture would give a fillip to the bakery industry of India, in the longrun, as frequenting of these food service outlets can influence the tastes of their regular consumers towards assorted bakery products. Of course, the bakery production is also expected to get a big push with the spread of the retail coffee café outlets across the length and breadth of the country, which may eventually make the Indian bakery industry more matured, organised and creative than it is now. But at the same time this unabated growth of café culture may make many of the products of stand-alone bakeries redundant among the trendy crowd, as these small players do not have the infrastructure and the expertise to compete with these national and international giants. Going by the prevailing market trend, it seems that the survival and growth of the small stand-alone coffee shops
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or restaurants selling coffee and other assorted bakery items would also become increasingly difficult with each passing day, especially if they are located in the upscale locality of the Indian metros and are thus are potentially exposed to the competition of these food service giants, unless they manage to do something smart and innovative, employ method in madness, and intelligently play on their strengths in order to counter the sustained competition of the big players. For example, experimenting with their coffees and bakery items, making successful forays into the realm of designer or theme-based desserts, or
too, the coffee consumption in India is very less. Moreover, coffee café retail chains are still confined to primarily being a big city trend in India. Out of 5000 towns in India, only 200 have coffee chains. This again should be treated as an opportunity and not a drawback by the industry players. The market for retail coffee café chains in India hardly seems to be saturated. We have a huge segment in India that could be tapped by these café chains; in fact not even 10 percent of the potential Indian coffee consumers’ market is tapped by these retail chains. “India has potential for around 5000
tailoring their brew offerings according to the weather outside or according to their local preferences in their surroundings can help them effectively withstand the competition from overseas, and also within the country. Overall, the small bakery players need to be mavericks or at least be imaginative enough o survive the invasion of this café culture in these tough and as well as exciting times.
or so additional coffee outlets, which can be strategically located in vicinity to offices, colleges and shopping malls,” said Ramakrishnan. However, though Indians are getting influenced by international food & beverage trends, they often want to have western foods in an Indian or rather in a localised manner. There is no homogenous Indian taste; in India the aromas and flavours, like language and lifestyles, change within a few miles. Thus in order to achieve a deeper presence into the Indian tastes, these café retail chains should further tailor their products to suit local preferences. In fact, many of the players have already started doing this. The USbased baked goods and coffee chain Dunkin’ Donuts has tailored its menu to include food items and flavours that
Untapped Potential Despite the growth of coffee consumption in India, according to K. Ramakrishnan, the President of Marketing, Café Coffee Day, the per capita annual consumption of coffee in the country is only 82 grams. It is dismal as compared to four kilograms in the US. As compared to other western countries
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would be appreciated by local tastes in India. “The idea is to present a western concept matching the local taste preferences. Sandwiches with Indian spices and fillings, fruit milkshakes and smoothies with flavours like alphonso mango and litchi, which are liked in India, and several options for vegetarians will attract guests,” said Dev Amritesh, COO and President of Dunkin’ Donuts India. Similarly, Marshall stressed on the importance that Costa Coffee places and will continue to place on catering to localised tastes in India. The retail café chains should also make an earnest effort to make their price more affordable so that a greater number of Indians can enjoy their products and ambience without making a hole in their pockets. This would enable them to get a greater market share of the huge untapped market in India. There is enough market space for more big organised players to explore and exploit the demand for uncommon coffee concoctions and sleek lifestyle. But it is no wonder that the entry and the consequent growth of the foreign players in the Indian organised retail coffee market would heat up the business of coffee cafés, by intensifying the flavour of competition. This may make the unorganised players in the retail coffee market feel the heat as they often do not have the money power and marketing savvy to compete with the huge national level and multinational players, and thereby they would find it difficult to present the same awesome variety of product choices in such rejuvenating ambiences, as these food service giants could do. The possibility and eventual reality of intense competition among organised retail coffee chain outlets would eventually lead to great value additions in the café chains, thereby giving the consumers more value for money. Eventually, the consumers are likely to benefit, but who would be the consumers of these café chains is a big question. Would they continue to be primarily the elite and/or upper middle income group English speaking crowd from big cities, or would the people comprising a greater but not much talked about part of India be able to participate in this mushrooming growth of café culture in a big way? This answer is up to the players to decide…
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Baking
a Success Story
The Indian bakery industry is estimated to be worth 69 billion USD, and it has been growing annually at a healthy CAGR of 7 percent per annum. Comparatively easy accessibility and availability of critical inputs than say a decade earlier has infused greater excitement and potential to the Indian bakery industry. The comparatively easy availability of quality ingredients has also facilitated the industry to provide better quality products and also a greater variety of products than it did say a decade earlier. Here Ashok Malkani explores the realties, character and potential of the Indian bakery industry and also discusses about the entry into this business via franchising, in this feature.
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he popularity of bakery in India can be gauged by the fact that the Indian bakery industry with 85,000 bakery units and an annual turnover of Rs.3000 crore, is the largest of the food industries in the country. Since the opening up of the Indian economy two decades back, the Indian bakery industry has undergone significant changes. It has received a fillip through liberalisation, but has been relatively unaffected by recession, which followed one-and-half decade latter than liberalisation. Recession, which had hit almost all industries globally, did fail to make much of an adverse impact on the bakery industry in India because of the sizeable number of working couple homes with high disposable incomes, many of whom continued to find little time to cook at their homes and thus frequently opted for bakery products for a quick breakfast, lunch or even dinner. The fact that the majority of bakery products
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still retain the distinction of being the most affordable options among the myriad processed ready-to-eat products in the country make their popularity unchallenged in these times. In the recent times, bread has become a daily sight at the breakfast table of many Indians.
