Ferré & Consulting Blog (English Version)

Whether you’re a retail bakery or a manufacturer, trying to keep up with demand during one of the busiest times of the year can be difficult.

The right equipment can help play a big part in vamping production while increasing long term return on investment.

Unifiller offers a few tips to help operations of all sizes optimize production capacity while lowering expenses:

• Portion-controlling depositors can help manage ingredient costs by reducing product waste through precision depositing accuracy. Depositors can also free up staff for other production activities and minimize the strain of repetitive hand depositing flow-able product, whether sauces or batters. Choosing a depositor that’s just right comes down to a number of variables including deposit range, batch sizes, desired production rates and floor space.
• Incorporate transfer pumps which can remove the danger of lifting heavy bowls and keep your production flowing 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When shopping for a transfer pump, look for one that simulates gentle hand scooping, maintains the integrity of products and is equipped with an optic product sensor to ensure precise hopper levels.
• Squeezing a pastry bag all day, every day, creates issues such as muscle fatigue and inconsistency in ingredients and decorating. Today, there is equipment available that can ice a cake in 1.3 seconds, apply top and bottom decorative borders and offer you the flexibility of a compact design for many other decorative options.

Source: Bakers Journal

Processing optimize production, Unifiller

The starting point for a unique selling proposition is chocolate pieces in new shapes, colours and flavours. One example of this is bake stable chocolate batons, that are used chiefly for chocolate croissants.

Herza supplies these batons in bake stable white and caramel flavoured chocolate as well as whole milk and dark chocolate. All the batons are between one and two centimetres wide and 8 to 40 centimetres long, depending on the customer’s requirements. “The size can be adjusted to the customer’s specifications, which means that the batons can be used quickly and simply on the existing plant. Such individual sizing is a unique service that only we offer in this form”, Marc van Essen, key account manager at Herza explains. “We are constantly creating new flavours, too. For example, the white batons can be made even more interesting with aromatic components like vanilla or coffee.”

Source: Confectionery Production

Bakery, Chocolate, Pastry baked goods, chocolate batons

Barry Callebaut , the world´s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products, has signed an agreement to acquire 100 percent of the privately owned Spanish nut manufacturer La Morella Nuts S.A. La Morella Nuts is known as a leading nut specialist producing a variety of high quality nut-based ingredients for the food industry in Europe. The company has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the nuts business with regards to sourcing, processing and innovation that allows for a wide range of products.

Mr. Joaquim M. Barriach, La Morella Nuts S.A. CEO

The acquisition of La Morella Nuts underlines Barry Callebaut´s strategic intention to further strengthen its market position in adjacent products for both its Gourmet + Specialties Products and its Food Manufacturers Products business. Many of Barry Callebaut´s customers are asking for combinations of chocolate and nut products. With the acquisition of La Morella Nuts, Barry Callebaut will become a European leader in nut products extending its existing nut offerings with a wide spectrum of high-quality products, including almonds and hazelnuts, as well as specialty nuts like cashews, pecans, pistachios, macadamia and others.

La Morella Nuts manufactures about 8’000 tonnes of nut specialties per year and generated sales revenue of approx. 40 million CHF (33 million EUR) in 2011 with 90 employees. The company was founded in 1986 in Reus, Spain. La Morella Nuts has two state-of-the-art plants in Castellvell del Camp and Reus, where its headquarters are located. La Morella Nuts will be integrated in Barry Callebaut´s business Region Europe as of January 2012.

Companies Barry Callebaut, La Morella Nuts

The same ultrasound technology that helps doctors and expectant parents to view a developing baby might soon literally mean a better gluten-free bun in the oven.

That’s because engineers researching how ultrasound could be used to improve industrial baking have received a UK government grant of £500,000 (about $725,000 U.S. dollars) to commercialize their technology.

The grant from the Technology Strategy Board will support the 25-month project,which will be led by food ingredient manufacturer Macphie of Glenbervie and involve Piezo Composite Transducers, Mono Bakery Equipment and Fosters Bakery.

The engineers, based at Heriot-Watt University, say their technique reduces processing time and improves energy usage, reduces wastage and improves the texture of gluten-free products.

They declined to give details about the exact nature of their technology, and how it worked. However, they did say that ultrasonic waves helped baking dough to regulate its energy and mass balance, which prevents air pockets from forming and helped protect the structure of the dough against collapse.

Research leader Dr Carmen Torres-Sánchez said that the technology would allow bakers to create products that met current demand for specific ingredients, but which would be much more aesthetically or texturally attractive.

For example, she said, ‘[t]here is a lot of pressure on bakers to reduce salt content and that can affect production, causing an imbalance in osmotic pressure so that the dough becomes very sticky…without gluten, products can collapse and look bad. We can use this technology to tailor the texture of products.’

