Salford was the latest council this month to ban biscuits at meetings, leaving a £30,000 hole in sales of bourbons, custard creams and Rich Tea. Luckily for cookie makers, the category looks likely to withstand such swingeing government cost-cutting ahead.

As BB reported last issue, calls to cut salt in food are showing no signs of quieting down, with bakers still public enemy number one as far as people's salt intake goes at least in the Food Standards Agency's (FSA's) eyes. Controlling salt levels is no mean feat just ask the government, which found it conspicuously difficult when the snow hit earlier this year. So what can bakers do to help the government reach its salt reduction targets and perhaps save a bit back for gritting the pavements?

Chelsea Buns were originally made in London in the early 1700s. They are a sticky, sweet treat and are either finished with glacé icing or sugar syrup. They usually contain dried vine fruits, mixed peel and mixed spice. The method for Chelsea buns can be used with all sorts of other fillings, both sweet and savoury. This recipe uses almonds and apricots, but you could use chocolate and dried cherries, pecan nuts and dried peach or cranberries and orange. Try making a savoury version using some Parmesan cheese, basil and roasted strips of pepper marinated in garlic flavoured olive oil. The buns can be baked side by side on a baking sheet, so that they have to be pulled apart or baked in a round cake tin. The apricot glaze gives a lovely shine and a sweet, but tangy, finish.

I enjoyed reading Tom Herbert's report from the Real Bread Conference, but I recently returned from a conference on Quality and Safety of Grain Crops and Foods, in South Africa. There, the availability of wholesome, reasonably-priced bread from plant bakeries using the Chorleywood Bread Process makes the difference between being able to put sufficient food on the table for your family or not.

By David Mizon of Pin Point Training & Consultancy

Don Williams, CEO of brand specialist Pi Global, says a real-world picture of your target audience is key to effective pack design

French frozen food manufacturer Traiteur de Paris has announced it will be "following the fashion" by launching a range of cupcakes.

Wild Bean Café has expanded the range of bakery products served at its 230 stores in BP petrol stations.

Packaging technology company Sirane has developed a new type of microwave material for foodservice packaging, which can be used for crisping-up hot paninis, baguettes and pasties.

ADM Milling is supporting bakers in the run-up to Easter with a 'baker's dozen' offer, whereby customers will receive a free bag of ADM Bun Mix for every 12 purchased.

Espresso machine manufacturer Rancilio has added new full-size 2-group and 3-group models to its range of Class 6 Tall machines. These have additional head room between the drip tray and the group head to cater for demand for larger drink cups up to 20fl oz and have been designed with high-street take-aways and coffee shops in mind.

Easy Glove is to launch a new product for the foodservice market to help businesses provide a practical, hygienic and fast way to serve customers.

Barton Fabrications is promoting the use of its high-specification sugar and flour silos to bakeries in the UK.

By Max Jenvey of Oxxygen Marketing Partnership, a strategic management agency that delivers business acceleration processes and brand development within the foodservice, bakery and convenience retail sectors.

Crantock Bakery has launched new breakfast pasties, to cater for busy consumers who want to eat-on-the-go. The new 'Breakfast Bites' have been developed following retailer feedback requesting a broader range of products. The pasty will be available in two variants: sausage, cheese and baked beans or smoked bacon, beans and cheese.

Daily Bread has revamped its offer, introducing new ranges, new packaging and display materials, as well as setting up a seven-day-a-week national delivery service and launching its new website.

British soft drinks manufacturer Britvic and PepsiCo UK is to launch what they are calling "the biggest pack innovation that the market has seen in over 15 years".

Town centre vacancy rates in Great Britain rose from nearly 10% in the middle of 2009 to more than 12% at the end of December.

Almonds: The huge surge of demand from predominantly China, has redefined the global almond demand and this, reflected by massive increases in the monthly shipments from California, has pushed prices approximately 65% higher than they were at the start of October 2009.

Julian Hunt

Greencore Cake & Desserts has confirmed that up to 100 jobs could go at its Hull plant after it lost a major contract.

Pret A Manger has taken more steps towards its goal to be represented at all major airports across the UK, after securing locations at Birmingham and London City airports.

