Issue 1: January 2015
Baking News from Kells Wholemeal
We are delighted to bring you our first Baking News from Kells Wholemeal. It’s the New Year and in true tradition most of us will make some kind of resolution in relation to healthy eating. Kells have a full product range to assist our customers in meeting their health related goals. 4 Easy Tips for Healthy Eating in 2015
One of our most popular products “Millers Munch Soda Bread” has now been improved to a “High Fibre” bread. Containing Kells stoneground wholemeal flour, this bread
1. Eat More Fibre
has a distinctive ‘nutty’ flavour with a moist texture, which
Everybody knows that eating more fibre is beneficial. In recent
is in line with growing trends in the market. Finally it is yeast
times Kells have been carrying out a lot of work in the area
free and if made to our recipe it can be promoted as being
of fibre enrichment. Our research can help customers boost
“packed with fibre” or other hi fibre claims.
the fibre content of their products as required to allow ‘source of’ and ‘high in’ claims.
Source of Fibre Bread Mixes from Kells
• • • •
Reduce your Salt Intake
Our technical team can assist our customers in any sodium reduction targets they may have themselves or imposed by
Nore Soda Bread
external parties. Kells Wholemeal has carried out a lot of work
New Fibre White (white bread with the fibre
in the area of sodium reduction in cakes and we welcome
of brown) Yeasted Bread
any enquiries from customers interested in this area.
Half and Half Fibre Yeasted Bread Mix Spelt & Wholegrain barley Yeasted Bread
Hi Fibre Bread Mixes from Kells
• • •
2.
3.
Keep it Natural
Kells is synonymous with producing stoneground wholemeal flours. The Mosse family use traditional stoneground milling
Hi Fibre Oatie Soda Bread
methods, which means that the wholemeal retains all of its
Hi Fibre Brown Soda Bread
nutritional goodness, B & E vitamins, antioxidants, fibre,
Millers Munch Soda Bread
protein, minerals and healthy oils. This range of wholemeal flours is a delight for makers of soda breads and yeast brown breads for its enhanced flavours and natural qualities. Kells Wholemeal flours
• • • • •
Retail Fine Retail Coarse Retail Extra Course Baker’s Wholemeal Special Rolled Wheat Flakes
• • • •
Tara Bridgemill Cracked Wheat Baker’s Fine
Issue 1: January 2015
Staff Spotlight:
Baking News from Kells Wholemeal
Joe Mulhall
Product Development & Technical Sales Manager at Kells
Kells Cakes 100% Natural Colours & Flavours Our cake mixes have been created using only natural flavours and colouring. In keeping with the Kells ethos only the very highest quality ingredients are used.
Born into a well known old bakery family in Kilkenny City, Joe started work in his father’s bakery loading bread into a slicing machine for his Saturday pocket money. He attended the
The market demand for natural colours is growing and in response to this we are delighted to introduce a new range of Irish made natural colours from Cybercolors. These liquid food colours are available in 200ml bottles and are excellent in both cake batters and icings.
National Bakery School in the Polytechnic of the Southbank, London. He also won the top award from the London City and Guilds in Bakery Production. Later Joe gained management qualifications through the Open University Business School when he worked In the UK.
Returning to work in the family bakery in Kilkenny, Joe gained
4.
The Power of the Seeds, Malts and Flakes
valuable experience before moving to the UK. There he held a number of senior positions encompassing the areas of technical
Kells have long been associated with supplying seed blends to the bakery trade in Ireland. Adding seeds and other natural products to bread and cakes is growing as diets focus more on superfoods and the importance of key nutrients such as B
management, buyer and general management for large multiples such as Tesco and United Biscuits. Returning to Ireland he worked in a number of companies including becoming the bakery buyer for Dunnes Stores. Joe joined Kells Wholemeal in 2008.
vitamins, proteins and oils. We have a selection of seed mixes which are convenient to use, but you can also buy seeds or any of our natural products separately. Main seed blends
• • •
Kells Seed Blend Rustic Blend Sunflower Free Seed Blend
Joe is married to Sarah with two children, a dog and fish somewhere in the garden!
What does a typical day look like for you? There is no such thing as a typical day! The great thing about what I do in Kells is that every day brings a new challenge or reward. My work is split between developing new products and providing support to customers on using our existing products.
All are available in 25kg Bags or 5kg buckets. Developing new products involves a lot of background research
The full range of seeds, flakes and malts available as well as their health attributes is available on our website.
before an ingredient gets put in a mixing bowl, and this involves on line research, book research and most importantly networking with our contacts in Ireland and abroad. Once the concept is formed I normally move to testing it, using the well-equipped test bakery we have. This phase can result in many changes in the design of the product and goes through
Issue 1: January 2015
Baking News from Kells Wholemeal
several stages such as taste and appearance, comparisons made
For all there is a challenge in meeting an increasingly
with other products, costings and assessment of likely market
demanding customer in areas such as purity and cleaner label
interest. Many products do not make it out of this stage.
and provenance. Kells with its tradition in good, simple and honest products is well positioned to give that assurance.
