Baking&Snack - July 2014 - 38

IDDBA

New perspective on health and wellness
Among millennials, the definition of health and wellness falls into two buckets that go well beyond nutrition. The first involves products that are fresh and less
processed with fewer additives and chemicals, which the
food industry terms clean-label. "Health and wellness is also
this idea of high-quality, enjoyable food, and indulgence is
definitely part of that, said Laurie Demeritt, CEO, The Hartman
"
Group, of the second bucket.
When it comes to health and wellness, preventing heart
disease and cancer remain major concerns among millennials. However, quality of life is a major factor when it comes to
selection of foods. "It's about anxiety - not getting enough
sleep, not having enough energy, Ms. Demeritt said.
"

comes in Cheddar Bacon flavor. "You're getting the
best of both worlds - a healthy snack and great taste,"
Mr. Hays said.
For people who believe that fine cheese - and
liverwurst, for that matter - go better with a brew,
Daelia's Food Co., Cincinnati, rolled out Beer Flats
Crackers. Noticing the increase in sales of craft beers,
founder Maria Walley thought crackers made with
actual pilsner or porter beer might provide a suitable
alternative for tastings. "Some things just taste better
with beer," Ms. Walley said.

Indulging themselves
While the good old apple pie will always have a place
at the American table, the sense of global community
pervades the baking industry as more ethnic flavors
pop up in every category, including pies.
After a rise in customer requests for more "South
of the border" pies, Gardner Pie Co., West Newbury,
MA, looked into traditional Hispanic markets.
"What we discovered is, there aren't really traditional
'Hispanic' pies. So instead, we applied flavors that are
often found in Hispanic cuisine, like mango, pineapple and jalapeño, and created Hispanic-inspired pies,"
said Tim Cavanaugh, vice-president, sales and marketing, retail bakery division.
Pie has traditionally been a seasonal item - and
one that hasn't been a huge draw for millennials, the
generation with the most purchasing power. But the
good news is that flavor fusions provide pies a new
opportunity for exposure with this demographic.
"The younger generation is a harder sell because
they eat pies at their grandma's house; they don't go

38 Baking & Snack July 2014 / www.bakingandsnack.com

out and purchase them," Mr. Cavanaugh said.
The company is breaking through the barrier
with the Hispanic-inspired line. Younger consumers
tend to be more adventurous eaters, so interesting
pie varieties like Gardner's Apple Jalapeño or Peach
Habanero do well in college foodservice markets, Mr.
Cavanaugh said. "These flavors help us capitalize on
the adventurous trend while introducing the pie category to the millennials," he added.
Hill Country Bakery, San Antonio, introduced its
Coffee House Cafe brand to the trade and a line of
single-serve slices of its loaf cake, including original, marble, banana walnut and chocolate cinnamon
varieties.
The individually wrapped products have a 21-day
shelf life, according to Steve O'Donnell, managing
partner for Hill Country Bakery, which like a lot of
IDDBA exhibitors targets not only in-store bakeries
but also c-stores and foodservice chains with a large
variety of product formats and packaging sizes.
And chip-ifying a product doesn't necessarily
mean making it healthier; sometimes it just extends
the product line. Such was the case for Chelsea, MAbased Golden Cannoli that created a cannoli chip
version of its traditional cannoli shell. The company
packages cannoli chips either as a chip-and-dip combo with the cannoli filling as the dip, or it sells the
chips on their own garnished with powdered sugar.
In the world of bakery, healthy, indulgent, clean - or
value, for that matter - are all in the eye of the beholder.
From mashing up to thinning down, bakers and snack
makers are twisting the mainstays to meet nearly every
demand that customers are throwing at them.

http://www.bakingandsnack.com

Baking&Snack - July 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking&Snack - July 2014