Premier Foods has announced strong growth for Hovis' branded bakery, and plans to push for further sales of white bread.

plans new mega-bakery

Warburtons has insisted that its surprise entry into the snacking market, announced last week, would not distract it from its core bakery product development.

Wheat exports

SIAB, the Italian bakery show, will take place at Verona in the Veronafiere showground from May 22-26.

A new association has been formed to boost the profile of regional foods in the UK.

Haiti fundraiser

Royston's Traditional Bakery in Long Stratton has enlisted a 'business doctor' to help grow its bakery and coffee shop.

Anne's Patisserie in Flint is to expand the business in 2010, following two gold wins at last year's Great Taste Awards. Its Sticky Chocolate Pudding with Rich Belgian Chocolate Sauce achieved three-star gold, while its Sticky Date and Ginger Pudding was awarded one-star gold.

Despite an overly ambitious expansion plan last year, Esquires Coffee Houses is still aiming for growth in 2010, with 10 new franchise outlets on the cards.

Wales-to-London link

Premier Foods has announced that up to 98 jobs are at risk at Hovis' Wigan bakery, with proposals for the closure of its roll plant.

Following its success in 2009, British Baker is pleased to announce the official launch of National Craft Bakers' Week 2010, which will run from 7-12 June.

Premier Foods, whose stable of brands includes Mr Kipling and Hovis, will launch a major on-pack initiative across all of its brands in March.

Greggs kicked off the year with a new £4m marketing campaign. The TV advert features Greggs' employees and a new strapline 'The Home of Fresh Baking'.

Gelders Bakery has just signed a deal with Tesco to sell its pies and sausage rolls in at least 20 shops.

Morrisons is taking on another bumper crop of apprentices this year, signalling it intends to continue championing craft baking.

Bakery buyer sought

The leading pressure group calling for lower salt levels in food has blasted high street bakery retailers for failing to seriously reduce salt levels in soups, with high street chain EAT coming in for the most flak.

The Real Bread Campaign has announced it will be organising the first ever National Real Bread Maker Week from 1-9 May, to encourage people to re-engage with home baking and to dust off one of the nation’s most neglected kitchen appliances.

Premier Foods, whose stable of brands includes Mr Kipling and Hovis, will launch a major on-pack initiative across all of its brands in March.

One baker’s pepper pasties have become an internet hit, after pasty lovers set up an online fan club on Facebook.

Gelders Bakery has just signed a deal with Tesco to sell its pies and sausage rolls in at least 20 shops.

Warburtons has announced it is moving into the snack market with the launch of two new ranges – ChippidyDooDaa Pitta Chips and SnackaDoodle Wholegrain Snacks.

Maple Leaf subsidiary Canada Bread has announced that its new C$100 million mega-bakery will be in Hamilton, Canada.

Anne’s Patisserie in Flint has announced plans to expand the business in 2010, following two gold wins at last year’s Great Taste Awards.

Its Sticky Chocolate Pudding with Rich Belgian Chocolate Sauce achieved three-star gold, while its Sticky Date and Ginger Pudding was awarded one-star gold.

Premier Foods has announced strong growth for Hovis’ branded bakery, and plans to push for increased sales of white bread.

In the firm’s preliminary results for the year ended 31 December 2009, it announced that branded bakery sales for Hovis grew by 13.5% to £370m, though it explained that the increase in volume sales was partly offset by pricing - with the proportion of bread sold on promotion higher than in 2008.

Retailer brand bakery fell by 15.6% to £179m, however Premier noted that the loss in non branded sales was “more than offset” by increased volumes of branded bread.

Hovis grew its market share of the branded bread market to 26.6% by value and 25.8% by volume in 2009, which Premier put down, in part, to the firm’s ability to develop advertising which emotionally connects with the consumer.

Commenting on opportunities for the future, Premier said growth was still available from “expanding in segments of the market in which Hovis is underrepresented, such as white bread”.

Total bakery sales in the Hovis division were up 2% to £549m. Milling sales fell by 16.8% to £193m, as raw material costs had a significant effect, according to the firm. This resulted in a fall in total sales for Hovis of 3.6% to £742m.

