Bakery Review

E D I TO R I A L

Publisher cum Editor

Rajneesh Sharma rajneeshhammer@gmail.com

Associate Editor

Swarnendu Biswas Resident Editor

Sharmila Chand (Delhi) Ashok Malkani (Mumbai) Sub-Editor

Tapapriya Lahiri Layout & Design

Hari Kumar V. Narender Kumar Photographer

Mahendra Singh Mehta Production Controller

Vinay Goel Production Assistant

Mamta Sharma Advertising Sales

Delhi: Kunal Gujral Mumbai: Rajesh Tupsakhare Subscription Sales

Dattaram Gangurde Director Sales

Sanjay Anand Director Operations & Finance

Rajat Taneja Editorial & Advertising Offices: Delhi:

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

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E-mail: hammerpublishers@vsnl.net © 2011 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.

The Indian bakery industry is going through several changes, and many of these changes have already graduated into happening trends. The rising health consciousness in the society is also reflected in the Indian bakery industry in the form of increasing demand, and consequently the increasing supply of healthy bakery products flooding the market.

The increasing disposable incomes and the influences of globalisation in the society have also contributed to the healthy choices of bakery products. As a consequence, whole wheat and multi-grain breads and sugarless desserts are becoming vogue in many sleek bakery outlets of urban India, and bakeries producing cholesterol laden products are dwindling in popularity.

Many bakeries are now seen opting for natural ingredients, and the role of fresh fruits in garnishing is finding increasing popularity in the world of desserts. The bakeries are becoming sleek in terms of ambience and décor, and open-air bakeries, it seem, may become more evident in the Indian metros in the near future, thereby providing more transparency and accountability in the baking process.

With the products, the presentation of the products is also gaining due weightage in the Indian bakery industry, and nowadays, lots of experimentations in shapes, sizes and colours of desserts are taking place.

The hand-crafted custom-designed desserts embodying specific themes are in vogue. Now whatever may be your imagination, you can get it simulated in edible format on your cake or cupcake or chocolates. These innovations, which are fostered largely by many small stand-alone bakery units, are infusing more excitement and adventure into our occasions and celebrations.

The popularity of gourmet chocolates is evolving, and chocolates in India are in the process of replacing traditional Indian mithais as gift items. Though the awareness about the quality of chocolates is still at a nascent stage in India, but at the same time, it is showing a marked improvement as compared to the situation of say a decade earlier. Many creative high-end chocolatiers have also entered the market, and their customised chocolate creations are creating sweet and sensuous waves in the industry.

The Indian ice-cream industry is making a shift towards the organised segment from the disorganised segment, and the market for branded ice-creams is growing, as is the trend towards sleek packaging options and people’s craving for fast foods. We discuss many of these trends in detail in our Cover Story for this issue, which I believe would arm our readers with information and analysis.

The exhaustive Business Story on myriad packaging options in the dairy business, the report on the impressively growing fast food market in India, the interview of Pavani Kaur, who has managed to perfectly amalgamate her baking expertise and aesthetic imagination to create works of art that look and taste delightful, and our other regular features are geared to hold your interest between the covers. I am hereby signing off while wishing you a Merry Christmas and a happy new year, and with a hope that 2012 will have us more informed with a greater quest for knowledge.

Editorial Policy : Editorial emphasis in Bakery Review magazine is on

educational & informational material specifically designed to assist those responsible for managing Bakery & Confectionery business. Articles are welcome and will be published on the sole discretion of the editor.

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I N S I D E 16 COVER STORY The Changing Face of the Bakery

22 BUSINESS Packaged for Health

DEPARTMENTS 04 Events 08 News Scan

28 INDUSTRY Wafting Trends of Cafe Coffee Culture

13 Report 34 Product Preview 36 Interview

30 PROFILE Savour Cakes and Art at Firefly

33 RECIPES Savour Sinful and Sensuous Desserts at Momo 2 Go Oct-Nov ’11

Cover Pix: Dobla BV

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E V E N T S’ C A L E N D E R Fine Food India 2011 5-7 December 2011 Hall 14, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi www.finefoodindiaexpo.com

3-7 March 2012, at Paris-Nord Villepinte

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uropain and Intersuc, the world bakery, pastry, ice-cream, chocolate and confectionery exhibition, is dedicated to offer all professionals from the artisan and industrial baking and food service industries a new window onto innovations and trends relevant to their work.

The exhibition is scheduled from 37 March 2012, Europain will welcome the new SuccessFood exhibition dedicated to ‘reinventing food services,’ and in doing so will become the first event to combine the worlds of baking and food services. This unique event is expected to attract around 1000 exhibitors and brands, and 85,000 visitors. The area of the exhibition, providing the natural link between Europain and SuccessFood, will be given over to the creators of innovative new concepts to explain their economic model. More than 1000 sq.m will thus be dedicated to winning bakery and foodservice outlet concepts.

Amongst Asian countries, there are also those that offer an extensive range of bakery and pastry products utilising industrial processes in order to make high quality goods available to all.

Together, Europain and SuccessFood also provide these countries with simple, appropriate solutions focussed on raw materials, processes, a range of small and large equipments, and training solutions to promote their local products and capitalise on local knowledge and skills.

Europain will shine the spotlight on ‘Innovation Stars’ by hosting: • The 2012 Innovation Area to promote innovative products and equipments in a variety of categories; • The Europain Innovation Awards to reward leading innovators; • The 2012 Intersuc Collection to demonstrate the very best sugar and chocolate creations.

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Exceptional Events at Europain The Bakery World Cup This world-wide competition will gather 36 of the most talented bakers from 12 countries. The countries that have made it through to the 2012 final are: South Korea, Costa Rica, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Sweden, Senegal, the USA, Taiwan and Japan. The three members of each national team will each take part in a final challenge according to their speciality — baking, pastry, and the artistic centrepiece.

International Confectionery Art Competition This competition constitutes an unmissable show involving teams from 16 countries battling it out for four days, and is the only international competition to place men and women on an entirely even footing, recruiting only mixedgender two-person teams.

SuccessFood — the unique exhibition reinventing food services at the heart of Europain Faced with the growth of multifaceted food services and, amongst other factors, the new shift in the bakery market towards food services that the professionals need to adapt, the new SuccessFood exhibition will provide them with creative, innovative, relevant and diverse responses.

The Success Food Innovation Trophies will shine a light on the best food service ideas for each market sector.

The SuccessFood Awards will reward inventive food services (commercial and institutional food services, branded stores and cultural venues).

For further information: Raj Anand General Manager Promosalons India Tel: +91-22-25504471/42604160 Cell:+91-9833685256 Fax: +91-22-42604165 www.europain.com

Sweet and SnackTec India 2011 6-8 December 2011 Bombay Exhibition Center, Mumbai www.koelnmesse-india.com TRAFS 2011 26-29 January 2012 (was postponed to these new dates) Thailand Retail, Food & Hospitality Services Hall 103, Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Center (BITEC) www.thailandhoreca.com Gulfood 2012 19-22 February 2012 Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Dubai www.gulfood.com PIFBEX 2012 & Horeca 2012 Philippines 1-4 March 2012 Philippines International Convention Centre, Manila www.pifbex.com Europain & Intersuc 2012 3-7 March 2012 Paris Nord Villepinte, Paris www.europain.com Aahar 2012 12-16 March 2012 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi www.aaharinternationalfair.com Alimentaria 2012 26-29 March 2012 Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via Venue Barcelona, Spain www.alimentaria-bcn.com Ethnic Foods Europe 2012 27-29 March 2012 Brussels Exhibitions and Conference Centre, Brussels www.ethnicfoodseurope.com HOTELEX 2012 9-12 April 2012 Shanghai New International Exhibition Center, Shanghai, China www.hotelex.cn FHA 2012 17-20 April 2012 Singapore Expo, Singapore www.foodnhotelasia.com SIAL China 2012 9-11 May 2012 Shanghai New International Exhibition Center Shanghai, China www.sialchina.com

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Thaifex – World of Food Asia 2012

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haifex – World of Food Asia is the Asia’s leading food and hospitality trade event. In this year’s edition it is set to spread across 50,000 sq.m space. Thaifex will be held from 23rd to 27th May 2012, and is scheduled to be held at the IMPACT Exhibition Center in Bangkok, Thailand.

The show will showcase an expanded array of the latest products, services and technologies from the food and beverage players across the globe. Thaifex – World of Food Asia will feature more than 1,000 exhibitors from over 25 countries. Thaifex – World of Food Asia 2012 is set to welcome over 23,000 visitors from key markets such as Brunei, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United States.

Organised into 13 focussed segments covering the entire food and beverage industry value chain, the 9th edition of Thaifex – World of Food Asia will continue to spotlight key trends and technologies in markets across the region.

Visitors at Thaifex – World of Food Asia will be greeted by more than 1,000 suppliers in the food services industry, offering an extensive range of products for the food and beverage, food service, and catering industry in South-East Asia.

The only regional trade fair to spotlight Asia’s growing Halal segment With more than 225 million Muslims in the region, South-East Asia is fast becoming an important and competitive regional market for Halal products, catering to the rapidly growing number of Muslim consumers around the world. Thaifex – World of Food Asia continues to provide opportunities for players in this dynamic segment to further its reach in the region and globally. Thaifex–World of Food Asia will feature a dedicated Halal zone which will have Halal food producers as well as showcase equipments and technologies for Halal food production.

Promoting Asia’s exports to the world Thaifex – World of Food Asia has witnessed participation from seafood exhibitors doubling since 2008. Reflecting the region’s focus in growing its seafood and fishery exports market, the seafood zone at Thaifex

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will feature pavilions hosted by fisheries associations from Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The segment will also continue to feature a wide array of the latest products and innovations from leading seafood players, covering fresh, frozen packaged and processed seafood.

Asia is also fast becoming the world‘s leading processed food producer. The AsiaPacific canned food market generated a total revenue of US$14.5 billion in 2010 and the market is expected to reach US$18.1 billion by the end of 2015. As the largest platform for major food exporters to congregate and keep updated on advanced technologies and best practices in the preparation and packaging of processed food, the food technology segment at Thaifex – World of Food Asia is expected to include more than 1,000 exhibitors from key food exporters and importers across the globe.

Combining culinary art and science According to Unilever Food Solutions’ 2011 World Menu Report, an estimated 500 million people in South-East Asia dine out at least once a year. Together with over 1.3 million food outlets across South-East Asia, the food service industry represents enormous sales potential for food service operators in this region, with restaurant concepts and management set to take the lead in 2012. Further capturing the vibrant landscape of the food and beverage industry in Asia, Thaifex – World of Food Asia will also feature events aimed at engaging Asia’s culinary talents. The annual Thai Chef ’s Competition, as well as the Fruits and Vegetables Carving Competition will be back again, pitting the skills of industry’s-leading Chefs from across the region.

Michael Dreyer, Vice-President, Asia Pacific, Koelnmesse said, “Thaifex – World of Food Asia is set to present a gastronomic experience to our visitors and participants.

