Bakery Review

E D I TO R I A L

Publisher cum Editor

Rajneesh Sharma rajneeshhammer@gmail.com

Associate Editor

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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.

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Sweets do not always taste sweet to your health and well-being. Especially, if your daily dosage of sweet intake is loaded with sugar then there is an element of risk of inviting diabetes into your constitution. Refined sugar is still worse than natural sugar and is absolutely devoid of nutrients.

Their increased consumption can give rise to several health complications like obesity, cardiac problems, diabetes, male impotence and even cancer. No wonder, with the rise in health consciousness in our society, the demand for sugar less cakes and other desserts is on the rise.

Many are replacing sugar in their diet with natural sweeteners wherever they can, and those who are not adopting this healthy practice yet, should do so without a single day’s delay. Of course, bakeries must adhere to this healthy market trend, not only because of staying in the competition, but also to amalgamate health and taste in their products, in a better way.

Stevia leaves, honey, agave nectar, dry fruits, Grade B maple syrup, bananas, molasses are some of the wonderful options of natural sweeteners, which the conscientious and market savvy bakeries must adopt on a war-footing in their dessert creations. Some beneficial artificial sweeteners can also be increasingly applied by the bakery industry in order to keep their consumers healthy, wise and frequent. We have attempted to extensively discuss the sugar free options towards healthy sweetness in the Cover Story of this issue, which our readers may find to be interesting.

Ice cream consumption is not only increasing in the country, but its consumer base is also exhibiting a much more diversified demographic profile in India, in the recent years. Earlier ice cream in India was viewed as a product primarily meant for kids, but nowadays we are witnessing that people from all age groups are craving for this sweet and cool delicacy.

Besides the increase in disposable incomes among some sections of Indian population in the recent times, a strong distribution network, perceptible improvements in cold chain infrastructure, and the introduction of innovative flavour offerings in the market have all contributed to the growth of the Indian ice cream industry. However. despite the impressive growth of the ice cream industry, the consumption of ice creams in India is extremely discouraging as compared to the international levels, and for this exorbitant VAT on ice creams is largely to be blamed.

In our Business Story, we have attempted to explore the various dimensions of the ever evolving industry of ice creams in India, which of course includes examination of its maturing market and the investment potential in the Indian ice cream business, in the present scenario.

Besides these, the neglected growth of the Indian biscuit industry, the factors to consider for successfully running a bakery operation are also explored between the covers, where you can also sample some innovative desserts for this forthcoming festive season, and thereby could enhance your culinary repertoire with these inspiring creations. I wish all my readers a very happy and healthy festival of lights, which I hope would be marked with savouring of healthy desserts; characterised by dollops of sweetness without sugar.

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 14 COVER STORY Making Sweetness Healthy

20 BUSINESS Cool Desserts, Hot Business

DEPARTMENTS 04 Events 08 News Scan

28 OPERATIONS From Baking to Success

12 Report 26 Profile 34 Product Preview 36 Interview

30 INDUSTRY Indian Biscuit Industry: Growing Despite Neglect

32 RECIPES Indulge in the Festive Desserts Cover Pix: Dobla BV

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E V E N T S’ C A L E N D E R India Hospitality Expo 2011 16-18 September 2011 Expo Centre, Panaji, GOA www.trinityworld.biz

Sweets & Snacks Middle East 25 – 27 October 2011 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre

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ubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and Koelnmesse GmbH present Sweets & Snacks Middle East 2011, the international exhibition for the Sweets & Confectionery, Bakery, Snack Food and Ice Cream Industry. To be held during 25-27 October 2011 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, alongside Sweet & SnackTec Middle East, it is the ideal platform for producers, suppliers, importers & exporters to capitalise on the region´s booming market.

Sweet Success Confectionery manufacturers, retailers and distributors have their targets firmly set on the Middle-East and North Africa as sales are expected to rise 16 percent by 2014, according to Euromonitor International. Last year, retail value sales of confectionery totalled US$ 6.6 billion in the MENA region, a 10 percent growth over the previous 12 months. Over the last six years, the UAE’s confectionery market has grown by 94.7 percent, compared with just 19.6 percent in the US, 40.3 percent in China and 18.6 percent in the UK, as reported by Euromonitor International. “The UAE was outpacing many of its global counterparts because it was less saturated than the mature markets,” said Gayatri Bhasin, Euromonitor’s Research Analyst for the Middle-East and Africa.

Regional economic and demographic growth, combined with high per capita retail spending and an increased appetite for high quality international foods make the MiddleEast an ideal investment target for

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domestic and international manufacturers and retailers.

“Confectionery is still an extremely fast growing sector in the Middle-East. The region is well known for its sweet tooth as sharing sweets and confectionery is very much a part of its local custom.

International investors see this industry as a very stable option and as we have seen from previous Sweets & Snacks Middle-East editions, there is a great deal of business being conducted both during and after the event.” said Trixee Loh, Senior Vice-President, Dubai World Trade Centre.

This year’s Sweets & Snacks MiddleEast will also include educational seminars, presented in conjunction with Dubai Municipality and knowledge partner Euromonitor International.

Leading regional and international experts will present the latest information, trends and influences affecting Middle East businesses in 2012.

Offering even greater networking and selling opportunities, Sweets & Snacks Middle East will run adjacent to the inaugural Speciality Food Festival, the first trade exhibition in the MiddleEast to focus on premium, exclusive and elusive products. The Speciality Food Festival will showcase elite suppliers from the gourmet and luxury food market including the halal, organic and seafood sectors. Combined with Sweet & SnackTec Middle-East and The International Travel Catering Association Exhibition (ITCA Dubai), these dedicated food industry events provide the ideal trading and knowledge exchange platform for visitors and exhibitors alike.

Website: www.sweetsmiddleeast.com

GIDA 2011 22-25 September 2011 Istanbul Expo Center, Istanbul, Turkey www.ite-gida.com ANUGA 2011 8-12 October 2011 Cologne, Germany www.anuga.com Food Tech / Bakery Tech & Hotel Tech 2011 14-16 October 2011 Netaji Indoor Stadium (AC), Kolkata. www.kolkatafoodtech.com HOST 2011 21-25 October 2011 Fieramilano, Italy www.host.fieramilano.it Sweet and SnackTec Middle East 25-27 October 2011 Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Center, Dubai www.sstme.com TRAFS 2011 Thailand’s Food and Hotel Exhibition 27-30 October 2011 Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Center www.thailandhoreca.com BioFach India International Organic Trade Fair 10-12 November 2011 Palace Grounds, Shri Krishna Vihar, Mekhri Circle, Bangalore www.biofach-india.com Annapoorna World of Foods India -2011 16-18 November 2011 Bombay Exhibition Center, Mumbai www.worldoffoodindia.com Hotel Expo 2011 23-25 November 2011 The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel, Macau www.hotel-exhibition.com Fine Food India 2011 5-7 December 2011 Hall 14, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi www.finefoodindiaexpo.com Sweet and SnackTec India 2011 6-8 December 2011 Bombay Exhibition Center, Mumbai www.koelnmesse-india.com

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Alimentaria 2012: An International Platform for the F&B Industry

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limentaria, an international food and drinks exhibition, will return to Barcelona, Spain, on 26-29 March 2012. The slated event will focus on competitiveness, international expansion and brands in the food and drinks industry.

Alimentaria 2012 will introduce two new exhibition halls at Fira Gran Via venue and expects to provide product offerings and culinary, business and innovation activities, spread across close to 95,000 sq m.

The International Pavilion is geared to become one of the hot spots of the show. Its new location will be in Exhibition Hall 2, next to autonomous community groups. It will occupy more space than it did in the previous edition of Alimentaria. With a spectacular audio-visual set up, the Alimentaria Hub will serve as the show’s great public square. It has been conceived as a gathering place where exchange of ideas, reformulation of knowledge and exploring the future discussion points for the food and drinks industry will take place.

The Alimentaria Hub, which will be spread across 4000 sq m in Exhibition Hall 7, is intended to focus on seven conceptual themes, which are product innovation; research, development and technological innovation; nutrition, health and wellness; international expansion and globalisation; distribution and retail; marketing and communication; and corporate social responsibility.

The event is expected to attract the presence of 4000 companies, with one third of them from abroad. The event is also anticipated to attract14000 buyers, with 25 percent of them being international. The 2012 edition of Alimentaria, like its previous editions, will once again feature delegations

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from all over the globe, which include the presence of institutional stands from Italy, France, Germany, the UK, Portugal, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Poland, Ukraine, Turkey, Cyprus, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and the US. Iran, Japan, China, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, and India are some of the Asian countries which will have a presence at Alimentaria 2012. China will be doubling the space occupied by its institutional delegation in comparison to the previous editions of the show. One of the major new features incorporated into Alimentaria 2012 is the creation of the ‘guest country’ category. For this edition of the event, the guest country will be Mexico, which is expected to play a major role in the entire show.