However trading profit for the division was up 75% from £24m in 2008 to £42m in 2009.

Premier announced that branded sales had increased across the board, and as part of its strategy for further growth it said it will “concentrate our investment into areas with the greatest growth potential”. It has therefore placed its brands into Drive, Core and Defend areas of focus.

Within the Drive category - the areas it believes it can grow ahead of the market - are its bread and cake businesses, including the Hovis and Mr Kipling brands. It classifies its Cadbury Cakes business as a core brand within its Drive category.

Pret A Manger has taken three steps towards its goal to be represented at all major airports across the UK, after securing locations at Birmingham airport.

The three new outlets will be the first to open in an airport outside the South East region. There will be one airside shop in the departure lounge of Terminal 1, one landside in Terminal 1 and a new external kiosk.

The food will prepared at a large on-site kitchen, and will enable Pret to react quickly to fluctuations in customer numbers.

Pret secured the locations as the result of a tendering process carried out late in 2009.

Work on the units is expected to begin in March, with the outlets due to open in May. There are also plans for 24-hour opening hours in the busy summer months.

Royston’s Traditional Bakery in Long Stratton has enlisted the help of a ‘business doctor’ to help grow its bakery and coffee shop business.

Royston Owen and his wife Michelle took over the bakery, formerly known as Mr Bunn the Baker, in May 2007 after spending four years as bakery manager for the previous owners Gary and Barbara Bunn.

Owen has worked to create an old-fashioned, traditional bakery and coffee shop, and called in business doctor Hamish McMinn to help develop a strategy for long-term growth.

“The recent economic climate has been a strong reminder that no matter how much passion you have as a baker, a bakery is a business like any other,” said Owen. “It’s easy to get too caught up in the everyday running of the bakery and forget you need a strong strategy to ensure the bakery remain successful as a business.”

He said it has help him focus on what the bakery does best, as well as looking at areas in which it could improve.

Business Doctors is a national network of business experts, specialising in helping small and medium sized businesses achieve growth through practical support with strategy, sales and profit growth and staff engagement.

United Biscuits has launched a £2million marketing campaign for its snack brand Phileas Fogg, which includes new pack designs and new television advertising to start mid-February.

The firm has said the new TV advert will build on the brand’s 2009 theme of highlighting “the authenticity of Phileas Fogg ingredients and how they are sourced”, and will be set in Modena, Italy.

The new pack designs for its snack range, which includes crisps, tortillas and poppadoms were rolled-out last month, with the use of more colour to help consumers distinguish between the different flavours.

“Since it’s re-launch last year, Phileas Fogg has grown to become worth almost £12m at RSV and has had a significant impact on growing the premium bagged snacks segment, which is up 7% YOY and worth £517m,” commented Helen Warren-Piper, marketing director of bagged snacks at United Biscuits.

United Biscuits has launched a £2million marketing campaign for its snack brand Phileas Fogg, which includes new pack designs and new television advertising to start mid-February.

Pret A Manger has taken three steps towards its goal to be represented at all major airports across the UK, after securing locations at Birmingham airport.

Anne’s Patisserie in Flint has announced plans to expand the business in 2010, following two gold wins at last year’s Great Taste Awards.

Royston’s Traditional Bakery in Long Stratton has enlisted the help of a ‘business doctor’ to help grow its bakery and coffee shop business.

Can a humble sausage roll conceivably have more Facebook fans than Cheryl Cole? Join the campaign and make it happen... http://bit.ly/aRtAzH Thought you could only make coffee out of coffee beans? How about using grapes instead? http://bit.ly/6xIzQu Ever wondered what happens to all those thin wooden coffee stirrers when you're not looking? Well, one artist is making a livelihood out of them... http://bit.ly/ctcozR Baking tins to make giant cupcakes go on sale in America but not everybody's happy about it... http://bit.ly/8F5z61 Taking a cake into work and office-based cake-offs are the new team-building alternatives to paintballing... http://bit.ly/aYYkaz Police crack down on 'sexpresso' stalls in the US... http://bit.ly/cVrTWV

"The girl told me, 'You don't look over 21. I need to see some proof of age'. I told her I was certain the proof of age laws did not apply to quiche but she said, 'We have to be really strict now and this applies to quiche bought over the counter.' She was deadly serious"

Through reasons only known to themselves, aspirational coffee chain Costa recently chose durable tabloid magnet Peter Andre to front its publicity drive around the launch of its 'flat white' coffee, featured in these very pages (see Masterclass, pages 34-35).

