Baking & Snack - November 2022 - 12

Flowers Foods launches
direct-to-consumer website
Flowers Foods Inc., Thomasville, Ga., launched a website to gather
feedback on its new products designed to extend its business
beyond bread. The website, www.creationsbyflowersfoods.com,
features Nature's Own breakfast pastries and Dave's Killer Bread
protein bars and snack bars.
The site enables direct orders and delivery of trial products.
The company said it aims to seek real-world consumer feedback
through the website.
Flowers said the site was designed to gauge interest, collect sales
data and solicit consumer feedback. Insights gathered, along with
other more traditional research methods, will determine if and
how new products are launched more broadly, the company said.
" Growth in the e-commerce space is an important focus at
Flowers, so developing an e-commerce platform where consumers
can trial and provide feedback on our latest innovations was a
natural fit, " said Joe Ewell, vice president of innovation at Flowers.
" The site gives us the ability to directly connect with consumers
more apt to purchase online and seek their feedback. It also provides
the flexibility to test new products on a smaller scale. "
Flowers said the items featured on the site are the direct result
of its agile innovation group, which was established in 2021 and
tasked with accelerating the development of innovative, new products
outside the company's core categories.
- Lisa Berry, Milling & Baking News
Jack Lewis, baking
industry leader, dies
R. Jack Lewis Jr., chairman of Lewis Bakeries Inc.,
Evansville, Ind., and a respected leader of the baking
industry, died Sept. 13 at the age of 84.
A native of Anna, Ill., where Lewis Brothers
Lewis
was established in 1925, Mr. Lewis ran his first
route for his family's baking business when he
was 15 years old. He joined the company full
time in 1959 after graduating from Florida State
University with a bachelor's degree in economics.
A 2010 inductee into the American Society of Baking Hall of
Fame, Mr. Lewis was a past chairman for the American Bakers
Association and also chaired the International Baking Industry
Exposition. He was chairman and president of the American
Bakery Cooperative, a board member of the W.E. Long Co., and a
former president and board member of Quality Bakers of America.
Mr. Lewis was elected Entrepreneur of the Year in 1997 by the
Indiana Chamber of Commerce.
- Josh Sosland, Milling & Baking News
12 Baking & Snack November 2022 / www.bakingbusiness.com
McMullian
Hillenbrand completes
Linxis Group acquisition
Hillenbrand Inc. completed its acquisition of Linxis Group, a supplier
of specialized equipment for the food, pharma and cosmetics
industries. Linxis Group will be a part of the Coperion Food,
Health and Nutrition division headed by Kevin Buchler as president,
food, health and nutrition division, and Tim Cook as chief
strategy and business development officer, Linxis.
" We look forward to having a dedicated and committed partner
at our side that will support and enhance the growth path we started
several years ago, " Mr. Cook said. " We are convinced that the
combination of both companies' technologies and our global sales
and service networks provide excellent prospects for the future. "
Linxis Group's six brands - Bakon, Diosna, Shaffer, Shick
Esteve, Unifiller and VMI - reach customers in more than 100
countries. These brands specialize in the design, installation and
service of industrial process equipment and automation solutions
that complement Coperion's current equipment offerings to the
food and pharma industries. As a supplier for mixing, ingredient
automation and portioning solutions, Linxis' capabilities align
with Coperion's growth strategy for food applications.
As these two global companies come together, they combine
their customer service resources to create a worldwide support
network for customers, including multiple test centers for product
development and proof-of-concept trials.
Amos McMullian, retired
Flowers CEO, dies
Amos R. McMullian, retired chief executive officer
and chairman of the board of Flowers Foods
Inc., Thomasville, Ga., died Oct. 18 at the age
of 85.
Mr. McMullian's career in the baking industry
spanned more than 50 years, beginning in 1963,
when he was hand-picked by the CEO and son of
the company's founder, W.H. Flowers Jr., to join
Flowers' management team.
After graduating from Florida State University with a bachelor's
degree in business administration, Mr. McMullian started his career
at Flowers as assistant manager at the Thomasville bakery. He
then moved to the newly acquired Atlanta Baking Co. After serving
as regional vice president, he was named president and chief
operating officer and elected to Flowers' board of directors in 1976.
Five years later, he was named CEO. Mr. McMullian was elected
chairman of the board in 1985. He was inducted into the American
Society of Baking's Baking Hall of Fame in 2019.
- Lisa Berry, Milling & Baking News
http://www.bakingbusiness.com
Baking & Snack - November 2022

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