Since its beginning more than 30 years ago, Alimentaria has embodied a desire to be a major macro exhibition with a firm commitment to meet the industry’s needs.

To this end, its division into separate shows and the highly specialised range of product offerings make this singular trade fair endow with an extraordinary ability to facilitate business for the professionals who attend this event. “Alimentaria’s success is based on its great professionalism, significant knowledge of the sector and the experience gained over its long history,” informed JosepLluis Bonet, the President of Alimentaria 2012 Organising Committee.

Alimentaria 2012 will be comprised of 12 shows. They are Organic Food; an organic food show, Congelexpo; a frozen foods show, Expobebidas; water, soft drinks, beer, must and cider show, Expoconser; preserves and semi-preserves show, Intercarn; a show of meat and meat products, Interlact;

milk and dairy products show, Interpesca; a show of fish and seafood, aquaculture and farmed fish products, Intervin; wine and spirits show, Mundidulce; sweets, biscuits and confectionery show, Multiproducto; a general food products show, Olivaria, a show of olive oil and vegetable oils, and Restaurama; an international eating out show.

Alimentaria 2012 can become an ideal promotional venue for the participating companies. The show is expected to offer a wonderful platform which would enable companies to get the most out of their presence at the event, and also through activities which facilitate international business contacts.

For the second consecutive year, Alimentaria 2012 will host Taste & Flavours, under whose umbrella, more than eighty virgin olive oils, Iberian pork products and a special selection of wines will be offered for tasting. This event will give the visitors the chance to savour some wonderful samples of Spanish and international cuisines. The Taste & Flavours will endeavour to present high quality offerings of these three sectors of gastronomy to national and international buyers, cooks and restaurateurs among others.

At Alimentaria 2012, six future stars of the Spanish culinary world will come to Barcelona to compete for the Chef of the Year award. Restaurama will be the venue for the final, which will take place on 29th March. The panel of judges would be headed by the holder of the three Michelin stars, Martin Berasategui.

For further information contact: E-mail: prensa@alimentaria.com Website: www.alimentaria.com

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Trade Knowledge and Business at Fine Food India Fine Food India is an international food, drinks, bakery equipment, hospitality and retail technology exhibition for the retail, food service and hospitality industries, which will be held during 5 –7 December 2011 at Pragati Maidan Exhibition Complex, New Delhi. The event is expected to bring together manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, importers and exporters of domestic and international food and beverage brands, on one platform. Fine Food India will showcase a diverse mix off both national and international exhibitors within a three- day event program that will connect, inspire, and educate suppliers and buyers alike.

Over three days, Fine Food India will showcase a variety of special attractions, which would help the attendees to enhance their information and knowledge, network and grow their businesses. The event has great significance for not only the food & beverage industry

in general, but also specifically for the bakery industry.

Leading food industry professionals will gather at the Food Business Forum of the event to present and discuss topics and issues at the forefront of the food industry today and also those topics which will impact and shape the future of this rapidly evolving sector.

Then there are ‘Meet the Buyer’ sessions, where you will get the opportunity to take part in one-on-one meetings with a variety of manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers. Here you can discuss your business needs and requirements and explore ways to enhance your business offering.

The Fine Food India will also have a Drinks Theatre, which will feature wine

tasting sessions and food and wine matching sessions for the discerning wine lovers. Another interesting feature for the wine professionals would be the 4th Annual Sommelier Championships, which is expected to showcase the best sommeliers across India. Chaired by the renowned sommelier Magandeep Singh, the 4th Annual Sommelier Championships is slated to be the only event of its kind in India.

The Food Theatre at the show will be graced by top Chefs and food experts, who will be running daily programmes of food related demonstrations and workshops; tailored to inspire and educate visitors in the business of food.

At the Fine Food India, India’s top Chefs will also be seen competing in the prestigious cooking competition — Bocuse d’Or World Chef Championship. This live cooking competition is expected to attract the culinary talent from across the world.

For further information, visit www.finefoodindiaexpo.com

Bakery Industry Showing Impressive Growth According to ASSOCHAM, the Indian bakery market, which is presently valued at Rs.3295 crore, is growing at a rate of eight percent anually. However, the Indian bakery industry is highly bread and biscuit-centric. According to ASSOCHAM, bread and rolls along with biscuits and cookies comprise 82 per cent of the bakery products in India. Cakes, pastries, buns and rusk account for the rest.

But at the same time, it must be noted that the country’s per capita bread consumption is only 1.75 kg. The bread consumption is far from being a habit in India. 32 percent of the breads consumed in the country are by the southern states.

Northern, western and eastern states of India account for 27 percent, 23 percent and 18 percent of the total consumption of breads in India, respectively.

Despite this above-mentioned steady and impressive growth rate, the Indian bakery industry is plagued by several problems.

The industry, which produces 20 lakh tonnes of bread and 15 lakh tonnes of biscuits every year, is still dominated by the unorganised sector, which accounts for 65 percent of the bakery products produced in India. In the unorganised sector of the Indian bakery industry, sophisticated technologies, healthy products, and hygienic conditions for workers are still largely absent.

But thankfully, things are changing for the better for the Indian bakery industry. According to ASSOCHAM Secretary General DS Rawat, “Due to increasing consumer gravitation towards convenience products and healthy food products, the bakery industry has undergone a virtual metamorphosis since 2004.”

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Celeste Chocolates Unveils its Signature Store One of the biggest retailers in the gourmet chocolate industry, Celeste Chocolates has recently unveiled its signature store at Ambience Mall, Gurgaon.

These specially hand-crafted chocolates, available in premium range, are made for all occasions. They are suitable for Diwali, Christmas, wedding invitations and birthdays to corporate gifting, and are customised specially to suit the patron’s requirements.

Elucidating the variety which includes dark chocolate, caramel chocolate, brownies, sugar free chocolate, milk chocolate and many more, Nidhi Bhageria, MD of Celeste Chocolates, said, “Celeste offers a magnificent bouquet of premium chocolate products and hundreds of varieties where the bitter-sweet taste of pure chocolate transcends the bourn of time and place. Hand-crafted from finest ingredients and presented in exquisitely designed gift cases befitting all occasions, Celeste’s premium chocolate offerings care for the chocoholic’s palate with refined flavours, and forge a sweet bond that often lasts a lifetime.”

Nestle Rice Puddings Hits the Rack Nestle Carnation flags off its new line up of rice puddings in the market, which could be on the table within ten minutes. It comes in four varieties — Original, Cinnamon, Chocolate and Caramel. The Original, Cinnamon and Caramel are low in fat. Each of the pack contains rice pudding for two servings. The dessert mix can be prepared by whisking it with fresh milk and thereafter heating the blend in the microwave.

The different varieties can be had with infusions such as fruit, homemade jam or chocolate sprinkles. They are free from artificial colours, flavours, preservatives and sweeteners, the company claimed. Rice pudding has been considered as one of the UK’s top ten traditional desserts and Nestle expects to appeal to the consumers with this new range.

Bakeries Need Blueberries According to a recent study by the researchers at the City of Hope in Los Angeles, eating of blueberries may inhibit the growth of breast cancer tumor. The study unraveled that the oral intake of whole blueberry powder could reduce the growth and metastasis of a very aggressive form of breast cancer (triple-negative cancer), for which there are very few effective drugs.

According to Phil Lempert, the Founder of Food Nutrition & Science and CEO of The Lempert Report and SupermarketGuru.com, “blueberries are known for being rich in flavonoids and proanthocyanidins, and these phytochemicals may affect cell growth and fight free radicals with their antioxidant properties.” He added, “What continues to become clearer is that food plays an integral role in our overall long-term health and wellness and this is an opportunity for retailers to provide more information for their customers and better merchandise their stores.”

The study resulted in tumor size reduction by 60-75 percent. In addition, molecular analysis revealed that blueberry consumption altered the expression of genes that are important to metastasis, suggesting that cancer risk would likely decline from blueberry consumption. The blueberry dose needed to achieve these results was equivalent to two cups of fresh blueberries per day.

It is about time, Indian bakeries take inspiration from this study, and teem their cakes and muffins with blueberries.