Got your head around the difference between a latte and a cappuccino yet? No? Well, you've got a whole new coffee option to worry about now: the flat white.

From March 6-10, Europain will welcome hordes of craft bakers to its popular site at Parc des Expositions near Paris. It will fill almost four halls. And it is certainly not an exclusive craft show indeed, Hall 4 is given over to industrial bakery. But just as Iba leans more towards machinery, the character of Europain is different and, as the French are keen to say, "Vive la différence".

The world's first integrated check weigher has been launched by Benier as part of a divider control system, which aims to optimise accuracy of dough weight.

While consumers have been trading down in many areas of their lives of late, it seems the bake-off breads market has been protected by a layer of recession-proof crust.

By offering coeliacs something they'd struggled to buy before fresh gluten-free bread it's not hard to see why Genius triumphed in The Innovation Award category, sponsored by Asda, at the Baking Industry Awards last year. The addition of this loaf to the supermarket shelves meant those requiring gluten-free bread, could actually purchase a loaf, and eat it as it came fresh.

Greggs has started gathering intelligence on overseas markets as it prepares for international expansion. The company is already Great Britain's biggest bakery takeaway operator, with 1,419 shops. But Greggs has plans to launch in other parts of the world in the longer term, says chief executive Ken McMeikan. Speaking to British Baker after Greggs topped the new BB75 league table of bakery retailers, McMeikan says Greggs' expansion ambitions are far from satisfied.

Let's define why we offer value

Also known as cobnuts and filberts, hazelnuts are grown in Europe and America. Inside the shell, the nuts are encased in a dark brown, slightly bitter skin. This is usually removed before it is used in cooking. Put them on a baking sheet in a medium oven for about 10 minutes before rubbing in a clean teatowel to remove the skins. They are particularly good if they are roasted before use, but if they are to be used as ground hazelnuts, always allow them to cool down before grinding, as they can become rather oily, which will have an adverse effect on the cake, meringue or biscuit.

I have long since lost count of how many articles I've read, or presentations attended, over the past 24 months concerning skills levels within the baking industry. The message has always been fairly clear and consistent: the number of people who have core and practical baking knowledge are becoming few and far between and, overall, there is a serious lack of the basic craft skills that underpin all bakery production. Until this is universally addressed, the industry will be heading for Armageddon.

Premium milkshake firm Shaken Udder has added a new flavour to its line-up Caramoo. The new velvety caramel variety joins Top Banana, Strawberry Stash, Chocolush & Shake The Cake.

Exosect, a pest management solution provider, has launched an environmentally-friendly, zero-residue moth control system for use in food production sites. Exosex SPTab is an organic compliant, non-chemical solution, designed to ensure safe, high-quality food with reduced pesticide residues, said the firm.

Jiffy Trucks has unveiled a new mobile catering van for 2010. The Panino has been designed to appeal to new entrants and smaller businesses in mobile retail catering.

The vast majority of bakeries, cafés and convenience stores offer sandwiches as part of their product range. The sandwich is one of the UK's favourite foods-to-go, with over 60% of customers wanting pre-packed, freshly made or heat & eat.

Premier Foods' cake brand Lyons has launched a new range of Teashop Classic Cakes to capitalise on teatime eating occasions. The cakes will be available in St Clements, classic choc chip and sultana and cherry variants. According to the firm, large ambient cakes are a key driver of the cakes and pastries category, a growing area in sweet bakery occasions at teatime. Thirty-four per cent of Lyons' cakes are eaten at teatime, according to Premier Foods.

