Baking & Snack - November 2019 - 30

NERI'S BAKERY PRODUCTS

A little insurance pays
off in the long run
Glycol-jacketed mixers
combine with chilled
water to produce
consistent batches of
dough for the bread and
roll lines.

in by email or fax or can be adjusted by phone. "When a
customer has an issue, and customers will have issues,
they can call and get in touch with any one of us anytime,"
Anthony M. Neri said. "When they phone, they're not going to get an automated service pushed from number to
number. They're going to talk to somebody, and their questions or problems get answered and solved accordingly."
To enhance efficiency and product quality during the
past five years, Anthony Frank Neri noted the company rebuilt equipment and added new. Among its largest investments included two WP tunnel ovens from Gemini Bakery
Equipment with dual burners that provide enhanced temperature control throughout the multi-zone baking process. The four older tunnel ovens - all about 90-ft - have
single burners.
Likewise, he added, the new bun line provides versatility because it can make every product except bagels. New
packaging systems reduce labor, slash waste and operate
faster to eliminate bottlenecks. More importantly, these investments respond to the market's ever-changing need for
6-, 8-, and 12-count retail bags and even the onslaught of
consumer-driven, individually wrapped baked goods.
"As a copacker, people are constantly pitching us
ideas, and if it's within our capabilities, we'll do our best
to meet them," Anthony M. Neri said. "One of the biggest changes is that everything is the fast-paced, 'grab
and go" trend. Ten years ago, the quantity of individually
wrapped items was probably zero, whereas today we're

30 Baking & Snack November 2019 / www.bakingandsnack.com

When it comes to metal detection, once
is a must, but two are twice as nice
for ensuring safe products. That's why
Neri's Bakery Products has back-to-back
systems on each line, according to Brett
Neri-Ferraro, head of human resources
and Safe Quality Food practitioner.
"A couple of years ago, our metal
detectors were becoming out of date,
and we bought new ones," she noted.
"Instead of throwing the old ones out, I
kept them and had them recalibrated."
Today, the older ones are placed before packaging and the new ones at the
end of the line. Both are recalibrated annually. "It costs a little more money, but
it provides us with an additional level of
food safety," she noted.
Adding "insurance" to the bakery's
operation isn't new. A few years ago,
Neri's teamed up with the local utility
to install generators that were subsidized to run during peak periods when
it needs electricity during the summer
months.
But during Hurricane Sandy a couple
years ago, the two 2,000-amp generators paid off tenfold. "After it hit,
we were the only ones running," said
Anthony M. Neri, general manager.

http://www.bakingandsnack.com

Baking & Snack - November 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - November 2019