Baking & Snack - April 2014 - 42

J. Skinner takes its expertise
in modern artisan baking to the
croissant category.
by Dan Malovany
The newly installed sign
reflects the company's
modern artisan image
for it J. Skinner brand.
Rodger Coan, Skinner Baking

Video screens located
in the front office and
lunchrooms in the
Paris bakery promote
the J. Skinner brand
and the company's
marketing effort for its
new croissants.

It's only appropriate James Skinner Baking ended up in
Paris - Texas, that is - to get into the croissant business. Where else would an Omaha-based company go
to create what it touts as "wickedly delicious" croissants
made in a European manner?
Branching out into croissants is a natural extension of
its core competency in producing premium laminated
baked goods, noted Gary Kyle, chief sales and marketing
officer. Each year, the company produces more than 200
million pastries - including its signature Danish with
more than 100 layers of butter - that are sold under the
J. Skinner brand as well as other contract-manufactured
brands and private-label names.
Mr. Kyle said its patisserie croissants contain 18 to 20
layers of butter or trans-fat-free margarine and receive
24 hours of fermentation to create a soft, full-flavored
pastry with an open, spiral cell structure. Formulators
added whole milk to retain moisture and tenderness and
an egg wash to provide a "shatter crisp" crust when the
croissants are heated.
In a bold move four
years ago, Skinner
Baking ventured into
the in-store bakery
channel with its J.
Skinner line of "modern artisan baking"
style products. Simply
put, Mr. Kyle said,
the company relies
on traditional processing methods and
Old World formulas

42 Baking & Snack April 2014 / www.bakingandsnack.com

to make high-quality sweet goods that are marketed to a broad range of consumers in a contemporary, and fun, manner. The gambit paid off. Sales of
J. Skinner branded sweet goods rose more than 25%
last year, according to Chicago-based market research
firm IRI's scanning data provided to Baking & Snack
by the bakery.
Fueling the growth is Skinner Baking's innovative
marketing strategy to differentiate its brand among the
"sea of clamshells" in the in-store bakery channel, according to Mr. Kyle.
Danish offered under the J. Skinner brand, he said,
isn't just another ring or strip. To appeal to younger
consumers as well as its core baby boomer and senior
demographics, Skinner Baking markets its products in
a trans-generational manner. Pastries come in Amazing
Apricot, Awesome Almond, Heavenly Cheese, Harvest
Apple, Wildly Pecan and Sensational Strawberry Cheese
flavors, to name a few.
The company also added Perfect for Two pastries for
smaller households and 17-oz Krumblecake in Cinnamon
and Wild Blueberry varieties as well as a 16-oz Sweet Korny
Kornbread for multiple meal occasions. The batter products come in microwaveable paperboard trays for convenient heating. Its croissants are sold as 1-oz petite batons
in a 10-count pack, 2-oz croissants in 6-count family packs
and 3-oz classic items in 4-packs.
Skinner Baking also targets the lucrative foodservice
and convenience store channels with bulk-packed versions of its thaw-and-sell croissants.
"Consumers don't buy 'Danish' or 'cinnamon rolls' or
'croissants.' They buy the satisfaction derived from the
ultimate eating experiences," Mr. Kyle explained.

http://www.bakingandsnack.com

Baking & Snack - April 2014

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