Cheshire-based Roberts Bakery has been working with Masternaut to monitor and manage its 70-strong fleet, which delivers bread and pastry products across the UK. It will be using the latest satellite tracking technology Masternaut Three X's vehicle tracking service, which provides real-time and recorded data, enabling Roberts to optimise its delivery schedule and routes.

West Cornwall Pasty Co has given its customers the chance to buy its pasties in a frozen format to take away and bake at home. The move comes on the back of customer requests to be able to purchase the pasties to eat when they want.

St Anne's College was the venue for The Rise of Real Bread Conference a place where the Gandalfs and Aslans of all baking things, philosophic and prophetic, gathered.

You thought the salt debate had gone away? Think again! Judging by events last week, the political will is not about to wane (well, at least not until 6 May).

Concerns about the environment are well down the list of consumers' concerns about the future, according to research from AC Nielsen, presented at a recent Food and Drink Innovation Network summit.

Pine nuts: Pine nut prices have remained at incredibly high levels since the last report with a growing sense of further supply issues as the season progresses. With a weaker sterling, dwindling supply and a strong demand for seeds overall, it is difficult to see where any respite can come from other than a wholesale defection away from what has effectively become a punishingly expensive commodity.

Pork Farms gets Gist

Despite all the gloom of the recession, evidence suggests that sandwich sales are doing well, with sales up by some 3% in volume year-on-year.

Hovis has launched a £5m television advertising campaign to support its move to using 100% British wheat in its loaves last month.

Bakery is expected to be at the cutting edge of the Fairtrade movement this year, as products made with multiple Fairtrade ingredients take centre stage.

Global bakery products supplier CSM has reached an agreement to acquire US bakery manufacturer Best Brands for a cash consideration of $510m.

The price of bread around the world went up last year and is set to continue rising, despite the global financial downturn, according to new research.

Fifteen backs learning

A new craft bakery apprenticeship, set up by a group of south west bakers in conjunction with their local college, made the headlines when student Adam Greenaway was named as winning Bakery Apprentice.

Warburtons is to spend £10m on a new advertising campaign, only weeks after it revealed a £25m investment programme at its Bolton bakery.

Europain approaches

Bakery manufacturers using imported eggs in their products could be risking their reputation after new research found consumers were "dismayed" to discover foreign eggs are regularly used in British-made food.

A leading anti-salt crusader has criticised the Food Standards Agency's (FSA's) failure to support potassium-based alterna-tives to sodium chloride in food.

Essex-based cake and dessert manufacturer Raven Patisserie has moved to a new purpose-built production site in Witham.

The Alliance for Bakery Students and Trainees' (ABST) Annual Conference is to be held at the Alton Towers Hotel, Alton Towers, from 11-13 June.

Leicestershire-based Geary's Bakeries is to relocate to a new site and double production of its loaves, following a £1m investment.

Date set for BIA

Despite the volume and value growth of branded bread in the UK last year, alternatives such as wraps, croissants, bagels and chapattis are becoming increasingly popular as sandwich carriers, according to Tesco.

A new firm The Pembrokeshire Pasty & Pie Co has announced plans to open outlets nationwide, in a bid to challenge the Cornish pasty with its own Pembrokeshire variant. The first outlet will open in Tenby on 1 March, and will be followed by another in central Cardiff this summer.

Craft bakery chain Ainsleys has been broken up and sold off to various buyers, with Country Style Foods acquiring the company's central bakery and trading name, and Cooplands (Doncaster) and Coopland & Son (Scarborough) sharing most of the retail outlets.

Buyers have been found for the vast majority of Leeds-based Ainsleys, which went into administration in November, with Country Style Foods acquiring the company’s central bakery and brand.

A deal has also been struck to sell 20 of Ainsleys’ 29 leasehold retail outlets, split evenly between craft bakery chains Cooplands of Scarborough and Cooplands of Doncaster. Ainsleys’ sandwich van business has been sold to AW Food Services.

Joe McLean, a partner at administrator Grant Thornton, said: “We are really pleased to have found buyers for the majority of the various businesses within the Ainsleys portfolio. Negotiations are still ongoing in respect of the remaining nine stores and we hope to be able to announce a positive resolution shortly.

