Bakery Review (Aug - Sept 2014)

Aug-Sept ’14

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E D I T O R I A L

Publisher cum Editor

Rajneesh Sharma

rajneeshhammer@gmail.com

Associate Editor

Swarnendu Biswas Resident Editor

Sharmila Chand (Delhi) Ashok Malkani (Mumbai) Layout & Design

Hari Kumar. V Narender Kumar

Production Assistant

Mamta Sharma

Business Co-ordinator

Pooja Anand

Advertising Sales

Delhi: Debabrata Nath, Sumesh Sharma Mumbai: Rajesh Tupsakhare Subscription Sales

Dattaram Gangurde Director Sales

Sanjay Anand

Director Operations & Finance

Rajat Taneja

Editorial & Advertising Offices: Delhi:

Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 1202, Pragati Tower, 26, Rajindra Place, New Delhi-110008 Phone: 91-11-25854103 Telefax: 91-11-25854105 Mumbai:

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E-mail: hammerpublishers@vsnl.net © 2014 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

Desserts facilitate to give a sense of culmination to a hearty meal, and enable the diners to leave the table on a sweet note. India has a long love affair with the desserts. Desserts are hugely popular across the country, and their popularity seems to be increasing.

The growing popularity of desserts in the country has not only given an impetus to the Indian bakery and confectionery industry but has also opened the floodgates of creativity for many a creative Pastry and Bakery Chefs operating in the Indian food service business. Today not only the traditional Indian desserts but a number of international and innovative desserts are also influencing the globalised palates of guests. The Cover Story of this issue deals with the sweet history of desserts, and their present popularity in the Indian context. The preferred dessert options for the guests are also being explored upon. The perspectives of various senior professionals add richness to the story.

The coffee café culture in urban India has gained momentum since the last decade and is on its way to become a mainstream market trend. Several conducive socio-economic factors together with a predominantly young demography of India have contributed towards fostering this trend. The mushrooming of retail coffee café outlets in the country can lead to the growth of the Indian bakery and confectionery industry as many of the retail coffee café outlets operating in the country serve bakery products.

The burgeoning retail coffee café market has lately experienced the entrance of some foreign players, which has increased the element of competition in this sphere. But not only there is space for many more enterprising players, but the huge market for coffee café or bakery café chains in the country is largely untapped, with sizeable potential to explore upon.

The impressive growth of coffee café culture in urban India is examined through our Business Story.

The rampant presence of lifestyle diseases in urban India is perhaps one of the factors which have contributed towards rising health consciousness in the urban Indian society, during the recent years. This rising health consciousness in urban India is now resulting in growing demand for healthy bakery products, which also include growing demand for healthy cakes. In the ‘Product’ section of this issue we have examined the essential features of healthy cakes, and also the healthy caking trends. Two cake recipes by the nationally renowned cookbook author and celebrity culinary expert Nita Mehta are added attraction to the feature.

Overall, our precise coverage of the Indian bakery and confectionery industry through our selection of information, opinions and perspectives are expected to ignite the readers’ interest and provide them with relevant information. I hereby sign off wishing the readers a sweet and sumptuous festive season ahead.

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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I N S I D E

16 COVER STORY

DEPARTMENTS

Delectable Dessert Trends

22 BUSINESS The Aroma Spreads...

26 FOCUS

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Events

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News Scan

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Profile

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Product Preview

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Interview

The Creator of Artisan Delights

31 PRODUCT Cover Pix: Dobla BV

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Have Cakes with Health

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BAKERY REVIEW

SIAL 2014 19 - 23 October 2014, The Parc des Expositions de Paris Nord, Villepinte, France

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IAL - The world’s largest food exhibition will take place in Paris, from 19 to 23 October 2014. In its 50th year, massive participation from more than 6,000 businesses from around the world, more than 150,000 expected visitors from distribution, catering and the agribusiness industry having an opportunity to discover more than 400,000 products, most certainly consolidates SIAL Paris as the world crossroads of the sector.

SIAL is a broad-based exhibition with a fully exhaustive food product offering.

As a multi-specialist exhibition, it brings all the food channels together under one roof, in 20 clearly identified sectors.

SIAL offers a comprehensive view of the food industry: from manufacturing process and ingredients right through to the finished product. By bringing together equipment & technologies with food products, SIAL becomes a unifying event for the food processing industries. With its focus on Food Retail & Trade, Food Manufacturing and Food Service, SIAL offers comprehensive business and product sourcing platform for professionals in Food business across world.

Inspiration, Meetings and Business: these are the hallmarks of the SIAL event.

Inspiration - because by plunging into this intercultural frenzy and participating in conferences, visitors have a unique opportunity to “feed on” the latest trends and global innovations. Meetings because all of the world players will be at this fair in order to exchange and lay the

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foundations for an international network.

Business - because SIAL is above all an export platform, offering producers and buyers the chance to meet as per their needs.

According to Chantal de Lamotte, SIAL GROUP Deputy Commercial Director, “with 96% of the 6,000 exhibitors confirmed their attendance in mid-July is another indication of excellent state of affairs, the exhibition area is expanding, given that for the first time this year, SIAL PARIS will be occupying all of the halls at the Exhibition Parc in Paris Nord Villepinte. But this fiftieth anniversary will also provide the opportunity to revisit the fair’s long history. An extraordinary lever for developing the French agribusiness industry, which continues to be a powerful industry, creating jobs, SIAL has, from the outset, always had a

leading role in major European issues. Its creation, in 1964, coincides with the birth of the common agricultural market. Today, SIAL’s catchment area goes far beyond the borders of France and Europe, with a presence on almost every continent: in North America, in South America, in The Middle East and in Asia. It is, therefore, this knowledge of international markets, local specificities and the development of consumption patterns, which, I think, constitute one of the key factors to SIAL’s success.”

“Today, one of the key international issues is to know where the product comes from, how to safeguard traceability and to prevent food crises. This is one of the reasons why we were keen to give raw produce a greater role in our 2014 event, particularly fruit and vegetables which will feature in a large number of the scheduled activities”, she further added.

“Equipment, Technology and Services” sector, which used to be a separate fair, is now an integral part of SIAL. This is a real opening, in terms of B to B business contacts and opportunities, making it possible to better link equipment and technological developments closely related to the agribusiness market. SIAL, therefore, covers the whole sector: from the process to the finished product.

Now more than ever SIAL PARIS represents an extraordinary business and product sourcing opportunity. In 5 days, thousands of discoveries are going to be presented to visitors.

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BAKERY REVIEW

SIGEP A.B. TECH 2015 17 - 21 January 2015; Rimini Fiera, Rimini, Italy

EVENTS’ CALENDER Fi and Hi India 2014 29 September - 1 October 2014 Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregoan East, Mumbai www.foodingredientsglobal.com/india/home SIAL Paris 19-23 October 2014 Paris Nord Ville Pinte, Paris www.sial.fr

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akery is also a key player in the fast food world. The most important trends in the bakery chain showcased at Rimini Fiera: from artisan to semi-industrial bakery, being held simultaneously with SIGEP, A.B.TECH EXPO and RHEX, highlights new business prospects. The bread battle is on between Italy’s ciabatta and France’s baguette The bakery chain is increasing its space at SIGEP at Rimini Fiera from 17th to 21st January, with the simultaneous staging of A.B. TECH EXPO will confirm its role as the only expo event in Europe able to bring together the entire production and distribution chain along with artisan confectionery and quality coffee.

Three more halls (D5, D7 and B7) and two connecting halls (B5-D5 and B7-D7) will highlight the new business perspective for enterprises, which is now more than just a trend, i.e. that of addressing multifunction venues in which the sale of bread is alternated with serving breakfasts, snacks and aperitifs… and is constantly evolving.

Rimini Fiera business unit manager Patrizia Cecchi explains, “This is the reason it is necessary to establish a format that ensures better coverage of the new perspective. This is why we are talking about the ‘bakery sector’. At the expo there will be companies that are the key players of the artisan and semi-industrial productive process, those that realize sales outlets and others that widen the bakery trade’s range with their products. This has created the perfect terrain for integration with the fast food world and therefore with RHEX,

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International Foodtech India 2014 14-16 November 2014 Hall 1, Bombay Exhibitioon Centre, NSE, Mumbai www.foodtecindia.com

our expo on catering for eating out. This combination enables to create interesting business prospects.”

No other expo in the world - considering SIGEP, A.B.TECH EXPO and RHEX together - is able to propose an insight on this business dynamism, already widespread everywhere. So Rimini Fiera will be the site of the bread battle: Italy’s “ciabatta” is tastier and highlights fillings better than France’s “baguette”. The battle will be held in “Bread in the City” the international contest staged at A.B.TECH EXPO with eight international teams, 16 contestants and a panel that will judges the world’s bread specialities.

Bakery Events will host numerous important events for the bakery world (in Hall D7). These will include the “Bread Talent Show”, a contest in which professionals will propose their innovations in a video.

Before the expo, participants will take part in selection heats, and the remaining finalists will fight it out to win a trip to Shanghai offered by Lesaffre. For information, write to - breadtalentshow@riminifiera.it.