The Growth Factors No wonder, the bakery industry in India is one of the fastest growing industries in India. Propelled by the socio-cultural and economic factors, the demand for bakery products is experiencing rapid growth in the urban Indian society. It has achieved third position in terms of revenue generation in the processed food sector, behind only the wheat flour processing, and fruits and vegetables processing sectors. According to the report of the Market Publishers titled Indian Bakery Industry(2011-15), the market size for the industry, which was pegged at 4.7 billion USD in 2010 is expected reach 7.6 billion USD by 2015. As was
expected, according to the report, the shining star of the Indian bakery sector remains the biscuits industry, which is expected to outperform the growth of the bakery sector overall. The growth of an already sizeable middle-class population, increase in their disposable incomes, and greater globalisation and urbanisation are giving rise to the numbers of healthconscious and well-informed consumers for bakery products in India, that is very much evident in retail bakeries, five-star bakery outlets, and also café coffee chains mushrooming across metropolitan India. The huge section of young globally influenced Indian population who are willing to experiment with new-age bakery products is paving the way for culture of innovation among bakeries, and bringing shift in consumption patterns of bakery products. Indian people used to consume cakes, sandwiches, pastries before, but now they are consuming them in healthier options.
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The retail revolution has impacted the Indian bakery industry too. Buoyed by the increasing purchasing power in the society and the sizeable population of young upwardly mobile crowd who are all for experimentation, retail bakery chains have become sleek realties in malls and other places across the urban landscape of India. Many of them have become preferred hangouts for young crowd. These retail bakery chains or bakery-café chains can cater to the evolved needs of a select group of discerning consumers who are perhaps looking for Mediterranean salad, croissants and muesli for breakfast and not for run-of-the-mill bakery products loaded with cholesterol. Changing lifestyles and exposure to global bakery trends among its consumers are inducing café coffee outlets to be comprehensive as well as innovative in their baked offerings. The increasing demand for bakery products during the last decade, the high disposable incomes, the young demographics, the impact of globalisation, and the fact that India is being perceived as a market with high growth potential have together fostered a profusion of national and international bakery brands and bakery-café chains mushrooming across the country. These include Au Bon Pain, the renowned US-based bakery café chain, Monginis, Mad Over Donuts, Donut Baker, Cookie Man, SAJ Industries’ Bisk Farm, Hot Breads among others. Recently, a research paper exploring the future of the bakery industry opined that the Indian middle class was displaying an unprecedented interest towards bakery products. Besides the
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demand for traditional bakery items such as breads, buns, cakes, biscuits, cookies and wafer, there is an emerging market for relatively new-age bakery products such as pasta, pizza and burgers in India. The paper pointed out that the opening of new outlets of foreign bakery chains across the country is a reflection of the Indian consumers’ new-found interest in bakery products.
Character of the Industry However, despite these happening socioeconomic factors which are producing a conducive environment to the growth of the bakery industry, the fact remains that the per capita consumption of bakery products in India presently varies from a dismal 1-2 kg per annum, which is extremely negligible as compared with that in the advanced countries, which is 10-50 kg per annum. The urban areas in India contribute towards more than 77 percent of the Indian bakery market, which makes bakery a very urban-centric industry despite the affordability of a majority of their need-based products. In fact, the increasing demand for ready-to eat food products in urban India fostered by changing lifestyles, and rising disposable incomes in select pockets of urban India are perhaps the main engines behind the growth of the Indian bakery industry, which is exhibiting a healthy annual growth rate at a CAGR of 7 percent, on an average.. But this overall low consumption of bakery products in India doesn’t indicate a worry but an opportunity. It affords great potential for further growth in the Indian bakery sector, especially in the backdrop of such
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an exciting emerging scenario. The structure of the Indian bakery industry can be demarcated into three segments. They are need-based bakery products, bakery products for connoisseurs, and bakery products for hotels. The need-based bakery products are regular breads and biscuits, which are part of the day-to-day usage in middle class households. Here it deserves a mention that breads and biscuits comprise about 82 percent of the share of the total value of the Indian bakery industry, which shows that despite the upcoming fashionable trends, the requirement for bakery products in India is still primarily need-based. India happens to be the second largest producer of biscuits in the world, only the US being ahead of it. According to Sanjay Mehra, Director, Paramount Impex, a manufacturer of bakery equipment, the bakery products for hotels ranges from breads to pastries, cakes to pizza and puffs, while specialised pastries and cakes of international quality, fascinating breads with garlic content, etc. comprise the connoisseur category. Another element of the structure of the Indian bakery industry is its primarily unorganised character, with unorganised segment of the industry accounting for 65 percent of the market share. If the Indian bakery industry continues to remain predominantly disorganised in character, it would face difficulty to absorb and imbibe the emerging international trends in a holistic manner and neither would its toiling workers would benefit in terms of better pay package and economic security.