As the largest gathering of leaders in the food and beverage industry, Thaifex – World of Food Asia has established itself as the premier marketplace for the world’s food and beverage buyers and sellers. We are delighted to join hands with the Department of Export Promotion (DEP) and Thai Chamber of Commerce once again to showcase Asia’s food and beverage innovations to the world.”

9-11 May 2012 Shanghai New International Exhibition Center Shanghai, China

www.sialchina.com

Get Ready for SIAL China 2012

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he 13th edition of SIAL China promises hospitable, revolutionary and fundamental events for business. SIAL 2012 show is going to welcome 40,000 professional visitors, and 1,800 exhibitors from all over the world.

SIAL is organised by the group COMEXPOSIUM, the top events organiser in France. SIAL will showcase exclusive Wine & Gourmet World which will bring to the buyers the largest wine & spirit, and gourmet offer in China.

SIAL China has successfully become the unique meeting point in the HoReCa industry of China.

SIAL CHINA will set the benchmark for overseas companies stepping into China as well as providing valuable insights and trends of the Chinese food & beverage market to the overseas buyers.

Attracting exhibitors from the past 10 years, SIAL China has been the leading event for the Chinese food market. Domestic and international producers and manufacturers of food products, wines and spirits, and food service equipment have contributed to make a success story of this Asian event. The unique trade show with 50 percent international exhibitors and 50 percent national exhibitors is the foremost reason to visit SIAL 2012.

SIAL China 2011 was spread across 60,000 sq.m of exhibition space. The event attracted 1,520 exhibitors from 76 countries and regions, and 33,265 visitors.

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Fresh & Honest Choco-Swiss Brings in Launches Sugar-free Chocolates LB 4700 in India Now you have another reason to satiate your sweet tooth on a sugar-free note.

Choco-Swiss has come out with sugar free edition of chocolates — nut -filled ‘Sugar Nil’ and ‘No Sugar’ bars. Being a leader in the Indian designer chocolate industry, Choco-Swiss has been mirroring the high-end demands of its consumers for more than two decades.

The company has shown understanding of the niche segment of consumers who are avoiding sugar and exploring healthier options to sate their sweet tooth. Its Sugar Nil and No Sugar options can be counted among the best options for health conscious urban people with craving for chocolates. These sugar free delights are now available at leading airport outlets, premium supermarkets and lifestyle stores, priced at Rs.120 and Rs.55.

Fresh & Honest, India’s leading coffee vending and retailing company and part of Lavazza in India, has launched a brand new coffee machine – the Lavazza BLUE 4700 – for coffee connoisseurs. Priced at Rs 2,75,000/- + VAT; this semi-automatic machine comes with double group, dual espresso option, dual steamer for frothing milk. The machine has an automatic Cappuccinatore to dispense rich creamy froth right into the cup.

Strengthening its position as the leader in the coffee market in India, professional Plug & Brew semi-automatic coffee machine is targeted at stand-alone cafés and restaurants that specialise in brewing that perfect cup of coffee for the coffee enthusiasts.

The machine works with Lavazza Blue capsules and has programmable keys for multiple product selections with LED display, and it can produce upto 200 cups on an average day. The LB 4700 is compact and easy to use with all the technology and performance of a top-of-the-range coffee machine. The unique, patented Lavazza BLUE capsule, which extracts the coffee using a pre-infusion process, will give the espresso a more round, soft and creamy texture.

K Sivakumar, the Chief Operating Officer of Fresh & Honest Café Ltd. Said, “Lavazza’s professional expertise with a sense of espresso excellence is nothing short of a perfect fit. Be it standalone cafés or restaurants, the LB 4700 is one of the finest fit to roll out the perfect espresso.”

Mother Dairy Launches Peach Jam Safal by Mother Dairy has introduced in new peach jam, which contains real peach pieces. To upkeep the health factor, the jam is made without adding artificial colour, flavour and preservatives. The product will be introduced at top 100 Safal outlets of Delhi and NCR, in the first phase. Peach jam will be available with a price tag of Rs 125 in a 480gm jar. The company already dishes out four jam variants — apple, mixed fruit, pineapple and orange marmalades. Business Head—Horticulture of Mother Dairy Fruit and Vegetable Pvt. Ltd., Pradipta Sahoo said, “This is the first Indian peach jam where no synthetic flavours have been added for preservation. The company went an edge forward to keep the freshness intact.”

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New Innovations from

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Baskin-Robbins GlaxoSmithKline Comes Out Enters With Tiger Tail Breakfast Table Kids can now relish a new BaskinRobbins ‘Tiger Tail’ flavour in its icecream parlours across India. It is a scrumptious treat filled with tang of oranges and lip-smacking stripes of chocolate fudge ribbons. The international chain has launched this special flavour on the occasion of the Children’s Day. Priced at Rs39 plus taxes, the ice cream is available at all Baskin-Robbins parlours across India.

Here it deserves a mention that Baskin-Robbins has more than 400 outlets across the country, with presence in 95 cities in India. They also cater to star hotels, leading airlines, malls, multiplexes and top retail chains across India. All of the company’s outlets in India are franchised, except the one in Bangalore.

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (GSKCH) has announced its first appearance in the breakfast space by launching oats under its Horlicks brand.

Initially, the Horlicks Oats has entered the South Indian market. The product is already on the shelves of different retail outlets in South India. After regional market test, the brand is going to establish its footfall across the country. The ready-to-cook oats has an estimated market of Rs 200 crore which is growing at the rate of 25 percent.

GSK’s Marketing Head, Jayant Singh, shared, “Being a well-known health brand for several decades, Horlicks wants to add extra nutrition among the consumers after PepsiCo’s Quaker, Kellogg’s, and Marico’s Saffola. He also said, “In this Rs. 200 crore market, the southern region has a 75 percent contribution.”

AB Mauri Envisages Huge Growth in Three Years AB Mauri, the bakery ingredient provider with global presence, has sketched a plan to increase its focus in India. The bakery giant is envisaging to become a $100 million company, which is a huge leap from its current size of $28 million, and in this endeavour, it will enhance its production from 28,000 tonnes to 60,000 tonnes, within three years.

The company has four facilities in India, which are located at Chiplun in Maharashtra, Sikandarabad in Uttar Pradesh, Kalyani in West Bengal and Cochin in Kerala. Out of these four factories in India, three are engaged in yeast production. Yeast market in India is valued at 65,000 tonnes, out of which AB Mauri has a more than impressive share of 28,000 tonnes.

The company has to its credit of marketing a total of 200 products in India through its pan-India distribution network. About two years ago, the company had established an innovation flavour R&D in Bangalore, which entailed an investment of $15 million.

According to Binu Varghese the Executive Director of AB Mauri India Pvt. Ltd, “Our parent company is earnest to grow its business in India, going by the 12-14 per cent growth from the bakery market alone.” He maintained that “While the western markets like the US and European Union have displayed stagnation in terms of expansion and growth, India is appearing to be the market for the future.”

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Café Coffee Day Unveils Barista Lavazza Unveils its Winter Carte du Jour Mysore Royal Café Coffee Day has unveiled Mysore Royal, a pure arabica coffee, which has been prepared with quality washed arabica coffee beans, with coffee baroness Sunalini Menon— the brain behind the exquisite creation.

Sunalini is irrefutably credited for breaking boundaries in the coffee industry and radicalising the art of creating the perfect blends.

Considering her knowledge and experience in coffee, one can say that her latest blend has been a labour of love. To experience the magic of Mysore Royal, CCD conducted a unique coffee cupping and food pairing session of this exquisite new blend with Sunalini. With her wisdom on coffee and interesting insights on the various nuances of coffee cupping, the session was nothing short of invigorating.

Sunalini demonstrated five different brewing techniques of Mysore Royal – Indian Filter, French Press, Stove Top Espresso, Siphon, and Electric Drip Coffee Maker; each technique alters the taste of the coffee giving the taste buds a different treat.

During the cupping session, Sunalini highlighted the different qualities of Mysore Royal educating the coffee enthusiasts present about its unique characteristics based on its appeal to ones senses smell, taste, touch and sound.

With dipping temperatures, Barista Lavazza has come out with lip-smacking Italian new winter menus. The carte du jour features some of the best Italian coffee brews and short bites. Some of the most delightful eating range on offer are the Spicy creamy chicken, a mouth watering recipe with roasted chicken, onion, red capsicum julienne tossed in tangy, spicy, creamy and eggless mayonnaise served in ciabatta bread.

Brews to delight are Café Tiramisu, Café Gianduja, Affogato Italiano and Café Amaretto. Café Tiramisu has the richness of tiramisu, topped with whipped cream. Café Gianduja, a rich blend of chocolate and coffee from Northern Italy is a hazelnut flavoured brew, Café Amaretto is laced with dark rum and Amaretto-based syrup; served with whipped cream and almond biscotti. Besides, there was Beetroot and Raisin Cake, which is a rich tea time vanilla cake baked with beetroot and raisins.

New Bites and Brews at CCD Café Coffee Day—the largest café chain in India—has introduced eleven items on bites, brews and afters in Delhi and NCR region. By March 2012, these items will be on the cards in other metros. CCD has classified its card under three heads: small bites, big bites and sweet treats.

Small bites will serve chilli cheese toast, cheesy veg croissant, hot and spicy veg and chicken puffs. Big eat category includes café 65, smoked chicken, tandoori panner filled sandwich. To savour on sweet indulgence, dessert shots like mango shot, Belgian chocolate shot and black forest cake are served in freshly packed cup.

CCD Plans to Open 900 Outlets in India by 2014 Café Coffee Day, part of Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading Company (ABCTCL), has planned to add 900 more outlets across 330 towns in India by 2014. K.Ramakrishnan, the Marketing President, Cafe Coffee Day, said, “We are also looking at other cities and as well as metros also. We are present in 170 towns now, and in the next three years, we should be present in 500 towns, adding 900 new outlets.”

Ramakrishnan also said, “The launch of lounge, the latest format, was in response to the customer demand.” CCD presently operates 20 lounges, which will go up to 100 in the next two years.

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French Loaf Unveils India’s Longest Eggless Chocolate Cake Recently, the renowned bakery chain the French Loaf, unwrapped the country’s longest eggless chocolate cake in Chennai. Created for a cause, the cake measures an astonishing 333 feet. Every granule of 500 kilos of chocolate powder, every block of 300 kilos of chocolate, every drop of 200 kilos of fresh cream and every mm of 1000 icing sheets with faces of popular South Indian film stars imprinted on them brought smiles to the faces of underprivileged children fighting against cancer.

The French Loaf organised the making, display and sale of this gigantic and aesthetic photo cake at Express Avenue Mall in Chennai to commemorate the ‘Joy of Giving’ Week. The event was graced by renowned celebrities. The theme was ‘Tribute to 75 years of Tamil Cinema.’ The proceeds of selling this 1000 kg, 333 ft (100 metres) cake went to a Chennai-based NGO named Mahesh Memorial Trust, in support of their fight against paediatric cancer.

