Under the Magnifying Glass: Iconic Pastry Producers

For many consumers, pastries are associated with comfort food. When a manufacturer pushes such a concept to the mass production, everybody wins: consumers find their favorites on the shelves, while the producers and retailers increase sales.

This means offering consumers exactly what they want, and the figures prove so. The worldwide pastry market value rose from 46,381.30 (USD millions) in 2010 to 60,472.70 (USD millions) in 2015, according to the research company Euromonitor. At the same time, as retail volume expressed in ‘000 tonnes, the market’s growth reached 12,460.30 in 2015, while in 2010 it was 10,336.10.

The Biggest Players Worldwide

According to Euromonitor, the biggest pastry manufacturer in the world is now Grupo Bimbo, also the world’s largest baker. The Mexican company was established in the late 1800s, but its American story started in 1994. Grupo Bimbo has acquired companies and extended its range of products to the pastry. Their pastry history started in 2005 when the company acquired the operator of El Globo pastry chain. Then, El Globo was producing and selling quality pastries via four production facilities and in more than 170 stores.

Now Grupo Bimbo presents on the shelves product brands such as Marinela, a delicious variety of pastries, and funny cookies – as the company present them – Jos. Louis and May West.

An Important Country for Pastries: Japan

Looking at the next largest global pastry producer we now move to Japan, where we find Yamazaki Baking, Japan’s largest bread-baking corporation which makes bread, bakery products, and confectionery.

Founded in 1948 by Tojuro Iijima, Yamazaki Baking Co. Ltd. began as a provider of reasonably priced, fresh, high-quality baked goods in the post-World War II era, when most of Japan was still experiencing severe food shortages. Nowadays, the company’s lineup centers on bread, sweet buns, Japanese-style confectionery, Western-style confectionery, processed bread and prepared rice and side dishes, as well as jam, desserts and prepared foods in retort pouches. Companies in the Yamazaki Baking Group manufacture a wide variety of products, including biscuits, crackers and sem bei (rice crackers). These products are sold nationwide through supermarkets, convenience stores, and other sales channels. Yamazaki Baking has also developed its own licensed stores – convenience stores and bakeshops.

Surprisingly perhaps the third biggest pastry producer is also from Japan: Fuji Baking Co. Ltd. In May 1922, Jinju Funahashi opened a bakery; however, the company was first established in 1951. The company now has an annual turnover of YEN 255,600 million and approx. 16,500 employees. It produces bread, cakes, and Japanese confectionery.