There will also be “Sartoria” workshops (innovative packaging), “Bottega” (new trends in bread stores), “Focacceria” (a workshop for making bakery specialities) and “Officina” (demos of semi-industrial workshops with machinery for making la typical products).

For further information contact: Nicoletta Evangelisti Rimini Fiera S.p.A. E-mail: n.evangelisti@riminifiera.it Web: www.rininifiera.it

Equip Hotel Paris 16-20 November 2014 Porte De Versailles, France www.equiphotel.com Hotel Expo 2014 26-28 November 2014 The Venetian Macao, Macau www.hotel-exhibition.com Hotel Investment Forum India 14-15 January 2015 The Leela Kimpinski Gurgoan www.hifi-india.com Sigep 2015 17-21 January 2015 Remini Fiera, Italy www.en.sigep.it Gulfood 2015 8-12 February 2015 Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Dubai www.gulfood.com Aahar 2015 10-14 March 2015 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi www.aaharinternationalfair.com EDT Expo 25-28 March 2015 Istanbul, Turkey www.cnredtexpo.com HOTELEX 2015 30 March -2 April 2015 Shanghai New International Exhibition Center, Shanghai, China www.hotelex.cn

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Chef Vikas Bagul Wins Indian Chocolate Master Title Cacao Barry® partnered with Callebaut – the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products – today announced that Chef Vikas Bagul of The Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, Mumbai, won the Indian finals of the World Chocolate Masters, a premier culinary competition for chocolate craftsmen from all over the world. Chef Vikas Bagul has beaten seven other pastry chefs and chocolatiers from some of the country’s leading hotels, restaurants and culinary institutions and was named Indian National Chocolate Master 2014 following the twoday competition that was held on Sept. 24 and 25, in Mumbai.

The 2nd place went to Chef Subhendu Sahu of Leela Palace, Bangalore and 3rd place to Chef Arvind Prasad of ITC Hotels, Hyderabad & Bangalore. Chef Arvind Prasad and Chef Chef Rupesh Khawale were recognized with special awards for “Best Chocolate Showpiece” and “Best Cake of the Day,” respectively.

During the two-day contest dedicated to the creative use

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of chocolate under the theme “Inspiration from Nature”, the participants demonstrated their culinary skills in crafting a chocolate showpiece, a moulded praline / moulded bonbons, a gastronomic cake of the day and a chocolate to go, all under the watchful eyes of a 6 member jury which included respected names from the industry - Chocolatier Zeba Kohli, Callebaut Brand Ambassador (Fantasie Chocolates); Chef Parvinder Singh Bali (Programme Manager culinary services, Oberoi Center of Learning and Development); Chef Avijit Ghosh (Callebaut Brand Ambassador & Corporate Pastry Chef, The Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts); Chef Abhiru Biswas (Head of Academy, Barry Callebaut India); Chef Nitin Upadhyay (JW Marriott) and Chef Lionel Villaron (Executive Chef L’Opera).

Cacao Barry® partnered with Callebaut organized this event to offer chocolate artisans and pastry chefs a forum to showcase their skills in designing chocolate showpieces and other chocolate desserts. The competition required true craftsmanship to execute elaborate chocolate creations in limited time and bring to life the origin of cocoa through inspiration from nature.

Chef Vikas Bagul will now represent India at the Asia Pacific - World Chocolate Master Championship, to be held in March’ 2015 in Taiwan, where he will compete with winners from other Asian countries.

The Participating Chefs at the event were: Chef Arvind Prasad (ITC Hotels, Hyderabad & Bangalore); Chef Neelam Saini (Kolkata); Chef Nehul Gautam (The Oberoi, Gurgaon, Haryana); Chef Pratik Roy (The Leela, Gurgaon); Chef Rupesh Khawale (Hyatt Regency, Mumbai); Chef Subhendu Sahu (Leela Palace, Bangalore); Chef Vikas Bagul (The Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, Mumbai); Chef Akash Rawal (Hotel Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai) The World Chocolate Masters is an initiative of the leading Gourmet brand Cacao Barry® partnering with Callebaut, part of the Barry Callebaut Group. The World Chocolate Masters is the only international bi-annual competition that is solely dedicated to the Art of chocolate. The international competition recognizes and celebrates the chocolate professionals’ innovation, artistry and technical skills.

Contestants are chosen for their flair and competence – talents that are put to the test in front of an international panel of food experts.

The World Chocolate Masters was initiated in 2004.

It brought together two of the gourmet profession’s most prestigious competitions: the “Grand Prix International de la Chocolaterie” organized in France by Cacao Barry and the “International Belgian Chocolate Award” organized

by Callebaut in Belgium. The World Chocolate Masters competition includes national pre-selections all over the globe.

For more information on the competition, visit website www.worldchocolatemasters.com

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BAKERY REVIEW

Natural to Enter the National Capital

Inbisco India Comes with JoyMee

Natural ice-cream from Mumbai is entering the Delhi market this Diwali. Established in 1984, in Mumbai, Natural ice cream has been an important player in making artisan ice creams using only fruits, dry fruits, chocolates, milk and sugar.

The ice-creams of Natural do not contain preservatives and stabilsers.

In fact, the love of Delhites for Natural ice cream is wellknown. During the wedding season, more than 2500 scoops of Natural ice-cream, on an average, are flown to the capital on a daily basis. Presently, Natural sells approximately 1.4 lakh scoops on a daily basis, across six states of the country.

Today there are 116 stores of Natural ice cream, while in 2012 the store count of the chain was only 50.

Inbisco India Pvt. Ltd., which happens to be a subsidiary of Inbisco — an Indonesian food products company—has entered the fast growing Indian instant noodles market with the launch of JyoMee instant noodles. Presently, the instant noodles market size in India is estimated to be Rs.3000 crore. This instant noodle is made from wheat flour. The company has chalked out a strategy to make its noodles attractive to not just the kids but also to youngsters for whom instant noodles was part of the growing up.

JoyMee noodles come with crunchy onion toppings known as yummion. It will initially be sold in the southern India through company’s existing distribution network. This distribution network is already engaged in selling the company’s other confectionery products like its candy named KOPIKO, its chocolate paste named choki choki and its chocolate wafers named beng-beng, among others. JoyMee noodles is expected to have a pan-India presence by the next year. Inbisco India plans to introduce more flavours and variants in the noodles segment, in the ensuing months.

After this product is rolled out nationally, the company will come up with other food products. It is also making plans to foray into the premium biscuits segment during this year’s festive season. The company has already invested Rs.200 crore for its manufacturing plants in Hyderabad, and at Sanand in Gujarat.

The factory in Gujarat is expected to start production soon.

Cadbury Glows in India /50 9 ` 1O n l y

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Mondelez India Foods Limited has announced the launch of its luxury chocolate gift offering named Cadbury Glow. Cadbury Glow is the new luxury gifting brand from Mondelçz International and is being introduced first in India. The product can be described as luxurious pralines with an indulgent chocolatey filling Speaking on the launch, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Director, Chocolate Category & Media, Mondelez India Foods Limited, said, “India is the first country to launch Cadbury Glow, which will be our luxury gifting brand globally. Gifting is an integral part of Indian culture and festivals and we are confident that consumers across the country will be excited about our yearround luxury gifting brand.”

“With the launch of Cadbury Glow, a premium chocolate gift offering from India’s favourite chocolate brand, our hope is to grow the chocolate gifting category in India,” he pointed out.

Cadbury Glow has been inspired by the warm glow of happiness that comes from seeing dear ones light up with happiness when they receive a special gift. This chocolate is filled with little details that are symbolic of the care that went into creating it. The chocolate pralines are crafted in Europe, and special attention has been taken post production in designing and packaging. The beautiful gold and purple packaging of Cadbury Glow also adds to the attractiveness of the product.

Here it deserves a mention that Cadbury Glow is the third chocolate gifting brand in Mondolez India’s portfolio, following Cadbury Celebrations and Toblerone.

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Parle Products’ Healthy Initiative To target the growing numbers of health conscious consumers, Parle Products has come up with Simply Good range of digestive cookies. This range of digestive cookies is available in three varieties, which are Classic Digestive, Honey and Oats, and Apple and Cinnamon.

These healthy products contain fibre, oats, pure honey and multi-grains. These cookies comprise wholesome ingredients and natural produce.

They can be construed as a perfect tea time snack for calorie conscious consumers of bakery and confectionery products.

This range of digestive cookies is available across the country in 250 gm pack at Rs 50, and in 100gm pack at Rs 20. This range of digestive cookies is the product of extensive research to gauge consumers’ expectations from a valued brand, during the present times.

BAKERY REVIEW

Lavazza Spa Sells Barista Coffee to Carnation Hospitality Italy’s Lavazza Spa has sold its struggling coffee café chain Barista Coffee to New Delhi-based Carnation Hospitality for Rs.100 crore. Here it deserves a mention that Carnation is a unit of Haryana-based packaging company named Rollatainers, which has entered the food business segment in early 2014 by acquiring two restaurant chains.