BAKERY REVIEW However, the Indian bakery industry is not only characterised by significant growth and diversity but also by the potential of attractive profits. On certain bakery products the profits can go as much as 50 percent, and overall the net profit of the industry can easily attain a figure of 40-50 percent annually. All these make the Indian bakery industry an attractive option for new-age entrepreneurs to explore upon. Especially, the organised bakery sector is headed for promising growth. Commenting on the current situation of the organised bakery industry in India, Subhash K Menon, Director, WAH Restaurants, proffered that, “Bakery business is poised for a quantum growth in the near future, which would primarily be driven by the fact that retail bakery outlets can easily and successfully operate out of a 200 sq. ft space by incurring an investment between Rs. 7 to 10 lakh.” But baking business requires investment in terms of expertise. Though bakery industry is emerging as a lucrative option for professionals and entrepreneurs to explore, the success in the bakery industry calls for acquiring and continual honing of baking skills and technologies by the entrepreneurs and as well as the professionals. Today, the Indian bakery industry is brimming with potential, but one needs to counter several challenges before harnessing that potential. The challenge for the new-age entrepreneur seeking to make a success in the baking industry is to keep herself/himself updated with the latest information on the consumers’ preferences and also with the new technologies. At the same time, it is always better if she/he becomes innovative in terms of product offerings, décor and pricing in order to stand out from the competition, which is heating up. Nowadays, healthy bakery products are in great demand and thus the health quotient of the products should also be kept in mind while entering this business. Besides setting up your own outlet, franchising is also one of the convenient options to explore this burgeoning sector in India.
Healthy Bakery Trends During the past several years, much media attention has been paid to the link between your conventional diet and
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rising incidences of chronic health-related issues, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. The Indian bakery industry has also been influenced by it. Bakers have responded to the consumers’ demands for more healthful products by including more whole grains, fibre, prebiotics and probiotics, as well as ingredients with high antioxidant value in their products. With the rising health awareness among consumers of bakery products, the craze for whole grain breads has gathered momentum, as they endow the bread with more protein, fibre, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals than traditional white bread. Overall, whole grain breads, ragi cookies, sugarless desserts, trans fat free and low sodium bakery products have become vogue. According to Dr. S V Suresha, Coordinator, Bakery Training Unit, Directorate of Extension, University of Agricultural Sciences, Hebbal, Bangalore, a major shift towards healthy bakery products is there. His institute had also come up with 100 percent ragi cakes, and biscuits made of maize flour in the recent past. The usage of multigrain blends in breads, muffins, pizza crust, etc. for nutritional, visual and textural appeal has eventually paved the way for a whole new range of products containing a variety of interesting and nontraditional grains in addition to or in place of traditional wheat flours. More and more bakers are opting for ancient grains, such a quinoa, millet and sorghum, so as to make their product stand out. Here it deserves a mention that various ancient grains are characterised by their unique properties and bring to the plate their own distinct attribute to a baked concoction. For example, amaranth is characterised by a slight lactic flavour profile, whereas a slight fava bean flavour emanates from quinoa, whereas sorghum embodies sweet flavour. However, while going for healthy bakery products, it is pragmatic to avoid the pitfalls of misconceptions. For example, simply lowering the fat content in bakery products would not make us necessarily healthy, unless their calories are also not reduced. In the 1990s, the global trend was to reduce fat in bakery products to address the health issue. However, this didn’t yield the desired results as the baking industry didn’t reduce the calories.
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At the same time, taste and texture of the baked food products were adversely affected, as a result of the absence or lower quantities of fat. In fact, despite its bad reputation, fat in bakery products does play a crucial role. And not all fats are bad for health. Essential fatty acids coming from canola oil have low saturates, more polys and more monos. Canola oil can be a good ingredient towards healthy bakery products. Then there are medium-chain triglycerides, which provide cardio health benefits and burn like carbohydrates. Succinctly, the challenge is to siphon the bad fat and add healthy fat in the products, without compromising on the taste and texture of the bakery products. Besides health, taste, visual appeal and convenience are also contributing towards consumers’ purchase preference for bakery products. They are looking for health with taste with visual appeal and are flooded with a plethora of choices. Indulgence factor is getting pronounced in bakery products purchases too in a big way, though need-based products still account for most of the bakery market in India. “Consumers are increasingly seeking premium, gourmet and exotic bakery products to satisfy their desire to indulge,” said Geeta Bector, VP, Research & Development, Mrs Bector’s Cremica. The desserts in India are also going designer. Whatever design or idea you may think of, there are some talented bakers and chocolatiers who would convert that idea into an edible reality, especially tailor-made for you. Yes, cakes in the shape of car or jungle, and chocolates in the shape of boat or
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BAKERY REVIEW ship are now very much possible. The Indian bakery industry has of late also witnessed the popularity of several new-age bakery products like croissants, cupcakes, doughnuts, Belgian waffles, etc. which even a decade back were unknown to the average metropolitan Indian’s palate. This exposure to the new tastes is expected to make the Indian consumers of bakery products more evolved than before. In fact, doughnut is heading towards finding its own niche in the Indian bakery sector. The potential of doughnuts in the Indian bakery industry can be amply manifested by the recent entry of Dunkin’ Donuts and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts into the Indian market and their aggressive expansion plans. Dunkin’ Donuts is envisaging 80-100 stores in India, within five years, whereas Krispy Kreme Doughnuts has plans to open 35 Krispy Kreme outlets in North India, in five years.