The lab has researched and developed the technique through several feasibility studies. It is based on methods usually used to control the porosity of industrial materials such as foaming polymer.

‘The big question now is how to scale up the technology,’ said Torres-Sánchez. ‘We’ve been doing semi-continuous batches; now we need to use it continuously, producing up to 1,000 loaves in 30 minutes.’

The team also needs to further examine whether the technique can save energy proportionally as it is scaled up. Torres-Sánchez hopes the project will give rise to ovens and other bakery equipment with built-in ultrasonic technology that can easily be controlled as products are baked.

Source: theengineer.co.uk

Technology gluten-free, ultrasound baking technology

The bakery trade has been experiencing a genuine revolution in recent years. Bakers are no longer simply skilled artisans, they are now managers of modern businesses and are required to have a wide range of abilities. Europain 2012 , the international gathering of the entire bakery profession, will showcase the most innovative and appropriate solutions for 21st century bakers, be it in terms of services, trends, technical operations or information.

The baker, a multi-faceted professional

If baking and pastry-making is one of the most dynamic, innovative sectors, it is because those who are actively involved in it have been able to adapt to a changing society and new demands from consumers, primarily by offering loaves with a wide variety of tastes, shapes and ingredients to suit everyone´s taste and every occasion. Bakers have also realised the growing importance of snack food and now offer take-away sandwiches, quiches, pizzas, verrines and even hot or cold dishes in addition to their usual range.

Bakers are thus becoming caterers and pastry-makers. They have to innovate and surprise their customers in order to gain their loyalty and expand their business. But they must also manage a team of employees working at the ovens and in the shop, and make profitable investments. So the artisan, a creator of simple, fine products and fervent defender of quality, is becoming a company manager playing a variety of roles: technician, manager, salesman and communicator.

19th Europain – Key Figures:

• Europain + Intersuc – world event for the bakery, pastry,
• ice-cream, chocolate and confectionery sectors
• 03 to 07 March 2012
• France – Parc des expositions Paris Nord-Villepinte – Halls 4 + 5
• 80’000 square metres exhibition area
• 750 exhibitors and brands
• 86’000 visitors
• 65 percent french
• 35 percent international
• 126 countries represented

Europain, the latest equipment, trends, innovations and solutions

Whatever the size of their shop, their geographical location or type of customers, artisan bakers and pastrymakers will find everything they need at Europain to expand and diversify their business. The 750 exhibitors and brands expected at the show will be demonstrating easier products to use to cater to consumers´ tastes along with equipment that is more ergonomic and efficient, uses less energy and is quickly paid off. Most of them will be giving direct demonstrations of their latest creations and innovations. But owning state-of-the-art equipment is not an answer in itself. Bakers and pastry-makers must remain constantly on the lookout for new trends and anticipate what will be happening in the trade tomorrow before everyone else does. That is why next year´s Europain is laying the emphasis fully on innovation:

• The 2012 New Products and Innovations Area will promote innovative products and equipment from exhibitors in all sectors.
• The Europain 2012 Innovation Awards will reward the best innovations.
• The 2012 Intersuc Collections will showcase sugar and chocolate creations.

«Road to Success», or sharing experience …

In addition, the interaction between Europain and the new «SuccessFood» will help bakers to gain a clearer understanding of the changes taking place in their trade and the implications of catering. «Road to Success» is a new concept for sharing experience, where creators of business models will explain their ideas. More than 1’000 square metres will be devoted to successful baking and catering concepts.

Demonstrating skills

Because skilled artisan bakers will always be the ones who guarantee the highest level of know-how, expertise and creativity, they will have the opportunity to witness the most prestigious competitions in their profession at Europain:

The Bakery World Cup will feature teams of three bakers from twelve countries, pitting their skills against one another in three contests: bread, viennoiserie and creative baking.

Teams from 16 countries will be taking part in the four-day International Confectionery Art Competition, each team consisting of one man and one woman.

Many French and international schools will be promoting vocational training courses in the «Rue des Ecoles». For the first time, the Rue des Ecoles will be situated close to the French Schools Cup, a competition placing promising new talents in the spotlight and stressing the importance of passing on traditional skills to the younger generation.

Europain is committed to helping professionals from the bakery-pastry sector to develop their businesses and turnover by reinventing their offer to better satisfy new customer requirements and adapt to changes in consumer habits. The trade exhibition also proposes a broad offering for all players in the bakery-pastry industry, including equipment and supplies for bakeries, laboratories and kitchens, shop designing, raw materials, ingredients and foodstuffs, for traditional and industrial bakery pastry as well as for chocolate-making and confectionery. Many new products and solutions will be featured that will enable professionals to adapt, and even to anticipate the major changes to come in their sector. For more information please download the Press Kit (PDF; 23 pages; 1’553 KB) from the Europain server.