It is also introducing Jamie’s Italian Restaurants to the country through a franchise arrangement.

Lavazza Spa has recently announced that this decision is in accordance with its global business guidelines to not directly operate coffee outlets. However, according to the CEO of Lavazza, Antonio Baravalle, the company would continue providing Lavazza coffee to Barista.

Baravalle also said that Lavazza would continue to develop its presence in India through away from home business and through the investments in the Sri City plant near Chennai.

The plant near Chennai is till now the only production facility of Lavazza outside Italy.

Dunkin’ Donuts Comes to Bangalore The US-based Dunkin’ Donuts expanded its presence in India, when Bangalore had its first Dunkin’ Donuts store in the recent past, in the month of September. This is first Dunkin’ Donuts store in South India. The newly opened store is the 36th Dunkin’ Donuts store in India. The doughnut and coffeehouse chain’s presence in the country is through its partnership with quick service restaurant operator Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd. According to Ajay Kaul, the Chief Executive Officer of Jubilant FoodWorks, there are plans to have 25 additional Dunkin’ Donuts stores in the country during this fiscal. Three more stores having Dunkin’ Donuts branding are under construction in Bangalore, which will be realities shortly.

According to Dev Amritesh, the President and Chief Operating Officer at Dunkin’ Donuts India, during the ensuing 8-12 months, Dunkin’ Donuts will have outlets in Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad According to Amritesh, on an average, a Dunkin’ Donuts store in India requires an investment ranging between Rs.90 lakh to Rs.1 crore. He said the Dunkin’ Donuts brand was specifically focused towards the youth.

Here it deserves a mention that India had its first Dunkin’ Donuts store in mid 2012, which was opened in Delhi. Since then, the chain has expanded fast and wide across the country, which reflects urban India’s growing taste for doughnuts and other fast food options. Dunkin’ Donuts has presence in 30 other countries outside the US.

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Britannia Introduces Tiger Butter Krunch Britannia Industries, one of India’s leading food companies and a dominant player in the Indian bakery industry, has launched Tiger Butter Krunch in September 2014. This launch marks the entry of Britannia Tiger into the mainstream cookies segment.

Filled with the wholesome goodness and the taste of butter, Tiger Butter Krunch brings alive the credo ‘Makhkhan maar ke’. Packed with essential nutrients like iron, calcium and vitamins, Tiger Butter Krunch delivers a delightful and healthy cookie experience. There is a unique Tiger inspired design on each of these cookies which builds brand Tiger’s equity through product design.

“With the launch of Tiger Butter Krunch, brand Tiger is all set to take on the mass cookie market,” said Ali Harris Shere, Director - Marketing, Britannia Industries Ltd. Tiger Butter Krunch amalgamates great taste and health. “These tasty butter cookies are fortified with iron, vitamins and calcium. These attributes make it a magical product for both mothers and kids alike,” added Ali Harris Shere.

Here it deserves a mention that Britannia Tiger, which is one of the important brands in the kids segment, has re-invented itself to revolutionise the concept of kids’ nutrition in the country. Britannia Tiger is available in pack sizes of 45g and 200g between a price range of Rs. 5 and Rs. 20, across modern and general trade outlets throughout the country.

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BAKERY REVIEW

International QSR Chains Set to Invade India’s Food Service Business The Indian QSR market, which is experiencing an annual growth of 2530 percent on an average, is expected to see the entry of two international brands this year. They are Lord of the Fries and La Tasca.

Moreover, Fatburger a US-based premium burger chain which has presence in 27 countries, has already opened its maiden outlet in India, in Gurgaon’s Cyber Hub, where the offerings of the gourmet burger franchise are being tailored to match the Indian tastes. Vazz Foods Pvt Ltd, the master franchisee for Fatburger in North India, is envisaging to come up with five Fatburger restaurants by December.

Lord of the Fries (LOTF) is an Australian family-owned vegetarian QSR chain, which will have its first restaurant outside Australia this October, in Delhi-NCR. After having three to four restaurants in Delhi carrying the brand Lord of the Fries, the brand is expected to extend its presence in Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai.

Lord of the Fries would primarily cater to the huge vegetarian eating out market in India.

Wendy’s hamburgers are coming to attract the tastes of people of India. Wendy’s, which happens to be the third largest hamburger chain in the US, will be entering the country, in partnership with Sierra Nevada. One of the joint venture partners of Sierra Nevada is the Haryana-based packaging company Rollatainers, whose unit Carnation Hospitality acquired Barista Coffee in the recent past. Wendy’s outlets in India are expected to be realities in Indian food service space, during the first quarter of 2015.

Burger King has Ambitious Expansion Plans in India The Miami-based fast-food giant Burger King will enter India and is expected to open its first few outlets in the country by the end of this year. Initially, Burger King’s presence in India would be in Delhi and Mumbai.

Burger King endeavours to make China and India its biggest markets in the Asia-Pacific region. Last year, the Asia-Pacific region accounted for only 5 percent of Burger King’s revenues. But at the same time, the Asia-Pacific market has great potential for Burger King’s business.

Burger King has a joint venture with a Singapore-based private equity and real estate group named Everstone Group to open a few hundred stores in the country, during the next ten years. Burger King will come up with a segregated vegetarian menu in India.

Here it deserves a mention that Burger King did enter into a joint venture in 2012 with the objective to open 1000 restaurants in China, by as early as 2015. Recently the chain entered Pakistan and Brunei markets.

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BAKERY REVIEW

Delectable

Dessert Trends

Desserts, which were and are normally taken at the end of the meal, are also now being taken instead of the meal. Sweets have always been the weakness of kids but even the young and the staid gentlemen are now becoming dessert ‘fans’.

The Chefs, keeping in mind the diners’ preferences, are now experimenting with new desserts. The result is that now you can end the meal with sweet treats that are not only yummy but are innovative and are easy to make. Many innovative desserts have entered the realm of palates in this age. In India, Ashok Malkani finds the desserts have become ‘must have’ items for a great many diners going for eating out.

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t is said that many Indians have a sweet tooth and that, probably, is the reason why desserts are so popular in India. Be it just plain icecream or a delicious apple pie or the more fascinating crème brulee, desserts are becoming awaited items on the menu. Many may not agree with this and say that this is merely my individual conception or fancy, but still I would say that India can be described as a land of desserts, and without desserts the country’s food & beverage scene would look boring. One of my colleagues said that it may look deserted even.

Like everything in life, the scenario of desserts in India is also undergoing continual evolution.

A Sweet History When one traces the history of certain desserts, one can easily discern the role of inventions and explorations in the passing of recipes, ideas, and ingredients which led to the creation of new confections.

The fascinating history of desserts is more than just a mere recounting of the first ice-cream or detailing the first time meringue was served. Sweets date back to ancient civilisations, where people savoured fruits and nuts with honey.

Desserts, it may be mentioned, were first made using natural ingredients that were locally available. In ancient civilisations people enjoyed dried fruits, honeycomb, or nuts as desserts. These can be regarded as the first candies for the mankind.

When manufacturing of sugar began

Pooja Dhingra

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in the Middle Ages, sweet desserts became more abundant. Over the millennia, desserts have changed from natural candies and dry fruits to complex soufflés and multi-layered cakes.

The modern desserts of our times are both a product of technology and sustained culinary innovativeness.

The origin of ice-cream can be tracked to 3000BC and perhaps ice-cream is the first ‘dessert, as per the modern conception of dessert is concerned. Ice-cream was actually an invention of the Chinese.

However, then it was much more of a flavoured ice than it was truly an ice cream. The exact year at which flavoured ices became ice-cream in conventional sense, cannot be traced.

However, by the mid-1800s, recipes for how to make ice-cream were in wide circulation. Marco Polo may have brought the ice-cream making technique to Europe from his travels.

Desserts have come a long way. Today perhaps every country has desserts of its own. From crumbly cakes like sfouf from Lebanon to tasty milk tarts from South Africa, to Gelato from Italy, desserts have far reaching and enduring popularity across the globe. India has a number of indigenous desserts and a significant section of the country loves exploring the continental desserts too. Drive across the country, and you would find different sweets in different regions – from rossogolas to gulab jamuns and kheer to gajar ka halwa, etc. But these are just some delectable Indian sweets. Indians are now seen eagerly enjoying western desserts like pies, cakes, puddings, custards also.

Popularity of Desserts “Desserts are hugely popular not only in India but around the world. The commercialisation of baked desserts and the rise of food production have led to the

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BAKERY REVIEW

Recipe for Apricot Chocolate Cake Recipe by Chef Javed Merchant, Executive Pastry Chef, Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach Ingredients Egg Free Chocolate Sponge Egg Free Sponge Mix (choc): 500 gm Water:

225ml

Oil:

25 ml

Chocolate Ganache Dark Chocolate: 150 gm Truffle Base: Santosh Rawat

increased popularity of desserts over the last few decades. Desserts are now widely perceived as necessary to complete the meal and to leave a nice aftertaste; letting you complete your dining experience on a sweet note,” stated Amit Pathania, Executive Chef — Alila Diwa Goa. “Desserts usually present a lasting impression that stays on after a meal. I would say it is a necessary accompaniment to a meal even if people are health conscious or on a low calorie diet, as there are various dessert options for those who do not consume sugar,” explained Chef Savio Fernandes, Executive Pastry Chef at JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai.