Riding on Franchising Wave Franchising has been viewed as a convenient and profitable alternative for the growth of established bakery brands and also for the new entrants to this industry. Franchising has facilitated many renowned brands selling bakery products to gain presence across India. “We started franchising in the year 1971, and over the years, franchising has certainly helped a lot in the growth of Monginis brand. Dedicated franchisees have not only contributed towards increased sales but also in spreading a positive word of mouth around their respective neighbourhoods,” affirmed
Zoher Khorakiwala, Chairman and Managing Director, Monginis Foods Pvt. Ltd. “With Monginis’ franchise, the franchisees are offered assured business from the day the outlet is opened, and they need not wait very long for break even. It is a transparent, steady business with sales spurts on days like Valentine’s Day, Xmas, New Year, etc. However, to make it an even more profitable venture totally depends on the efforts and business expertise of the franchisee concerned,” he added. Cookie Man is another branded success story in the Indian bakery industry where franchising has played an important role. Presently, the Australian brand producing premium range of cookies, which was launched in India in January 2000 by Australian Foods (I) Pvt. Ltd. has more than 35 franchised stores in the country. “We have established our presence in India with a franchise model, which is an exciting route to grow a business. It affords the mother company the ability to scale up and establish a presence in multiple markets with relative ease,” conveyed Pattabhi Rama Rao, President, Cookie Man India. The requisite area and investment for owning a franchise of a bakery brand in India vary from brand to brand. Cookie Man demands an area which varies from store to store, ranging between 60 - 600sq.ft and its requisite investment from the franchisees also varies with the type of the franchised outlet. The investment required from the Cookie Man’s franchises in India is between Rs.5 - 40 lakh. Birdy’s requires a 200 - 250 sq. ft area from its franchisees, and its franchisee would need to invest in shop interiors, equipment, cooling counters, etc. Generally, a franchisee outlet of Birdy’s would require an investment in the range of Rs 7- 8 lakh on setting up of its outlet. India has been going through a retail revolution and the spread of franchising in bakery and bakery related products is one manifestation of this retail success story. Many major bakery brands are offering franchise opportunities to foster their growth process. Overall, one can expect that in the near future, franchising would play a critical role in fuelling the growth of the Indian bakery industry to even greater heights.
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Caking Designer Trends By Kavitha Srinivasa
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owadays, the gourmands in the Indian bakery industry are becoming more experimental and demanding, as they are willing to shell out good money for fancy cake creations, spruced with singular flavours and designs. As a result, a cake is now being increasingly treated as a work of art, as exotic ingredients are making the culinary canvas of dessert design more interesting by the day. And there are a good many talented dessert designers to cater to this emerging
demand for unique flavours and designs. Take the case of Aarti Gupta, a Delhibased dessert expert, who had an unusual request. A family in Jaipur placed an order for apple cinnamon tea cakes to announce the arrival of a newborn. A box of 100 such cakes were specially flown in for the joyous occasion! Besides cakes with uncommon flavours and exotic ingredients, cakes with unique tailor-made designs are also getting popular among the connoisseurs. Whether you want your cake to simulate a boat or a metro station or for that matter a royal
carriage or a garden or a bottle of cold drink, you are likely to translate your imagination into welcome reality. One would imagine that given its elite character only a miniscule section of people are familiar with designer cakes or cakes with unique flavour compositions. And then one would imagine wrongly.
Innovation by Demand Cake experts are willing to go to any extent to please the demanding customers who are frequently ordering customised desserts on occasions that extend
Dreamstime: A Nita Mehta Offering
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BAKERY REVIEW beyond birthdays to weddings and special announcements. Even conventional families who till sometime ago confined themselves to a box of mithai to infuse a touch of sweetness in their celebrations, are comfortably stretching their culinary imagination. “Normal is boring. Every designer cake is inspired by a thought and sentiment, which the customer wishes to express in the form of a cake. The cake in question when displayed sets a conversation rolling, as it instantaneously grabs everyone’s attention,” said chocolate connoisseur Shisham, who runs Happy Belly Bakes in Bangalore. “This enhances the mood and adds humour to the event. Further, as a result of that designer cake, people tend to remember the occasion long after it is over as the memory fondly lingers on those lines,” he added. The inducement of such lingering thoughts urges bakers, confectioners and chocolatiers to try out something different. However, executing such cakes or desserts is no mean task. Art and science blend to make these premium offerings look and taste good. “The creation of Garden
June-July ’12
Nougat Cake with Fresh Fruit from Nita Mehta
Wedding theme cake, which weighed over 15 kg was a challenge. It required various engineering techniques to balance the entire weight of all the detailing and elements. From the stage of production to transportation to assembly at the site, which was a two-hour drive, was a challenge. We had to keep the stability of
the cake in natural conditions, as even the slightest tilt or jerk would ruin the design element on the cake,” explained Shisham, throwing light on the execution. “The designer cakes are becoming popular because of their uniqueness and the fact that they can be designed to suit every occasion. For instance, we can create
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a cake which can depict every theme and event that you can conceive of,” explained Nita Mehta, a celebrated cookbook author, who conducts extremely popular cookery classes. She believes that the market for designer cakes is just picking up in India.