Unibic Introduces Chyawanprash Cookies Unibic Biscuits India Pvt. Ltd. has baked chyawanprash fortified cookies to secure a health and wellness space in the market. Chyawanprash Cookies has six months of shelf-life, and is priced at Rs.30 for a pack of 90 gm.

Unibic has the first automated cookie plant in the country endowed with wire cut technology, and at this facility located in Bangalore, where these singular cookies are being manufactured. According to the company, a daily dose of three of these chyawanprash fortified cookies will provide the health benefits of chyawanprash.

The company has got a licence from the Department of Ayush, Government of India, to spruce its cookies with chyawanprash. The label on the Unibic’s Chyawanprash Cookies carton indicates that it is a proprietary product.

Here it deserves a mention that chyawanprash comprises of 32 herbs which include amla, and this healthy concoction with enduring legacy is characterised with its sweet-sour flavour. However, this Ayurvedic panacea has not found popularity among children, who happen to find its taste repulsive.

The company states that its product is an endeavour to make the taste of chyawanprash more appealing for consumption. According to Nikhil Sen, the Managing Director of Unibic Biscuits India Pvt. Ltd., the chyawanprash is included in a manner so that its taste is masked in these wheat flour cookies with 15 percent fibre content, which are embedded with dates’ paste, sugar, butter and various other ingredients.

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Javed Merchant to Head Indian Representation at the Asia Pastry Cup 2012 Javed Merchant, the Executive Pastry Chef of Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach will have the enviable distinction of heading the Indian representation at the Asia Pastry Cup 2012. The competition is scheduled to be held in Singapore, in March 2012. Javed Merchant and his team member for the forthcoming Asia Pastry Cup 2012, Pastry Chef Lawrence Fernandes, also have to their credit of winning the ‘Team IndiaWinner Asia Pastry Cup.’ The winning duo was felicitated recently at the World Trade Center, Mumbai.

The Team India-Winner Asia Pastry Cup, whose final was held in Mumbai, at the Institute of Hotel Management, Oshiwara, was judged by internationally acclaimed Pastry Chefs from the hospitality industry, namely, Chef Anil Rohira, (Felchlin, Corporate Pastry Chef — Switzerland), Chef Nowzer Iranpour, Pastry Chef (Western Region), The Taj Mahal Palace, Chef Lionel Bonnaud, Pastry Chef, Grand Hyatt Mumbai and Chef Kainaz Messman, Proprietor, Theobroma. Chef Javed and Chef Lawrence executed their culinary skills with the theme ‘spring’ and their Tiramisu and Ormel cake bagged the award.

Here it deserves a mention that Asia Pastry Cup was founded in 2006 by Valrhona and Ravifruit in partnership with Singapore Exhibition Services and the Singapore Pastry Alliance. The prestigious competition is held in conjunction with Food&Hotel Asia. The competition also serves as an entry for which four Asian teams are pre-selected to compete at the World Pastry Cup, held in Lyon, France.

The Asian Pastry Cup (APC) has quickly made its mark on the Asian pastry scene after two well received biennial editions and has become a major platform for pastry professionals. This unique live competition pits Pastry Chefs against one another, culminating in a display of the most delightful and beautiful pastry creations.

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Fast Foods Mean Fast Business

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he change in socio-economic condition of India has resulted in significant increase in the demand for fast foods in the country.

Rising disposable incomes, and the increasing incidence of both the couples in a nuclear family working long hours a day with very little time at their disposal to cook an elaborate meal are the characteristic of our fast evolving urban life.

These trends have left the upwardly mobile urban India with the affordability as well as the necessity towards fast food consumption. Succinctly, the changing lifestyles and the money power to afford that changing lifestyle in some sections of the Indian society, whose combined population is far from negligible, is the reason behind the stupendous growth of the fast food market in India. The rising young population in our country is also one of the important reasons behind the serpentine queues in McDonald’s, Pizza Hut’s and Domino’s Pizza outlets, though there is no denying the fact that these outlets spread across the urban India are not only graced by the young.

So it comes as no surprise that a recent research report by RNCOS titled ‘Indian Fast Food Market Analysis,’ has stated that the Indian fast food industry is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of around 34 percent during 2011-2014. Presently, the Indian fast food industry is exhibiting a 30-35 percent growth per annum.

Buoyed by the growing demand for fast foods in India, many renowned multinational fast food chains have over the years established their presence in the country.

And in the Indian context, this taste for fast foods like burgers and pizzas is not only spreading through metropolitan India. There is an impressive potential of growth of the fast food industry in the untapped tier-II and tier-III cities of India, because of which, according to RNCOS, major fast food retailers have already started introducing various marketing strategies towards popularising their respective brands in these cities.

Domino’s had envisaged to open 60-65 outlets in India every year, during 2010-12, while Yum Brands Inc. which has brands like KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell under its ambit, has plans for huge expansion in India, with the aim to have 1000 fast food outlets by 2015. The multinational company also plans its Indian operations to touch a turnover of Rs.4600 crore by 2015. The company will also invest a whooping amount of Rs. 460 crore in India from 2011 to 2015. One of the fast food conglomerate’s famous brands, KFC has grown by an astonishing 70 percent in terms of sales, in India, during the last one year.

Hardcastle Restaurants, the development licensee for McDonald’s in India, is also envisaging a huge expansion; that of more than doubling its store count in west and south India over the next three years; entailing an investment of $100 million. McDonald’s India is planning to more than double its number of restaurants in the west and south India, within the

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next three years. Presently, the burger chain has approximately 120 restaurants in the region, a number which the company aims to enhance to 250.

McDonald’s India opened 33 outlets in India, in 2010 and has plans to double the number of its existing outlets in India by 2015, by taking the figure to 410.

Many of these multinational fast food giants have also made an earnest effort to tailor their offerings in accordance with the Indian tastes, which have further contributed to their popularity and growth.

One can infer that with the demands of the new-age lifestyle in urban India in general and upwardly mobile metropolitan India in particular, the fast foods in India are not only here to stay but to thrive. However, with the growing wave of health consciousness spearheading through the urban Indian society, it can be expected that the burgers and pizzas of tomorrow would be much healthier than what they are today. For fun need not be loaded with cholesterol and the threat of obesity looming across the counter.

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‘Tea’m up for Cuppa at

Wagh Bakri Tea Lounge

By Tapapriya Lahiri

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t might be a smart idea to sip and soak at the newly opened Wagh Bakri Tea Lounge, which is a new addition to the capital’s beverage bistro scenario. Whether you want to simply unwind or seek to have a oneon-one business meeting, the venue can provide with the ideal setting.

After Mumbai, Delhi is the second city to have a Wagh Bakri Tea Lounge.

It is possibly the first of its kind tea lounge in Delhi. After Vile Parle in Mumbai, it is Pitampura in Delhi, which is now witnessing the sleek tea lounge culture. The Wagh Bakri Tea Group has plans to open more such tea lounges in other parts of the country.

This news may interest a nation that greets every morning with hot leisurely sips of a tea.

The company has conceptualised and eventually manifested India’s

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deeply ingrained tea drinking culture into a lounge layout. The concept is about re-introducing tea as a trendy social beverage and to take it out to an urban contemporary space, out of home and road side tea stalls.

The concept has high chances of succeeding as despite the rising emergence of coffee drinking habit in India, tea is perhaps still the best companion for socialising and networking in India. Now, for the happening young generation and also for the not so happening, not so young generation, all roads in the capital would lead towards Pitampura, where one can enjoy long and lingering adda sessions over warm cuppa. Now Delhi tea aficionados have a new address to sip a wide range of teas.

The Wagh Bakri Tea Lounge, which is spread across 1200 sq. ft. brews a

wide selection of 32 different types of Indian and international teas, including green tea, organic tea, and flavoured teas to name a few. Wagh Bakri Tea Lounge offers bountiful range of hand- picked aromatic teas from the hills of Darjeeling, Assam, Nilgiris, and Sikkim. The Indian selections are complemented by the best of international teas from China, Sri Lanka and Kenya, which together envisages at giving an unmatchable high tea experience in a cheerful and plush ambience. The impressive range of teas is complemented by a sumptuous range of snacks of the Indian and Iranian varieties.

To focus on the health conscious urban populace and uphold the healthy drinking habits, Wagh Bakri Tea Lounge has a brew card suitable for every patron. Pudina chai, lemongrass

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tea, organic tea, green tea and Darjeeling tea are some of the exclusive selects that tops the list. Then there are ginger, cinnamon and apple teas, which are there to calm and cool your tensed senses. A rare variety of tea which adorns this tea lounge is Nilgiri Silver Tips tea, which infuses distinct pale liquor. This mellow tea is endowed with a sweet floral flavour, which I found simply intoxicating. The tea is spruced with health benefits through its high content of antioxidants.

At the lounge, the tea connoisseurs can make a quick brew with their tea bag variants. These tea bags are double chambered and staple free to facilitate faster infusion.

Wagh Bakri Tea Group is possibly the first ever company in India to introduce the same. These innovative tea bags are foil-sealed to retain freshness and flavour for a long time. To retain the exotic aroma of Darjeeling tea, they are exquisitely packed in wooden chestlets. Light orange leaf designs around the walls and a white serpentine designed false ceiling have contributed to the elegant décor of the place, characterised by plush interiors.

Parag Desai, the Executive Director, Sales and Marketing of Wagh Bakri Tea Group said, “As tea is a healthy, fresh and a perfect companion and has been enjoyed by generations, tea lounge is an ideal place to unwind with like-minded people in a relaxed mood.” He further added, “Our main aim is to bring back the leisure concept of enjoying a cup of golden brew in an amicable ambience.”

Wagh Bakri Tea Lounge is to be managed by the Delhibased hospitality services management company, named South Asian Hospitality Services Pvt. Ltd. The hospitality services management company is owned by Pravin Juneja.

“We will ensure the efficient running of the Wagh Bakri Tea Lounge and make this venture a stupendous success.

This tea lounge richly deserves it,” asserted Juneja.

Here it deserves a mention that Wagh Bakri is the third largest packaged tea company in India, and the largest privately held tea company in the country. The brand is a market leader in the tea markets of Gujarat and Rajasthan, and also has major market share in Goa, MP and Maharashtra. With the introduction of this lounge, it is expected that Delhites will also get familiar with this ■ brand than ever before.

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Like all other facets of life, the Indian bakery industry is passing through several changes. Many of these changes have graduated as happening trends, with the further potential of coalescing into norms in the Indian bakery industry of the near future.

One of the trends is the growing influence of the rising wave of health consciousness in the society on the assorted bakery products. This is being manifested not only by a slew of healthy breads but also by a range of healthy snacks in the Indian bakeries that could keep the cholesterol in check and the diabetes at bay.

Healthy whole wheat breads and sugar free desserts are gaining currency.