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Britannia to Diversify its Production Portfolio The company has ‘baked’ new low fat wellness biscuits named Vita Marie Honey Oats biscuits. It is a cholesterol-free biscuit for the health conscious urban people. According to Anuradha Narasimhan, Category Director (Health and Wellness), Britannia Industries Ltd., with Vita Marie Honey Oats, the company has entered into the adult health and wellness food segment, which is worth a size of Rs 5,000 crore and growing at 25 percent annually. The Indian biscuit market has a size of Rs 14,000 crore and is growing at 16 to 18 percent annually.

Biscuit Behemoth to Set Up Four Bakery Plants The biscuit giant is investing about $44.4m to install four new manufacturing units to lift up their production in the bakery section.

BIL’s Managing Director, Vinita Bali said, “Within the next few months we will start production in newfangled company-owned units in Orissa and Karnataka and another one in the western region. We are making investments of Rs 50-80 crore in each of these factories.” She also added, “Here the bakery business is growing at over 20 percent. Therefore

we are flagging off new factories to cater to this budding demand.”

BIL also said that the company had acquired stakes from two companies — Strategic Food International Company (SFIC), and Al Sallan Food Industries in the Middle-East and also from its partners in dairy products and breads. Following these dealings, these business divisions have become 100 percent subsidiaries of Britannia Industries.

Thriving on Competition Kolkata-based Britannia Industries Limited (BIL) is gearing up to boost its production while keeping a keen eye on the competitors. Britannia Industries is chalking out a threepronged strategy to take on other players in the FMCG industry. The plan includes a focus on new segments, spreading of manufacturing capacity and channelising new investments on research and development. To start off, the giant will soon take on Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF)’s Amul with the launch of milk-based beverages like ‘Activ Mind’ and ‘TigerZor Badam Milk’ in India. TigerZor Badam and Activ Mind are positioned as health drinks to target a diverse audience.

Presently, the company is carrying out a pilot project in Karnataka before the formal launch of its milk-based beverages in other states, priced at Rs 20 (for 100ml). With this new launch, Britannia will now openly race with Amul Kool, a milk-based beverage from the GCMMF’s repertoire. Other major players in the packaged flavoured milk market includes Parle Agro’s N-joi, Mother Dairy, and regional players such as Energee (Aarey Milk) and Vijaya.

“We will be entering new markets with innovative products. This is the first time we are introducing milk-based beverages in India. As innovation differentiates and contribute to the growth, our core spotlight is now on innovation,” said Vinita Bali.

Following optimistic response to its breakfast cereal, Britannia is currently test marketing its new brands — Britannia Upma and Poha —in Karnataka. With this move, Britannia will take on ITC Foods and Nestle India in the packaged food business in India.

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Today the ever growing trend of health awareness has given a fillip to the demand for food products that contribute towards better health. Consumers are found to be demanding a greater variety of low calorie products as they are striving to make healthier choices in their diets. The health consciousness is now visible even in the confectionery segment. Several bakeries display boards of sugar free confectionery. Even celebrity Chef, Sanjeev Kapoor has been roped in to advertise about an artificial sweetener. Ashok Malkani finds that sugar per se is not harmful, but refined sugar is! There are natural sweeteners which are good for your health. However, artificial sweeteners cannot be vouched as 100 percent safe.

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he word ‘confectionery’ conjures up visions of cakes, chocolates and candy. “Sweets”, as the wise man said, “are dandy but with diabetes they bandy.” Sweets, naturally, make you think of sugar.

And continual intake of high quantities of sugar can be dangerous to your health. Not only does it rot your teeth and add fats to your thighs; it can also significantly impair your metabolism. The blame can be placed on fructose, a main ingredient in table sugar that permeates into your cells and changes the roadmap of your metabolism.

The recent research may help to throw light on how excessive consumption of sugar loaded foods is facilitating towards growing rates of obesity, cardiac ailments, high blood pressure and diabetes. According to Richard Johnson, the author of The Sugar Fix: The High-Fructose Fallout That Is Making You Fat and Sick both, sugar and high-fructose corn

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syrup are equally harmful as both of them contain about the same amount of fructose.

However, there is no denying the fact that human beings have a natural preference towards the sweet taste and flavour.

The sweet taste helps to develop feelings of comfort, security and abundance in the mind, perhaps because it has subconscious association to the mother’s milk. Sweetness sends a message to your brain that ‘all is well.’ It is in our evolutionary genetic makeup to enjoy and desire sweetness.

The Rise in Sugar Levels Let us examine how sugar overtook the world. It started fairly modestly, with humble chewing of sugarcanes. Like many other things, the increased consumption of sugar is also a product of industrial revolution. In the late 1800s, people in the US were consuming only about 5 pounds of sugar per year. With the development and the subsequent maturity of the concept and reality of the industrial foods and the increased application of sugar to sweeten and preserve numerous processed food products, the sugar consumption steadily rose across the globe. Traditional sugar free recipes were pushed aside in the process. In 1971, the sugar consumption in the US stood at 102 pounds of sugar per person per year; a huge progress from its 1800s levels indeed.

However, since the early 1970s we have been steadily consuming less natural sugar, which are available in sugarcane and beets. This decline follows the introduction of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). HFCS has replaced more than half of the sugar we were eating before the 1970s. However, we are now eating more refined sugars than ever before.

The consumption of these refined sugars can lead to serious health complications.

The refinement process leaves them absolutely devoid of nutrients, turning

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them into empty calories. These empty calories if taken in high quantities, can wreak havoc on your blood sugar, levy tax on your detox organs and induce you to gain weight. They also help make you to become host to a number of diseases such as obesity, hypoglycemia, high blood pressure, cardiac ailments, diabetes, anemia, tooth decay and bone loss, herpes, yeast infections, menstrual problems, male impotence, memory and concentration lapse, paranoia, emotional upsets, gout and even cancer.

Thus, kicking sugar out of your diet is the single best thing you can do for your health. Says Paul Pitchford in Healing with Whole Foods: Asian traditions and modern nutrition, “When natural sugar is refined and concentrated, the life force is dispersed and the natural balance gets upset.

Refined sugar passes quickly into the bloodstream in large amounts, giving the stomach and pancreas a shock. An acid condition forms, which consumes the body’s minerals quickly.

Thus calcium is lost from the system, causing bone problems.

The digestive system is weakened and food cannot be digested or assimilated properly. This leads to a blood-sugar imbalance and to further craving for sugar” Thankfully, with the new found awareness of harmful effects of natural sugar and refined sugars, the sales of food and beverage categories considered by consumers as being high in sugar content, are showing decline. This factor, together with the growing regulatory pressure on the food & beverage industry to provide healthier food, has been fostering food producers to invest in healthy ingredients.

Naturally Sweet So what would be the answer for avoiding sugar? Natural sweeteners, of course.

Replacing sugar with natural sweeteners to improve the nutritional status of food products is fast

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gaining currency. Medical experts recommend that you go for sweets which use natural sweeteners like: Agave Nectar: Agave is a succulent plant that grows wild in Mexico. Agave nectar is a processed syrup, made by converting the inulin of the agave plant into fructose. The process used for this conversion is a fairly new development in food technology and similar to the process used to create HFCS. The result of the process is a syrup or ‘nectar’ that contains 70-90 per cent fructose. Though excessive fructose consumption can lead to increased triglyceride levels, high cholesterol and heart disease, there are no reports of negative health consequences resulting from the consumption of agave nectar. A spokesperson for Madhava (one the primary agave manufacturers in India) stated that, “There are no chemicals whatsoever involved in the production of Madhava’s agave nectar from agave salmiana, nor is it cooked. Our agave is subject only to low temperatures during the evaporation of excess water from the juice.”

Dried Fruit: Dry fruits like dates, raisins and figs can be sources of natural sweeteners. They can be soaked and pureed to create natural sweeteners, which can be used for sugar free desserts. Dried mulberries and golden berries are also sweet and healthy. They are now having an increasing presence in many health food stores.

Natural Apple Sauce and Smashed Bananas: They can be added to moisten and sweeten a variety of sugar free desserts, which include cakes and muffins. Frozen bananas are a key ingredient in some sugar free recipes for ice cream and milkshakes Stevia: This is a naturally sweet plant, which originated in Paraguay. Stevia leaves are being used for over 1,500 years by the Guarini Indians of Paraguay. It was discovered and introduced to Europe by M.S. Bertoni in 1899. Since then stevia has emerged as a very popular sweetener in the industry.

Stevia leaves are 30 times sweeter than sugar, yet there is no sucrose in these ‘magic’ leaves. Stevia leaves contain glycosides, which taste very sweet, but they contain no sugar, no calories, and no carbohydrates. Therefore, despite its sweetness, stevia leaves do not have a GI (Glycemic Index) and neither do they deplete the body’s insulin levels. These leaves are an ideal intake for the people with diabetes and sweet tooth. Research has also revealed that stevia is good for pancreas and digestion. Stevia also prevents tooth decay by suppressing the growth of dental bacteria.

