Bakery China Review: the Interactive Fair

Continued market growth sees craving for variety and quality – Our team visited Bakery China on May 13-16, the international trade fair for the bakery and confectionery industry in China, one of the largest of its kind in the Asian region.

Pictured above: Floriane Lemoine, Shanghai Young Bakers; Stephane Le Foll, French Minister of Agriculture; Pierre Zhang, Shanghai Young Bakers; Jean de Lataillade, Greater China

The annual professional bakery trade fair was held over four action-packed days. For representatives of all industries in the field of baking it aimed to offer an interactive programme which allowed professional visitors to find first-hand information on current trends, methods and technologies. Industry experts, government officials and decision-making professionals from all areas of the baking/bread, pastry and confectionery industries were present at the show.

Some of the highlights included:

• Trade symposiums – Bakery China Forum
• Guided bakery tours: bakery visits organised in Shanghai offering a glimpse into local technology
• Visit by Mr Stephane Le Foll :  French Minister of Agriculture
• Networking opportunities: establishing business relationship between international visitors and Chinese companies
• Live demonstrations
• Confectioners’ competitions and awards

China has now emerged as a newly industrialised nation, and is becoming an engine of the global economy, with ever-increasing opportunities for foreign suppliers and investors. Bakery China reflects this trend since its first edition, in 1988. The food industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors and, in accordance with this trend, bread, cakes, pastries and sweets also record a continuous rise in turnover figures, as visitors could observe at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.

China Is Ready for Investment

The entire range of products and services offered by the baking and confectionery industry was represented at this fair without exception.

According to industry experts, China is seeing an increase in bread and sweet/pastry products growth of 10 percent per year.

Key Figures

USD 3,939 million bread and rolls expected sales to end 2014

USD 28, 735 million pastry expected sales to end 2014

(Courtesy of Datamonitor, Bakery & Cereals Market in China published 2011)

More pictures from the show: Bakery China – the Interactive Fair

Industrial products account for around 50 percent of total sales, with the remainder coming mainly from artisan sources and in-store bakery.

Foreign know-how is very much in demand and meets a keen interest in the market. The showcased innovations (emerging from and entering the Asian market) included baking ovens and accessories, baking and pastry-making machinery, refrigeration, fermenting and air conditioning technology; baking agents, raw materials and ingredients; semi-finished and finished products; ice cream manufacturing components; pasta making solutions; furnishings and equipment for shops, cafés and patisseries; packaging machinery, equipment and material; decorative items and baking accessories; cleaning and hygiene products and solutions; laboratory and measuring equipment, dedicated computer hardware and software, as well as services.

Asia Pacific Baker, European Baker and World Bakers Digital will feature in-depth market analysis, observations and interviews from Bakery China. Nick Thorp will report on the event’s highlights and bring exclusive insights into the complex dynamics of the growing market.