team of Chefs to handle all the intricacies. Interpreting customer requirements and transforming them into cakes does require sheer imagination,” cherished Shisham, a custom-made designer cake specialist. Aarti is just one example of such bakers who caters to a niche clientele that is evolving its tastes quickly. “Chocolate cake is Creativity and passé and black forest gateau Dexterity no longer holds excitement. These cakes happen Whenever I travel abroad I try when a certain degree of out flavoured cakes at the coffee creativity combines with shops. There you can expect Garden Theme Wedding Cake: some extraordinary stuff technical finesse. The first A Happy Belly Bakes Creation may be in-born, but the like mango-ginger variants second usually facilitates from global and fancy cakes with edible flowers,” exposure. Aarti realised it early in her explained Rahul S, a self confessed career and made the best of her culinary foodie. No wonder, the demand for such stint abroad. Having worked with leading exotic creations by the globally exposed confectioners in Europe, she has managed consumers are likely to get translated into to stretch her culinary imagination reality in the Indian bakery industry, in beyond the usual fare. “We use exotic the times to come. ingredients like liqueur and purees. Our mousse tastes different because we use The Pricing Factor a piña colada mix,” explained Aarti, Rahul’s overseas trips may have groomed who runs Wicked Desserts in Delhi. and honed his tastes, but even those who She has made a name for herself as don’t travel much are getting self-taught, she experiments with unusual flavours thanks to the digital world. “People and ingredients. Though in terms of are becoming very net savvy and the cake making she has confined herself exposure to global gastronomic trends to making round shaped cakes, she through cookery programs aired on frequently plays with ingredients and tries television is urging consumers to use out something different. Most of these their imagination and treat themselves experiments have met with success. Like to personalised and attractive cakes,” the lemon grass flavoured panna cotta or a highlighted the Delhi-based baker cocoa flavoured mousse. Arshi Dhupia of Cravings fame. Besides It requires a deft hand to turn a ball discerning individuals who have evolved of soft pliable dough into something taste buds, corporate celebrations are also which is a treat to the senses, both looking for such light, fluffy, smooth in terms of taste and texture, smell and delicately flavoured, finely crafted and visual appeal. “We have a trained customised cakes.
Masterchef from Happy Belly Bakes
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An Exhibition of Edible Delights
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he annual cake exhibition from Nilgiris, South India’s leading chain of retail stores, which dates back to 1905, encourages the people of Bangalore to appreciate the exotic appeal of designer cakes. The Bangalore -based retail chain has its annual cake exhibition, which is being held in the month of December, since the last 37 years. Over time, the public event has represented edible themes like the important monuments, including Seven Wonders of the World. It is also credited for creating sugar-candy scaled down versions of Taj Mahal and Buckingham Palace of the UK, among other exhibits. Such oneof-a kind pieces can soar over 30 feet. They are the result of 15,00020,000 man hours, with whopping quantities of ingredients like sugar, bread crumbs, edible gelatin and food colour. Nevertheless, such cakes remain a visual treat and are not retailed at the exhibition.
Yes, cake lovers have to often pay a good deal to sink their teeth into these sinfully rich goodies. For instance, Aarti has a triple layered cheese cake, which costs Rs.1200 per kilo. The cake, which Aarti describes as a hot-seller, is a visual treat. The layers of this cake include chocolate mousse. It transforms into something exotic because of the bay leaf liqueur cheese cake layering, topped with caramelised almond and chocolate icing. The high-end price points can be attributed to the fact that these cakes are hand-crafted and there is no fixed mould to create a tailor-made shape. “Since these are designer cakes, they are priced higher than the regular bakery cakes. The price points are steep as these cakes require special cake making artistry,” reasoned Nita. Customised cake making is a labour-intensive hand-crafted effort, but at the end of it, it is a labour of love. “Moreover, creating designer cakes is more time consuming because it is similar to creating a piece of art that is edible,” described Arshi while adding, “Procurement of ingredients for such cakes in terms of colours, equipment, moulds
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and cutters, many of which are not available in India, can be challenging.” She stated that, “This explains why we only have individual players in this segment who are willing to go the extra mile to source uncommon ingredients to meet consumer demands.” All these also account for these desserts’ high price.
Sugar Free Options Presently, the Indian cake industry, which is a sub-segment of the bakery industry, is witnessing two contrasting trends. On the one hand, there is a demand for high-end exotic fancy cakes, embodying unique designs and/or infused with singular flavours and ingredients, which carry the promise of an esoteric experience. This is something a cake connoisseur would appreciate and may crave for. For the uninitiated, many ingredients used in these cakes can simply bewilder. Often these cakes, besides being rich with ingredients, are also loaded with calories. On the other hand, there is another emerging caking trend. We do have a segment of people who would opt for a no-frill experience. They want to enjoy comfort food without the fear of piling up too many calories. Mumbai-based Roshni Vatnani caters to this demand by positioning her dessert offerings differently. The professional conducts baking workshops where she gets requests to teach the creation of sugar-free desserts. She finds that few occasional client requests for sugar-free cakes have turned out to be regular demand because of which she has began to include them on the menu. She thinks what is healthy can also be tasty. “All that needs to be done is to alter the sugar content or replacing it with a healthier substitute,” she asserted. She concedes that, “It hasn’t always been simple to create tempting desserts while altering the sugar content,” but in the same breath she maintains that “It isn’t impossible as plenty of good quality sugar substitutes are being available in the market today.” Sometimes it is best to use readily available sugar substitutes. Fruit puree, honey, agave nectar are among the ingredients which can simply skip out the use of sugar in desserts. They are natural sugar substitutes. However, there aren’t too many players in this healthy subsegment, simply because desserts are primarily meant to boost a feel-good factor. At the same time it must be said that the demand for healthy or low calorie desserts are also increasing in India, though at a slower rate as compared to that of the designer desserts. All said and done, it is tough to create a gorgeous dessert without including (and not altering) primary ingredients like sugar, butter, flour and eggs. “There is a larger demand for indulgent desserts as compared to sugar-free or low calorie content desserts. But to be able to sustain in a highly competitive market, you have to cover all bases and need to cater to all kinds of demands,” Roshni explained. Eventually, whether it is a fancy looking cake with rare ingredients or uncommon flavour or a sugar-substitute cake, one has to pay a higher price for it as compared to regular cakes and other regular desserts. But the consumers eager for experimentation are not minding that extra price tag. However, it seems the clientele inclined to pay more for a cake with captivating designs and flavours to be in majority as compared to the clientele looking for low calorie cakes. Though both the trends are continuing unabated…