Finally we would test the new concept with selected customers before a general launch, and even at this stage a product can be
Where do you think there are opportunities for bakers
changed or dropped.
today?
Customer support involves my demonstrating to, training of and troubleshooting with customers using our products. This can happen in our own test bakery or at the customers premises. We welcome any of our customers to contact us if they need any assistance.
What do you like most about being the Product Development & Technical Sales Manager with Kells?
Difficult to say as each one of our customers has slightly different requirement for their own customers. Certain trends seem to be more obvious than others. Health. While you might think it is a cliché by now, transparent,
understandable and simple health benefits linked to breads in particular seem to be in growth. Natural colours and flavours seem to be getting traction in cake.
When I get to the bottom of a challenge, resolve a problem for a
Meal occasion. When developing a new products or revamping an
customer or crack a technical challenge in a new product.
existing product, always have the final consumers usage in mind. This makes it easier for the consumer to decide to buy
What projects are you working on at the moment? Well I am doing a lot of work on healthier products (fibre, sodium and sugar reduction) and there is a lot of interest in products made with spelt flour, so I am working on that. All our main Kells branded soda breads now come with a fibre claim and our cakes are made with only natural colours and flavours. We have just launched a Kells Red Velvet Crème cake
the product. For example a ‘tear and share bread’ is easier understood than a ‘Foccacia Bread’. Provenance. Increasingly customers are concerned about where their food comes from and if it is locally sourced or sustainably made. If a product is declared as ‘Stoneground Flour’ it must be just that. Once customers lose confidence, it takes an awful lot to regain that confidence and trust.
that uses only natural colours and flavours.
What is your happiest memory during your career/what What do you find are the biggest challenges for bakers today? Is there anything Kells is doing that could help?
are you most proud of? You mean other than my getting married the arrival of our two kids? Hard to say as there have been so many ‘good days’. In
It depends on the customer, but in general being competitive
Kells one of the high points for me was our recent open days in
and having an effective product are constant challenges. Kells
September, when I got to meet so many of our customers, talk to
premixes and concentrates can help here by removing the worry
them about business and their issues and could show them the
about consistent accuracy on weighing critical or expensive
products we have now and getting their feed back.
ingredients therefore reducing waste. Technical compliance in areas such as allergen control and sustainable sourcing, sodium
Please contact Joe on 056 7727399 or email
reduction and compliance with a quality management system
jmulhall@kellswholemeal.com
are all becoming more and more important to win business. Again Kells is well positioned to help here. For many bakers, time and space challenges are often an issue. Using Kells premixes means less ingredients and a simpler production process. For new starts, staff training is often an issue and here again Kells help with one to one training and manuals.
Our New Red Velvet Cake, 100% Natural Colours & Flavours
Issue 1: January 2015
Baking News from Kells Wholemeal
Pancakes, Hot Cross Buns, Valentines, St Patrick’s Day and Easter
Our Sales Manager
With Christmas 2014 a memory by now many bakers are
607 3945 or email soshea@kellswholemeal.com for any
planning for the opportunities that come along between now
queries you may have or to make an order.
Sean O’Shea is our sales manager, please call him on 086
and Easter. A number of Kells all year round products can be easily converted to make a seasonal line without having to order in a new product. 1. Pancake Tuesday….for some this is a real opportunity and bakers should know that Kells Ring Doughnut mix can make a quality pancake. 2. Hot Cross Bun season can start as early as January, but intensifies as Easter approaches. Kells Soft Bap Mix can be easily converted to a hot cross bun, and Kells have various recipe options for customers from a standard hot cross bun to a rich bun. We even have a crossing paste recipe that is quick and simple to make. Contact us for recipes.
Keep on Truckin’ Our service commitment to you Kells has always prided itself on having its own delivery network
and the ability to service customers of all sizes around the 3. Bakers may be planning to make celebration cakes for Valentines, St Patricks Day and Easter. This can be a
country. We are delighted to announce we are replacing and adding to our fleet, three 16 tonne capacity trucks, a new 6
great way of raising sales as such items can command
tonne truck and a van for back up service. We are planning
a higher price with greater margins.
new routes and adding greater delivery frequency with this extra capacity.
The Kells Crème Cake Range (Vanilla, Lemon, Chocolate, Toffee) make ideal celebration cake bases with good strong crumb, excellent natural flavours and great eating characteristics. For an extra fine crumb texture, try the Kells Madeira Cake. In addition we now have the Beau range of coloured sugar pastes that make decorating such cakes easier and create a strong impact. Do not forget the Aldia range of fruit fillings in 2.7kg tins. The lemon and black cherry filling for gateau and tortes is of particular interest approaching Easter. Contact Kells Wholemeal Contact Sean O’Shea or Karen on our sales desk to order or
Bennettsbridge, Co. Kilkenny
for more information.
tel 0567727399 email info@kellswholemeal.ie
Kells Open Days We were delighted to see so many of our customers at our Open Days on Tuesday 16th and Wednesday 17th Sept 2014.