Polish bread, Belgian technology

The Belgium-based company La Lorraine Bakery Group is celebrating the 15th anniversary of its presence in Poland. Last October, during his visit to Poland, His Majesty the King of Belgians Philippe I cut the ribbon at the official opening ceremony of the company’s freezer high-bay warehouse. Dariusz Balcerzyk reports.

La Lorraine Bakery Group is a 100 per cent Belgian family enterprise. It was founded in 1939 by Gerard Vanherpe, and since then it has remained in the hands of the same family, employing a total of more than 2800 people and achieving a consolidated annual turnover of nearly €600 million. Over the past 15 years, the group realised a 10 per cent annual growth, operating from 10 production units – three of which are in central Europe. La Lorraine Bakery Group exports to more than 25 countries. The long-term vision of the group and its successful growth have earned it the prestigious award ‘Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 in Belgium’.

Investing in Poland

It was in 1925 in Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, near Warsaw, that a familyowned bakery was established. Through generations of management by the Nowakowski family the bakery was developed into a major

production company. At the end of 2005 it was purchased by La Lorraine Bakery Group, and thus the plant in Nowy Dwor Mazowiecki became an important part of a dynamically developing international company. In 2011, it changed its operating name and now continues its activities as La Lorraine Poland.

The Polish company has undergone a huge transformation, with its production capacity being expanded to 10 modern lines. The fully automated, ultra-modern freezer high-bay warehouse is the group’s largest investment outside Belgium. “The opening of such a large magazine with a capacity of 16,000 pallets is a crucial step in the development of our company,” says Guido Vanherpe, co-owner and president of La Lorraine Bakery Group.

The warehouse represents an investment worth €21 million and its implementation took about two years. This is the first step of a longterm investment plan up to 2020, with a total value of around €50 million. Over the next three years La Lorraine Poland plans to increase its production capacity at the Nowy Dwor Mazowiecki plant by 50 per cent. To achieve this goal the company plans to purchase new production lines. Soon, the newly launched magazine may be too small, which is why the company is going to double its storage capacity over a period of three years. Today, the plant is capable of storing 16,000 pallets, but strives towards a goal of 30,000 pallets.

“In terms of turnover, Poland is our second largest market, just after Belgium. We no longer perceive Poland as a foreign market, but as our ‘second home’. Since the acquisition of the Nowakowski bakery in 2005, we have invested around €70 million. Considering the expected sales growth in the coming years, the importance of our Polish operations will continue to grow. Annual

sales in Poland for 2014 were estimated at €75 million, while the sales of the whole group reached €568 million. In recent years, we increased our annual sales in the Polish market by an average of 15 per cent. At the same time the whole group grew by around 10 per cent. As you can see, sales growth in Poland exceed the average growth in all our markets. It is for us an important and promising signal,” adds Mr Vanherpe.

Besides its Nowy Dwor Mazowiecki location the group owns nine other modern bakeries, seven of which are in Belgium, and the remaining two in central and eastern Europe – in the Czech Republic and Romania. In 2016 the company plans to open another bakery in Turkey. As much as 85 per cent of its production in Poland is sold on the local market, while the remaining 15 per cent is exported to several countries in Europe.

For La Lorraine Poland, each client is important. Retail trade is the largest channel with which it cooperates. Despite the fact that the company cooperates with the largest retail chains in Poland, more and more retailers are investing in the ‘bake-off’ technology and bake directly at points of sale. The company is also developing its sales to the HoReCa sector and intensifying cooperation with several large wholesalers through which its products may hit the restaurants and hotels throughout the country.

Lesaffre Polska SA

Lesaffre Polska SA is a manufacturer of compressed and liquid baking yeast, as well as ingredients for the baking and cake-making industry. Over the 160 years Lesaffre has developed an enormous portfolio of international brands, which are renowned in the industry and often set the standards on the market.

The following brands can be found in the assortment:

• Baking yeast: red and green Perfekta, l’Hirondelle, Bene-via, the system for cooling and distribution of liquid yeast Kastalia Premium as well as industrial installations for liquid yeast. A novelty amongst the yeast brands is the platinum Perfekta, which is characterised by high growth strength and quality at the highest standard.

• Yeast for domestic use: the ‘Drożdże Babuni’ line (‘Grandmother’s Yeast).

• Sourdoughs and aromas for breads

• Baking and cake-making mixes and baking improvers

Innovations exceeding clients’ expectations

Lesaffre follows an active policy of implementing the results of tests focusing on new consumption trends and new production methodologies. The Group has gained many important successes in developing the baking industry: adaptation of yeast to new bread baking processes of bread, modernization of the traditional sourdough, development of specialist yeast dedicated to different types of products.

The company holds the FSSC 22000 Foods Safety certificate and the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System certificate. ‘Bake off’ technology

La Lorraine Poland offers a combination of traditional quality products with innovative, environmentally friendly technologies. It offers

deep-frozen products, intended for further baking at the point of sale. The offer includes basic products, namely: kaiser rolls, rolls, baguettes and bread, as well as original products with added value, such as ciabattas, artisan rolls and half-baguettes, and artisan loaves of bread – some baked in a stone oven and some with the addition of unique, natural ingredients that significantly enrich the recipe. In addition to bakery products, the offer also includes French pastries and donuts, muffins or salty snacks.

‘Bake-off’ technology is a combination of two processes: baking and freezing. Bakery products are partially baked (70 per cent) and then frozen to keep their nutritional value as well as high quality and freshness. This method allows stores to bake bread, depending on the current demand for the group of products in a given time of day, and to effectively manage the amount of goods on the shelf. The biggest advantage of ‘bake-off’ technology is the indisputable freshness and quality of the products. This is in line with the international consumer trend for clean and clear labels – that is, without the addition of ‘E’ additives and preservatives or other types of ‘E’ substances including emulsifiers, stabilisers, regulators or other artificial colourings and flavourings. n

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