Milling & Baking News - May 27, 2014 - 15

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Panera opens test bakery in
Connecticut for new products
ST. LOUIS - Panera Bread Co. has
opened a new test bakery facility in
New Haven, Conn. The company said
it is using the facility to test new products while reimagining Panera classic
items, including bread with new grains
and croissants with updated fillings
and flavors. The company also is using
the facility to experiment with staffing
models, with a goal to enhance the bakery side of the company's business.
"Panera began with bread," said
Tom Gumpel, the company's head
baker. "It's our passion, soul and expertise. Our test bakery is an example
of our continued focus on our identity as bakers, as we push ourselves to
keep learning how best to lay out, staff
and operate our bakeries."
Panera is studying the test location
to understand how updated products

and staffing models may affect its
nearly 1,800 bakery-cafes.
Several innovations are planned to
roll out across the bakery-cafe chain this
year. A new sprouted grain bread offering, currently testing at the New Haven
bakery, will be available in all Panera locations as a bagel flat beginning in May.
"We are one of the first restaurant
chains in our industry to offer sprouted
grain bread products to our customers,"
Mr. Gumpel said. "This grain wasn't
available to purchase at scale when we
started testing, but through relationships with our millers we've been able
to grow the supply. Sprouted grains are
a good source of fiber and rich in taste.
This is another nutritious whole grain
that Panera is making accessible to its
customers in popular bagel form. It's an
incredible step forward for our bakeries."

The sprouted grain bread launch follows the recent introduction of a lineup
of flatbread sandwiches. In testing for
more than a year, the flatbread is Panera's
take on traditional Indian "naan" with
fillings inspired by the global travels
of Mr. Gumpel and Panera's head chef,
Dan Kish. The three flatbread varieties
include Mediterranean chicken, Thai
chicken and Southwestern chicken. MBN

David's Cookies grows in desserts,
buying pie maker from bankruptcy
TAMPA, FLA. - The parent company of
David's Cookies has emerged as the successful bidder in an auction to purchase
Jeff's Gourmet Pies, Inc., Tampa.
The sale of Jeff's to Fairfield Gourmet
Food Group by Heritage Equity Partners, a
merger and acquisition firm based in Easton,
Md., completed a sales process the firm said
featured "multiple qualified bidders" and
"several rounds of competitive bidding."
A hearing to approve the sale was conducted May 14, and closing is expected
late in May.
Jeff's Gourmet Pies was founded in
1982 and for many years has supplied
desserts to well-known, national restaurant chains, as well as several national
food service companies, including Sysco
Corp. and U.S. Foods Co.

Jeff's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
protection in early April to "restructure
the debt and recapitalize the business
with a new owner," Heritage Equity said.
"This is a great outcome for Jeff's
Gourmet Pies, as well as the dedicated
customer base that supported the business throughout this process," said Matt
LoCascio, managing director at Heritage
Equity Partners. "David's Cookies brings
many synergies, as well as new opportunities for the business and perhaps most
importantly, keeps over 60 jobs intact at
the Tampa facility."
David's Cookies was established in
1979 by New York Chef David Liederman.
The business was acquired in the 1980s
by Fairfield, which said it grew the David's brand "by introducing high quality

Mondelez to invest $40 million in Virginia bakery
RICHMOND, VA. - Mondelez Global
L.L.C., the U.S. operating company of Mondelez International, Inc., will invest more
than $40 million to expand its biscuit bakery in Henrico county in Richmond. The
facility makes a variety of Nabisco crackers
and cookies, including Ritz, Wheat Thins
and Premium crackers, Oreo and Chips
Ahoy! cookies, and Nilla wafers.
As part of the expansion, Mondelez
said it will add a manufacturing line for
Ritz crackers and 38,000 square feet to the
bakingbusiness.com / world-grain.com

Business

existing bakery, which has been in operation since 1973.
"We're excited about this investment in
our U.S. biscuit network and the opportunity to reaffirm and enhance the role
of the Henrico county bakery within our
Mondelez International manufacturing
footprint for North America," said Cindy
Waggoner, vice-president, North America Integrated Supply Chain, Biscuits.
"The bakery in Henrico county is geographically well-situated to support our

cookies and frozen cookie dough into the
food service and co-branding industries."
David's recently opened a new
160,000-square-foot facility in Cedar Grove,
N.J., that employs 350. The company currently has sales in excess of $100 million.
"We are always on the lookout for ways
to expand our bakery, pastry and dessert
items, and Jeff's quality products are a perfect fit for our company's long-term goals,"
said Ari Margulies, president and chief executive officer of Fairfield Gourmet Foods.
"We believe both brands can continue to be
successful and expand on shared strengths,
including access to the multiple facilities
and intellectual capital of both companies."
Heritage Equity Partners specializes in
investment banking and advisory services for distressed companies.
Jennis & Bowen served as counsel for
the debtor, and Goodrich, Postnikoff &
Associates provided counsel for the secured creditor. MBN
East coast business, and this investment
is a part of our commitment to create a
best-in-class integrated supply chain to
support our business."
Mondelez International in early February said it planned to support priority
cookie and cracker brands and product
platforms through an investment of more
than $130 million in new biscuit manufacturing technology and capabilities in
its U.S. network, and the Richmond expansion is part of that investment. The
company also plans to focus on its bakery
in Fair Lawn, N.J. MBN
Milling & Baking News May 27, 2014 / 15
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Milling & Baking News - May 27, 2014

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