Then there is the growing popularity of chocolates as gift items, especially in the metros and other big cities of India. At the same time, some sections of people in metropolitan India are not content with run-of-themill or standardised cakes and chocolates for their festive and special occasions. They want their cakes and chocolates to be customised, and also embodying certain specific themes. This growing demand in turn is leading to the emergence of an increasing number of talented chocolatiers and creators of designer desserts in the metropolitan India. Overall, the market for the desserts is evolving fast.

The popularity of branded ice-creams is also on the rise, as is the consumption of fast food products like pizza and burger, which have influences on the bakery industry. At the same time, bakery industry, especially the unorganised segment of the bakery industry is facing the challenges of sourcing quality ingredients and equipments, in order to reach international standards. Overall, the bakery industry is making a move towards organised to the unorganised, though still by and large, the Indian bakery industry is unorganised in character.

Here Swarnendu Biswas explores some of the happening bakery trends of today and also makes some observations about the challenges plaguing the Indian bakery industry.

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The Creations of Celeste Chocolates

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here is no denying the fact that bakeries and cake shops of metropolitan India are increasingly assuming a sleek look.

Though the unorganised segment of the Indian bakery industry still accounts for 65 percent of the market share of the Indian bakery industry, the visions of sweaty bakers kneading dough and taking out trays of breads and biscuits are slowly getting blurred, particularly for an upwardly mobile consumer of bakery products residing in a metropolitan city.

In their place, visions of sleek bakery outlets or a chain of retail bakery outlets selling new-age healthy bakery products are gaining prominence. Also most hotels, especially the five and four-star properties, are giving due importance to bakery business. They are busy creating unique bakery products to cater to the interests of their discerning consumers. Nowadays, almost all top-notch hotels have a patisserie or a cake shop within their premises, which shows the popularity of

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bakery products with the swish set.

The Healthy Wave There is no denying the fact that the bakery segment in hotels have evolved over the last few years to cater to the international tastes of the globally travelled consumers.

Like the look and feel of the bakeries, the bakery products are also going through changes. While a decade earlier, many bakeries in the hospitality properties used frozen products and premixes such as croissant laminates, cookie dough, bread dough, etc. But the baking trend in hotels is now going back towards the good old days of baking without moulds, in open ovens.

Use of natural fermentation process in baking breads is gaining popularity in the bakeries of luxury hotels of India. Bakery Chefs in five-star hotels are also seen pairing national and international ingredients with regional products to create unique dessert options. An example

of this can be the coffee flavoured phirni.

Both the Indian and the international guests are likely to love this concoction.

Health has become one of the important factors for the Indian bakery industry, as with the rising incidences of cholesterol and cardiac problems the society at large is becoming more health conscious. This is necessitating the bakery industry in India to reinvent itself. In fact, this shift in preference towards healthy bakery products has induced many bakeries to change their offerings.

Therefore in many sleek new-age bakeries of Mumbai and other Indian metros, whole wheat and multi-grain breads are gaining popularity at the expense of white breads, and sugar free desserts are being lapped up with increasing frequency. The trend of organic bakery products is also taking shape.

Whole wheat flour cakes, organic biscuits, and seven grains bread have made their presence felt in the Indian bakery industry in a big way. These days, the

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wide variety in cakes, pastries, muffins, ice-creams, and other desserts on offer in the Indian market could also appear to be awe-inspiring to a person from an earlier generation.

Bakers are increasingly going for natural ingredients and are avoiding additives which act as allergens or have the possibility of compromising the digestion. Dates, blueberries and oranges are increasingly finding their place in cakes of today.

The spearheading of health consciousness in the society and rising disposable incomes are leaving their impact on the garnishing of bakery products too. For example, today a strawberry cake doesn’t necessarily mean a cake laden with strawberry cream.

Chances are that instead of strawberry icing, the cake may be covered with fresh strawberries. “People nowadays prefer cakes and desserts of yogurt instead of cream; sugar free or brown sugar options instead of sugar. Instead of whipped cream blobs for garnish, more fruits and nut garnish is gaining currency,” informed Nita Mehta, a culinary guru of our times.

The growing health consciousness in the bakery segment is perhaps one of the reasons for the dwindling popularity of the Irani bakeries, which thankfully are still a part of the legacy of the cosmopolitan city of Mumbai. It is because the new-age Mumbai people are preferring biscotti over khari biscuits, multi-grain breads over bun maska.

Despite the wonderful taste and nostalgic value of the products of many of the Irani bakeries, they are finding it difficult to compete with the new-age bakeries of Mumbai.

The Age of Exotic Delights However, new-age bakery products are not at all limited to whole wheat breads and sugar free cakes, laced with natural sweeteners. Exotic items like Spanish tapas and Italian Rijsttafel have also started making their influence felt among the Pastry Chefs of India. Not so long ago, it was the custom to serve desserts on a single plate. This tradition is giving way to a new trend. Desserts are now segmented into several small bite-sized portions. This affords the diner to taste a diverse array of flavours rather than have a single plate of dessert with a given flvaour. Flavours of

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edible flowers and berries from Scandinavia are also making inroads in the Indian bakery industry.

Champagne-spiked brownies, dark chocolate cheesecake with date and fig and rum cheesecake with orange cointreau glaze, orange marmalade whiskey sponge cake, apricot mousse gateau, and champagne truffles from the tables of the creative caterer Shireen Adenwalla from Truffles are only some of the delectable samples of new-age baking solutions. In fact, nowadays creation of desserts entails creative and unconventional permutations and combinations akin to that of cocktails.

Among the trendy bakery products, special mention of cupcakes must be made, which is gaining popularity in the metros. At children’s parties as well as at high-end weddings, cupcakes are becoming regular features which shows

India’s growing fascination with these cute dessert options.

Increasing Role of Presentation Besides health and taste, people are also looking for novelty in presentation. It wouldn’t be far fetched to state that the cute shapes of cupcakes have contributed to their recent craze in Mumbai.

Nowadays, there are lots of experimentations regarding the shapes, sizes and colours of the desserts, and sauces are now used to highlight a particular feature or flavour or colour of the dish.

In this context, the role of food technologists in revamping the bakery industry of India also cannot be undermined. Their ability to play around with dishes can foster the creativity of Bakery or Pastry Chefs to cater to the evolved tastes of the consumers. Going by the trends, it seems that the open air bakeries may soon become the in thing in the Indian metros, in the near future, as

they would ensure greater transparency and hence, greater accountability in their preparation process.

The age of hand-crafted and customdesigned designer desserts have arrived and they are having increasing presence in many high-end birthday parties, weddings, or other wild or not so wild celebrations. For the upwardly mobile metropolitan India, the liking for western desserts like cakes, pastries, chocolates, etc. have markedly evolved over the years.

Desserts Going Designer Gone were the days when cakes, pastries and chocolates looked staid and were known only for their tastes. Now the evolving trend is to custom-made your cake according to your exact specifications, which include your preferred theme and design. Of course, designer cakes are still a rarity in India but their visibility in the Indian bakery industry is no doubt increasing.

Many stand-alone bakers with less investment and great creativity are daring to stand apart from the crowd in order to stay ahead of the competition. Their creative outputs are much different from the mass-produced and run-of-the-mill bakery products from many of the established national and international players in the bakery industry, and their exclusivity is catered to by an increasing size of clientele of dessert connoisseurs.

These brave new breed of talented dessert designers in India can use cakes and cupcakes, pastries and chocolates to reflect your passion, your emotion or help bring back your long lost fond memories of yesteryears.

If you want your cake to simulate the image of a swimming pool, or a golf course, or a jungle for that matter, it can be done. As you would enjoy your cake, its enticing theme and striking design are most likely to get stored in your memory.

In this way, you can have your cake and eat it too.

According to Arshi Dhupia from Delhi-based Cravings, whose creative designs and themes of cakes are wellmatched by their delectable tastes, the demand for designer and high-end customised desserts are no longer confined to the elite segment of the Indian society only. “The higher disposable incomes, in the backdrop of both spouses earning in the middle-income families becoming the

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norm, along with the influences from increased travel, globalisation and the increased exposure to Internet, have been contributing towards encouraging more and more people from the middle income profile to try the joy of being individualistic and classy in their choices of desserts.”

Besides designing cakes with all conceivable themes, the creative endeavours of Arshi extend to cupcakes too. “I love the fact that cupcakes enable you to have cakes in small portions,” she averred. Of course, in these health conscious and calorie conscious times that is a distinct advantage. Arshi sounded extremely animated about the designing possibilities of cupcakes. “One cupcake can have the face of a lion, the other the face of a rabbit, on the third you can imprint an edible impression of rhino,” she explained. No wonder they would be the cause of delight for the children and the young at heart. Of course, while designing cupcakes, her creative fascination doesn’t begin or end with animals. Arshi also bakes cupcakes with edible designs of make up kit, baby booties, baby bottles, etc.

Aarti Gupta from Delhi-based Wicked Desserts is another creative artist doing great work in the realm of designer desserts. She is a Patisserie Chef from the Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts, London. Aarti creates high-end chocolate cakes, chocolate mousse-gateaux, cupcakes, cheesecakes and fruit mousses, which are finding a growing market among her discerning target group. Her assortment of cupcakes in varied flavours like vanilla, caramelised almonds, chocolate, hazelnut, coffee, blueberry, apricot, banana and walnut are delicious to look and eat. Aarti prefers her cupcakes to be soft, spongy and attractive looking and sometimes sugar craft them according to a theme.

The Evolution of Dark Delights The designer cakes are complemented by designer chocolates too. In India, as a result of the influence of globalisation and the increase in disposable incomes amongst a section of the population, the popularity of chocolates is ascending.

Chocolate making classes and chocolates as gift items have become vogue in metropolitan India. These days, the application of chocolates in the Indian bakery industry is perhaps more

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Nidhi Bhageria

pronounced than ever before. We are seeing many talented bakers and chocolatiers making their presence felt in the Indian bakery industry with their dark and delightful creations.

Aarti’s other specialty is in designer hand-made chocolates and patisserie boxes for weddings, birthdays and other announcements. “Whether it is a wedding or a birthday or a corporate gift, or a baby shower, people are now wanting their chocolates to be exclusive; an expression of their style statement,” conferred Aarti.

The inherent love for chocolates coupled with the unwavering passion to provide quality chocolates to the people propelled Sunita Bhasin, the proprietor of Brown Bite Chocolates, to foray into the realm of these sweet dark and delectable offerings. Since then her long lasting date with designer chocolates has been nothing short of a success story.

Creatively Celeste However, creativity in chocolates doesn’t happen to be the exclusive preserve of small sized stand-alone chocolate making units only. Take the case of Celeste Chocolates, which has grown from a small enterprise to a huge player in the realm of designer chocolates with a factory, a sleek corporate office, and two operational chocolate boutiques under its ambit.

Presently, Celeste is one of the biggest retailers in the realm of gourmet chocolates, with Indian operations and global networks.