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For Breads, Cakes and More By Swarnendu Biswas
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ou can choose to visit Zura… that is between 10 am 11.30 pm. One can describe Zura simply as a global cuisine restaurant in Gurgaon, but that is not likely to satisfy many of its admiring guests as a holistic description. I am also one of them. I am not sure whether the recently-opened Zura has the potential to be a world class player in the frantically competitive restaurant and bakery industry which the bronze medal winner in the Olympics already is in the field of frantically competitive world of badminton, but surely Zura is not your run-of-the-mill outlet. First of all, this sleek place which exudes excellence defies any easy definition. It has a bistro, it has a bakery and it also has a bar and a wine cellar in its spacious 12,000 sq. ft. ambit, which includes the non-functional terrace. Though it is located in Sector 29 of Gurgaon, but after a few visits the place graduates to being a state of mind. With its classy interiors where wood plays a big role in the décor, the place reflects
an understated aura with an informal elegance. Appealing pictures on the faux brick walls and the contemporary cutlery add to the ambience. The bistro and bakery of Zura embodies a rustic appeal which is complemented by the very urbane charm of the lounge bar. The name Zura, which originates from the French word ‘azure’ meaning pure blue skies, comes across as a metaphor for authentic cuisines across the globe. This singular haven for connoisseurs and as well as regular guests seeking exquisitely baked delights, a selection of global cuisines and live music has been conceptualised and owned by a dynamic lady named Nidhi Wadhwa, who after years of successful managing of her family business has launched this happening multi-level place in May 2012. Already it is attracting attractive footfalls. Zura reflects Nidhi’s insatiable zeal for food and business. A trained Chef from the California Culinary Academy, Nidhi has managed to blend her love for great food and great business enterprise in the tangible form of Zura. The multi-level space is spread across
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but are not limited to soups, salads, sandwiches, smoothies, freshly brewed coffee and tempting desserts. Zura also has a range of burgers (I particularly liked the Chicken Burger and my colleague preferred the Shredded Lamb Burger), pizzas, sandwiches & wraps dotting its elaborate and appetising food menu, which a lover of bakery products would not mind exploring.
Services and Events
four levels and two floors; the ground floor and the basement, with the bakery situated on the ground floor. From the aroma of delicious coffees to the crunchy sound of the croissants of chocolate and plain varieties getting relished between the lines of lips, to the rich visuals of chocolate enrobed cakes, and the mouth melting sensation of the pastries in the mouth, the sights and sounds of Zura’s bakery are sure to induce you to come back again.
Baking Creativity The whole wheat /multi-grain loafs at Zura may induce the health conscious crowd to flock to the place. Burgers / bagels, lavash and soup sticks give an exhaustive flavour to the bread section of Zura’s appetising bakery menu. The cupcakes at Zura come in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry options, but the common factor between them is that they are simply delightful. While washing the cupcakes with hazelnut coffee I took a passport to the blissful state of being for some moments, as the charming Nidhi animatedly explained her passion for the place. “The bakery is the heart of Zura, where baking is not a day-to-day mundane exercise but the exploration of an exquisite art. Here you can get fresh breads and an array of morning bakeries that can constitute your breakfast options. Besides these, the sinful little cupcakes, rich chocolates, delicious cream cakes, flaky pastries and more are there to tempt your taste buds to go on a sensuous
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trip,” elaborated Nidhi with passion. Among the cream cakes, tiramisu is particularly heavenly, especially if you have it after a plate of grilled chicken salad. However, truffle pastry can give it a good competition to tiramisu as far as its dessert offerings are concerned. Succinctly, Zura is a place where you can get your just desserts and still savour them. Puffs, which come in chicken, mutton, cottage cheese, mushroom and mix veg varieties, along with the quiches, doughnuts, the delectable tarts & pies, and cookies help to give a ring of completeness to the Zura’s baked options. The bistro of Zura also offers a range of delectable choices, which include
Zura is offering a range of supplementary services which can market its bakery offerings in an even better manner. “They include outdoor catering, Sunday brunches, supply of our bakery products to hotels, special day offers on our bakery products among others,” informed Nidhi. Of course, birthday cakes and designer cakes are on offer in Nidhi’s bakery to infuse a touch of classiness to your celebrations. “We have designer cakes, specialised cakes, sugar free cakes and bakery gift hampers to spruce up our bakery offerings,” added the visionary entrepreneur. Zura also hosts corporate dinners, birthdays & anniversaries, children’s parties, teen special parties, and customised private parties, in all of which its sumptuous range of bakery products can play a crucial role. For who would have a birthday or a children’s party without a cake, and who would not love to have Zura’s desserts after a hearty dinner at the restaurant? Nidhi marketing acumen can easily propel the growth of Zura in the near future. “Furthermore, we provide personalised gift hampers for corporate events or special occasions, that can leave a lasting impression on clients & colleagues,” pointed out Nidhi. The gifts at Zura include corporate gifts, baby shower gifts, and baby announcement gifts among others. For example, if the guests to a baby shower are given a memento each, many of them would be induced to sample the Zura’s delicious baked offerings again. “With the bakery industry in India gathering momentum and its consumers becoming quality conscious by the day, we expect that our premium range baked offerings would find a sizeable market among the discerning crowd across Delhi NCR and even beyond,” asserted Nidhi.