“Desserts have always made meals memorable. While desserts deserve to be important part of main meals, desserts may not necessarily be a part of the meal but can also be had with your evening tea or coffee. However, while dinning with family or friends the meal may seem incomplete without a dessert,” observed

Amit Pathania

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200 gm

Chocolate Glaze Fresh Cream:

500 gm

Water:

130 ml

Sugar Castor:

840 gm

Gelatin:

50 gm

Cocoa Powder: 280 gm Method Egg Free Chocolate Sponge 1. Mix together pre mix and water and let it mix at a slow speed.

2. Put the machine on medium speed and add the oil.

3. Divide the mixture in the prepared tin and bake the cake at moderate temperature.

Chef Javed Merchant, the Executive Pastry Chef at Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach.

“Indians love desserts and have a sweet tooth. Today the market for sweets goes beyond the traditional halwai shop and there are new-age patisserie, cookie shops, and cupcake shops. A wide variety of international desserts are influencing the Indian palates,” pointed out Santosh Rawat, Pastry Chef at Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel and Lakeside Chalet, Mumbai — Marriott Executive Apartments.

“We Chefs are striving hard to create innovative desserts for our customers.

Huge emphasis is being given on the complexity of the dishes, tastes and even the visual appeal of desserts. Definitely no meal feels complete without a sweet something to end it with,” he proffered.

“Indian desserts were always very popular and they are still the most sold food item during any festive season.

European desserts are slowly becoming more popular in the country. People are now coming out of their cocoon and

Chocolate Ganache 1. Boil the truffle base and add the chopped chocolate to it.

2. Strain the mixture. Let it cool and use as appropriate.

Chocolate Glaze 1. In a pan, boil together fresh cream and water.

2. Mix together sugar and cocoa powder and add it to the boiled cream and bring it to boil again.

3. Add the pre-soaked gelatin to the cream and cocoa mix and let it rest.

Assembly 1. Divide the sponge into equal horizontal layers.

2. Lightly soak the sponge with sugar syrup.

3. Apply apricot jam on the layer, followed by the set ganache 4. Repeat the same with the remaining layers.

5. Let the cake rest in the freezer overnight.

6. Glaze the cake with the chocolate glaze and garnish it with dried apricots and chocolate.

Savio Fernandes

trying newer things. Indian people are getting exposed to new tastes since they are travelling abroad in much greater numbers than before and are developing global tastes of food & beverage. And when they come back to India, many of them expect to taste similar things. This means the Chefs here also have to keep themselves updated about the latest dessert trends across the globe. Indian Chefs are now creating desserts, which are out

Aug-Sept ’14

BAKERY REVIEW

Aug-Sept ’14

C O V E R

S T O R Y

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C O V E R

S T O R Y

Javed Merchant

of the box and very creative,” disclosed Chef Gaurav Chakraborty, Executive Chef – Novotel Hyderabad Airport, while elaborating further on the Indians’ preference for desserts.

“Desserts will never go out of fashion.

They appeal to one of the most basic desires of humans looking for feel good factors. Sometimes, they are not only a necessary component of a meal, but can even take precedence over a meal,” observed Rahul Korgaonkar, Director of Food & Beverage, Goa Marriott Resort & Spa. Suril Udeshi – Franchise Head, TGB Banquets and Hotels Ltd. Ahmedabad, claims that desserts in the country have gained popularity like never before. Not only in Christmas, New Year or on the Friendship Day, nowadays desserts are a super hit on Indian origin festivals like Rakshabandhan, Ganesh Mahotsav, and Diwali too.

During Rakshabandhan, packets of chocolates, special Rakshabandhan goodies and sweets are in trend for gifting to brothers/sisters. Modak cakes during Ganesh Chaturthi,, initially invented by TGB Café and Bakery, is now a rage in Ahmedabad! Desserts for sure complete a meal especially when it is a formal/semi formal dining. At casual formats like café or a bakery a dessert and a coffee itself is a meal for a lot of dessert connoisseurs in the country.

BAKERY REVIEW to individual. In India we have different desserts from different regions. Kulfi, payasam, phirni, gulab jamun, shrikhand, sandesh, gajjar ka halwa, shahi tukra are some of the popular Indian desserts.

“The preferences of desserts depend on the guest’s liking and his/her extent of exposure to the global cuisine. It also remotely depends on how comfortable the guest is in trying new food items.

We regularly meet Indian guests who are open to trying new desserts instead of the regular Indian sweets; while a foreigner is seen to try Indian sweets rather than the western desserts,” averred Chef Santosh.

Chef Gaurav seconds the abovementioned view. “Though Indian and western desserts are both popular, the preference completely depends from person to person. A lot of Indian guests who have conservative taste buds prefer sticking to Indian desserts most of the time but many of the people who are well travelled have started exploring western dessert options,” informed Chef Gaurav.

“It is usually Indian desserts after an Indian menu and western desserts at the end of a western menu. However at a buffet, the choices are open as there is a large variety to choose from. As I understand, it is quite a lot of western desserts that move as compared to Indian desserts as I can gauge from what guests pick from the buffet,” pointed out Chef Savio.

“Any comparison in this regard is unfair, since desserts of all kinds have a universal appeal. Whilst gulab jamuns and rassogolas are all time favourites, so are cheesecakes and mousses,” stated Korgaonkar.

“Peche Mignon, our French patisserie,

Preferred Dessert Options While there is little doubt that the Indians’ proverbial sweet tooth makes dessert a ‘must have’ dish at mealtimes across the country, the preference of the dessert in India differs not only from region to region but also from individual

20

Gaurav Chakraborty

Rahul Korgaonkar

witnesses a perceptible trend of western desserts being sold on a regular basis while during the festival season we have noticed that people tend to prefer Indian desserts,” expressed Chef Javed.

Pooja Dhingra, a renowned Pastry Chef and the Owner and Executive Chef of Le 15 Patisserie, a dessert paradise in Mumbai, talks about ice-cream’s growing popularity. “Ice-cream is in. It is now also being partaken as a sandwich.

Several city restaurants are serving it.

One can say that the dessert that is getting all the attention is the ice-cream sandwich,” she elucidated.

An ice-cream sandwich is nothing but a slab of ice-cream sandwiched between two biscuits or cookies, but this simple dessert has the potential to be regarded as a gourmet delicacy. Top food sites have named this item among the ‘Five most exciting food trends for 2014.’

The ice-cream sandwich is emerging as a popular dessert at restaurants throughout the country. “The ice-cream sandwich is simple and delicious; it combines cookies and ice-cream, which gives the dessert its high popularity,” iterated Pooja.

“The patronisation of Indian sweets in Indian weddings has risen.

Simultaneously, the demand for displaying variety of western desserts is rising too. A counter of Indian sweets like moong dal halwa and Bengali sweets is often flanked by a western sweet counter which includes cheese cakes, mousse and puddings.

However, in restaurants people often ask for western desserts as they are lighter in comparison to the rich Indian sweets,” affirmed Udeshi.

The Indian dessert trends are changing and you can learn more about it in the next issue of bakery. 

Aug-Sept ’14

Aug-Sept ’14

Mar-Apr ’14

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B U S I N E S S

BAKERY REVIEW

The Aroma

Spreads…

By Swarnendu Biswas

T

he coffee café culture across urban India has gained momentum over the last decade. It is a trend that is fast traversing from being vogue to being mainstream, across urban India. These sleek coffee café retail outlets are serving as ideal settings for romantic rendezvous, animated discussions and as well as calculated business parleys for the newage upwardly mobile India, along with hot or cool beverages and sumptuous snacking options. These hangout zones of today and most probably of tomorrow are offering innovative range of coffee concoctions along with an impressive array of appetising snacking options, which the Indians attuned to globalised tastes, are savouring.

These days, many of the young and even the not so young crowd in the sleek coffee cafes are seen sipping Americano, Mocha, Cappuccino and many other exotic styles of coffee, which not so long ago were foreign to the then comparatively conservative tastes of India.

The future for the coffee café retail chains in India seems full of aroma of profits. The burgeoning retail coffee

22

market has lately experienced the entrance of many foreign players to capture a market share, which has strengthened the aroma of competition that in turn is expected to waft across in the days, months and years ahead in the form of more evolved consumer preferences.

And these sleek coffee café outlets, which have also doubled or are fast doubling up as restaurants serving

breakfast, lunch and dinner options, are serving a host of bakery products along with myriad varieties of coffees. Therefore, it is evident that the growth of the café retail chains can in turn give a better future for the Indian bakery industry…

The Hot Market Café Coffee Day can be credited with pioneering the retail coffee chain revolution in India, and presently it is the

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B U S I N E S S

BAKERY REVIEW largest organised retail coffee cafe chain in the country.