Source: Bakenet:eu

Bakery, Events Europain, trends

Alfredo Ortiz, vice-president of foodservice national account sales at CSM Bakery Products , was recently elected to the board of directors for the International Food Manufacturers Association (IFMA ). «We are very proud to welcome Alfredo Ortiz to the IFMA Board of Directors. His innovative thinking and enthusiasm make him an ideal complement to the individuals who guide our association and lead our committees», said Larry Oberkfell, president and Cief Executive Officer, IFMA.

Prior to joining CSM Bakery Products, Alfredo was a consultant at Boston Consulting Group where he worked with various large multi-national customers such as Kraft Foods, Diageo and Samsung. Alfredo also founded Grupo MAS, a business strategy and development consultancy targeting the US Hispanic market which was subsequently acquired by the Zyman Group. His previous work experience includes positions with specialized consultancy firms and the consumer product industry working for companies such as Kraft, Nestle, PepsiCo and Georgia-Pacific.

Source: Bakenet:eu

Companies CSM Bakery Products

The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of the Spanish supplier of the baking industry Panrico SAU by US based alternative investment manager Oaktree Capital. The Commission found that the transaction would not raise competition concerns because there are no overlaps between the parties´ activities.

The proposed transaction does not result in horizontal overlaps between the parties activities, since Oaktree has no company in its portfolio that is active in the same markets as Panrico. The Commission examined the vertical relationship between one of Oaktree´s portfolio companies Nordenia with activities in flexible packaging and Panrico´s activities in bakery products.

However, due to Nordenia´s low market share in the upstream market for flexible packaging for bread, biscuits and cakes, the merged entity would lack the ability to shout out competitors from supplies. Moreover, the Commission´s investigation confirmed that the proposed transaction would not lead to any material change in the structure of the market.

The Commission therefore concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it. The transaction was notified to the Commission on 16 November 2011.

Oaktree is a global alternative and non-traditional investment manager engaged in businesses in a variety of industries, including packaging, manufacturing, healthcare, clothing, travel, real estate, exploration and mining, food, telecommunications, media and entertainment. Barcelona-based Panrico is active in the manufacture and wholesale distribution of bread, pastries and biscuits in Spain and Portugal.

Source: Bakenet:eu

Companies Oaktree, Panrico

Opening in Xi’An, China marks milestone in Dunkin’ Donuts’ worldwide growth; Dunkin’ Donuts also celebrates additional new restaurant openings this month around the world, including locations in Bogota, Colombia; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Kingsland, Ga.

Dunkin’ Donuts has more than 80 restaurants in Greater China. The newest restaurant in China, the 10th in Xi’An and 10,000th in the world, is being opened by franchisee Shannxi Stellerich Food & Restaurant Management Co., Ltd. The opening of the 10,000th Dunkin’ Donuts location will be celebrated in Xi’An with much fanfare, including a grand opening ceremony complete with local dignitaries, a traditional Chinese lion dance and a jazz band.

“We are proud to have opened the world’s 10,000th Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant in China, a country which we believe offers tremendous opportunity to both our Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins brands,” said Nigel Travis, CEO of Dunkin’ Brands and President of Dunkin’ Donuts. “From its beginnings as a single restaurant in Quincy, Mass., Dunkin’ Donuts is today a global brand located in 32 countries around the world. Our geographic diversity is truly a testimony to the fact that customers everywhere, from China to Saudi Arabia, Colombia and Georgia, appreciate what Dunkin’ Donuts offers – high quality food and beverages served in a friendly, fast environment at a great value.”

During the first nine months of 2011, Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., the parent company of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, opened approximately 480 net new locations globally, including 230 net new Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants. Dunkin’ Brands has more than 16,500 restaurants in 56 countries and is one of the largest U.S. quick service restaurant (QSR) companies internationally by unit count.

Dunkin’ Donuts has maintained steady global growth over the past several years, opening new restaurants in the United States, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, Russia, and Latin and South America. Earlier this year, Dunkin’ Donuts announced an agreement to enter India and plans to open more than 500 restaurants in the country over the next 15 years. Last month, Dunkin’ Donuts surpassed 100 restaurants in Saudi Arabia.

“Because of our strong brand recognition, our differentiated products, innovative marketing and nearly 100 percent franchise business model, we believe Dunkin’ Donuts has significant growth opportunities both in the U.S. and abroad,” concluded Travis. “We are delighted to celebrate the opening of our 10,000th Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant, and look forward to many more openings to come both in existing and new markets around the world.”

For more information about Dunkin’ Donuts, please visit www.DunkinDonuts.com or follow us on Facebook ( www.facebook.com/DunkinDonuts ) and Twitter ( www.twitter.com/DunkinDonuts ).