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Exploring Artichoke By Sharmila Chand
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rtichoke is an edible flower bud, which is found mostly in the Mediterranean region. It has an ancient history, and its fame is primarily for its medicinal and health benefiting attributes. The origin of artichoke dates back at least to the fourth century BC, to the days of the Greek philosopher and naturalist, Theophrastus (371-287 BC). He wrote about their habitation in Italy and Sicily. The artichoke belongs to the thistle group of the sunflower family and is believed to be a native of the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. The plant spreads across an approximate area of six feet in diameter, and attains a height of three to four feet, when in full growth. The size of artichoke globe can vary from 6-10 cm in diameter and weigh about 150 gm. The plant’s flower buds form the edible part. In fact, the edible portion of the buds consists primarily of the fleshy lower portions of the involucres bracts (triangular scales) and the base, known as the ‘heart.’ If they are allowed to flower, they blossom into seven inches in diameter and present a beautiful violet-blue colour. The artichokes are available throughout the year though their peak season is in the spring and autumn. Artichoke can have bakery applications. Artichoke breads and artichoke cakes can be delight for all seasons and reasons. The artichoke bread is essentially an artichoke dip that is baked on bread until the crust of the bread becomes light and crispy, the dip becomes warm, and the cheesy topping gets melted and acquires a golden brown hue. Artichoke sandwich is another great dish, which can be presented in our bakeries more abundantly.
Harvesting and Storage Though more than 140 artichoke varieties are found across the globe but less than 40 of them experience commercial cultivation. Most of the artichokes are cultivated in
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France, Italy, and Spain, and almost the entire production of artichokes in the US is accounted by California. Their harvesting is generally done when the buds are still immature and are picked just before the petals are starting to open. Fresh globes are very much abundant in the Europe’s market in every season, but especially during the springs. Here it deserves a mention that artichoke fields are maintained in continual culture for a period of five to ten years. Each cropping cycle is initiated by ‘cutting back’ the tops of the plants several inches below the soil surface in order to give an impetus to the development of new shoots. Artichokes are popular winter season vegetables in the whole of Europe. Small or baby artichokes can be eaten completely without removing the inside spiny choke. To store fresh artichokes at home, sprinkle them with a little water and then refrigerate in an airtight plastic bag. Do not wash before storing. They could last a week when stored properly.
This Baby is no Different Baby artichokes are often misunderstood as a separate variety, but they are not. They are just the smaller versions of larger artichokes, and their location on the lower parts of the artichoke plant is responsible for their comparatively smaller size. In the lower parts of the plant, the plant fronds deprive them of the sunlight, hence impeding their growth process.
Health and Artichoke Artichoke doesn’t have high content of calories and fat, but it is a rich source of dietary fibre. Dietary fibre facilitates to ease constipation conditions, decrease LDL cholesterol levels by binding to it in the intestines, and also helps prevent the dangerous entry of colon cancer by preventing toxic compounds in the food from absorption. Scientific studies have revealed that
artichoke can lead to cholesterol reduction action in the body. Fresh artichoke is also a great source of vitamin folic acid. Artichoke is also an excellent source of vitamin B-6, thiamin, and pantothenic acid, which are crucial for optimum cellular metabolic functions. Artichoke happens to be a rich source of vitamin C. Regular intake of foods with high content of vitamin C helps the body to develop resistance against infectious agents and cleanse the body of harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals. Artichoke serves as one of the vegetable sources for vitamin K. Besides promoting bone formation activity, sufficient vitamin K levels in the diet helps prevent neuronal damage to the brain, and thus can play a role in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Artichoke is also a rich reservoir of anti-oxidants such as silymarin, caffeic acid and ferulic acid, which facilitate the protection of the body from harmful freeradical agents. In addition to these, it is a rich source of copper, calcium, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus, which are good for health if taken in limited quantities, and also contains significant levels of flavonoid compounds with strong anti-oxidant properties like carotene-beta, lutein and zea-xanthin.
Serving Artichoke Artichokes can be eaten in their original form. They can also be had by mixing them with vegetables, beans, or meat or by stuffed with seafood. The globes, in general, are cooked by deep-frying, sautéed in oil or done in a barbeque method. The heart of the artichoke is the main part that is being eaten. Its stems, which are often dispensed with, are also edible. The stem of artichoke tastes similar to that of its hearts. In Vietnam, artichoke tea is savoured as ■ a beverage.