“I would like to thank all Ainsleys staff for their help and support during this difficult time. Their loyalty and commitment to Ainsleys, shown by their high standard of work despite uncertainty and terrible weather conditions, has been vital in securing a buyer.”

For the full story, see the February 12 issue of British Baker, out today.

Savoury pastry brand Ginsters has launched a new national television campaign for 2010, as part of its £3.5 million media spend this year.

The adverts, to be aired from early February, aim to promote Ginster’s “Real Honest Food’ tagline, and locally sourced ingredients message.

The 30 second advertisement features a local community gathering in a field, bringing with them tools and materials for hammering, sawing and building.

The frame then zooms out to reveal that they have been constructing a giant scarecrow to keep watch over their local ingredients.

“This February sees our biggest ever burst of TV advertising as we aim to drive wide recognition of our properly filled, quality ingredients message,” said head of brand marketing Andy Valentine. “We are proud to support British farmers and to be able to say that we only use fresh British meat in our products.”

A new firm –  The Pembrokeshire Pasty & Pie Co – has announced plans to open outlets nationwide, in a bid to challenge the Cornish pasty with its own Pembrokeshire variant. The first outlet will open in Tenby on 1 March, and will be followed by another in central Cardiff this summer.

Joint director Oliver Booth told British Baker the firm is likely to look for a third outlet in Wales, before looking at locations in England. It then plans a roll-out of the chain over the next five years. “It would be lovely to have 10 outlets, by then,” said Booth.

He spotted the business opportunity after discovering that Pembrokeshire has its own traditional pasty, but that nobody was selling it.

The Pembrokeshire pasty contains Welsh lamb, redcurrant jelly, currants and mint. All the ingredients for the six pasties and pies on the menu are fully traceable back to its partner farm in North Pembrokeshire, which prepares the products, or to other local farms, said Booth.

The pies and pasties, which have names such as The Friendly Dragon and The Tenby Treat, will then be baked on-site daily.

A cake designer from Surrey has organised a fundraising event - Cakes For Haiti - in order to raise money for the country following the earthquake last month.

The earthquake hit on the same day as cake designer Janet Mohapi-Banks’ birthday and she felt compelled to do something to help.

She is encouraging everyone from businesses and organisations to schools and individuals to take part in National Cake Sale Day, on 26 March, by, for example, organising a cake sale and donating the proceeds to the DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal.

Bakeries could get involved by donating a portion of the proceeds from cakes sold on the day.

Her website www.cakesforhaiti.org offers all kinds of advice, and posters can be downloaded from the site to help publicise the event.

Leicestershire-based Geary’s Bakeries is to relocate to a new site and double production of its loaves, following a £1m investment.

Joint managing director Tony Marriott told British Baker that Geary’s hopes to be up and running at its new bakery, in Barrow upon Soar, by the end of March 2010. “The company is relocating from its original site – in Ratby – where it has been for 104 years,” he said.

The move is due to the increasing logistical difficulties of, for example, getting supplies, such as flour silo deliveries to the bakery, which is currently located in the centre of a village. “It’s also now a very old building,” said Marriott.

The move will enable the bakery to ramp up its production. “We currently produce around 700-800,000 speciality rolls a week and about 50,000 loaves a week – and we are expecting to be able to produce 100,000 loaves a week,” he said.

The firm has been working on getting the new site ready since June last year, including extensions to the building. The new bakery, based in Hayhill Industrial Estate, is only 10 miles from the old site, but was not previously a bakery, so there has been a lot of work involved, explained Marriott. “Travelling ovens are being put in at the moment, and the provers are already in,” he added.

Geary’s had been looking for a suitable site for about three years. Marriott said it had been important to find one close to the original bakery, so that the existing staff could easily move with the firm.

The bakery employs around 70 staff at present, but Marriott said there are hopes to employ around 110 staff when the new site is fully up and running.

Geary’s predominantly produces bread and rolls for major retailers and sandwich producers, including Samworth Brothers and Uniq.

Leicestershire-based Geary’s Bakeries is to relocate to a new site and double production of its loaves, following a £1m investment.