Hand-crafted from the finest ingredients and presented in exquisitely designed gift cases befitting all occasions,

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the premium chocolate offerings from Celeste caress the chocoholic’s palate with refined flavours and forge a sweet bond that is likely to last a lifetime. Be it a wedding or a newborn’s arrival; a special moment or a birthday bash; custom created chocolates for corporate promotion or a traditional festival gift — Celeste’s ever-expanding brand portfolio is widely recognised for rich aroma, great taste and unmatched elegance of presentation.

Presently, Celeste Chocolates has the capacity of producing 1 tonne of chocolate products per day. The enterprise which started as a hobby with investment of fixed deposits, had posted a turnover of Rs. 5 crore in the last fiscal, and employs more than fifty workers on its rolls.

The amazing growth story of Celeste Chocolates, which began in 1999, is fostered by the inspiring vision and creativity of Nidhi Bhageria, the Managing Director of Celeste Chocolates.

“Chocolates were my passion since my childhood days, and when extensive international exposure helped me to complement this passion with in-depth knowledge about chocolates, I felt a compulsive urge to contribute towards the evolution of chocolate palate of India, by providing people with classy gourmet chocolates, spruced with personalised themes and designs,” affirmed Nidhi.

Whatever may be your imagination or theme, Nidhi can give shape to it through her customised chocolate creations.

The Growth Pangs However, the truth, like chocolate can be complex, beautiful and multilayered.

Despite the success stories of a slew of entrepreneurs and chocolatiers in the recent years, there is no denying the fact that though the Indian chocolate consumption is no longer limited to the infrequent bites of Cadbury Diary Milk, Munch, and Kit Kat, but the Indian chocolate market is still way behind European and the US levels. The consciousness and the market for chocolates are increasing in India, though they are both at a nascent stage as compared to the taste and the markets of the developed countries of the west.

Though the Indians have an inherent sweet tooth and thus they enjoy chocolates, but still, by and large, they do

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not know how to discern between a great chocolate and a good chocolate, or a good chocolate and an ordinary chocolate for that matter. Thus we are still reluctant to pay a great deal more for a high quality premium chocolate over an average mass produced sweet and milky chocolate.

Even the basic fact that high-end chocolates should have higher percentage of cocoa and may not be that sweet is not known to an average consumer of chocolates in India.

According to Zeba Kohli, the Managing Director of Good Housekeeping Company Pvt. Ltd — the company which manufactures or rather creates Fantasie Fine Chocolates and other delectable confectionaries, “The chocolate market in India is still urban-centric and is in an extremely early stage of development. We have miles to go before it peaks.” At the same breath she also concedes that there has been a steady trend towards growth in the confectionery and chocolate industry in India, over the years. “It is an exciting time for us as people are ready to try and experiment with our new innovations,” she said, rather enthusiastically. I couldn’t help agree with Zeba more, who is known as the Chocolate Queen of India.

“The fact that the Indian climate is not conducive to the distribution of chocolates is also a hindrance to the chocolate growth story. This leads to increase in its transportation costs and pricing, which in turn hampers its market viability in the price-sensitive market of India,” explained Sunita.

“If the temperature of the chocolate is not maintained at the ‘ideal’ level, then the chocolate or the chocolate-based dish would be ruined,” informed Kishi Arora,

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Sunita Bhasin

one of the creative chocolate designers of Delhi, who owns and runs an enterprise named Foodaholics. Her company made its presence felt in food consultancy, but very soon ventured into the creation of high-end desserts with fresh and exotic ingredients, which of course include the usage of high-end chocolates.

The fact that the ‘ideal’ temperature for preparations with chocolates varies from process to process makes its adherence a really challenging task indeed. “The issue of storage is equally crucial, for moisture can spoil chocolates,” elaborated Kishi.

And we all know that the storage facility for food & beverage in India is nothing short of dismal.

This limited evolution of the chocolate market in India still makes the chocolatiers to struggle a lot and for long years before getting recognition. The case of Sunita, however, was an exceptional one. Her quick success was not only because of her enormous talent but also because of her ready-made client base. Before entering chocolate business, she was creating designer candles, a business which she is still continuing with great aesthetic and financial returns. “I was getting corporate orders for my candles, and the same clientele got interested in my designer chocolates,” informed Sunita. Even today, the bulk of her market for chocolate business is targetted towards corporates.

Nidhi too acknowledges that the market for chocolates in India is nowhere that of Switzerland and Belgium, both in

terms of maturity and variation, but at the same time, she voiced enthusiasm about the future of the market for gourmet chocolates in India. “There has been an evolution in chocolate tastes in India over the years, which can be attributed to greater international exposure,” said the savvy entrepreneur.

“The fact that chocolates are now replacing conventional mithais as gift items is a happening sign,” she added, while maintaining the need to further develop chocolate culture in India. “The business of chocolates would thrive and the creative juices of the chocolatiers would flow more profusely only if we make the effort to teach people about the subtle nuances of quality chocolates, and educate their palate,” averred Nidhi.

Sunita views that though the market for chocolates is at a developing stage, but it is teeming with huge potential. “There are various unexplored zones in chocolate making in India like the cluster chocolates and chocolate truffles, which aspiring and established chocolatiers should probe,” opined Sunita. She also lamented the fact that very few Indian companies are into the manufacturing of caramel. The fact that the imported caramel being not less than Rs.1000 per kg makes the production for pure caramel chocolates in India very limited,” commented Sunita.

Nidhi called for more quality training schools and institutions to address the gap in chocolate education and the dearth of quality chocolatiers in the country.

“Sampling of chocolates in promotions and exhibitions should also be encouraged,” stated Nidhi, which she rightly believes can raise awareness about the finer aspects of chocolates among people at large. Sunita also stated that there were very few quality institutions for teaching chocolate making. However, besides producing gourmet chocolates with blueberry, black currant, paan and 27 other flavours, Sunita and her able faculty takes chocolate making classes too for the aspiring chocolatiers of tomorrow.

According to Sunita, gourmet chocolates have a great untapped market in lavish weddings, which are many a time hosted in hotels. “In those weddings, chocolates can be supplied in coordination with restaurateurs and Banquet Managers, which in turn would eventually lead to the increase in the popularity of chocolates in India,” commented Sunita.

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There is no doubt that chocolate education can help a great deal in the creation of great many talented bakers and chocolatiers. For even geniuses need training to flourish their inherent creativity. “When I began my enterprise, I was greatly helped by the guidance of a quality Chef, who trained me in the fine art of making of gourmet chocolates,” acknowledged Sunita. “He was my employee, but I consider him nothing less than my guru,” said the talented lady.

The Cool and Hot Business Along with the maturation of the market for chocolates, the market for branded icecreams is also increasing. Over the years, the Indian ice-cream industry is making a shift towards the organised from the disorganised, though the disorganised sector of the Indian ice-cream industry is still much larger than the organised segment. We have been witness to the trend where the ice-cream hawkers selling their home made products are fast dwindling from the metropolitan landscape, and in their place we are seeing the mushrooming of mobile pushcarts selling branded ice-creams of Mother Dairy, Amul, Kwality Wall’s, etc.

These branded ice-cream products are also abundant in any good retail grocery store in a big city, and they are also retailed from malls and supermarkets.

With the increasing demand for icecreams, several international brands are eyeing the potential of ice-cream industry in India with great interest. Some of these players have already entered the Indian market, while the Indian ice-cream brands are on an expansion mode.

What is more important that icecreams are graduating from fun foods, characterised by impulse purchase by young generation, to desserts for family consumption on a fairly regular basis.

This perhaps accounts for the rise in sales of ice-cream bricks in the market. The erstwhile seasonal nature of ice-cream consumption in India is also undergoing a shift. Nowadays ice-creams are increasingly being enjoyed in all seasons, though sales of ice-creams do climb in the hot summer months, in India.

Packaged Options Overall, the concept of bakeries is undergoing a change. Many bakery joints in metros are now becoming popular

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hangout zones, and many coffee cafes serving bakery products, and as well as bakeries in five-star properties are seen offering breakfast, lunch and dinner options.

Not so long ago, biscuits and cakes were used to be packed in wax papers.

Now no branded biscuit or cake manufacturer of India probably could afford to do this, and still hope to survive the forces of competition. These days, most of the organised players in the biscuit industry do pack their biscuits in flexible laminates of composite structures, where every component fulfils a specific function. These laminates have desirable properties such as moisture barrier, gas

adopt international standards. However, towards their goal to meet the international standards, perhaps the greatest challenge faced by the bakery industry is to maintain the quality of its basic ingredients. Flour, yeast, butter, sugar, and fruits should undergo stringent quality control in order to attain international quality bakery products, embodying great health and taste. It is not feasible to import all of them, but use of standardised ingredients can facilitate a solution.

Presently, one of the major challenges for the niche bakeries lies in the procurement of quality bakery ingredients domestically, as imports of ingredients is

barrier, and give protection against heat.

Biscuits are also being packed in plain cardboard boxes. Its main aim is perhaps to differentiate the product from its competitors, and stand out in the crowd.

Display boxes, vertical pouches or sachets are the happening trends as far as packaging of biscuits are concerned. The packaging of breads and cakes has also undergone great shifts. Nowadays most of the bread manufacturers in the organised sector opt for polyethylene films for their packaging, whereas packing of cakes and cookies in PVC trays, which facilitate their handling and storage without the possibility of any damage, has gained market acceptance.

not always cost-effective. If all the possible ingredients for the bakery industry were made available locally, and at par with international quality, it would benefit many small unorganised players more than the huge bakery retail chains.

However, standardisation of quality ingredients is a necessary but not sufficient condition for ensuring international quality products in the Indian bakeries. The health and hygiene of the bakers or dough mixing personnel are equally important, as is the temperature controlled working environments. The Indian bakery industry also needs quality equipments to match international standards on a sustained basis. Presently, there is paucity of high-tech bakery equipments in India, which can be attributed to the absence of a evolved bakery culture in India, unlike Europe. This prevents the industry from receiving massive capital injections ■ on a sustained basis.

The Basic Challenges The growing breed of discerning clientele with global exposure and disposable incomes are forcing Indian bakeries and also the big and small companies engaged in the manufacture of bakery products to

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Packaged for Health Presently, dairy is one of the promising industries of India. The demand for dairy products in India has the potential to grow significantly in the near future, fostered by higher disposable incomes and greater interest and awareness in nutrition than before. The demand for milk, the source of the dairy products, is also expected to increase in India, in the near future. Based on the estimates of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), the demand for milk is likely to reach 180 million tonnes by 2022. According to the estimates of the Planning Commission, the demand for milk in 2021-22 is estimated at 172.20 million tonnes, which is appreciably higher than the current demand of 112.5 million tonnes. This figure clearly indicates that we need to further increase our milk production to cater to this increased demand.

Along with the increase in the demand for milk the demand for packaged milk is also likely to increase over the years. With the increasing awareness that loose milk is not only unhygienic but also encourages adulteration, the demand for packaged milk and milk products are rising. There is thus immense scope for the growth of the dairy packaging industry. Ashok Malkani finds that Tetra Pak, plastic pouches, cans are the current packaging materials but there are ripples of innovation.

