Baking&Snack - October 2013 - 42

PAR-BAKED

Upscale artisan and
specialty breads — and
rolls — allow restaurants
and supermarket delis to
charge more for premiumpositioned sandwiches.
ACE Bakery

ral starters and a long fermentation process to make its
breads and rolls. “For us being producers of premium,
all-natural and clean-label products, how do we get that
message out to our customers and to consumers about
what is really a clean label and what is not?” he said. “I
see that as one of our biggest obstacles.”
Distribution costs are another issue for mid-sized
companies like Lantmännen Unibake USA, which currently operates only one bakery out of St. Petersburg,
FL. “Logistics costs are really uncontrollable, but due
to the nature of the product, they become an important
element in the overall cost of producing and selling parbaked breads,” Mr. Kolinski said.
Earlier this year, ACE Bakery officially opened up a
par-baked bread and roll bakery in Gaffney, SC, to serve
its US customer base. “Geographic expansion is one
of the greatest challenges and opportunities for ACE
Bakery,” Mr. Andrews said.
Down the line, big-time competition may further
bolster this segment of the bread category. Allen Shiver,
president and CEO of Thomasville, GA-based Flowers
Foods, the nation’s No. 2 baking company, views supplying the supermarket in-store bakery/deli with par-baked
products as an opportunity for future growth.
“Par-baked breads have always had a place in the total
product line, and that is one area that we will continue
to watch,” Mr. Shiver told analysts at a Barclays Back-toSchool conference in September.
“Par-baked is an important part of the category,” he added. “At some point down the road, we may choose to play in
a bigger way, but we don’t play in that segment today.”
Rather, he said, Flowers’ main focus is still on boosting its position in the packaged bread aisle as it expands
geographically. For the time being, that’s good news for
the dozens of specialty and regional producers of parbaked baguettes and artisan breads and rolls.

have seen C-stores adding a ciabatta roll or a French
demi baguette into their sandwich programs.”
While QSR sales continue to grow, Mr. Smiley argued C-stores are capturing an increasing share of the
quick-serve market. “There are a couple of reasons why,”
he said. “First, C-stores have great locations almost on
every corner. Second, it’s not a separate trip. If you are
on your way home from work to stop for gas, and this
C-store offers good food, you may pick up some food
to take home. Without a doubt, the quality of food that
you’re seeing at C-stores is much better.”
In many ways, C-stores are such an established market for Lantmännen that Mr. Kolinski just sees them
as another natural growth vehicle for the company.
“Convenience stores are a key area for us but not considered an emerging channel,” he said.
C-stores are not the only hot market for par-baked
and fully baked frozen breads and
rolls. At ACE Bakery, Mr. Andrews
mentioned schools and airports as
developing avenues for specialty
New films displayed at the International Baking Industry
bakeries. “Consumers within these
Exposition allow restaurants, in-store bakers or conchannels demand quality, and opsumers to take frozen par-baked products from the
erators are responding by improving
refrigerator or freezer directly to the oven without opentheir menus and grab-and-go coning the packaging.
cepts,” he said.
MYLAR Bake films by Multivac, Kansas City, MO,

New twist on take-and-bake

Hurdles for par-baked
Serving the par-baked market is not
without its challenges. For Tribeca
Oven, Mr. Essenfeld said, educating consumers about natural, cleanlabel and quality products remains a
priority. The bakery relies on natu-

/ Baking & Snack / October 2013

can bake breads at temperatures up to 425˚F The seal
.
seam of the pack opens by itself in the oven once a
predefined pressure is reached, allowing products
vapor to escape and brown the crust, noted Frank Barel,
Multivac’s national sales manager of materials.
In addition to convenience, the film provides a high
level of food safety since the product is sealed.

•

Baking&Snack - October 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking&Snack - October 2013