Raw Honey: This is one of the most popular forms of natural sweeteners, which has been known to humankind since the dawn of civilisation. Honey is much sweeter than sugar, though it also has more calories than sugar. However, in its natural state, it has high content of vitamins, minerals and

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enzymes, and thus its intake in no way disturbs the mineral balance in the body. Used as a natural medicine since millennia, raw honey harmonises the liver, neutralises toxins, heals ulcers, and eases stress and constipation. Neither is honey associated with many potential health complications of sugar.

Local honey can be used to effectively address seasonal and environmental allergies. However, honey should not be heated and is therefore not a good option for preparation of baked goods.

Grade B Maple Syrup: This is a wonderful source of manganese and zinc. This syrup also has twice as much calcium as milk. It also has fewer calories and higher mineral content than honey. But it is best to use organic maple syrup.

Brown Rice Syrup: This traditional Asian sweetener is made by converting rice starch into maltose; a complex sugar.

This mild flavoured liquid sweetener of a drink teems with nutrients from unrefined brown rice, and contains B vitamins and minerals.

Molasses: The molasses is a rich source of minerals. Choose unsulphured or blackstrap molasses to get high levels of calcium, iron and potassium.

Low Calorie Industrial Options However, not all artificial sweeteners are harmful to health.

Besides these natural sweeteners, several artificial sweeteners can also be healthily used in bakery products. Isomalt is one such artificial sweetener. It is a type of sugar alcohol, whose primary application is for its sugar-like physical properties. It has negligible affect on blood sugar levels, and does not encourage tooth decay. Isomalt has low calorie content, and is friendly to the tooth. Furthermore, Isomalt has only half the calories of sugar.

Isomalt is sourced from pure sugar-beet, and it is said to be a low glycaemic (low GI). Here it deserves a mention that low GI food products do not cause spikes in blood sugar levels, which is a matter of crucial importance for diabetics. Many diabetics use the glycemic index to control their food intake.

However, it is slightly less sweet than sugar. Recently, the Indian Ministry of Health has approved the use of Beneo’s low GI Isomalt sweetener in a raft of new food categories, including Indian sweets and more western-style foods.

Previously India approved it for use in chocolate and confectionery products, and also in chewing gum. Now with this extended approval for Isomalt, a slew of new opportunities have been opened for the food producers engaged in the

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production of healthy food products.

Products in which Isomalt can now be used include traditional sweets Mysore Pak and Boondi Ladoo, as well as in instant sweetmeat mixes, jams, jellies, marmalades, and a host of bakery and dairy products like ice cream, frozen desserts and yogurts. No wonder, this development can provide a great fillip to the Indian bakery industry.

One alternative to using a natural or refined sugar is to use a reduced calorie sweetener. Overall, there are five major reduced calorie sweeteners available in the market these days.

These are Acesulfame Potassium (Acesulfame-K), Aspartame, Saccharin, Stevia, and Sucralose.

Acesulfame-K, which was introduced way back in 1967, is 200 times sweeter than table sugar (sucrose). Many studies have been conducted on this sweetener, and none of them have revealed any health risk. According to the studies, this sweetener is not absorbed in the body but passes through unchanged. However, research has also unearthed that the product can break down to acetoacetamide. This chemical has been shown to affect the thyroid in rats, rabbits, and dogs.

Aspartame, which was introduced in 1965, is a low-calorie sweetener. In terms of sweetness, it is 200 times sweeter than sucrose. Aspartame comprises of two amino acids which are the building blocks of protein. They are L-phenylalanine and L-aspartic acid. Several studies conducted on Aspartame have arrived at only one documented risk. It is that this reduced calorie sweetener can be a health risk to people who suffer from phenylketonuria (PKU), that is those who cannot metabolise the L-phenylalanine. This is why there is a PKU warning on any product that contains aspartame.

Saccharin is an age-old player, which was invented more than 100 years ago. This low- calorie sweetener has been involved in more than 30 human studies, and no adverse

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health effects of saccharin have come to light.

Sucralose or Splenda is a non-caloric sweetener made from sugar, which was invented in 1976. This product is 600 times sweeter than table sugar, on an average, which theoretically, should pass through the body without being metabolised.

Over 100 studies have been conducted using sucralose and now it is approved as a food additive.

Stevia in India About stevia we have already discussed in the abovementioned passages. Stevia-derived sweeteners gained popularity since December 2008, when the US Food and Drug Administration informed that the stevia-derived sweetener Reb A was generally recognised as safe (GRAS) for its application in foods and beverages.

The Stevia supplier GLG Life Tech has announced some time back that it was envisaging to develop agricultural and extraction facilities for stevia in India, as well as market its stevia extracts in the country. Here it deserves a mention that Canada-based GLG Life Tech Corporation is a global leader in the production and supply of high quality stevia extracts.

LG Life Tech had also informed it had signed a memorandum of understanding with India-based Global AgriSystem Private Limited, a Katra Group company, regarding the introduction of GLG’s stevia products in India.

GLG Life Tech had announced a joint venture with Global Agrisystem Private Limited for the marketing, development and distribution of GLG’s portfolio of stevia extracts in markets throughout India and the Middle-East.

The MOU confirmed the interests of both parties to jointly pursue the promotion of stevia products as a healthy sweetener alternative for food and beverage manufacturers and consumers in India. The agreement between the two companies includes an initial phase of market development for GLG’s stevia extracts as well as the agricultural development of growing regions for GLG ‘s patented stevia plant varieties.

Stevia-based sweeteners can easily cater to the growing demand for sweeteners in India. India’s agriculture, with its conducive climatic conditions, can easily facilitate the growing of stevia.

So presently, the bakery industry has enough options to avoid sugar and taste sweet at the same time. If the Indian bakeries start preferring reduced calorie artificial sweeteners or natural sweeteners over natural or refined sugars in increasing degree, we can hope to infuse great health in the Indian bakery industry, in the near future. However, for this growing trend to emerge as an established norm, there needs to be a sea change in the attitude among the bakery industry and its consumers.

Aug-Sept ’11

B U S I N E S S

BAKERY REVIEW

Ice cream is no longer just for kids. Nowadays people of all ages are seen craving for this delicacy. The change in tastes and growth in disposable incomes among certain sections of population have also given a fillip to the Indian ice cream industry. The result is that there has been a steady increase in demand for ice creams in India.

Several ice cream parlours have come up in metropolitan cities of India, and even in tier-II and tier-III cities packaged ice cream is becoming the order of the day. The local hand-cart driven vendor of ice creams is slowly making way for the packaged ice creams, even in villages. The latent demand for ice cream makes it an ideal entrepreneurial avenue.

Ashok Malkani takes a look at the growth prospects of the ice cream industry and also the franchising opportunities it offers.

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Aug-Sept ’11

BAKERY REVIEW

It is sweet, it is cool and it does make you drool. And it is not just the kids who love it but even the elderly are shedding off their stiffness and staidness for their favourite scoop. Ice cream has emerged as the fastest growing dairy product in the AsiaPacific region, and it is becoming the flavour of all seasons in urban India.

The Indian ice cream industry has been traditionally growing at a healthy rate of 12 per cent year-on-year.

Changing tastes and rising disposable incomes among select sections, and a sizeable chunk of population in India are fostering the growth in popularity of a number of indulgences in the realms of food & beverage. Among them ice creams take the cake. As disposable incomes rise, a section of Indian consumers are becoming more able to spend more on non-essential food products, and ice cream has become one of preferred products in which people want to indulge. The strengthening of the distribution network, the development of cold chain infrastructure, and the introduction of varied flavour offerings from different brands in the market are other important reasons behind the growth of the Indian ice cream industry.

A Growing Industry With the increasing demand for ice creams,

Aug-Sept ’11

several international brands are looking towards India. Some of them have already entered the country, while the Indian ice cream brands are in an expansion mode. Take the case of Vadilal Industries Ltd. (VIL), India’s second largest ice cream maker after Amul.

The company has enhanced its production capacity from 2.25 lakh litres a day to 3.25 lakh litres per day.

VIL has invested Rs. 40 crore for its expansion-cum-modernisation plans at each of its two manufacturing plants; at Pundhara, located in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat, and at Bareilly, located in Uttar Pradesh. The company has done this to increase its production capacities. The company is expecting a 40 percent growth in sales during 2011-12. Vadilal has also envisaged to increase its share in the organised ice cream market to around 24 percent from its current 20 percent by focussing on cups, cones, candies, and small-value packs.

