Milling & Baking News - March 21, 2023 - 24

BREAD PRODUCT perspective
METROPOLITAN BAKING CO. AND LA BREA BAKERY
TUES | 03 21 202 3
the fragrance wafts through supermarkets
where it is baked, the company said.
Another area of focus for Aspire in
recent months has been a rebranding
of the Cuisine de France line of bread
and rolls to La Francaise, another Aspire
" Raisin cinnamon
is naturally
sweet. "
Aspire developed the cinnamon
raisin loaf in partnership
with Kroger Co., which had the product
exclusively for a couple months, Ms. Prohave
had some capacity, " he said. " The
pullman business has tightened our
bread capacity. "
LA BREA MOVES INTO BREAKFAST
Known principally for its savory sourdough
bread and rolls, the La Brea brand
of Aspire Bakeries, San Leandro, Calif.,
broadened its product portfolio last year
by launching La Brea Bakery Cinnamon
Raisin Loaf.
In promotional materials for retailers,
Aspire said the variety was introduced
to " capitalize on consumers' continued
breakfast-at-home consumption, preference
for nostalgic flavor and to elevate
meals at home. "
Citing 2022 data from Retail Info Systems,
Aspire said 47% of adult consumers
have eaten breakfast and lunch at home
regularly since the start of the pandemic.
The company said the bread is suitable
for breakfast, as a sweet treat or a " sweet
balance to your favorite grilled cheese. "
The bread is sold as an unsliced loaf
(though in-store bakeries will
slice it for customers).
" We don't have as many sweettype
breads, " said Chris Prociv,
chief commercial officer - retail
marketing and research and development,
Aspire Bakeries. " There is
a perception that sweeter breads -
those with fresh fruity flavors - and
sourdough don't always go together. "
Ms. Prociv said the La Brea sourdough
is mild and works with slightly
sweet products. She said a cranberry
walnut variety, sold just seasonally, was
the company's only bread with fruit inclusions.
" We
had no breakfast bread, " she said.
24 MILLING & BAKING NEWS
bakingbusiness.com
civ said.
" Now the product is available to others, "
she said, explaining that additional retailers
were offered the opportunity to carry
the cinnamon raisin bread beginning at
the start of 2023. Ms. Prociv said its reception
among other retailers has been positive,
but Aspire will have a better sense
of its potential when other customers go
through shelf resets at different points in
the first half of the year.
More than just filling a hole in the La
Brea product line, Ms. Prociv said breakfast
bread generally is not adequately
represented in in-store bakeries. Aspire's
formulation uses an encapsulated version
of Korintje cinnamon, a type of cinnamon
with origins in Indonesia. The cinnamon
remains encapsulated until the baking
process, which is helpful since cinnamon
in large amounts sometimes suppresses
the fermentation process. When the cinnamon
is released, it is particularly aromatic,
a quality that adds to its appeal as
brand. In the past, Cuisine de France was
focused more heavily on savory products
and La Francaise on items such as danishes,
croissants and cinnamon rolls.
Ms. Prociv described the bread and roll
line now sold as La Francaise as a complement
to La Brea. The products are sold
alongside one another.
" La Brea is authentic artisanal, while
La Francaise is authentic European, with
a thinner crust and lighter color than
La Brea with not as much fermentation, "
she said. " It's like a French bread versus a
sourdough. The flavor is a little lighter -
it doesn't have the caramelized flavor or
crunch of La Brea. It's also more accessible
from a price point. "
Cuisine de France is marketed in
Chicago and Boston, with direct-store
delivery in Chicago. The line is produced
at Aspire plants in Brantford, Ont., and
Northlake, Ill. With the transition, La
Francaise becomes the third largest
brand of Aspire, following La Brea Bakery
and Otis Spunkmeyer. Two thirds of
La Francaise Bakery's business is retail
and a third is foodservice.
An Aspire line that continues to grow is
its La Brea Take & Bake products. The line
performed well during the pandemic as a
stay-at-home treat for those avoiding eating
out at restaurants. More recently the
line has been attractive to consumers looking
to save money by eating in more often,
Ms. Prociv said. The Take & Bake line also
http://www.bakingbusiness.com
Milling & Baking News - March 21, 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Milling & Baking News - March 21, 2023