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I

ndia, it is said, was a land of milk and honey. One does not know about the veracity of honey but as far as milk is concerned, it would not be overstatement to say that among all the countries, India is the largest producer of milk in the world. Its production has grown to 112.5 million tonnes in 2009-10 from a paltry 17 million tonnes in 1950-51. The milk production in India has increased by six times since independence and is exhibiting a healthy growth of 4 per cent per annum. And the per capita consumption of milk too has shown significant progress, over the decades. It rose to 263 G/day (200910) from 112 G/ day in 1968-69.

However, there is no denying the fact that a per capita milk consumption of 263 G/day is lower than the global per capita milk consumption of 279.4 G/ day, and we need to trudge some more miles on the road of development to make our per capita milk consumption reach the global standards.

The Role of Packaging But the production of huge quantities of milk alone is not enough. It also entails the necessity for delivering the milk to the consumers hygienically and this involves immaculate packaging of milk. In fact, the utility of packaging in the entire dairy industry cannot be overstated. Innovative packaging technologies can extend the shelf life of food products, which include milk and milk products too, thereby adding to their value. In food industry, the barrier of packaging helps in preventing contamination by microorganisms and

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bars the entry of moisture and light.

Packaging prevents the external environment from influencing the food products. Thus without packaging, storage and distribution in a modern economy is a futile proposition.

Packaging can also help in advertising and enhancing the cosmetic appeal of the distributed food products.

Milk in its various forms presents the possibility of various innovative packaging opportunities, which can be easily adopted in our country. For preserving the nutritive value of milk and dairy products, preventing their wastage, and improving their market viability, their appropriate packaging is very much necessary. For highly perishable commodities like milk and its products, packaging plays a crucial role in their safe delivery to the consumers without compromising on their essential characteristics and nutritive value. It should be kept in mind that milk and other assorted milk-based products have a tendency to spoil rapidly at temperatures above refrigeration and in the presence of oxygen and other contaminating agents present in the atmosphere. Therefore, the primary function of packaging of milk and milkbased products is to protect them from the influences of oxygen, moisture, heat, light, etc. and also to present the products in an appealing manner to the consumer. Succinctly, the packaging of milk and dairy products should be economical, hygienic and environmentally safe.

Thankfully in cities and larger towns of India, packaged milk and milk products are the rule rather than exception. This trend of packaged milk and milk products is also becoming popular in smaller towns. The rapid growth in economy and consequently the improvement in the living standards of people have made packaging an integral part of any distribution business, which includes distribution of the most basic of the dairy products like milk. “The emergence of a significant middle-class, urbanisation and the

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expansion of modern shopping habits by busy, health-conscious and wellinformed consumers is raising the consumption of packaged milk in developing countries. The consumers of this decade are looking for greater convenience and uncompromising quality and safety,� explained the President and CEO of Tetra Pak, Dennis Jonsson. The rising economic power of India and other Asian nations is expected to spur a shift from loose to packaged white milk consumption in these areas. Last year, around 51 percent of white milk consumed in developing countries was bought loose.

Sales are forecast to reach a tipping point in 2014, with around 55 per cent of white milk sold in packages, and this is expected to climb towards 70 per cent by 2020.

Any good packaging should perform the jobs of containing, protecting and merchandising the product it packages, and this rule applies to all types of food packaging, which of course include the packaging of milk and other dairy products. However, packaging is not that simple what it used to be earlier. Recent developments in technology, growing environmental awareness and marked shifts in the consumer preferences are inducing the entrepreneurs and packaging technologists to take into account of an increasing number of factors when conceiving and designing a package.

As far as the Indian dairy industry is concerned, presently only 12 per cent of the marketed milk is represented by packaged and branded pasteurised milk. However, the packaging in Indian dairy industry has huge potential to grow. About 46 percent of the total milk produced in India is consumed in the liquid form and 47 percent is transformed into indigenous dairy products like cottage butter, ghee, paneer, khoa, curd, malai, etc.

Only 7 percent of the milk goes into the production of conventional westernised dairy products like milk powder, processed butter and cheese.

Here we are discussing the

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packaging options of various types of liquid milk and some important dairy products like butter, ghee, milk powder, ice cream, cheese and malted milk food beverages.

Milking Options Liquid milk can be sub-divided into pasteurised milk, flavoured milk, and condensed and evaporated milk. Many not so young among us are likely to remember that not so long ago a large quantity of milk was sold in an unprocessed, unpacked condition by vendors who used to bring milk in aluminium containers to the doorsteps of the consumers. This milk was often subjected to contamination and adulteration. With the marketing of milk by the dairy co-operatives in packaged form, most of the problems mentioned were largely addressed, though adulteration of milk still continues, to some extent. In the packed form, milk was sold, initially, in returnable glass bottles sealed with aluminium foil cap.

However, due to the inherent nature of glass, problems like high tare weight and fragility cropped up.

Also, the shortage of aluminium foil in the country led to the development of an alternate packaging system and in the early 80s, the plastic pouches replaced

glass bottles.

Another technological innovation in processing and packaging of pasteurised milk is the Aseptic Packaging, which is also known as the Tetra Pak milk. Here both the package and the product are separately sterilised and the packaging operation is carried out under aseptic (sterile) conditions. This system entails a storage life of about three months, without the support of refrigeration or added preservatives. A tetrapak carton comprises of a composite material entailing 5 to 7 layers including paperboard, aluminium foil and polyethylene. In the distribution system, the pouches with pasteurised milk are placed in reusable multi-trip plastic crates.

The flavoured milk drinks in India generally come in skimmed or semiskimmed forms, and are sagged with less than 1 percent fat. Their packaging should be leak and tamper proof, should have sufficient wet strength, and should be able to bar any odour or taint from getting transmitted to the product packed inside. In India, the flavoured milk drinks are available in sterilisable crown cork glass bottles, glass bottles with aluminium foil lid or snap-on plastic lid, plastic sachets and aseptic packs (Tetra bricks). Some years back, 200ml translucent bottles of HDPE with an aluminium foil cap were also introduced. Poly carbonate bottles with the leak proof screw cap are also used in place of glass bottles as these are unbreakable and are much lower in weight than the glass bottles. PET

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containers are also in application for packaging of flavoured milk drinks as they are light in weight, have good sales potential and are sturdy.

Sweetened condensed milk is the most popular of all concentrated milks and is packed in conventional food cans with double seam ends. Evaporated milk has been packed in aseptic tetrapaks.

The Packaged Dairies The conventional dairy products include butter, ghee, milk powder, ice cream and malted milk foods. As a result of high moisture content, butter is vulnerable to mold growth.

Therefore, butter packaging should be opaque with a high resistance against the intrusion of oxygen and foreign odours. The most commonly used butter wrap is the vegetable parchment paper of 45 gsm. Although parchment paper is grease-proof, it does not provide sufficient barrier to oxygen.

For superior product protection and for longer shelf-life, aluminium foil laminated to parchment or grease-proof

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paper is used. Due to the influence of salt and as a result of lower pH of butter, there is possibility of corrosion of aluminium foil. In order to prevent this, the aluminium foil is coated with lacquer, and a protective adhesive between the foil and paper is applied.

For facilitating its handling, distribution and storage, the wrapped butter is placed in plastic laminated paper-board carton at retail outlets. For some years, embossed aluminium foil

backed parchment paper has been introduced in the packaging of butter for UV light protection and sales appeal. The use of smooth walled lightweight aluminium containers are also in use for the packaging of butter. The containers are provided with printed or un-printed plastic or heat sealable foil lids.

Ghee has low moisture content and therefore its possibility of getting subjected to microbial deterioration is not very high. But nevertheless, it needs to be protected from chemical spoilage and rancidity caused by oxygen, light, heat, moisture and metal ions. It is ideal to pack ghee in tinplate containers, without any air gap, which prevents the influence of oxygen on ghee. Ghee packed in tinplate containers is fairly stable and has a shelf-life of over one year. However, alternate plastic based packages are now gradually replacing tins. Ghee is also marketed in lined cartons with flexible laminated plastics as inner liner materials and in tetrapaks.

In both these packs long shelf-life can

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be ensured. Laminated pouches of metallised polyester based films are also used for packaging of ghee. Laminates of polyester, Nylon-6 and use of high barrier materials such as EVOH and EVAL can also be perceived as packaging options for ghee, as these materials could generate an enduring shelf-life.

Milk powder is hygroscopic in nature and has a propensity to garner moisture from the atmosphere, which makes for lumping or caking of the powder.

Whole milk powder is highly sensitive to oxygen as well. The milk powder could be spoiled due to the influence of oxygen through oxidation and rancidification. Therefore the packages for milk powder needs to be vacuumised or nitrogen flushed. Milk powder is bulk packed in 25 kilogram capacity multi-wall paper sacks with plastic liner made of polyethylene.

Plastic (HDPE) bottles are also used for packing skimmed milk powder. For quite some time, flexible plastic packages have come up for packaging of this product. In most cases, the flexible sachets are enclosed in paperboard cartons. Over the years, the flexible materials have graduated from polyethylene bags to reach sophisticated multiply laminates.

As ice-cream is a frozen product, its packaging should be tailored in such a manner that the packaging performs efficiently to preserve the product at freezing temperatures. Ice-creams need to be safe-guarded from the threats of contamination, moisture loss and temperature fluctuations.

Conventional forms of ice-cream packaging include paperboard cartons, paper cups and in some cases even metal containers. However, these types of packages are slowly but surely being replaced by other forms. The packages for ice-creams should have cosmetic appeal, and should be user friendly; that is they should be easy to open and dispose. The distribution and transportation of ice-cream should be carried out in frozen condition and refrigerated trucks or dry ice are being used to maintain its frozen state.

Wrapping the dry ice pieces in paper and placing them around the ice-cream packs inside in an insulated container, which is generally a corrugated fibre

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BAKERY REVIEW board box, can help preserve the ice creams.

The various types of packages for ice-cream include: (i) paper board carton which is poly coated (ii) thermoformed / injection moulded plastic containers made from HIPS (high impact polystyrene), PP (polypropylene) or HDPE (high density polyethylene). The materials used for the lids are LDPE (low density polyethylene) or PS (polystyrene). The lids are of snap on type. Packaging options for ice creams also include laminates of BOPP (biaxially oriented polypropylene) or PET (polyethylene terephthalate), which are used for candies. The demand for thermoformed / injection moulded containers, tubs and cups are showing significant

growth as these type of packaging are hygienic and they discourage the growth of microorganisms. Stringent control of dimensions and weight in case of plastic thermoformed containers paves into cost-effective style of packaging, particularly when high speed filling is required to be introduced.