Rajesh Gandhi and Devanshu Gandhi, the Managing Directors of Vadilal, have disclosed that the 80-year-old company has also installed India’s fastest cone-making machine whose capacity is a phenomenal 18,000 cones in an hour. This is much higher as compared to 6000 cones in an hour in the case of the existing machines.

According to Gandhi, the ice cream market in

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India is estimated at Rs 2500 crore in the organised sector, growing at 20 percent. “In terms of units, both organised and unorganised players put together, the Indian ice cream market stands at 350 million litres, of which Gujarat has the largest share of 15 percent,” he informed.

Ice creams are fast graduating from fun foods, characterised by impulse purchase by young generation, to desserts for family consumption; on a fairly regular basis. This is the reason for the rise in sales of ice cream bricks in the market.

According to Euromonitor’s report, the review period has seen a gradual shift in consumers’ perception of ice cream from an impulse/on-the-go treat to an affordable indulgence to be enjoyed at home with family members.

This has also resulted in a gradual reduction in the seasonal nature of ice creams in India, though sales of ice creams do climb in the hot summer months, in India.

According to the report, as consumers became acquainted with premium ice creams from chains such as Baskin Robbins, the demand for more exotic and indulgent flavours of packaged ice creams increased in 2010.No wonder, brands such as Amul, Vadilal and Havmor have responded to this growing demand by introducing more exotic flavour combinations in take-home ice creams in 2010 and by launching their own ice cream parlour outlets. This has facilitated the consumers to purchase ice cream in formats such as sundaes

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and milkshakes and have access to limited edition and seasonal flavours.

In such a scenario, it comes as no surprise that over the last five years, the share of take-home sector has enhanced from 50 to 60 percent.

in the association’s first meeting in Vadodara recently, to the surprise of many. Here it deserves a mention that in order to increase ice cream consumption and enhance its quality standards, ice cream manufacturers’ in the cooperative and private sectors of India have got together to form the Indian Ice Cream Manufacturers’ Association.

This dismal ice cream consumption figure in India looks abysmal as compared to the US where the annual consumption of ice cream is 22 liters per person. Even Pakistan and China are ahead of us in terms of annual ice cream consumption. It is 700 ml per person in Pakistan and 3 liters per person in China, annually.

“With the formation of this association, we are looking at increasing consumption, food safety and quality, as well as better networking and knowledge sharing amongst members,” added Gandhi.

Dismal Consumption Levels Yes, the popularity of ice creams among the young and the old of India are showing an increase, but despite that with an annual ice cream consumption level of merely 300 ml per person, India is languishing at the bottom of the ice cream consumption ladder.

Rajesh Gandhi, President of the newly formed Indian Ice Cream Manufacturers’ Association (IICMA) and Managing Director of Vadilal Industries Ltd., announced this figure

The Cost Factor The Indian ice cream industry is still at a nascent stage of development. One of the reasons which inhibit the growth of the ice cream industry is its cost.

India is perhaps the only country in the world that imposes a luxury tax on ice cream. Though ice cream is a food item, it attracts a VAT that varies from 12-15 per cent across the country.

Moreover, ice creams in India are taxed not only at the point of sale but also at

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BAKERY REVIEW

the point of production. There is a 1 percent excise tax on ice cream, over and above the VAT, which is highly unreasonable. These taxations on ice creams may be depriving many children of their favourite delight.

“Recently government added one per cent excise duty, over and above the VAT. In Gujarat there is a 15 percent levy of VAT on ice cream. In other countries, there is no tax on food items like ice cream. In India, it requires this attention,” Gandhi pointed out. With the formation of Indian Ice Cream Manufacturers’ Association, the ice cream industry is now expected to be working towards seeking better measures for the ice cream industry, including reduction in value added tax (VAT).

However, despite the pathetic ice cream consumption figures, the major ice cream producers of India are experiencing healthy growth. Besides increase in disposable incomes and maturing of tastes of some select sections of population, this trend can

Aug-Sept ’11

also be perhaps attributed to the huge population and market size of India.

Maturing Market, Despite Bottlenecks The popular brands such as Amul, Vadilal, Mother Dairy, Cream Bell, Kwality Walls, Joy and Arun are all expected to experience robust growth and players in the premium segment have already experienced spectacular growth, perhaps due to their parlour-based franchising strategy. Premium ice cream players in India include Baskin Robbins, Gelato, Narula’s, Giani and the newly arrived players from the US such as Haagen-Dazs, Ben & Jerry’s and London Dairy from the UK. American ice cream brand,

Swensen’s too has arrived in India with the opening of its first outlet at Mantri Square Mall, in Bangalore, in the last year. Through a franchise model in partnership with RJ Group, this opening marked Swensen’s entry into the Indian branded ice cream market. All total, 80 Swenson’s outlets are scheduled to open across South India over the next five years. The inflow of overseas players in the

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Indian ice cream market is expected to increase maturity in the market.

On the other hand, the nonorganised segment of the ice cream market in India is shrinking considerably in metropolitan cities and other big cities. However, in small towns and rural areas, kulfis and ice creams made by cottage ice cream industries are still holding popularity.

But at the same time, there is no denying the fact that the market for the organised ice cream industry is still confined to the large cities. Eight cities of India are accounting for 60 percent of India’s total ice cream consumption, which is lopsided in favour of the cities.

Ice creams are also becoming healthy, without ceasing to be tasty; another sign of maturity in the market.

Aficionados of health conscious ice creams in India now have the option of either pro-biotic ice creams or fat and sugar free ice creams. Pro-biotic ice cream introduced by Amul is also a praiseworthy exercise in the Indian ice cream industry, in this direction. Now ‘healthy’ ice creams are available from several ice cream manufacturers.

Nowadays one can find an array of frozen desserts tailored to various dietary regimes. We are now having reduced fat, fat-free, low-carb, no sugar added or lactose-free ice creams with sizeable presence in the market.

Another sign of maturity in the Indian ice cream market is its novelty

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in the expression of taste. Ahmedabadbased Havmor Ice Cream has introduced some novel ice creams in the recent past, which include the nonalcoholic whisky-flavoured ice cream, targeted at the premium clientele for parties and weddings. The company is also experimenting on diet ice creams.

A Tasty Business In this present scenario, it seems that the business of ice cream in India, though small in size as compared to international levels, is teeming with potential. For the interested entrepreneurs wanting to make a successful foray into the ice cream industry, it may be mentioned that the manufacturing of ice cream involves five basic steps. They are blending of the mix ingredients, pasteurisation, homogenisation, aging, freezing, and hardening. During the hardening process, the ice cream mixture is incorporated with air, which makes the product light and creamy. Without air, ice cream would not be much different from frozen ice. The ice cream may have a great deal of air, which can be even half of its volume.

The airy sweetness perhaps does make ice cream a business involving high profit margins. However, for bigger players, the distribution and advertising costs may take away some of the profit margins. But at the same time, their profits are expected to be higher than the smaller players because of their sophisticated technology and greater reach. According to Manish Vithalani of Space Dotz, an approximate investment of Rs.10 lakh is needed to set up a small scale ice

cream plant. However, this cost excludes the land cost.

Presently, a number of players who have entered the ice cream segment are introducing innovative aspects like natural flavours made from fruits.

Some enterprising players like Mumbai-based Space Dotz have come up with newer technologies. Unlike normal ice creams, the products of Space Dotz come in the form of balls.

The singular ice creams of this company has no air content and uses cryogenic technology, yes the same technology that is being used in rocket science!

For those who would not like to venture into manufacturing of this cool dessert, there is ample opportunity to enter the Indian ice cream industry through the franchising route. In these days and this age, when franchising has emerged as a viable option to start a business, the ice-cream franchise offers great opportunity to establish one’s entrepreneurship credentials and earn lucratively.

Investing in the ice cream franchise business can not only give you the benefit of an established brand name

and strong marketing support, but also offers a variety of options to run the business – like exclusive shops, kiosks, cart on wheels and shop-in-shops. The choice would depend on the amount you want to invest.

Though ice cream business peaks in India during the summer, the demand for ice creams is now there throughout the year. During the winter months, one has a bonanza of festivals, which can also provide a platform to give an impetus to the ice cream’s demand. And in places like Mumbai, which has a temperate climate, there is demand for ice creams 365 days of the year. Yes, this real cool dessert really has a real hot I market, especially in urban India.

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BAKERY REVIEW

By Sharmila Chand liss Chocolates Pvt. Ltd. is a self-funded private limited company in Bangalore, with its production and retail operations in the same city. With the creative support of the Executive Chef, Terri Mercieca who is a Culinary Olympic Gold Medalist, the company is dedicated to crafting exquisite handmade European chocolates and desserts.