The first CCD outlet was set up on July 1996, at Brigade Road, Bangalore and within one-and-half decade this organised retail café chain giant was having 1640 cafes across 29 states of the country, by September 2014. On May 2014, CCD announced that the chain was adding 150 cafes and 120 Xpress outlets through the country during the ongoing fiscal. The cafes would have sizes varying between 800 and 1,000 sq. ft. while the Xpress outlets will be of 125 sq. ft. each.

According to Venu Madhav, CEO of CCD, the demand indicates that there is potential for 5000 cafes in the country.

He informed in May 2014 that they were aiming for a 10 percent growth in outlets and 18-20 percent growth in revenues during the present fiscal.

The coffee chain giant Starbucks which had entered India only in October 2012, through a 50:50 joint venture with Tata Global Beverages that is named Tata Starbucks Ltd., has expanded greatly in India. Tata Starbucks Ltd. has

Aug-Sept ’14

now 58 outlets across Mumbai, DelhiNCR, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai.

Tata Starbucks Limited, the 50:50 joint venture between Starbucks Coffee Company and Tata Global Beverages Limited, celebrated the opening of the 50th Starbucks store in India on 8th July 2014 with the launch of its first

store at Phoenix Market City, Velachery, Chennai.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the opening of our 50th store in India and extend our unique Starbucks Experience to the coffee lovers of Chennai.

Continuing our thoughtful expansion in this market, we remain committed to growing our business with a steady focus on our partners – who are at the heart of our business and contribute greatly to our success. As we grow from strength to strength, we are committed to exceeding the expectations of our customers and those of our partners,” stated Avani Davda, the CEO, Tata Starbucks Limited on the occasion of this launch.

Within two months of the opening of the 50th store in India, Tata Starbucks has opened its 58th store in the country, which became a reality in September 2014, in Hyderabad.

Having 50 outlets in less than two years, and eight outlets in the next two months amply indicates Starbucks’ expectations from the Indian market. It also indicates the potential of coffee café chain revolution in the country. Costa

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B U S I N E S S

BAKERY REVIEW

Growth in Coffee Consumption

I

Coffee, which entered India in 2005, presently operates over 100 stores across India, covering high street, shopping malls, airports, hospitals, business hubs & highways. Here it deserves a mention that Costa Coffee is the first international coffee chain to commence operations in the country.

Besides the giants like Starbucks and Costa Coffee, other important players in this area like Dunkin’ Donuts has also made its entry in India’s burgeoning retail coffee market, making the market for coffee cafes really hot.

Dunkin’ Donuts, the Massachusettsbased doughnut and coffeehouse chain, arrived in India in April 2012, and within slightly more than two years, there are 36 outlets in India within the ambit of the Dunkin’ Donuts’ brand.

India is expected to have 25 new stores of Dunkin’ Donuts during this fiscal, in Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. Krispy Kreme India and Mad Over Donuts are other important players crowding the retail coffee café or

24

n India, the production of coffee is largely concentrated in the three southern states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Karnataka leads 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 accounting for 11 percent of the total country’s coffee production. India’s coffee production during 2012-13 was 318,200 tonnes.

According to the estimates of Coffee Board of India, India’s coffee consumption during 2013 was 125,000 tonnes. What is more important that the domestic consumption of coffee in the country has been experiencing an impressive growth rate of 5-6 percent per annum since 2010. Between 1951 to 2000, the total domestic consumption of coffee in India increased by only 2 percent per annum, on an average. Overall, the coffee consumption in the country has enhanced by 40 percent over the last decade.

Even two decades back, the consumption of coffee was largely concentrated in the south of India. Still South India accounts for almost 75 percent of India’s coffee consumption. However, presently the popularity and the consumption of coffee in India is no longer concentrated in its southern states. Presently, the estimated market size of retail coffee in India is Rs.1700 crore with huge growth potential.

The demand for coffee consumption is showing appreciable increases across our nation, which has been traditionally a nation of tea drinkers. What is of more significance is that the proportion of occasional coffee drinkers in the country has shown an increase in the last few years in the non-south regions, a section which the coffee café retail chains would not be naïve enough to not explore upon. bakery café scenario in the country.

Just two months back, the 13th outlet in India with Krispy Kreme Doughnuts’ brand name became a reality, with the opening of the Krispy Kreme store in Chennai. The doughnut chain has plans of coming up with four more outlets in Chennai, over the next few months.

In India, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts has tied up with Citymax Hotels India Pvt. Ltd, the hospitality division of the Dubai-based retail and hospitality conglomerate Landmark Group to open 80 Krispy Kreme stores in south and the

west India over the next five years. The first Krispy Kreme store in Bangalore came up in January 2013, and by the end July there were 10 Krispy Kreme outlets in the same city. This reflects the stupendous growth potential of bakery cafes and coffeehouse chains in urban India. The first Krispy Kreme store in Bangalore came up in January 2013, and by the end July of 2014, there were 10 Krispy Kreme outlets in the same city.

“We opened our first store in Bangalore, in January 2013, and now we have 10 stores in Bangalore. We will continue to add outlets at strategic locations. Customers’ response to our offerings has been quite heartwarming and we are ready to further expand our presence in other Indian cities so that more and more Indian foodies will have access to our world famous doughnuts,” explained Michael McGill, Vice President International, Krispy Kreme Corporation.

The newly opened store at Express Avenue Mall, Chennai is spread across an approximately 3500 square foot area and is offering more than a dozen varieties of Krispy Kreme’s doughnuts, including the signature Hot Original Glazed® doughnut, as well as a complete menu of Krispy Kreme Chillers, iced beverages and coffee.

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B U S I N E S S

BAKERY REVIEW pertinent examples of how bakery and confectionery industry, and coffee are interlinked can be exemplified through Dunkin’ Donuts and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. The names say all.

For Tapping the Untapped Potential The Cause and the Effect Diverse economic and socio-cultural factors, and a demography tilted in favour of young population have facilitated the growth of coffee café culture in India. The mushrooming of coffee café culture across urban India can perhaps be attributed to rising disposable incomes in select pockets of urban Indian society, and also to the rising familiarisation of urban Indian society towards global food & beverage trends, as a result of the maturation of globalisation and increased number of overseas travels. The increased coffee consumption in India over the years is also one of the major reasons for this growth.

All these factors are of course facilitated by a predominantly young demography of India, which is welcoming the exposure to global tastes and flavours.

At the same time, it can be analysed that not only the increased coffee consumption in India along with lifestyle changes in the urban Indian society has induced the trend of coffee café culture across urban India to gain momentum, but the mushrooming of coffee bars and cafes in turn have also played their role in making coffee the lifestyle drink of newage India.

However, whether initially the supply followed demand or the demand was created through changing the supply pattern is a matter of debate. Deciphering the cause and the effect becomes difficult in this market phenomenon. But either way, the bakery industry is expected to benefit from the growth of the coffee cafes across the country as these cafes sell a host of bakery products.

For example, sandwiches, pizzas and desserts dot the Café Coffee Day’s menu.

In the recent past, Costa Coffee has introduced a range of cakes at its Indian outlets, which includes Dark Chocolate and Peach Torte, Blueberry Mousse Cake, Caramel and Oreo Gateaux and White Forest Gateaux. There are numerous such examples, but the most

Aug-Sept ’14

The coffee chain market in the country is experiencing a highly impressive growth rate of about 30 percent a year. However, despite the mushrooming of coffee café or bakery café culture in urban India, the per capita coffee consumption in India is only 90 gm, which is much lesser than the North-American and European average, which varies between 4-5 kg per year.

Moreover, coffee café chains are still by and large, a big city trend. Besides, only 200 of the 6000 towns in the country have coffee café chains. All these statistics indicate a huge untapped potential for café coffee or bakery café chains in the country, which needs to be creatively and vigorously exploited by the various coffee café chains or bakery café chains for escalating their revenues.

However, in order to tap this hitherto untapped market for coffee and new-age bakery and confectionery products in small towns, the coffee café chains having presence in the country or are planning to enter the Indian market need to come up with more consumer-friendly options.

Especially, the players operating in the non premium chain of this aromatic revolution should also make a sincere effort to make their prices more affordable so that a greater number of Indians can enjoy their products and ambience without making a hole in their pockets.

Their increasing affordability can give their marketing endeavours an impetus across pan-India.

Moreover, the café chains need to tailor their products to local tastes and not to some fictitious homogenous Indian tastes.

There is in fact no homogenous taste or tastes in India, with aroma and flavours changing within a few miles. For example, even within Delhi, the taste preferences may vary from one region to another. Therefore, these retail chains should tailor their offerings to attract the local taste preferences of the place where the outlet is being set up.

Therefore, localising the burgers, muffins and doughnuts are the need of the hour, which in turn can enhance these chains’  coffee consumption too.

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F O C U S

BAKERY REVIEW

The Creator of

Artisan Delights Recently, Bakery Review got an opportunity to have an interaction with Rhea Gupta, the Owner of Windsor Chocolatier, a Gurgaon-based company engaged in creating handmade premium chocolates. The chocolates of Windsor Chocolatier are prepared only with fresh ingredients.

