Artisanal and industrial bakers alike are faced with extremely varied and changing demand from their consumers.

The market has been gradually transforming for years, with an unprecedented but welcome level of demand from consumers. They want... it all, and they're right!

Consumers want it all? Absolutely. Bread must not only fulfill its traditional role of feeding people and bringing pleasure, it must also be ethical (consumers are increasingly choosing the most responsible brands), bring nutritional benefits, and be accessible and convenient to eat while remaining affordable to all, as well as perfectly safe and reassuring.

Six megatrends that call for specific, tailormade solutions
Pleasure, nutrition and wellness, ethics, convenience, cost optimization and safety: these are six megatrends the Baking with Lesaffre has identified and analyzed to offer the best possible solutions to its clients and help bakers meet market needs.

Each of these six megatrends has been analyzed to describe every aspect in detail, with suitable products and services. These are the commitments Baking with Lesaffre makes to its clients. Known to many Baking with Lesaffre clients, this analysis tool is known as the Baking with Lesaffre Trend Vision™.

The question of ethics in baking
An example? The megatrend of ethics. It's no secret that baking must be responsible. But in reality, ethics covers a very wide range of aspects.

Spontaneously, sustainability comes to mind (developing recyclable packaging, supporting eco-friendly farming, upcycling surplus materials, reducing energy consumption in bakeries, etc.), but this is just one of the aspects. Another market need falling under the category of ethics is to adapt products to ethnic traditions.

Ethics also covers the "clean-label" trend: moving towards lists of ingredients that are simpler, shorter, easier to understand and more reassuring.

We can also mention organic diets, which can be motivated by ethical as well as health reasons: eating bread has become a responsible – and even militant – act.

Meeting health and wellness needs, while boosting pleasure!
What about the other megatrend that is on everyone’s lips, nutrition? Here too, the needs and options are extremely varied: for example, "low in…" (e.g., salt), "free from…" (e.g., gluten) or "high in…" (e.g., proteins or vitamins).

This means adapting to changing diets with a view to food contributing to both health and wellness. Eating bread must be good for our bodies and our minds.

Fortunately, pleasure is never far away. Is it synonymous with taste? The answer is no! Pleasure encompasses many aspects, ranging from our other senses (the trend for ultra-freshness is important) to fun and authenticity.

In response, there is a need to build experiences, product storytelling and tailormade solutions to needs.

Engagement programs for artisanal and industrial bakers
Clearly, without describing in detail each of the needs that make up the six megatrends, artisanal and industrial bakers alike must be able to access the right solutions when creating their products.

To this end, Baking with Lesaffre proposes six engagement programs in line with the six megatrends.

For example, if there's a need for pleasure, the Bake for Smile engagement program will provide the right answers. If the need concerns ethics, the Bake for Good program will offer the most suitable solutions.

If the challenge is nutrition and wellness, the Bake for Care program brings answers. As part of this last commitment, a bread mix has been developed to enable bakers to offer their customers a protein-enriched product with nutritional benefits adjusted by Baking with Lesaffre.

The other megatrends have also led to Lesaffre programs: Bake it Easy, which addresses the need for convenience; Bake it Smart, which aims to optimize costs – an increasingly important consideration in inflationary times; and Bake it Safe, which concerns food safety.

A new vision of baking to serve clients and drive innovation
In this way, Lesaffre, a leader in fermentation, has adopted a new approach to align with the market: starting from needs and trends to propose Baking with Lesaffre products and services.

Innovation in baking requires this consumer-focused vision, which involves strong partnerships with clients. In a world where needs are becoming so specific, the co-creation of solutions between clients and suppliers has become a key to success. This is what Baking with Lesaffre is aiming for in proposing co-development and tailormade formulation programs.

As an example, as part of the Bake it Smart engagement program, Baking with Lesaffre has co-developed with one of its clients a blend that removes a weighing step during product production. This saves time, enabling the client to make more products in store.

This partnership mindset goes hand in hand with Lesaffre's consulting approach. For example, this is the role of formulators who, depending on the quality of raw materials, analyze the composition of flours every year and either update the mix or advise clients on product formulation to help them maintain the right qualities.

Identifying client needs, adapting and co-creating solutions, working together in a partnership mindset and constantly innovating to better serve end-customers: this is how the baking market is moving forward.

Contact details

Audrey Bernard, Marketing Communications Manager, Baking with Lesaffre

LESAFFRE INTERNATIONAL, 77 rue de Menin, 59520 Marquette-Lez-Lille - France

E: a.bernard@lesaffre.com
W: www.lesaffre.com/