Savoury pastry brand Ginsters has launched a new national television campaign for 2010, as part of its £3.5 million media spend this year.

A new firm – The Pembrokeshire Pasty & Pie Co – has announced plans to open outlets nationwide, in a bid to challenge the Cornish pasty with its own Pembrokeshire variant. The first outlet will open in Tenby on 1 March, and will be followed by another in central Cardiff this summer.

A cake designer from Surrey has organised a fundraising event – Cakes For Haiti – in order to raise money for the country following the earthquake last month.

Bakery manufacturers using imported eggs in their products could be risking their reputation after new research found consumers were “dismayed” to discover foreign eggs are regularly used in British-made food.

Buyers have been found for the vast majority of Leeds-based Ainsleys, which went into administration in November, with Country Style Foods acquiring the company's central bakery and brand.

Hovis has launched a £5m television advertising campaign to support its move to using 100% British wheat in its loaves last month.

Ireland’s only dedicated kosher bagel bakery, Rosie’s Broadway Bagels, has teamed up with the country’s third-largest plant baker, Pat the Baker, to dual-brand three existing varieties.

Global bakery product supplier CSM has reached an agreement to acquire US bakery manufacturer Best Brands for a cash consideration of $510m.

Global bakery product supplier CSM has reached an agreement to acquire US bakery manufacturer Best Brands for a cash consideration of $510 million.

The takeover of Best Brands, one of the largest premium bakery manufacturers in the US, would make CSM the “undisputed market leader in the North American bakery supplies market”, according to the firm, with total sales in excess of $2.3 billion.

CSM said it will help strengthen its position in the segments and products that it had targeted for future growth, particularly in the in-store bakery market.

“The acquisition of Best Brands fits in our strategic journey which started in 2005,” commented CSM CEO Gerard Hoetmer. “This acquisition will strengthen our ability to deliver organic growth in the North American market in particular as we leverage opportunities to grow in the in-store and out-of-home markets.”

Best Brands achieved sales of $538 million in 2009, with around 75% of sales from the in-store arm of its business. Its product portfolio includes: laminated dough, cakes, muffins, fillings and mixes. In addition to in-store bakeries, it supplies to foodservice, retail and wholesale customers.

The transaction is expected to be completed in March 2010.

The London regional heat for the World Barista Championship has had to be doubled in size due to a surge of interested competitors this year.

There are five regional heats where the baristas have 15 minutes to serve four espressos, which are then judged on flavour as well as the skills demonstrated in producing them. The competitors are then required to make four velvety textured cappuccinos, followed by four signature coffee drinks of their own creation.

The semi-finals will take place on 28 February at Hotelympia, and the final will be held at the same venue on 1 March 2010. It’s the first time the Championships will have taken place in London.

Last year’s UK Barista Champion, Gwilym Davies, went on to become World Champion in Atlanta.

Visit www.scaeuk.com for more information.

Burton’s Foods has announced it is the first UK sweet biscuit manufacturer to acquire GreenPalm certificates for 100% of its palm oil usage.

From 1 January 2010, its usage of both palm- and palm kernel oil will be covered by the certificates, in the scheme which is internationally recognised by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).

The firm has also announced that its long-term strategy is to be able to use segregated sustainable material throughout the entire product range by 2013.

British Baker has previously reported that fully traceable, segregated and sustainable refined palm oil is available from suppliers such as New Britain and can be used in biscuits, however most bakery manufacturers use palm derivatives such as olein, stearin and fractions, which are not currently available in sustainable, certified forms. This leaves manufacturers with the option of buying GreenPalm certificates.

The scheme is run by fats supplier AAK, and certificates can be purchased for every tonne of palm oil used by a company. This premium is then paid to farmers producing an equivalent amount of sustainable palm oil. Certificates cost around $8, while a tonne of palm oil is around $650.

“We are delighted to be able to kick-start 2010 with such a major step forward for our CSR programme
– baking a difference,” commented head of CSR at Burton’s Foods, Jo Shears. “Moving forward, consumers will be reassured that when purchasing some of the UK’s favourite brands such as Jammie Dodgers and Maryland they are making environmentally responsible purchasing decisions.”