Coverture chocolates of Belgian origin, pure cocoa butter, sugar, fresh cream, hand-picked herbs and premium quality honey go into Windsor Chocolatier’s making. No artificial flavours are being infused in the making of these dark and delightful creations.

According to Rhea, their chocolate fillings are also handmade and prepared in small quantities to keep the original taste unaltered. The excerpts of the interview with Rhea Gupta, the dynamic entrepreneur cum qualified chocolatier follow: Kindly tell us briefly about some of the quality ingredients used in your chocolate creations, which make them special?

We are using best quality coverture chocolates from Belgium, whereas most of the other makers of chocolate products in the country are using compound chocolates.

Our other ingredients also reflect premium quality. We use almonds from California, hazel nuts from Turkey, cream and butter, and fruit purees from France, and pistachio from Iran.

Succinctly, our singular gourmet

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chocolate products are prepared with selection of quality raw materials which enables us to pursue excellence in quality and finish.

Also throw light on your equipment and human resource in maintaining quality of your chocolate products?

Best in class European tempering machines endow our chocolate products with quality uniform finish. Furthermore, our team keeps on working to introduce new flavours and designs to make our products interesting for varied chocolate lovers.

Do your chocolates cater to only high-end market segment, or do you have some products tailored for the mass market also?

We are making and selling premium chocolate products only. Our positioning is in the premium segment only; we are not looking at the mass market.

Which are the institutional markets do your chocolates cater to? Besides institutional sales, has Windsor Chocolatier been involved in retail sales of its products too?

We at present are targeting the Diwali

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F O C U S

BAKERY REVIEW gifting segment among corporates and are also beginning to sell our products from modern trade outlets. We presently have presence in Delhi-NCR only, but we intend to soon to be available across pan-India.

chocolates market at Rs. 8000 crore and a minimum 10 percent of this caters to premium segment. That makes the market for premium chocolate products teem with promise for further exploration.

Do you produce customised chocolates too, involving creative designs?

We do make customised chocolates for occasions like baby announcement, corporate events and wedding invites. We have a large range of options to cater to customers who are looking for chocolate products for these kind of occasions.

Is chocolate consciousness among the urban Indian consumers rising?

Yes, the Indian consumers, on an average, are getting more aware about good quality chocolates due to increased international travel. But still a great majority of the consumers in India do not know the difference between a chocolate and a compound. Unfortunately, most of the companies / hotels in India use compounds to make chocolate products, which is actually not a chocolate. We will have to educate customers on this.

How do you gauge the present as well as potential market for premium chocolates in urban India?

In India, the market for premium chocolate products at present exists in urban markets only, that too among the top 20-30 cities/towns at present.

However, this market for premium chocolate products has huge potential.

The rough estimates peg the Indian

Aug-Sept ’14

What are your plans to expand your market presence in the industry, in the near future?

We envisage having pan-India presence in the near future.

Kindly enumerate some challenges towards creation of quality chocolate products (for example, non conducive geography, less awareness levels, paucity of quality raw materials, etc.) in India. How do you think these challenges can be countered?

Apart from the rampant ignorance among the consumers about the difference between compound and coverture chocolate, the second biggest challenge for the Indian chocolate industry is poor logistics. Chocolates require refrigerated vehicles for transportation from one city to another or from one point to another. In India there is huge shortage of refrigerated vehicles. We hope that companies engaged in the logistics of the chocolate business in the country would have more refrigerated vehicles in their eet, in the near future. In fact, they should have them. This is a necessary logistics requirement to give impetus to the Indian chocolate business.

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P R O F I L E

BAKERY REVIEW

From

Estonia With

Love

By Sharmila Chand

L

aunched in India very recently, Nordic Kandie Magic redefines the concept of marzipan. Yes, the brand reflects not just any marzipan but gourmet marzipans.

In India, the brand first made its foray in Mumbai, followed by its introduction in the Delhi’s market.

Nordic Kandie Magic’s range of handmade marzipan delicacies are targeted at a discerning clientele, that appreciates an exclusive gourmet experience. Made with fine quality of ingredients sourced across the globe, Nordic Kandie Magic introduces the Indian market perhaps for the very first time to the delicious reality of gourmet marzipan.

The brain behind these delicacies is the Estonian expatriate Thea Tammeleht, who has taken inspiration from her family’s traditional recipes to develop her

28

gourmet marzipans.

While her family in Estonia has been engaged in creating marzipans across generations, NKM became a reality only last year by the efforts of Thea and her husband, Thomas Abraham, in Estonia.

Thea Tammeleht, the Founder & Director of Nordic Kandie Magic, hails from a small but beautiful little country of Estonia, located in the Baltic region of northern Europe.

The country is the birth place of marzipan. Thea has a master’s degree in counselling and education and she has always been involved in the family’s food and beverage business. By watching her grandmother and mother cooking, baking and serving with love did help her to learn as well as hone her culinary skills.

Presently, Nordic Kandie Magic

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BAKERY REVIEW

has been set up in Europe and India in the true European traditions of authentic marzipan making.

In India, she and her husband began setting up the company in the second half of 2013 and they did come out with their product in India, only in the first week of February 2014. After moving to India the couple had difficulty in locating and procuring true gourmet marzipan. Though there were some popular mass market imported marzipans in a few stores, but getting the real deal seemed truly difficult.

With each passing day in India they felt the growing need to share this ancient family tradition with gourmet food lovers in India and the rest of the world.

In Delhi, Nordic Kandie Magic is available at Neel Sutra Bridal Lounge, at Khan Market. Elegantly packaged in royal blue and gold, Nordic Kandie Magic’s marzipan creations make for a perfect gift to accompany wedding invites. In Mumbai, one can find these products at Shop # 1, Vasant Villa, on Peddar Road, Kemp’s Corner.

The marzipan products of Nordic Kandie Magic are available in India in 14 flavours which include flavours like mint, chocolate, strawberry, orange, almond, anjeer, and cinnamon; these gourmet treats are 100 percent vegetarian, and cholesterol and gluten free. The excerpts of the interview with Thea Tammeleht, Founder & Director of Nordic Kandie Magic follow:

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P R O F I L E

Share your experience on marzipan business from Estonia to Mumbai and now Delhi?

As a European living and doing business in India, it has been an interesting experience. There are similarities as well as differences in doing business in both places. However, the basics of business are always the same, anywhere in the world.

One thing we have quickly realised in our short span of time in Delhi is that the city loves luxury and in spending money on the good things in life. Like in Delhi, Mumbai also has a significant well-heeled segment who loves our marzipans. Both cities are awesome markets for us, though they require us to have different approaches.

One size does not fit all.

What kind of ingredients go in your marzipan making?

We choose our Mamra almonds the way a winemaker chooses his grapes, where the time of harvest, humidity, region of growth, etc. are taken into consideration. Mamra almonds contribute to 4 percent to 5 percent of the global production of almonds and they are sweeter and more nutritious than the other commonly available

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P R O F I L E

BAKERY REVIEW The fear of failure looms large here in India; failure seems to be a big stigma here. People here need to understand that a screw-up isn’t a failure. We all learn from our mistakes.

Any special flavours you have added while keeping the Indian palate in mind?

We constantly think about the Indian market. That is why we had the help from Chef Vicky Ratnani who curated for us five Indian flavours, which were launched as part of Father’s Day celebrations. They are anjeer, peanut butter, chilli-mango, cinnamon and nutmeg.

But at the same time I feel that Indians are so much more open to the European flavours. They like to experiment.

almonds.

We use Belgium chocolate to wrap our marzipans and certified edible gold and silver from Italy to cover the chocolate.

While the production process is artisan, with a closely held family recipe, the products are 100 percent vegetarian, cholesterol free and trans-fat free.

How did you venture into the business of marzipan?

My family has been fortunate to treasure a marzipan recipe that has been passed on from mother to daughter for many generations. While our friends and family have enjoyed our marzipans, we had never thought of commercialising the same, until last year in Estonia, when my Indian husband (Thomas) suggested that we share this wonderful gourmet delicacy from Estonia with the world.

After I finally moved to India for the long-term, I decided to start the project in India too. In February 2014, a week before Valentine’s Day, Nordic Kandie Magic was launched in India to offer artisan luxury gourmet marzipans.

What are the challenges you did face in India?

Doing business anywhere in the world is more about a state of mind. If there is will, patience and willingness to understand a culturally diverse market, then a country like India will reward you.

We initially believed that setting up a FDA approved factory in India would be much easier and cheaper but with the high real estate costs and timelines, that was not the case.

Then forming the company in Europe took us a day, but much longer here in India. But things are getting better with each passing day. With automated systems and processes things now are getting much faster and convenient in India too.

Price Range Nordic Kandie Magic’s price starts at Rs. 200 for a single marzipan kandie/pop.

They have various options for a Luxury Pack of 6, 9, 12 and 18 kandies.

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According to you how important packaging is for a brand like Nordic Kandie Magic?

