Baking & Snack - September 2023 - 22

EUROPEAN BAKERY MARKET
Every region of
Europe offers its
own iconic breads
and pastries, and
some bakeries
even put their own
interpretation on
products to cater to
their markets.
Sosland Publishing Co.
Horwitz, country manager, head of USA, Premier Foods.
" We've labeled them 'mini pies' because they are smaller
than the pies Americans normally find. Variety is something
that people are still looking for. These products allow
people to eat small bites of a lot of different desserts instead
of a large pie that you are stuck with eating until it's done. "
She noted the snackable pies are shipped frozen with a
12-month shelf life and 35 days once thawed. They are positioned
as a " permissible indulgence " with an emphasis on
having a significant amount of fruit filling for the size of
the product.
" The filling is treated like a full-sized pie in the US, " Ms.
Horwitz said. " What we like about the apple pie is that it
contains chunks of apple pieces, so the texture is really nice
versus pies that are filled with a lot of jam. "
" Premiumization " is the focus for the St Pierre Groupe,
which was acquired by Mexico City-based Grupo Bimbo
last year. Despite inflationary pressures across the globe,
the Manchester, England-based supplier of brioche buns,
bread, croissants, waffles and more finds consumers trading
up to the brand, said Neil Pittman, US sales director, St
Pierre Groupe.
" It's still a relatively low price-point product and a small
indulgent treat is within reach of most shoppers, " he said.
" That's why we're seeing really strong volume growth as
well as value growth. "
While European and US trends seem aligned, Europe is
slightly behind in terms of recovering from high inflation.
" We're seeing commodity prices falling, which is good,
but there is always a lag with food prices and retail shopping
prices, " Mr. Pittman observed.
Renewed focus on automation
In the UK, Mr. Pearson observed, even retailers are struggling
with labor and inconsistent supply chain issues, and
in some cases, they're cutting back on providing full service
in the in-store bakery/deli department.
" Many stores are running lean with staffing, leading to
the fresh counters being closed or uncared for during large
parts of the day, " he said.
Packaging remains a huge area of focus for the industry
in Europe and the Americas, observed Dennis Gunnell,
president of Formost Fuji and chair of the International
Task Force for the International Baking Industry
Exposition (IBIE).
" We've been able to automate so much of the processing
from ingredients handling to mixing and baking, but
everyone wants increased operational flexibility to meet
market demand, " he said. " Robotics in packaging reduces
dependence on manual labor to put the product in the
package and provides that increased flexibility. "
Bakeries are also relying on automation to shift employees
to those positions where they can make a higher-value
contribution to the workflow, noted Jorge Zarate, chairman
of IBIE 2025 and global senior vice president of operations
and engineering at Grupo Bimbo, which has a strong presence
in the European market and globally.
" I see automation in terms of eliminating those frontline
positions that are too repetitive and not adding value to the
product, " he said.
During his global travels, Mr. Zarate also has observed
more investment in the Industrial Internet of Things, and
he expects various forms of artificial intelligence will allow
bakers to gather more useful information from their equipment
and processes to improve productivity, product quality
and customer service.
In today's interconnected world, bakers have more in
common than ever, no matter whether they live in Athens,
Greece, or Athens, Ohio. A focus on regional innovation
and advancements in technology allows the global baking
industry to persevere for the foreseeable future.
22 Baking & Snack September 2023 / www.bakingbusiness.com
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Baking & Snack - September 2023

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