Baking & Snack - August 2019 - 12

A tale of two bakeries

Well, folks, we've arrived. After three years of waiting - or planning, depending on how involved you are
with the show - we are about to embark on yet another
International Baking Industry Exposition Sept. 7-11 in
Las Vegas.
It's a bit overwhelming to think about how much has
changed in just a few short years, from technology to consumer demands to regulatory issues to that ever-widening
workforce gap (cue the ominous thunder and lightning).
All this change undoubtedly creates uncertainty. The
business of commercial baking is a complicated thing,
and it's not getting any easier. Large manufacturers rely on
automation to streamline operations and help their customers stay a step ahead of fickle consumers. Meanwhile,
artisan bakers are figuring out how to scale up to meet the
increased demand for fermented breads that fall in line
with the trend toward "craft" foods and beverages.
Recently Editorial Director Dan Malovany and I each
experienced the industry from relatively different
ends of the spectrum. And as we put this issue together, we realized that the more things change,
some are bound to stay the same. Mr. Malovany
visited Klosterman Baking Co.'s newest plant
in Boone County, KY, and I toured Chabaso,
located in New Haven, CT, not far from the
Yale University campus.
On the surface, they couldn't be more different. Klosterman creates more than 400 products
with more than 1,000 employees in seven facilities,
the most recent housing three lines in 190,000 sq ft.
Chabaso has around a hundred SKUs and creates artisan
breads, mostly from poolish, on two semi-automated lines.
But the truth is, they have more in common than you

PUBLISHING STAFF
Publisher
Paul Lattan
Publisher Emeritus
Mike Gude
Associate Publisher
Steve Berne
Director of Audience Development Michael Barbee
Audience Development Analyst
Dustin Pickman
Audience Database Specialist
Lindsey Sheridan
Audience Development Coordinator
Amy Moser
Director of Digital Media
Jon Hall
Digital Advertising Manager
Carrie Fluegge
Advertising Manager
Nora Wages
Advertising Assistant Manager
Kayley Kerns
Design Services Manager
Sadowna Conarroe
Design Services Assistant Manager Ryan Alcantara
Production Specialist
Marj Potts
Senior Design Consultant
Becky White
Graphic Designer
Brian Peterman
Promotions Manager
Jim White
Promotions Media Designer
Abby Chronister
Sales Coordinator
Whitney Hartman

12 Baking & Snack August 2019 / www.bakingandsnack.com

might think. Both companies are family-owned bakeries
that use words like "hometown" and "community" when
referring to their business. Klosterman focuses on partnerships with organizations that focus on families, including the Cincinnati Reds, the Cincinnati Zoo and several
local nonprofits, and Chabaso has sought out business
with agencies that manage foodservice for public school
systems with high ratios of free lunch programs and is
currently promoting wheat production in Connecticut.
There's an unconditional commitment that comes with
family, and you'll see in the pages ahead that it permeates the corporate cultures of these bakeries. Family is a
concept that's not reserved for those with the right last
name; it starts at the top, and it's demonstrated by mutual
respect for everyone in the organization and beyond.
These are two vastly different operations, both
built on family values. You can see it in Chip and Kim
Klosterman's faces on the cover, and you can hear it when
Chabaso founder Charles Negaro speaks of how his son
Charlie (now owner of sister company Atticus Bakery
Café) built Chabaso's culture. Trust me, in these families
the members encourage and uplift one another, and their
team members, top to bottom, do the same. That's what
families do, and that's what breaking bread (or cookies,
crackers, pastries or bars) is all about.
Our industry is in the midst of more change and uncertainty than any of us have ever seen. But if we all take
a cue from these two bakeries and focus on purpose, perseverance, quality and commitment - to our products,
businesses, communities and one another - our industry
will ride the waves of change and sail into the future.
- Joanie Spencer, editor
jspencer@sosland.com

EDITORIAL
Editor
Joanie Spencer
Editorial Director
Dan Malovany
Managing Editor
Nico Roesler
Senior Editor
Charlotte Atchley
Digital Media Editor
Anna Wiber
Associate Editor
Karlee Renkoski
IBIE Editorial Project Manager
Kristen Putch
Contributing Editors:
Donna Berry
M. Hikmet Boyacıoglu
Len Heflich
Jim Kline
Joe Stout

CORPORATE
Chairman and CEO
Charles S. Sosland
President
L. Joshua Sosland
Chief Financial and
Administrative Officer
Staci Greco
Chief Operating Officer and
Executive Editor
Meyer Sosland
Corporate Headquarters
4801 Main St., Suite 650, Kansas City, MO 64112
Phone: (816) 756-1000; Fax: (816) 756-0494
E-mail: BakingSnack@sosland.com
Internet: www.bakingandsnack.com

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Baking & Snack - August 2019

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