We are a luxury brand, thus every aspect of our product is important. Of course, our visual impact begins with the packaging, which is important for us. Our trademark royal blue satin packing with double flap lid and metal dye cut logo with a rich gold ribbon is the hallmark of our luxurious visual impact.

Our carry bags with gold embossing, our individually wrapped Kandie with flavour tags and blue ribbons are a testament to our attention to detail.

We vary our ribbons according to customer tastes / requirements. Succinctly, our packaging solutions reflect our ethos of luxury, quality and consistency.

The Brief History of Marzipan

M

arzipan is known to have been invented in Tallinn, Estonia (formerly known as Reval, one of the Hanseatic towns) in a pharmacy. Its history traces back to the 15th century.

Legend has it that a powerful councilman was ill and directed the town hall pharmacy to give him the right medicine. The head pharmacist of the pharmacy was not well either and it fell upon his apprentice Mart to develop the medicine.

In medieval Europe it was required that the pharmacist consume the medicine in front of the royal patient before administering it. Since he had to consume it himself, Mart decided to make the medicine tasty by adding almonds and sugar.

Mart’s medicine cured the councilman who loved the taste and he called it Mardileib (in Estonian) or Mart’s Bread. And marzipan was born.

Soon Mart’s Bread found its way to towns across Europe.

Bishop Henrik loved it and popularised it. In Latin it was called Marci panis, and over a period of time it came to be known to the world as marzipan.

Aug-Sept ’14

P R O D U C T

BAKERY REVIEW

Have Cakes with Health

By Swarnendu Biswas

W

ithout cakes the story of modern bakery industry cannot begin or end. Cake has a rich history and seems to have a promising future ahead in this fast-paced age where people are having less and less time to cook elaborate meals. The popularity of cakes spans a huge time period and geography. Even ancient Greeks used to have cheesecakes made of goat’s milk, and the Indian consumers of twenty-first century and beyond are expected to have a long love affair with the cakes. In fact, both cakes and pastries are gaining popularity in India.

It is a commonly known fact that cakes are an integral part of weddings and birthday celebrations in the western world, and are also used in birthdays and other celebrations across a plethora of Indian households. In fact, over the centuries, cake has become the dessert of choice at ceremonial occasions.

Cakes can also be great tea time snacks and can be effective in catering to in between hunger pangs between two major meals.

There are a huge variety of cakes. There are yeast cakes, cheese cakes, sponge cakes, butter cakes, fruit cakes...and now there are designer cakes.

Nowadays, customised cakes with innovative themes and decorations and novel ingredients are getting popular in the upper echelons of urban India, especially in metropolitan India.

Besides the designer cakes where the imagination of the cake makers and the customers are creatively reflected in the form of customised and often innovative edible concepts, another important trend that is caking in urban India is the growing popularity of healthy cakes. It is

Aug-Sept ’14

not surprising considering the rampant presence of lifestyle diseases in urban India.

India has more than 50 million people afflicted with diabetes. And according to the World Congress of Cardiology, it was estimated that by 2020 heart diseases would account for over 40 percent deaths in India, whereas in 1990, it was accounting for only 24 percent deaths in the country.

Thankfully, during the recent years, more and more people are showing a rising consciousness to combat these lifestyle ailments, which have been plaguing many of our lives for more than two decades. This rising health consciousness is influencing healthy eating habits among more Indians than was seen before during the last hundred years or so.

The Caking Trends In these health conscious times, a bakery is likely to get better revenues from its cakes, if they are spruced with healthy ingredients and if they use minimum of potentially harmful ingredients for health.

“In cake making, use of whole wheat flour and also multi-grain flours are gaining currency. Also vegetable shortenings like margarines are getting replaced by healthy oils like olive oil or canola oil,” stated the renowned cookbook author and culinary expert Nita Mehta.

“Heavy cream topped cakes are fast losing popularity. Fruit cakes instead of regular sponge cakes, are catching on.

Nowadays, one can find that water melon slices are being used instead of sponge layers in cakes,” elaborated Nita while discussing the healthy trends in cake making in the Indian bakery industry.

Organic cake is another option which the Indian bakery industry could explore more proactively. However, these cakes are likely to gain popularity only among the relatively affluent consumers, as obviously they would be priced markedly higher because of the organic ingredients. Nita thinks that organic cakes in India do have a niche market but it will take quite some time to have these cakes attract mainstream popularity in the country.

The Right Advise

Nita Mehta

According to Dr. Ritika Samaddar, Regional Head, Department of Clinical Nutrition, Max Healthcare Institute Ltd., “For healthy cakes, the proportion of oil in cakes should be slightly less, and instead of only refined wheat flour, combination of wheat flour, oat flour and refined wheat flour should be used to enhance the health quotient.” As far as oils are concerned, she

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Cake Recipes by Nita Mehta I. Carrot & Banana Cake Serves 16 Ingredients: 150 gm refined wheat flour (maida) 1/4 tsp soda bi carb, one-and-a-half tsp baking powder 2 tsp cinnamon powder 4 eggs 150 gm brown sugar – 1.25 cups 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup raisins One-and-a-half cups of grated carrots, 1 ripe banana – mashed 1 Cup oil Dr. Ritika Samaddar

thinks that olive oil or canola oil are the right oil to be used for cake production, as both these oils have high content of monounsaturated fatty acids, which are very healthy for heart. These oils also have a high content of Vitamin E. Nita also rightly thinks that “Margarine and saturated fats like butter should be avoided when making cakes as these are high cholesterol ingredients.”

As far as ingredients go, the healthy cakes should also have infusion of natural sweeteners like honey and fruit juice.

“The bakeries can opt for sugarless cakes, and if that is not feasible in marketing terms, they can at least reduce the sugar content in cakes. Cakes’ health quotient can be enhanced by decreasing its sugar content and replacing sugar with fruit juice and honey as much as possible,” opined Ritika. She suggests that the proportion of sugar in cakes should be lesser as compared to fruit juices and honey.

The renowned doctor also advocated using fruit juice and honey in sugarless cakes, instead of sugar free tablets. This would not only greatly reduce the risk of the huge diabetic population, but can also enhance the nutritional content of the cakes. According to Ritika, healthy cakes should minimise the effect of potentially harmful ingredients, and be spruced with nutritional ingredients at the same time.

Nita believes that to enhance the nutrition of a cake, fresh fruits like apples and bananas and dry fruits like dates, figs, and cranberries can be used. “Healthy fruits & seeds like flax seeds can be added

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Method: 1. Grease a 9” cake tin or line base of tin with paper and grease paper at the base and sides well. Pre-heat oven at 180°C/350°F. 2. Sift flour, baking powder, soda bi carb and cinnamon powder together.

3. Mix raisins and walnuts in 1/4 cup flour and keep aside.

4. Separate egg whites and egg yolks.

Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt till stiff.

Add sugar in batches and beat well after each addition.

5. Put egg yolk one at a time. Beat well.

6. Add oil and beat for 1/2 a minute.

7. Add maida in batches and fold gently with a large wooden spoon.

8. Add carrots and banana. Fold gently.

Add raisins and walnuts along with the flour and mix with the spoon gently.

9. Pour the batter into the prepared tin.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C/350°F for 50-60 minutes till done. Insert knife or skewer in centre of cake. If it comes out clean, remove from oven.

to cake batters,” advised the culinary expert. Ritika too thinks that cream should be avoided as much as possible in cakes and the lowering of cream content in cakes should be compensated by sprucing the cakes with fruits and nuts.

“Of course, artificial sweeteners, artificial colouring agents and artificial emulsifiers should be avoided as much as possible in cake making, if we want to have our cake and health too,” expressed Ritika. She strongly believes that the use of emulsifying agents in bakeries should be according to prescribed regulations.

On my request, the wise lady appraised me a bit about the emulsifying agents. “Emulsifying agents are

10. Let it cool. Invert on a rack. Have it plain or decorate with carrot curls and caramelised banana slices.

II. Fig and Date Roll Cake Serves 8 Ingredients: 2 eggs, 3/4 cup (100 gm) powdered sugar 1/2 cup (75 gm) oil 50 gm seedless dates - chopped (1/3 cup), 50 gm dry figs - chopped (1/3 cup) 1 tbsp rum (optional), 2 tbsp walnuts – chopped 85 gm (three-fourth cup) maida 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp soda-bi carb (mitha soda) Method: 1. Mix 4 tbsp water to dates and figs in a pan and keep on low flame for 2 minutes.

Remove from fire and mix in the soda bi carb. Cool and add rum. Keep aside.

2. Sift maida & baking powder in a bowl.

Add walnuts, dates and figs to the maida.

3. Beat eggs and sugar very well till light and fluffy. Add oil gradually and keep beating till the oil is well blended with the eggs.

4. Add maida with the dry fruits and nuts in small batches and fold till mixed properly with the eggs.

5. Transfer to a loaf tin of 4.5” x 8.5” size or to a roll tin greased with oil. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 150°C/300°F for 45-50 minutes. Insert skewer or knife into centre of a cake. If it comes out clean remove cakes from oven. Let it stand in the tin for 10 minutes. Now turn onto wire rack to cool.

substances added to food to facilitate uniform dispersion of fats and oils in aqueous media and according to The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 ( revised 2006); no emulsifying agent shall be used in food except specifically permitted and within the prescribed limit,” stated the medical professional.

