Puratos Announces Opening of Bakery School in the Philippines

The Puratos Group announced it has opened its sixth Bakery School, providing life-changing opportunities for young people in developing markets, and introducing more skilled baking expertise into the industry.

“As Puratos approaches its thirty-third year in the Philippines, we’re extremely proud to open this bakery school and are truly excited to see more local students grow into the next generation of great bakers,” comments Daniel Malcorps, CEO of Puratos Group.

Twenty scholars have begun a two-year training program at the Bakery School Philippines, an initiative brought to life in collaboration with Consuelo “Chito” Madrigal Foundation (CCMF), a well-established Filipino organization that aims to alleviate poverty and promote social entrepreneurship.

Worldwide, there is an increasing demand for breads, cakes and pastries, and yet a significant shortage of skilled people to produce them. The Bakery School Foundation addresses these issues, with its mission to make a significant impact on the lives of younger, underprivileged generations by providing more opportunities within the baking industry.

According to Bernard Poplimont, president and general manager at Puratos Philippines, the partnership helped expedite the project’s progress and enabled the conversion of a vacant building at the CCMF compound into a fully equipped bakery school with capacity for 20- 25 students.

Bakery School students undergo an intensive program over two years. Diving into 36 subjects amounting to approximately 1,600 hours of training, they first learn about equipment, ingredient interaction and commodities before technical and practical lessons such as chocolate tempering, sourdough baking, decoration and finishing. Importantly, courses on food safety, food labeling, sales management and basic finance are key aspects of the learning program, ensuring that students maintain valuable knowledge across all parts of business and giving them a good grounding for their future employment.

“Just as Puratos is committed to the Filipino bakery market, the entire Bakery Schools team remains dedicated to its mission to provide equal opportunities to underprivileged young people and train skilled bakers to uplift our industry. As a leader in our sector, we feel it’s important to make jobs in bakery, patisserie and chocolate attractive -in any country – and maintain the unique histories, heritages and skills of those crafts,” comments Malcorps.

Poplimont adds: “The opening of our Bakery School was wholesome and intimate, with the planting of cacao trees outside to symbolize new beginnings, and the blessing of our building in line with local tradition. We are thrilled to be able to offer our students the training they require, followed by support with internships and jobs within Puratos or with our valued customers and partners. Senior baking professionals, as well as our brand ambassadors and social media influencers have offered free special sessions and mentorships as well. We couldn’t have wished for a better start and are looking forward to these talented students becoming exceptional bakers over the coming years.”