The popularity of cheese is gaining currency in India. It is a delicately flavoured product, endowed with high fat and moisture content. The cheese needs to be protected against loss of moisture and intrusion of oxygen in order to maintain its desired quality. In India, the traditional package of cheese is a hermetically sealed printed tin-plate container, which comes in 400 / 500 gm capacities. Individual packed slabs are also placed in rectangular transparent injection moulded plastic containers with lid. This type of packaging is more convenient and

hygienic as compared to the traditional pack of tinplate. Moreover, this type of packaging is lighter, more economical, and has a reuse value. Today, the flexible packaging films and laminates generally are also used for packaging of cheese. Cheese is also available in slices; individually wrapped in plastic films.

The malted milk food beverages or the health beverages are highly sensitive to moisture and are subjected to oxidative transformations with the influence of light, heat and oxygen.

Retention of the aroma of the malted milk food beverages and preventing them from moisture and oxygen ingress are of great importance, which can be facilitated through the selection of the right packaging material.

The types of packages used for malted milk food beverages include glass jars, tinplate containers, plastic containers and flexible laminated pouches. Though glass containers are hygienic and safe and are bolstered with the advantage of an enduring shelf-life, they are also tagged with the disadvantages of being heavy, fragile and costly. Tinplate containers do provide sufficient protection from gases and moisture, but are susceptible to rusting. Besides, they are also expensive.

The plastic containers are light weight, sturdy, unbreakable and hygienic, and they have a good shelf-life too. Besides the plastic containers, flexible pouches, which may or may not be with paperboard cartons, are also the packaging trend for malted milk food beverages. This type of packaging is even more economical than the plastic containers. Moreover, with the flexible pouches, the requirement of storage space is very less and the filling operation is comparatively quicker.

If we explore the present packaging industry pertaining to milk and dairy products, we can easily infer that in India, the packaging options for milk and milk-based products are expected to be more sophisticated, economic, and user-friendly in the years to come; having great emphasis on the application of the latest technological innovations related to packaging. The role of packaging in the Indian dairy industry is also expected to become more widespread. We can say that India â– is ready to be packaged for health.

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BAKERY REVIEW

Wafting Trends of

Café Coffee Culture

By Tapapriya Lahiri

I

n 2009, the coffee production in India accounted for 4.5 percent of the total global coffee production, and although 80 percent of India’s coffee production is being exported, but still there is no denying the fact that over the years, the coffee production and consumption has steadily increased in India. According to Indian Coffee Board, the coffee production in India during 2009-10 was at 2.90 lakh tonnes (post monsoon estimation). According to the same source, the estimated domestic consumption of coffee in India, in 1995, was 50000 MT, which enhanced to 94,400 MT in 2008.

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In 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 70 percent of the country’s coffee production, followed by Kerala with 22 percent, and Tamil Nadu with 7 percent of the total country’s coffee production.

However, the popularity of coffee in India is now no longer limited to its southern strongholds.

Before a decade-and-a-half-ago, coffee drinking was a habit among people of some select areas of south India, but it was not a pan-Indian phenomenon.

Now from metros to the small cities and towns of India, and from south to north,

and east to west, the country is getting more and more attracted to the wafting aroma of coffee beans. Today, people in north, east and west India are now pepping up their conversations with coffee in increasing numbers. Many tea drinkers are also 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.

A Lifestyle Drink In today’s India, not only the upwardly mobile crowd in the metros, but also the aspiring middle class in tier-I and tier-II cities are also increasingly perceiving a visit to coffee cafés as meeting and lifestyle option. This trend can be attributed to increasing disposable incomes and increasing spread of globalisation.

These retail coffee café outlets are not only gaining popularity among corporates and family crowd but also

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BAKERY REVIEW

among students. Students are nowadays seen moving out of their traditional college hubs like the canteens and Irani cafés and into the swanky coffee shops.

With Barista, Cafe Coffee Day and Costa Coffee wooing customers with wifi access, sandwiches and books, coffee shops have become the favourite hangout spots for Gen X. From social networking to corporate dealings to romantic rendezvous, the wafting aroma of coffee is acting as a binding force.

Ceramic and plastic cups brimming with flavoured coffees and crushed ice have became mediators for new and old relationships. Slowly coffee is also emerging as the lifestyle drink of the Indian metros.

Coffee Means Business It is no wonder that under the present scenario, the coffee chains market in India has witnessed a robust growth so far, and is expected to grow rapidly during 2010-16. With the Indian middle class consumer now ready to spend more and be a part of global lifestyle and culture than ever before, coffee parlours in the country are on an expansion spree. Leading coffee retailers such as Cafe Coffee Day, Barista Lavazza, and Costa Coffee are all pitching in to attract India’s growing middle class.

The booming business of coffee in the country is inducing various national and international coffee retailers to establish their footprints in India. Two retail café chains are spearheading the coffee café culture in India. They are Café Coffee Day and Barista Lavazza.

Barista Coffee Company Limited, which was established in 2000 in India, was brought over by Lavazza; Italy’s number one coffee brand, in 2007. Here it deserves a mention that Barista Coffee Company is envisaging to increase the number of its outlets to 300 from the existing 225, by 2012.

However, these two above mentioned corporate giants, which have lion’s share in the organised retail coffee café chains, but accounts for less than one third of the total domestic retail coffee market, are now facing competition from British coffee chain Costa Coffee, which is emerging as one of the important players in the organised coffee business in India that values not less than

Oct-Nov ’11

Rs.1000 crore. And now, Starbucks Coffee Company, the world’s largest retail coffee chain, will enter this growing retail coffee market in India, in alliance with Tata Coffee Limited.

However, 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 coffee beans with varied 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.

Many of the retail coffee cafes mushrooming across urban India are also serving as breakfast, lunch and dinner

outlets, without losing their primary focus of being retail coffee outlets.

According to Ramachander Raman, the Head of Food and Beverages at Café Coffee Day, “Besides the spreading of café culture, we want to broaden the horizon of our food menus. From the survey response, we have come to know that people are also fond of sandwiches, croissants and desserts as companions for good coffees. This is an emerging trend amongst young and middle aged Indians.”

Also, Barista Lavazza is ready to broaden its appeal through spreading the idea of liqueur coffee; by serving coffee with alcohol in more outlets. At present, Barista Lavazza outlet at Khan Market in New Delhi is offering the same. The company at present serves four hot and four cold liqueur coffees, besides two beers and liqueur desserts.

Future Trends As still an average Indian consumer

consumes only 66 gms of coffee per year, which is negligible as compared to the average coffee consumption in the developed markets, the market for retail coffee chains in India hardly seem to be saturated. Thus there is enough market space for more players.

According to Ramakrishnan K, the President, Marketing of Café Coffee Day, “Coffee chains market in India will experience unparalleled growth in the near future. The outlook for the coffee cafe outlets in India seems to be very promising as the overall consumer spending is increasing in the country.”

However, there is no scope for big retail coffee chains to rest on their laurels. “To sustain in the industry we need to be more innovative in order to gain a bigger share of the ever growing coffee consumption market in India,” added Ramakrishnan.

However, it is no wonder that the entry and the consequent growth of the foreign players in the Indian retail coffee market would heat up the business of coffee cafés, by intensifying the flavour of competition. This may lead to the unorganised players in the retail coffee market feel the heat as they do not have the money power and marketing savvy to compete with the huge national level and multinational players.

Going by the market scenario, it seems that the survival and growth of the small stand-alone coffee shops or restaurants would become increasingly difficult with each passing day, especially if they are located in the upscale locality of the Indian metros, unless they manage to do something crazy 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, or tailoring their brew offerings according to the weather outside can help them survive the competition from overseas and also within the country.

On the other hand, the possibility of intense competition among organised retail coffee chain outlets is expected to eventually lead to great value additions in the leading café chains, thereby giving the consumers more value for ■ money.

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Savour Cakes and Art at Firefly

By Sharmila Chand

Firefly is a design-oriented company, dedicated to perfecting the fine art of baking delights with exquisite sugar craft. It is the product of the passion and idea of Pavani Kaur which sprouted in the form of an enterprise in 2007, and since then there is blooming of success.

Yes, she is the brain behind this venture, and she happens to own it too.

With no formal training in culinary arts or aesthetics, Pavani has nurtured and developed her brand with only talent and passion, practice and perseverance. And of course, with lots of love. Do you need anything more?

Firefly specialises in cakes, cupcakes and cookies, adorned with beautifully hand-crafted sugar accents. If you want to go still deeper, let me tell you that Firefly’s forte’ is recreating beautiful flowers with sugar! They enhance the look of even the most modest of cakes.

Succinctly, the products of Firefly are customised to the customers’ liking, with every little detail reflecting the clients’ fancy. You can spot this Firefly at C-180, Defence Colony, in south Delhi. The excerpts of the interview with this aesthetic and inspiring lady follow: 30

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What is the USP of Firefly’s products?

The baked products that Firefly offers are entwined with the ‘modern’ take on ‘caking’ and traditional recipes. This combination of art and sugar makes our products unique. So with us one isn’t just eating a delicious cake, but admiring its beauty too.

How are your products different from other bakery outlets?

Firefly cakes are completely customisable. Every little detail is painstakingly created to make our cakes truly one of their kind. Not too many Indian bakeries have ventured into the field of ‘Fondant’ which is a dough made with sugar and glucose. It is a very pliable substance that can be used to mould and sculpt beautiful recreations of flowers and figures. We at Firefly use fondant to make even ordinary cakes look like masterpieces.

How do you combat competition?

Ensuring that our ingredients are of the highest quality is one of the main focal points. In addition, intricacy and

Oct-Nov ’11

customisation go a long way. Firefly cakes are incredibly detailed and of course they taste absolutely delicious, which makes us the designated cake artists to many a returning customer. We update our portfolio regularly and make sure we can

offer absolutely any design/flavour the customer wants.

How do you ensure the quality of ingredients?

Most of our ingredients are imported

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from the US, and the rest are carefully selected through several trials and experiments. We at Firefly are always reaching out and testing new products and recipes to ensure a perfect end product.

BAKERY REVIEW

and technology emerging in the art of cake making, we have the opportunity to create products that are so different from what was made available say even five years from now.

What keeps you ahead?

What kind of growth do you foresee in future?

With people in India opening up to new trends like designer cakes, it gives us more room to expand our horizons without the fear of uncertainty setting us back. We are continually striving to make our mark in the Indian cake industry, and are ensuring that our customers get nothing but the absolute best when they contact us. Hopefully with all the new ideas and concepts emerging in this field of cake making art, and people embracing this change, Firefly could expect a lot of feathers in its cap in the future.

What is your company’s mission?

Firefly’s mission is to make each and every of its customer satiated so as to ensure return visits, and to achieve top-ofthe-mind recall with regard to anything related to cake.

Do you regularly research for new products and flavours?

We are always keeping track of the new flavours and ingredients emerging in the market. With the US being a regular trend setter in this field, we try to map their moves and provide to our customers what they do to theirs.

In addition, experiments are done regularly at our end to bring about new flavours and concepts that are expected to impress our clients. With new tools

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One can say they are a passion towards design and the devotion towards discerning palate. Our customer friendly ways of creating edible masterpieces keeps us ahead of the curve.