About Dunkin’ Donuts Founded in 1950, Dunkin’ Donuts is America’s favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin’ Donuts is a market leader in the regular/decaf coffee, iced coffee, hot flavored coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories. Dunkin’ Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for five years running. The company has 10,000 restaurants in 32 countries worldwide. In 2010, Dunkin’ Donuts’ global system-wide sales were $6 billion. Based in Canton, Mass., Dunkin’ Donuts is a subsidiary of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. DNKN +2.05% . For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com .

Source: Dunkin’ Brands

Companies Dunkin' Donuts

Bakery manufacturers face the threat of rising egg prices – and even shortages – when new Europe wide animal welfare legislation comes into force on 1 January. But they could avoid taking a hit by specifying egg replacers instead, according to Arla Foods Ingredients.

The Welfare of Laying Hens Directive will ban the use of cramped battery cages, forcing egg producers to use larger ‘enriched’ cages that allow laying hens more space to perch and move around.

However, as many as 13 countries across the European Union, including Spain, Italy and Poland, have admitted that their egg industries will not be ready to meet the new requirements in time for the New Year – sparking fears of availability problems and higher prices.

The looming crisis has prompted Arla Foods Ingredients to urge bakery manufacturers to consider using egg replacement products – such as Nutrilac – to protect themselves from growing uncertainty in the market.

John Gelley, sales director for EU Bakery at Arla Foods Ingredients, says, “No-one knows for sure what impact the Directive will have. But with so many member states admitting that they are unprepared for the changes, there are worrying signs that bakers could face difficulties sourcing sufficient eggs for their needs or, at the very least, significantly higher prices.”

He continues, “Egg replacement ingredients, such as our own Nutrilac range, offer the perfect solution to avoiding this uncertainty. They perform just like eggs in a host of bakery applications, and enable companies to maintain product quality and all-important clean label status.”

Manufactured from fractionated whey proteins, Nutrilac egg replacers offer several advantages over eggs. They are less expensive than eggs, they are lower in calories, saturated fat and cholesterol than eggs, they have a longer shelf life than eggs – up to 18 months – and they produce great tasting end products.

Gelley says, “We’re confident that bakers will be delighted by the benefits of egg free baking with Nutrilac – and there’s no doubt that the onset of the Welfare of Laying Hens Directive means now is the ideal time to make the switch.”

The Welfare of Laying Hens Directive comes into force across the EU on 1 January 2012. It prevents hens being kept in cages with less than 45cm of headroom and 750cm2 of floor space. It also obliges egg producers to provide perches and litter to allow the hens to nest, peck and scratch.

 Source: Confectionery Production

Ingredients directives, egg supply, prices

2012 is the 250th Anniversary of the Sandwich and to mark the occasion, the British Sandwich Association  is launching a national campaign to promote sandwiches – and it is designed to directly support sandwich businesses. Starting in January with the announcement of the anniversary, the campaign will build through the year. Some features of the campaign:

• A special logo has been produced and registered to mark the Anniversary which will feature in a major publicity and promotion campaign throughout the year. The logo can be reproduced on pack and on point-of-sale material in-store to highlight the anniversary and any promotions you may be doing.
• The Association is also launching a new consumer website in January  which will feature member outlets and any special promotions they are running. These will also be promoted through the BSA marketing campaign.
• From March the Association will be launching a «Sandwich of the Month» campaign supported by a massive PR programme designed to highlight the featured sandwich. This will include a substantial social media campaign each month using Facebook and Twitter to encourage consumers to try the «Sandwich of the Month». Recipes for the feature sandwiches will be distributed to retailers and manufacturers taking part well in advance so that they can include them in their ranges and take full advantage of the press campaign behind each sandwich.
• Point-of-sale material to support each featured sandwich will also be provided in advance and distributed to retailers and manufacturers taking part. They can either print this off to use in shops or use the artwork to create their own bespoke material.
• A monthly national competition is being launched from February which consumers can enter to win a number of prizes over the year. Each month there will be a major consumer prize to be won which will be presented via winner´s nominated shop and at the end of the year a major prize of a holiday in the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) will be presented to one lucky winner. Point-of-sale material will be provided to support this competition, including simple entry details.
• Plus, those bakeries featuring the competition in store or on-pack will have the option of running their own bespoke competitions within the overall competition.
• Also in March, the Association will be launching a new on-line consumer magazine to promote the campaign as well as to generally promote sandwiches. Also featured will be details of activities by members.

In addition to this activity, the Association is also planning a major national event in May designed to grab headlines. There are also discussions about creating a TV programme about the history of the sandwich. Market research is also being planned to create a better understanding of the dynamics of the sandwich market.

Source: Bakenet:eu

Events anniversary, sandwich