Corporate social change is one of the cornerstones of the company. “We are committed to making profits with principles and serving with love. We believe that by creating more awareness towards social responsibility among our employees and undertaking social projects, we can be the change we want to see in the world. Our corporate culture encourages a fun-filled work environment full of opportunities, dynamism, mutual respect and dignity,” informed Vimal Sharma, the Director of Bliss Chocolates.

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Retail, Corporate and Production Bliss Chocolates comprises of two

divisions — retail and corporate. The Bliss Chocolate Lounge is a premium venue where people can interact socially whilst enjoying quality chocolate products.

This is the retail facet of the company. On offer here are a variety of products like hand-crafted chocolates, chocolate beverages, cakes, desserts, and chocolate meals. The Bliss Chocolate Lounge has the potential to be seen as

the ultimate chocolate destination in India.

The corporate division is dedicated to providing tailored premium chocolates and products to corporate clients from various sectors such as hotels, airlines and software companies, to name a few.

“We also have plans to become a wholesale distributor of premium chocolates, and associated ingredients in India,” articulated Sharma.

The production kitchen, located in Konena Agrahara in Bangalore, has the capacity to produce 7500 chocolates a day alongside the premium cakes, desserts and gourmet breads.

The kitchen is equipped with world class machinery imported from Europe, Taiwan and China. Tools like moulds are from Italy. Chocolate pebbles and blocks are imported from Barry Callebaut in Belgium.

The Brain Behind the Bliss Born in Fiji, with a successful career in the food & beverage industry in Australia, Vimal Sharma is a seasoned

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P R O F I L E

BAKERY REVIEW

entrepreneur and a specialist in the food and beverage industry. He is one of the pioneers of Bliss Chololates and a person brimming with ambitious plans for the first of its kind premium chocolate lounge in the country.

As the Director of Bliss Chocolates, Sharma juggles multiple responsibilities of spearheading the helm of business affairs of the brand. Sharma first took over as Brand Retail Manager of Bliss Chocolates, in the year 2010.

His role includes the operations, research & development, and marketing of the brand. His experience in marketing is playing a vital role in Bliss’s quest towards establishing itself as one of the biggest players in the Indian chocolate industry. The excerpts of the interview with him follow: How do you take care of the quality and hygienic factors at Bliss?

To ensure the superior quality of our products, each recipe is composed with the finest of ingredients sourced from all over the world. None of our products contain added preservatives.

To top it all, Bliss has an excellent hygiene system in place to ensure the quality of products, which involve quality checks of raw materials, impeccable storage conditions, logistics and room temperature checks, sanitising systems during and after the production, and strict vigilance on overall production activities.

Please throw some light on the quality of packaging?

The Mistress of Chocolates

Chef Terri Mercieca

Bliss has an exclusively trained packaging team, which strictly adheres to hygiene. If the food is properly packaged, it will protect the state and quality of the food and prevent it from getting tampered with. Packaging is given high importance at our end and this is one of the important factors which encourage our potential customers to purchase our products.

What would you like to say on customised chocolates?

Bliss is passionate about customisation of chocolates and cakes, and takes pride in doing so. Every person has a different taste and our products cater to their needs, thereby keeping them satiated.

Do you think there is an increase in consumer awareness on chocolates, over the years?

Consumer awareness about

Terri Mercieca comes across as a young, passionate and energetic Pastry Chef and chocolatier. In her new position as Master Chocolatier at Bliss, Terry is engaged in creating intriguing and delicious chocolates in order to cater to the palate of her discerning Indian customers.

At Bliss, Terry is responsible for creating eclectic, unmatched and unpredictable flavours for the chocolate connoisseurs in India.

Terry’s research includes finding the right infusions to make sophisticated chocolates. She is continually experimenting with ingredients such as fruits, spices, nuts and coffee and a variety of wines to create unique flavour combinations in her chocolate creations.

Besides experimenting with chocolates in particular and food in general, she also loves exploring new places and adventure. Terri also enjoys listening to music, besides dancing, swimming and reading of inspirational books.

chocolates in India has increased by leaps and bounds, due to the extensive travel overseas. The consumers exposed to global tastes of chocolates now expect best international quality chocolates, even in India. At Bliss, we strive to bring chocolates from all over the world under one roof, for the chocolate lovers. Moreover, people are educated about the varieties in chocolates at Bliss.

Finally, what are the expansion plans for Bliss Chocolates in other cities?

Bliss is opening its lounges in Mumbai, in the second half of the next year. We already have a corporate sales team in Delhi and adding of another couple of lounges in Bangalore are in the plans. Bliss is targeting to expand to 80 outlets pan-India within five years, largely through franchising.

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Aug-Sept ’11

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OPERATIONS

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From Baking to Success R

unning a bakery operation successfully requires the consideration of various factors. It involves much more than just displaying the regulars like fresh breads, cakes, pastries, muffins and other assorted bakery products. Of course, freshness in bakery products is a crucial aspect behind running of bakery operations, which should not be overlooked or compromised. Ideally nothing should be showcased on the shelves of your bakery that are older than a day unless it is accompanied by a substantially reduced price. It is wise to remember that the fresh baked aroma emanating from bakery shops facilitates in triggering in impulse sales in those bakeries, and it is wiser to use this knowledge to your advantage.

However, besides placing a great premium on freshly baked products, introspection and consequent efforts on various other facets of your bakery operations are needed to make your bakery business a success story. As an operator, you must visualise what will attract your existing consumers and potential consumers into your bakery. You must follow this visualisation with

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pragmatic and creative ways to attract your existing and potential consumers, so that they are induced to visit your bakery again and again; for years to come.

Display, Feedback and Research If you want to serve your consumers to the best of your abilities, it is important that you know their baked preferences really well. It is better to undertake an informal survey of your current and potential consumers to see what they think of your bakery items, and what they think you could do to make your bakery better. Also ask them about your products range and the service of your staff. You should try to gauge whether your products are in abreast with the latest consumer trends.

These questions deserve answers through customer feedback. You must also study your competition well through research if you want to stay ahead of them.

As a bakery operator, you should build your bakery displays in a manner which would enable the existing and potential customers or simply visitors to your bakery outlet to see your products from across the facility. It is better to include fresh fruits,

fresh and dried flowers, in addition to ears of wheat and corn in your product displays. You may use custom-designed wood tilted racks or simply dishes or rattan baskets or all of them, but use bright colours in your display, which would nicely complement the predominant brown and beige shades in the bakery shop. Also label each item to introduce total transparency.

Furthermore, signage should be concise and articulate and their primary purpose would be to inform your existing and potential customers about your products.

Fancy creativity in signage is not bad, but it should not distract the consumers from its main objective. If you go for handwritten signage, ensure that they are legible and appealing at the same time.

Otherwise, along with your signage, the potential customers may ignore your products too.

Employ cross merchandising and it may augment your sales. Simply market your related bakery products together and their sales can increase. For example, give some discount on your organic cakes for the purchase of a packet of healthy breads.

Or display some exotic coffees along side

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OPERATIONS

BAKERY REVIEW

your high-end muffins or pastries and your discerning target consumers may be even more interested in buying them.

Also what about the combination of cream cheese and bagels, or fruit and lemon cakes with whipped cream? Yes, ideally they should be displayed in tandem to get optimum sales out of them.

Lighting and Cleaning Lighting of your bakery facility can also play a crucial role to your revenues. Do not go overboard with your lighting so that the existing and potential consumers’ attention diverts from the bakery products to the lighting itself, and neither do keep your facility enveloped in dim light. Your bakery is not a disco or a bar. Always remember that lighting in bakery should be done with the objective of infusing life to your bakery products while at the same time clearly showcasing the details of your products. They should also show how spic and span your bakery is. Therefore, it is always better to opt for warm, comfortable, understated lighting

Aug-Sept ’11

that embodies elegance and class, and exudes transparency.

Of course, it doesn’t deserve a mention that cleanliness in your bakery operations is of paramount importance. Cleanliness in your bakery operations should be comprehensive and should extend from your floor to food counter and display racks to the staff ’s uniforms and the hygienic measures employed by them.

You also must ensure that your trained staff does not forget to wear hairnets, disposable gloves and hats while handling bakery items. It is likely that customers in these health conscious times will prefer a spotlessly clean bakery with ordinary products over an untidy bakery with wonderful products, provided pricing of their products remains more or less the same.

Servicing Trends Keep abreast with the prevailing consumer trends. In the Indian context this entails that if your bakery is located in an up-market locality of a metropolitan city or any other big city of India, try to

stock an impressive range of healthy bakery products, which are low on fat or cholesterol. But wherever your bakery is, it is better to introduce variety in your items time and again, so as to prevent your target consumers from getting bored. Also make sure that all the favourite items of your target consumers are always on the stock.