I queried Ritika whether healthy cakes were gaining popularity in India. She said that they were but the rate of progress in this direction was pretty tardy. She believes that much more proactiveness from the Indian food service industry is needed to make healthy cakes a part of mainstream baking culture. 

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BAKERY REVIEW

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P R O D U C T

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P R E V I E W

SUGAR SYRUP IN BAKERY

It is hard to imagine the baking industry without sugar. Rahul Sugar Products provide a wide range of sugar products that are used in bakeries large and small.

RSP’s liquid gold is premium invert sugar syrup that has been developed to provide an easy to handle alternative to granulated sugars. Invert sugar is ready to use clear and in soluble form.

Unlike in conventional preparation of sugar syrup, invert sugar syrup cuts down time / labour, power and infrastural resources. It is carefully produced with fine sugar to provide consistent flavour and low colour.

Bakery Grade Invert syrup is widely used in the manufacturing of bakeries and biscuits, and has been made exclusively for use in confectionery industries for various applications - Lowers baking

temperature for faster baking and enhances aroma, improves textures & taste. Gives faster richer crust and reduce breakage of biscuits. Tenderize and help retain moisture ensures freshness and longer shelf life bakery products. Reducing properties helps in inhibition of oxidative degradation in foods like jams, jellies ketchup’s, ice cremes, fruit juices, squashes etc. Imparts more luster and color, while retaining integrity and nutritional value of fruits. No crystallization when used in sot drinks, sherbets other cold recipes.

Rahul Sugar Products priya@rahulsugarproducts.com

MELLO MARGARINE Mello margarine contains the right mix of MUFA & PUFA, which are known as cholesterol fighters. It has no cholesterol and about 70 percent less saturated fat than butter. Butter generally contains excessive saturated fats that cause bad cholesterol. By substituting Mello for butter over a week’s time, one can save a whole day’s worth of saturated fat. Mello also offers nutritional benefits – a tablespoon of Mello provides 10 percent of the daily value for vitamin A, and is an important source of dietary Vitamin D & E. It also contains linoleic acid; an essential fatty acid which is vital for good health. Mello is spreadable, almost right out of the refrigerator.

Foods Fats & Fertilizers Ltd. sjj@fff.co.in

BAKERY REVIEW

WAFFLE CONE MAKER & WAFFLE MAKER

Akasa continuously strives to provide with best quality products which are user friendly & maintenance free.

This year Akasa has introduced range of new products - Round Classic Waffle Cone Maker & Waffle Maker are two of them. One can’t resist the aroma of freshly baked waffles & cones. As Waffle Cone & Waffles have become kid’s favorite, Akasa has launched round machines which are economic as well as fast in making golden equally baked crispy waffles & cones. This user friendly machine has one timer knob & one temperature setting knob with light indicators. Its unusual nonstick baking plates enables easy removal of waffles & cone.

Akasa International info@akasainternational.in

CHEF’S CHOICE

Knife is said to be the ‘life’ of a Chef. In fact, holding on to a good quality knife is extremely crucial for any user in the kitchen. Probably, the most exclusive branded knife of India, which has been closely associated with star hotels and catering units, is Remington Knives. Over the years, the company has won an essential place in the commercial kitchens of India. Its knives are made from tough, carbon stainless steel that ensures greater edge retention. These knives are heat treated and tempered in an inert atmosphere.

Remington Knives are appreciated due to their sharp, long-lasting edges, user-friendly shapes and sizes and wide range. The wide range includes French Cook’s Knives, Paring Knives, Steak Knives, Vegetable Knives, Carving Knives, Slicing Knives, and many more. Edges of Remington Knives are ten times sharper and longer than the conventional knives. They are known for their full-length tang for perfect balance and for easier and less tiring cutting.

The quality of Remington Knives is at par or above as compared to imported knives. They are precisely handcrafted and finished with each blade honed to an exact perfection and lasting experience.

Remington Steel Arts remingtonsteelarts@yahoo.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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Aug-Sept ’14

ADVERTISER’S INDEX

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ADVERTISER’S INDE X COMPANY

PAGE NO.

AB MAURI INDIA PVT. LTD.

BC

APPLE BAKERY MACHINERY PVT. LTD.

29

BUNGE INDIA PVT. LTD.

09

CRAFT AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION (CSDO)

25

DABON INTERNATIONAL (P) LTD.

05

MADHAV ENTERPRISES

33

MRS. BECTORS FOOD SPECIALITIES LTD.

BIC

NAGPAL BROTHERS (REGD.)

13

NEENA ENTERPRISES

08

RANS TECHNOCRATS (INDIA) PVT. LTD.

FIC

REMINGTON STEEL ARTS

27

SATELLITE PLASTIC INDUSTRIES

10

SIGEP 2015

15

STEC STAINLESS STEEL PVT. LTD.

11

SWISS BAKE INGREDIENTS PVT. LTD.

01

THE NEW INDIA ELECTRIC & TRADING CO.

12

THE SCS AGRIBUSINESS CONSULTANTS PVT. LTD.

19

TROPILITE FOODS PVT. LTD.

23

WINDSOR CHOCOLATIER

07

PRODUCT PREVIEW

34

* BC - BACK COVER

Aug-Sept ’14

* FIC - FRONT INSIDE COVER

* BIC - BACK INSIDE COVER

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BAKERY REVIEW

Focused on Quality

By Sharmila Chand

With more than two decades experience in bakery industry, Mohd. Ayub Qureshi is presently the Executive Pastry Chef at Crowne Plaza Today Gurgaon. He has been with the hotel since its pre-opening that is since 2007.

Prior to this, Chef Qureshi was in the Middle-East for nine years working with renowned hotels like Delmon International Hotel, The Bahrain Hilton, and Le Royal Meriden.

His forte lies in sugar work and wedding cakes and he is always innovating and implementing new ideas & style. For him quality is a priority and he places absolute focus and emphasis on it.

Qureshi also shoulders the responsibility of training his team, inventing new recipes and at the same time maintaining cost control and adhering to hygiene and FSMS standards. The excerpts of the interview follow: What are your major roles as an Executive Pastry Chef?

One of my most important objectives as an Exceutive Pastry Chef that I keep in mind on a daily basis is the menu improvisation.

I have been responsible for planning and enhancing menus and am engaged in creative cuisine preparation in line with the international standards. Refreshing the menu from time to time is extremely important and I am responsible for menu revamping and recharging as per guests’ profile and preferences.

Another of my most important roles is being responsible for imparting sanitation training to kitchen personnel via regular meetings, conducting training and motivation programs & maintaining high standards of health and hygiene.

Being responsible for managing the manpower effectively and for budgeting & cost control operations is another of my crucial roles.

Besides all these, I am also responsible for handling guests and for increased guest satisfaction and in evaluating the feedback for further changes/ improvisations.

What are the current trends in the Indian bakery industry?

These days many guests want to taste modern flavours and are extremely conscious about their health and intake of calories. The demand for healthy food like sugar free, low calorie, high-fibre food is more prevalent nowadays. Butter cream cakes and pastries with heavy icing and intricate piping are now not as popular these days.

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Did you become a Pastry Chef by design or by default?

My entire family has been in the hotel industry and most of them are Master Pastry Chefs at well-known hotels. We all have a passion for baking & confectionary.

My father too was a Pastry Chef and he was the one who has strongly inspired me to be where I am today. He is my idol.

What are your hot selling bakery items?

We have many hot selling bakery items.

Our customers are very fond of our French style cakes, pastry, breads and morning bakery.

What about the health quotient?

How do you take care of that aspect?

We always keep the health issue in our mind and therefore we make sugar free and low-calorie desserts and bakery items for our customers.

Bakery items like multigrain bread, Vollkorn bread, soya seed bread, Eleven grain bread, classic rye bread and glutenfree bread are examples of healthy morning bakeries which we offer.

What is your favourite tool and why it is so?

Silpat and Flexipan rubber mats have revolutionised the pastry making industry; these are the ones that I use the most.

Earlier, one had to grease the tray and moulds well with butter to avoid the bakery goods from sticking to the sides of the mould. It was a time consuming and messy

process that we have done away with the new technology.

What would you consider the most important challenge in your present job?

The most important challenge for me and my team is attaining customer satisfaction, which I keep in mind whenever I m working on my bakery and pastry items.

What do you like about your job?

I like the fact that I get to create new things every time.

What is your strength as an Executive Pastry Chef?

My team is my strength.

What is your working philosophy?

My working philosophy is discovering new things and be a great leader and a good team player.

What are you passionate about besides baking?

Besides baking, I like cooking continental at home — for my friends and family. I am a great foodie, I love eating out and I am passionate about watching cricket.

What are your dreams?

I dream of becoming a Corporate Chef of a leading hospitality group.

Lastly, what is your mantra for success?

For me if one could have a good attitude towards life one can achieve anything.

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