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BAKERY REVIEW
Tower Yeast
For more than 60 years, Tower Yeast is an indispensible input to all bakeries in the country. AB MAURI India has reinvented themselves by time and again, by introducing various innovative bakery solutions. Time and again, Tower has surprised the bakers by introducing innovative products like convenient to use Egg-free mixes and Bread Mixes, comprehensive range of Bread Improvers and Mauri Kularomes Flavour and Color Blend. to name a few. In this quest for innovation, AB Mauri has launched three new products – Glazing Gel: TOWER Glaze O, A bread mi: TOWER Masala Bread Mix and A cake mix: TOWER Egg-free Concentrate. TOWER Glaze-O Glazing Gel is an easy to spread and neutral glaze. It can be used for both glazing and piping on cakes. It adds shine to the cakes making them look rich and tempting. TOWER Glaze-O blends with colors and flavors very well and thus Mauri Kularome Flavour and Color blend is a perfect mate for this product. Various flavours like Starwberry, Blueberry, Kiwi and many other flavours are available in Mauri Kularome. All the bakers who love perfection, should use try TOWER Glaze-O today. TOWER Brown Bread Mix and TOWER Multigrain Bread Mix are already popular products in the market. AB Mauri decided expand this portfolio by introducing TOWER Masala Bread Mix which tantalizes your taste buds. TOWER Masala Bread Mix is an ideal blend of Indian spices that can be used to make some chai time snacks just as well as bread. It’s the smart and simple solution to bake an array of products from just one mix! One can bake the mix to make Masala crackers, rusks at the same time one can fry the mix into savoury balls. There is a growing demand for “Egg Free” cakes and pastries in the market, Bakers have been looking for an egg-free concentrate with high yield. AB Mauri has just done that possible. They will soon be launching TOWER Eggfree Concentrate with 12 times the yield- a product most of you have been waiting for. AB Mauri India Pvt. Ltd. info@abmauri.co.in
HansDampf—Gold — the FlexiCombi
Thanks to a user-oriented development which is strongly focused on the real needs of chefs, the HansDampf from MKN creates innovative standards for combi cooking technology. First class materials, innovative quality and production technology going down to the latest detail emphasize the reliable high product quality of food prepared in HansDampf. The right setting for grilling, baking, steaming, roasting and regeneration can be found very quickly. Time, temperature and humidity can individually be combined by using the climate function and the StepMatic save function. The very clear, ergonomic and easy to use operation is one of the outstanding features of HansDampf which can be centrally controlled with one hand from the CombiPilot. With the FlexiRack® – the innovative MKN variability and capacity concept – the user has the choice which rack should be in his HansDampf: either the practical crosswise insert for safe and stable use or the lengthwise insert for those used to work with this system. Another outstanding feature is the automatic cleaning system WaveClean®. Its innovative, patented concept of rinsing agent and cleaner in a sealed two-in-one cartridge stands out due to its safe, easy and clean handling. Easy to handle cartridges instead of bulky storage containers and lowest water and energy consumption save time and money. MKN India mdas@mkn-india.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.
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AB MAURI
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MRS. BECTORS FOOD SPECIALITIES LTD.
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NAGPAL BROTHERS (REGD.)
07
ADVANCE INFORMATION SYSTEMS
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NEENA ENTERPRISES
14
ANNAPOORNA
27
OSHII JAPAN 2012
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APPLE BAKERY MACHINERY PVT. LTD.
21
PETALS PACKAGING COMPANY
17
BUNGE INDIA PVT. LTD.
15
POLLYWOOD INDUSTRIES
14
DABON INTERNATIONAL PVT. LTD.
01
RANS TECHNOCRATS (INDIA) PVT. LTD.
FIC
EAST INDIA MANUFACTURE & TRADING CO.
25
RATIONAL INDIA
10
FINE FOOD INDIA 2012
29
REMINGTON STEEL ARTS
31
Iba 2012
13
SATELLITE PLASTIC INDUSTRIES
17
INDIAN RESTAURANT CONGRESS 2012
23
THE CONNOISSEURS
11
KAMANI OIL INDUSTRIES PVT. LTD.
09
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BAKERY REVIEW
Creating Baking Delights By Sharmila Chand
From breads to elaborate cakes and from delicate flavours to melt in the mouth sweet indulgences, Chef Surajbir Singh, Cuisine Trainer, Bakery and Patisserie, Under One Roof Hotel Consultants, has done it all. He is a culinary artist and specialises in creating miracles through baking that leave you mesmerised. With 12 years of rich experience in the bakery industry behind him, Surajbir likes to experiment with textures and flavours to create interesting items in his kitchen. The excerpts of the interview follow: What is the current trend in the Indian bakery industry? Some trends are now very much visible in the Indian bakery industry. Today, there are lots of experimentation with the types of grains which are being used for the various bakery items like multigrain breads and oat bran varieties. Secondly, the bakery industry is moving towards a more organised structure, and more numbers of people are looking for setting up organised bakery chains and spaces. Thirdly, looking at the current rate of inflation, costs of production have gone up and therefore, the industry is looking at standardisations and quality control. With the cost going up, the emphasis is now on the efficiency of output, production values and quality. There has also been a rise in the trend of sugar free desserts and other sugar free bakery items, which are targeted at those who want to keep their health but also don’t want to miss out on the goodness and taste of the baking delicacies. How did you become a Pastry Chef? My specialisation in bakery and confectionary helped me to become one. Who is your idol; who have
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inspired you in your baking creations? My idol is my mother. She has been a great baker and has engouraged me in the choice of my profession. What are your hot selling bakery items? Red Velvet Cake, Cointreau Chocolate Silk Cake, and Baklava are some of our hottest selling items. Which products are in demand these days in bakeries in India? These days, the consumer demand is for multigrain breads, and eggless desserts which are not all about cream. The sugar free confectionaries and desserts for the health conscious people are also in great demand. Like any other industry, the bakery industry is also about catering to the individual tastes and demands.
The key challenges include continually innovating with the ingredients and elements to keep ahead of the competition. Also, one needs to keep oneself updated, adaptable and engaged in learning new techniques which are being employed in the industry. That is another challenge. Then there is the challenge to make the food taste and look good at the same time, while still keeping the costing in mind as well. What do you like about your job? In the backdrop of a huge population with sweet tooth who love to indulge in sweet something, the best part about my job is that it makes people feel the warmth and love and makes them smile.
What is your favourite tool and why? My favourite tool is palette knife. It is the main tool which facilitates in finishing of products to bring out clean lines and structures.
What is/are your strength/s as a Bakery Chef? My strengths as a Bakery Chef are my creativity and my ability towards fusion in bakery and confectionery items. I take inspiration from small elements and pictures and use my imagination to make something new or better than it has been done before.
What are the challenges a Bakery Chef has to face in his job? Please name three of them
How do you like to de-stress? Visiting gym and playing music help me to unwind.
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