To mark National Apprenticeship Week (1-5 February), the head baker at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant in London has teamed up with the Real Bread Campaign to highlight the importance of bakery apprenticeships.

Fifteen offers young people, who are in need of a helping hand, a chance to transform their lives and realise their own potential through the experience of learning to work in the restaurant business.

As part of a 12-month chef apprenticeship scheme run by Fifteen, each apprentice learns basic breadmaking with the NVQ 2 qualifications they take at Lewisham College. The apprentices also have the chance to spend three weeks with Rankin to build on their experience and knowledge, with the next group of apprentices due to start on 8 February.

Fifteen’s Kenny Rankin said: “There’s so much you can do with the apprentices. You can teach them the basics but there’s also the Swiss and French style bakery that’s invaluable learning. Baking is such a dying art and is one of the oldest and most important skills we can teach the apprentices.”

The bakery produces traditional Italian-style breads, such as ciabatta and focaccia as well as more unusual breads such as Zopf - a Swiss-style knotted bread. It also hopes to diversify the varieties in the future, as well as broadening its training.

Rankin will share his knowledge of artisan bakery with Real Bread Campaign’s project officer, Chris Young. He will learn about the art of baking bread using the same techniques and developing the same skills as Fifteen’s trainees.

To find out more about Fifteen, visit www.fifteen.net

Essex-based cake and dessert manufacturer Raven Patisserie has moved to a new purpose-built production site in Witham.

The new premises have been designed to accommodate its “ambitious sales targets for its patisserie and bakery products”, according to the firm.

Operations director Daren McGrath said the business plans to achieve the growth through “new markets from within the group, and new business from a widening geographical area”.

A subsidiary brand of Wilkin & Sons Limited, Raven Patisserie, previously located in Braintree, has grown steadily over the last couple of years. Wilkin & Sons, known for manufacturing Tiptree fruit conserves, acquired cakes tray-bake and bar manufacturer Passionately Cakes in 2003. Passionately then joined forces with Raven Catering, to form Raven Patisserie in 2005.

“Raven has grown from strength to strength. We out-grew our premises in Braintree within two and a half years,” said McGrath. “This site in Witham is over 17,000 square feet and is large enough to handle the next phase of our growth.”

The company, which currently employs 23 staff, supplies individually wrapped cakes, ambient bars and slices, luxury round cakes, and tray bakes to a number of tea rooms and restaurants across the UK. Passionately Cakes is now the brand name for the company’s counterline ‘grab and go’ bars.

Warburtons has announced a £25 million investment programme at its Bolton bakery. However the move threatens the jobs of around a quarter of its workforce at the site.

The planned investment involves the redevelopment of the bakery, which will result in the closure of two of its existing bread plants. The firm has revealed that 121 jobs, out of the 234 employed on the two bread lines, are at risk. Around 480 staff are employed at the bakery.

“As the two existing bread plants require upgrading, we will be creating a new single facility that will ensure we have a sustainable and efficient manufacturing facility to meet future customer requirements,” announced Warburtons.

The firm will now enter into a 90-day consultation period, followed by a 30-day consultation period, said
Ian Hodson, organising regional secretary, Bakers, Food & Allied Workers Union (BFAWU).

He told British Baker that an initial meeting took place at Warburtons on Wednesday 27 January, and staff at the bakery were subsequently informed about the possible job losses following the meeting.

He said the initial reaction to the announcement from shop stewards was that they were “pretty devastated by the news”. “It came as a shock. It was totally out of the blue, and had a real sting in the tail,” said Hodson.

The new facility will be commissioned from September 2011, enabling Warburtons to “continue to grow and develop”.

The firm has said it will be “working closely with its impacted employees and their representatives to explore all possible alternatives, during the consultation period”.

The BFAWU will hold a meeting with members on 6 February, followed by a meeting with the company to go through the consultation process on 9 February, said Hodson.

The London regional heat for the World Barista Championship has had to be doubled in size due to a surge of interested competitors this year.

Essex-based cake and dessert manufacturer Raven Patisserie has moved to a new purpose-built production site in Witham.