Customer service in your bakery operations should ideally be impeccable, yet personalised and friendly. Try to offer the best possible service to your consumers within your existing infrastructure and financial capabilities, with a prompt pace and a smiling face.

At least one or two staff should be trained enough to impart valuable information on your displayed bakery items so as to help your target consumers arrive at a decision. But at the same time, they should be restrained enough to not thrust their choices on the existing and potential consumers.

All these factors together can facilitate to make your bakery operations a success story worth emulating in the industry. I

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I N D U S T R Y

BAKERY REVIEW

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iscuits are often used as tasty accompaniments to our morning and evening tea and coffee. They can also serve as wonderful combinations with milk and other assorted health drinks like Horlicks, Boost, Complan, etc. They are healthy, tasty and crunchy and help to pass the time well, especially if you are in the midst of an interesting television programme. Biscuits are regarded as the most common form of snacks in India for people of all ages. And by and large, they are affordable too, which accounts for the fact that there is a 55 percent penetration of biscuits in the rural markets of India, whereas in the country’s urban markets, their penetration is 85 percent.

Biscuits which in their nascent days in India were considered as sick man’s diet, have made their firm place in the habits and lifestyles of urban India. Today India is the third largest biscuit manufacturing country after USA and China. The biscuit industry in India provides employment to approximately 3.5 lakh people directly and indirectly to 30 lakh people. In 2008-09, the Indian biscuit industry had an estimated annual turnover of around INR 65 billion. The organised biscuit manufacturing industry had achieved an annual production of 19.10 lakh metric tonnes in 2010-11.

Unlike the bakery industry in general, a great chunk of the production in the biscuits industry takes place in the organised sector. The organised sector of the biscuit industry in India accounts for around 60 percent of the country’s total biscuits production, whereas the balance 40 percent of the production is being contributed by the unorganised sector.

Britannia, Parle and ITC are the leading players in the Indian biscuits segment.

The Indian biscuit industry is exhibiting a steady growth rate over a decade. According to the Indian Biscuits Manufacturers’ Association (IBMA), the biscuit industry in India posted an annual growth of 15 percent in 2010-11, and according to the same body, the industry

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is estimated to grow at a rate of 15-18 percent, in the next five years.

However, despite the growing popularity of biscuits in India, the per capita biscuits consumption in India is only 2.1 kg, which is dismal as compared to per capita consumption of 2.5 kg to 5.5 kg in South-East Asian countries and 10 kg in USA. This consumption shortfall can be addressed if biscuits can be provided at more economical prices than before, which in turn can only be achieved through substantially decreasing the cost of production. However, such a scenario seems unlikely to occur in the near future.

Biscuits and Bottlenecks Presently, according to IBMA, the Indian biscuit industry, especially the small and medium sector of the industry comprising around 150 units, are facing erosion in their profitability and competitive capability due to steep hike in cost of production in the recent years on account of increase in prices of major raw materials, i.e. wheat flour, vegetable oil, sugar, milk, packaging materials, fuel, wages, etc.

Recent increase in prices of petrol is further expected to give an impetus to the cost push of the biscuit industry. This may prevent the decline in prices of biscuits and hence their domestic consumption levels and quality are not likely to reach international levels. The export of biscuits is also only 15 percent of the annual biscuit production in India, a dismal statistics, which doesn’t greatly facilitate the revenues of the Indian biscuits industry.

The biscuit industry is also facing adverse impacts on its production and marketing because the industry is being subjected to a value added tax (VAT) at the highest rate of 12.50 percent by the state governments, as compared to a VAT of 4 percent on similar food products.

This, according to IBMA, has resulted in many such products substituting biscuits amongst consumers, especially in the low income segment.

IBMA has estimated that the Indian biscuit industry could post an annual growth in the range of 20 percent to 25 percent and above in the event of reduction in the rate of VAT on biscuits to 4 percent. However, with the introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) slated for 2012, the industry can look forward to relief in the incidence of higher taxation burden.

Inadequate adoption of modern technology, equipment and packaging in the industry, especially in the unorganised sector of the biscuit industry, are also impeding its growth and development, and preventing Indian biscuits to compete in the international market.

Unless these taxation, packaging and production bottlenecks are being addressed through concerted action by the states and the corporates, and unless fortification of biscuits with healthy elements are being done on a much more wider scale, it is unlikely that the steady growth of Indian biscuit industry would lead to its eventual maturity on an ■ international platform.

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R E C I P E S

BAKERY REVIEW

Indulge in the

Festive Desserts

By Sharmila Chand

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astry Chefs across the country are geared to greet you with their exclusive festive offerings in this festive season, which can infuse added dosages of indulgence and sinful sensations to the partying spirits.

And a particularly creative chocolatier can make the after taste of these autumnal festivities linger in the mouth… thereby whetting the appetite for the future celebrations to come in the distant and not so distant future.

Inspired by India’s favourite sweets, Chef Nasim Ahamed Delvi, Bakery Chef at The LaLiT New Delhi, brings to you his latest innovative offerings in the form of ‘Festive Delights’. “This year I have made ‘Mischief Chocolates’ where I have tried to make chocolates in the flavour of Indian traditional sweets. I call these Mithai Chocolates or Mischief Chocolates,” he said.

These chocolates come across in different flavours. “For example, the all time favourite coconut burfi has been

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converted to Coconut Vanilla Bean Fudge.

I have deliberately not added khoya here as it is dicey to add khoya in the festive season for chances of getting impure quality,” elaborated Nasim.

He has also created Rose Petal Fudge, which has influences of rose and almond.

Chef Shubham Paliwal

His sumptuous repertoire in this festive season also has Hazelnut Lime Chocolate Fudge i.e. Kala Khatta Fudge. “I hope people would like my innovative product range of Mischief Chocolates,” proffered Nasim.

Other Chefs at prominent hospitality properties are also driving fast and furious on their creative tracks. Chef Shubham Paliwal at The Westin Mumbai Garden City presents a delectable pre-plated dessert, which is a work of art. “In this festive season, I have tried to combine this traditional pain d’épices with trendy mandarin orange gelato and raspberry sauce,” informed Shubham Paliwal, Pastry Chef, The Westin Mumbai Garden City.

Here it deserves a mention that Pain d’épices, sometimes loosely translated as gingerbread , is a French cake whose ingredients are rye flour, honey and spices.

The commercial production of pain d’épices was a specialty of Reims, a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, just 129 km from Paris.

Meanwhile, Yash Mathur, the Pastry Chef of Courtyard by Marriott Gurgaon has opted for the simple way by touching the chord of his guests with the famous jalebi in a new avatar.

“Most of the Indians will confess to having a sweet tooth and Apple Jalebi is exclusively designed to please the same.

This dessert is made by whipping juicy apples with the exact mix of ingredients, which our guests crave for,” elaborated Yash Mathur, Pastry Chef, Courtyard by Marriott Gurgaon. So it is time for you to let your hair down and enjoy…

Aug-Sept ’11

R E C I P E S

BAKERY REVIEW

Recipes

Chef Nasim Ahamed Delvi

Chef Yash Mathur

I. Coconut Vanilla Bean Fudge by Chef Nasim Ahamed Delvi, Bakery Chef at The LaLiT New Delhi (Nariyal Elachi Fudge) Ingredients Total Yield 4.5 Kg, Per Portion 500 gm Sugar Grain 550 gm Cooking Cream 300 gm Butter 500 gm Coconut Milk Powder 500 gm White Chocolate 2000 gm Callebaut Cardamom Seeds 30 gm Vanilla Beans 55 gm Dry Coconut Powder 400 gm Roasted Grated Coconut (For Garnish) 300 gm Method • Boil sugar with 400 ml water, vanilla beans and cardamom seeds.

• Boil till it reaches light caramel stage.

• Add butter and cream, mix well and cook till it gets thick.

• Remove from fire, add coconut milk powder, chocolate and dry coconut powder.

• Pour into lined tray, before setting sprinkle roasted grated coconut.

• Cut into desired shape and decorate with silver leaf.

• 1/4th Tsp of baking powder • 2 Tbsp curd (plain yogurt) • One-and-one fourth cups of warm water • 1/2 Tsp of saffron threads; slowly dry-roasted and powdered • 3 Cups of sugar • Two-and-two-thirds cups of water • 1/2 Tsp of green cardamom seeds powder • One-and-a-half tbsp of kewra water or rose water • Ghee or vegetable oil for frying Method • Mix the flour, semolina or rice flour, baking powder, curd and 3/4th cup of the water in a bowl (preferably a ceramic bowl). Mix well with a whisk.