What are the kind of challenges you faced while promoting the growth of your company?

One of the first and foremost challenges was to develop the establishment of trust in the market for our products. People were initially very skeptical about the concept of ‘edible art.’

Their main concern was if it would taste as good as it looked, and if it would give them their money’s worth. It took a while to open up the minds of these reluctant customers, to the new but beautiful line of sugar craft.

Another challenge was the price factor.

People were used to going to local bakeries to pick up ordinary cakes for birthdays and other occasions, and they knew exactly how much they would have to spend. But with sugar-crafted cakes, the price margin is relatively higher because of the ingredients used and the time and effort put into each and every end product. It took a while for them to accustom themselves with the idea of the price difference for customised cakes.

What motivates you the most in your business?

The inclination to create something new and different everyday and making people’s

happy occasions just a tad happier, is motivation enough for me and my brand.

What has helped you the most towards image building of your brand?

Our extensive and forever growing portfolio, our website and of course, print advertising has painted a wonderful picture of our brand in the market.

Besides those, the positive feedback from all the happy customers; who have spread the good word to fellow cake art lovers, has helped us a great deal.

What would you like to say about the Indian bakery industry? How is it progressing?

The Indian bakery industry is still lagging behind as compared to its international counterparts. But a few outlets have started spreading their wings and are accepting the new concepts, challenges and ideas which their customers have now started requesting. It will take a while before the Indian bakery industry becomes truly matured and evolved.

What are the day-to-day challenges of being in this business?

To us, every customer is different. They have different tastes, different perceptions, different ideas, and of course, different levels of ‘risk-taking’ when it comes to new and exciting designs. We face new creative challenges everyday, which keep us on our toes. And we love it!

What are your future plans relating to the expansion of your brand?

We are keeping our fingers crossed. For now we are just striving towards creating a wider customer base.

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BAKERY REVIEW

Savour Sinful and Sensuous Desserts at

Momo 2 Go

By Sharmila Chand

Momo 2 Go at Courtyard by Marriott, Gurgaon can easily be one of your preferred destinations at Delhi and NCR for indulging in an impressive array of sinful and delectable desserts.

It doesn’t depend whether you prefer to go the egg or the eggless way; the desserts of Momo 2 Go are likely to be just right for your palate and soul.

At the outlet you can get a wide variety of cakes, cookies and brownies, which are not only sumptuous but are made of natural ingredients. Some of the irresistible desserts which I got to savour at Momo 2 Go include the Blueberry &

“Eggs have always been traditional binding agents for desserts.

But with the development in food technology, we have been able to create vegetarian options without altering their appearance, taste and texture. This way, we have been able to tap a larger segment of our guests who appreciate fine desserts while at the same time maintaining their palate preference.”

- Yash Mathur, Pastry Chef, Courtyard by Marriott, Gurgaon

Oct-Nov ’11

White Chocolate Chunk Ginger Cookies and Lemon Tofu Cheesecake. However, just desserts are not the only thing that Momo 2 Go offers.

You can sip some of the finest coffee made of Italian illy beans at MoMo 2Go. These coffees are made from La Marzoco coffee machine, by well-trained Baristas. Here it deserves a mention that a barista is generally referred to a coffeehouse employee, who is responsible for preparing and serving coffee or coffeebased drinks.

The coffee and the desserts are well complemented by the selection of breads, cakes, sandwiches and other assorted bakery products.

To cut a long story short, this

premium retail and bakery outlet within the five-star property has freshly prepared sandwiches, desserts, cakes to order, imported coffee, tea, water, chocolate and international pastries for its discerning guests. The effort and creativity of the Chef is manifested in all delectable offerings of the outlet. ■

Recipe Lemon Tofu Chessecake

By Yash Mathur, Pastry Chef, Courtyard by Marriott, Gurgaon Ingredients: For the Crust: 2 Cups graham crackers 1/4 Cup maple syrup 1/2 Tsp almond extract For the Filling: 1 lb. Firm tofu 1/2 Cup sugar 1/4 Teaspoon almond extract 1 Tbsp tahini or almond butter 1/2 Tsp salt 1 to 2 Tbsp lemon juice 1/2 Tsp lemon zest 2 Tbsp corn-starch dissolved in water 2 Tbsp soy or rice milk Preparation: I. Crust:

• Pre-heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

• Crush the crackers and mix them with the syrup and almond extract in a bowl until they are moist.

• Pour into a nine-inch pie plate, press evenly to form a crust and bake for five minutes.

• Let it cool while preparing the filling.

II. Filling: • Blend all the ingredients in a food processor or blender (for about 30 seconds) until they are smooth.

• Pour the mixture into the crust and bake until the top is slightly brown, say for about 30 minutes.

• Cool and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, for about two hours.

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BAKERY REVIEW

DOUGH SHEETERS & PLANETARY MIXERS

HEALTHY OIL

Reliable Equipment, is a fast growing company that outfits to supply a complete range of high quality imported bakery & confectionery equipment, refrigerated display system, fast food equipment & bake wares.

It represents some leading international brands, which are suitable for Indian requirement.

The company has executed ten medium retail bakery projects in 2011 and two more bread plant projects are under execution.

Reliable Equipment represents one of the leading international brands from Europe — Teknostamap. Teknostamap is a 32-year-old company which established its footprints in manufacturing of high quality dough sheeters & planetary mixers. These high-end bakery equipments are exported to more than 70 nations around the world. Teknostamap manufactures manual dough sheeters to fully automatic dough sheeters. In India, Reliable Equipment has installed more than 25 units of Teknostamap Dough Sheeters.

The reversible sheeters model LAM 500/600 is specifically designed with the particular consideration for use within small bread-pastry bakeries, hotels and restaurants. LAM 6500 is applicable for industrial needs and it enables to work a larger amount of dough.

The product named C-Line 10/20/40/60 Planetary Mixers are specifically designed for confectionary productions. These machines require minimal to no maintenance cost. One of the main features that contribute to precise operation is the simple control panel. All these features make the CLine 10/20/40/60 Planetary Mixers ideal to whip (i.e. mousse and creams) and also to mix small quantities of dough.

Reliable Equipment info@reliableequipment.in

As the concern for nutritious food and healthy oil increases in India, Kamani Oil Industries Pvt. Ltd. (Kamani) emerges as a major supplier in the segment. With over four decades of experience of processing oils and fats Kamani Oil Industries is one of the leading producers of specialty oils and fats.

The company has a wide range of products for specialised applications for the food industries and provides a variety of consumer products to fulfill the nutritional and health needs of the families.

Kamani’s range of consumer products include Klassic Refined Groundnut Oil, Komal Refined Sunflower Oil, Svity Filtered Groundnut Oil, Jat Kisan Kachi Ghani Mustard Oil, Cocopure 100 percent Coconut Oil and Karuna Vanaspati. The company also provides trans fat free products, which caters to the nutrition concerned market. For the food and hospitality industry, the company provides a wide range of oil and fat products that finds applications in areas like bakery, ice-cream, confectionery, catering, snack foods, frying, pharmaceuticals and health foods (nutritional supplements). It has one of India’s first HACCP & ISO 22000 certified vegetable oil refinery.

Kamani Oil Industries Pvt. Ltd. sales@kamani.com

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Creativity on the Menu

By Sharmila Chand

Cooking was a passion for Pradeep Persoya, the Pastry Chef at The Westin Pune Koregaon Park, even when he was a schoolboy. Cakes and pastries always fascinated him, and he was not only interested in tasting them but also in making them too. His interest made him try his hand at baking, and soon he was helping his mother in the kitchen. “I have always loved playing with flavours. You think of some innovative dish and try to create it. For me, nothing can match that joy,” explained Pradeep.

He has invested quality professional time with well- known names in hospitality like Jai Mahal Palace in Jaipur, Oberoi Raj Vilas, Jaipur and the Taj Land’s End in Mumbai.

Pradeep considers these experiences as significant stints for honing his skills. He believes, “Everyday is a new experience and every day brings a new learning.” At The Westin Pune Koregaon Park, he has not only got the opportunity to sharpen his culinary skills, but has also been able to evolve as a better leader of people and manager. The food enthusiast in him is continually experimenting and innovating. He is now working on a new line of festive cookies and desserts with an Indian twist, besides making a wide array of chocolates. The excerpts of the interview done with this innovative Pastry Chef follow: What is your working mantra?

Not being over confident, striving to make creativity a continual process, and keep on improving. Of course, at the same time keep trying for new recipes and ideas also must be there.

What is your strength?

They are having a positive attitude and the willingness to learn everyday.

What kind of roles you have been playing so far?

I have enjoyed working in all the facets of bakery & pastry production and in bakery department’s supervision. I have learnt a lot while assisting the senior Chefs in the development of menus and recipes.

I have also played an important role in maintaining proper sanitation, food handling, and safety standards.

How do you look at the Indian bakery industry?

Bakery industry in India is booming.

Customers are demanding very specific products and they are willing to spend provided you give them a premium quality product.

What about the health quotient?

How do you take care of that aspect?

Health factor is very much important nowadays, and needs to be taken very seriously while creating any bakery product.

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For example, we make sugar free desserts with minimum use of cream and butter.

We make bakery products while keeping account of several allergies in mind.

What do you have to say about the new-age bakery equipments?

They have revolutionised the whole process of bakery operations, and they help in saving a lot of time and energy. The hitech equipments have made our lives so much easier. Therefore now we can devote a lot of time to create new products and thereby afford to be more innovative.

What is the most important challenge a Bakery Chef has to face in his job?

To me, giving the right product as per the recipe is an uphill task. Everything has to be precise— the quality and quantity of each ingredient, the baking temperature and time, and the proper storage of the finished product.

What do you like about your job the most?

It is the freedom of creativity.

What does it take to be a great Pastry Chef?

A great deal of patience is the basic prerequisite, which should be backed by an element of creativity. There are so many steps to baking and therefore team spirit and coordination is also an essential

requirement. For example, when we make cake, someone bakes it, someone else fills it, and someone else decorates it.

What according to you is the change in the position or the extended role of the Chefs today as compared to before?

In early days, the Chef was just a cook restricted to the kitchen. Now there is an evolution in his profile. He is not only meant to showcase his art but should also be endowed with sound managerial skills.

Right from planning the menu to its implementation, execution, presentation and delivery are his responsibility.

He is supposed to understand the demands of the guests, interact with them; offering his own suggestions, and make the necessary changes according to the consumer feedback. So planning, costing, budgeting, portion control, selection of the ingredients, pricing of the menu – all comes under the purview of his profession.

We in bakery have an edge due to the high-tech equipments we have today.

Today the kitchens of Chefs are wellequipped with the most modern gadgets and in-house facilities for baking, microbiological testing of food samples, etc.

Besides, there are a plethora of cookery and recipe books, Internet, ICFA forum to exchange ideas, TV shows and travel opportunities. All these have contributed to make the Chef a part of the global village; who is not restricted to his region.

Oct-Nov ’11