Craft baking: Moving on Up

Scaling production in artisan bakeries is both a welcomed business boost and a challenge to consistently deliver high-quality products. It is a complex process with implications in the entire production chain, from ingredient sourcing and selection to recipe optimization and technology upgrades.

Artisan bakeries may find themselves in the situation to have to ramp up their production quickly. While it’s a great “problem” to have, it is the time for the business to analyze its supply chain closely and then decide what scaling should entail. When increasing production capacity, craft bakers need to fully understand inefficiencies in their supply chain and identify bottlenecks. Dawn Foods’ Supply Chain team shares their expertise on prioritizing: “It’s important to invest upfront in a strong supply chain plan so bakers can try to prevent disruptions caused by seasonality, changing consumer preferences and global crises like the novel coronavirus pandemic. Bakers should consider if they have enough equipment and personnel to manage increased production and if products have enough shelf life to sustain the timeframe of production.”

The biggest challenge Koenig Bakery Systems sees in making artisan bread is consistency – in dough quality and texture, in the dough’s processing, and consistency in the quality of the bread. “If bakeries want to scale up their artisan bread production with consistently high quality, they need to have one thing: a perfect process organization,” Richard Breeswine, President & CEO of Koenig Bakery Systems USA tells us.

You can read the rest of this article in your complimentary March/April e-copy of European Baker&Biscuit magazine, which you can access by clicking here.