• Mix well and then add remaining water and 1/8th tsp. of saffron powder, and whisk until it gets smooth.

• Set aside for about 2 hours to ferment.

• Whisk thoroughly before use.

• Prepare string syrup by dissolving sugar in the water. Just before the syrup is ready add saffron and cardamom powder.

• Heat oil in a cauldron.

• Dip apple slices in batter and put in hot oil.

• Deep fry them until they are golden and crisp all over but not brown.

• Now remove them from the cauldron and drain on kitchen paper and immerse in the syrup.

• Leave for at least 4-5 minutes so that they soak the syrup.

• Take them out of syrup and serve hot.

II. Apple Jalebi by Yash Mathur, Pastry Chef, Courtyard by Marriott Gurgaon Ingredients • 2 Cups of all purpose flour or maida • One-and-a-half tbsp of fine grained semolina or rice flour • 2 Apples peeled and cored, cut into slices

Aug-Sept ’11

III. Pain d’épices Millefeuille with Jivara Litchi Cremeux, Mandarin Orange Gelato and Raspberry Sauce (i) Pain d’épices Ingredients 1800 gm Water 710 gm Sugar 1800 gm Honey 1800 gm Flour 30 gm Mixed spices 120 gm Baking soda 60 gm Orange zest 60 gm Lemon zest 12 gm Salt 45 gm Star anis 1125 gm Butter Method Boil water, honey, sugar, butter, star anis and zest for 20 minutes and then sift the zest and anis. Thereafter, let it cool down to 45 degrees. Then add the flour and let it rest overnight. Now spread on silicone sheet and bake at 170 degrees, for 20 minutes. Let it cool down. (ii) Jivara and Litchi Cremeux Ingredients 750 gm Fresh milk 750 gm Fresh cream 300 gm Egg yolk 100 gm Sugar 1500 gm Cream anglaise 32 gm Gelatin sheets 2000 gm Jivara chocolate 2250 gm Whipping cream 8 cans of Litchi Method Boil cream and fresh milk then pour into the yolk’s sugar mixture. Measure the amount of cream anglaise, which you would be needing. Then add the chopped Jivara chocolate, followed by the gelatin sheets. Let the mixture cool down, and then fold in the whipping cream. When you spread the cremeux on the pain d’épices add the chopped litchi. (iii) Mandarin Orange Gelato Method • Place a white chocolate gold star (dusted with gold) on the center of the plate.

Then put on the center the pain d’épices millefeuille. Spread around some fresh raspberry and raspberry sauce. When you are about to serve, add the mandarin orange gelato and the chocolate décor.

33

P R O D U C T

P R E V I E W

BAKERY REVIEW

Frozen Snacks

Online Bakery Management System

Unitas Foods is offering frozen snacks of Chinese origin. The range includes dimsums, manchurian, satay, chicken lollipops, wontons, and spring

Solutionz Consulting has launched REZOL B.E., a hybrid software for bakeries, confectionaries and sweet shops with a view to enable the owners to manage multiple outlets from one central location. The USP of this product is that you do not need to purchase expensive hardware and software licenses to run it. The system, equally suitable for stand-alone units and large chains having multiple outlets, can be integrated into your current hardware infrastructure.

Some of the key features of the product include: • Controlling multiple outlets from one centralised location • Showing sales & MIS reports online • Handling cash, credit card, credit sales, advance booking, and party sales • Built-in support for thermal, dot matrix, laser and desk jet printers • Smart features like guest identification, mailing lists, petty cash, balance due, etc • Supporting bar codes, incremental search, and manual codes • Maintaining daily opening and closing stock of manufactured products • The choice of over 40 reports of sales, purchase, production, variance and consumption.

Based on a modified concept of the latest cloud computing platform, the online bakery management system removes the need of your being present physically in your office to monitor your outlets. Being an online software, it allows you complete access to the entire set of MIS reports from anywhere in the world with just an Internet access; enabling much better control over your outlets. This leads to increased efficiency, productivity, and revenues. It covers the entire vertical from stores (inventory) to kitchen (production) to sales (POS). This is the latest product from the stable of the seventeen-year-old IT company, which specialises in providing integrated IT services and solutions to the hospitality industry.

Solutionz Consulting info@solutionzconsulting.com

rolls. The products are manufactured in a state-of-the-art facility in Delhi. The centralised kitchen is fully automated to ensure hygienic production. All the raw materials used, with the exception of vegetables and meats, are imported from China, Singapore and Taiwan. For instant acceptance of its food in today’s brand crazy world, the company has ensured on consistent food quality and taste.

Unitas Foods Pvt. Ltd. unitasfoods@gmail.com

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Aug-Sept ’11

I N T E R V I E W

BAKERY REVIEW

A Passion for Chocolates

By Swarnendu Biswas

Neeresh Bhardwaj, Senior Pastry Chef, Jaypee Siddharth, New Delhi comes across as an unassuming person with dollops of creativity. He is a man of few words and great actions, which are reflected in his delectable dessert creations.

He began his career in 1998 with Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi, and over the next two years he acquired rich experience with five-star Taj properties in Lucknow and Mumbai — Taj Residency Lucknow, and The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai — and also at Taj Flight Kitchen. Thereafter, he had successful stints with Intercontinental Eros Parkroyal Nehru Place and with other reputed hospitality chains like Nikko and Claridges. Since 2006, he has worked with Jaypee Group; with Jaypee Vasant Continental and Jaypee Siddharth, in New Delhi. His present tenure is with Jaypee Siddharth. The excerpts of the interview follow: What or who was the inspiration behind choosing this profession?

During the last year of my school I was thinking of opting for engineering for my higher studies, and was making preparations on those lines. That is when my friend’s elder brother, who was then doing his CA, advised me to choose hospitality as a career as it had great potential. My interest in cooking, together with his sensible advice, urged me to opt for a diploma in hotel management from IHM, Panipat.

Thereafter, there was no looking back.

And who were the significant inspirations during your career so far?

I was inspired by Chef Gautam Maharshi’s baked creations, which does embody great aesthetics and imagination.

He is a true artist. Furthermore, Chef Zacharia’s wonderful administrative skills have also inspired me to develop myself as a professional.

What are the main challenges in your day-to-day work operations?

One of the foremost creative challenges in my job is to keep abreast with the continually evolving trends, which happen in the bakery industry quite frequently.

Another important challenge is the paucity of trained staff, which means those who not only know their job well but are also well acquainted with the latest technologies. The need for generating new products and styles and new ideas for showcasing our product profile in the bakery, on a fairly frequent basis, are also some of the daunting challenges associated with my job.

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What is/are your favourite equipment and why it is so?

I particularly love working with texture sheets for pastries, and chocolate transfer sheets. They facilitate me to create innovative designs, and thereby help to give a sweet shape to my creativity.

What according to you are the prevailing trends in the Indian bakery industry?

One of the happening trends is the rising popularity of mousse. Earlier most of the consumers of bakery products were not liking mousse, but now mousse is being savoured by the connoisseurs. Cupcakes are also gaining popularity in the recent years.

Furthermore, designer cakes with specific themes are becoming vogue, especially among the elite and upwardly mobile sections of the society. At the same time, there has been a rising wave of health consciousness in terms of food & beverage choices because of the growing incidences of diabetes and cardiac problems, which is being reflected in an array of healthy bakery products entering the marketplace.

Name some of the healthy bakery products introduced at the Jaypee Vasant Continental and Jaypee Siddharth during your tenure?

We have introduced sugar free biscuits, sugarless and egg less cakes, sugar free mousse and other assorted sugar free desserts.

What do you enjoy the most about your work?

I particularly enjoy doing some creative

ornamental work with chocolates.

And what do you dislike about your work?

Earlier I used to head a team of 10, but out of them six were deputed to Jaypee Vasant Continental, some four years back. Since then I am having a much smaller team at Jaypee Siddharth as compared to my earlier tenures; a fact which I do resent at times.

What do you count as your strength as a Bakery Chef?

I think it is my ability to create new products and new ideas on a steady basis.

How do we see you five years from now?

Five years from now, I would prefer to see myself as an entrepreneur in the bakery industry; owning a huge bakery establishment.

What are the factors inhibiting the further growth of the Indian bakery industry?

I think still the awareness about many bakery products and their applications are not satisfactory in India. For example, even among educated globally aware Indians, the information base about breads and chocolates is not matured enough. They, by and large, still do not know much about healthy breads and what attributes does contribute towards making a given chocolate of premium quality.

This insufficiency of information and awareness is inhibiting the growth of the Indian bakery industry, as because of this factor markets for premium quality bakery products in India are not developing fast.

Aug-Sept ’11