Global Celebrations Are Baking Opportunities

Global celebrations and holidays remain one of the drivers of the bakery products market, and the companies are competing in launching dedicated items for sharing and for gifting, targeting these occasions.

Each of these holidays has established its traditional food and bakery products make no exception. Modern lifestyles have a variety of international celebrations that are closely related with a defining food. For bakers, this is a bigger opportunity than ever before.

Celebrated in October or November, Diwali is a festival that actually runs for five days, with the main  celebrations culminating in the third day in most places around India. Of course, the holiday comes with its traditional foods, and companies presented their offers to meet traditions and consumers’ preferences.

Cofresh, which is branded as the UK’s No.1 Indian snacks producer, ran a whole campaign announcing donations to eradicate curable blindness in India, for every pack of Bombay Mix sold during Diwali.

Obviously, some important Indian bakeries prepare each year traditional goods in a form of hamper gift to offer for Diwali festivities. Karachi Bakery, located in Hyderabad, India, traditionally offers a wide range of Diwali-dedicated products since 1953, such as biscuits, cakes, pastries, etc. adapted to local tastes. For this year’s Diwali, Karachi has prepared festive-branded gift hampers containing baked goods and other products.

On the other side of the globe, consumers and companies prepare for Halloween, which celebrates not only All Saints, but also creativity in preparing food items and marketing campaigns.

 

An example is offered by Nature’s Bakery. A part of its products – as mummy brown cake or pumpkin fig bars – are now especially branded for Halloween. Nature’s Bakery is an American company, founded in 2010 by father and son bakers, Dave and Sam Marson. Their idea was to make quality products and convenient products crafted with thoughtful ingredients. The brown cakes and fig bars are present in Nature’s Bakery regular offer, featuring regular packaging design.

In addition, global companies – such as McVitie’s (now part of pladis) – unveiled a Halloween-themed cakes range. The line-up includes McVitie’s Hobnobs Eerie Eyeball, McVitie’s Jaffa Freaky Cake, McVitie’s Jaffa Lemon and Slime Cake Bars, and McVitie’s Hobnobs Toffee Apple Flapjacks, all featuring Halloween inspired packaging. The brand claims its new range is perfect for Trick or Treating, lunchboxes or party food.

Mr. Kipling, company claiming to have been mixing, baking and perfecting its “exceedingly scrumptious cakes” since 1967, decided to present Halloween-branded cakes, decorated with black cats, witches, spiders and bats. “Lucky for him, all that creativity, use of fine ingredients, and attention to detail hasn’t gone unnoticed. He’s as proud as punch to be Britain’s best-loved cake brand,” according to the description on Mr. Kipling’s website.

Furthermore, companies around the world have started to prepare their ranges for Christmas celebration. For instance, Aryzta Food Solutions, the in-store bakery provider, is launching a nine-strong Christmas sweet bakery and hot food-to-go range. Vincent Brook, head of retail UK at Aryzta Food Solutions said: “The run up to Christmas provides a major opportunity for retailers to maximize their in-store bakery and food-to-go profits. Bakery is already one of the top-performing sectors in convenience. Combine this with the fact that food-to-go shoppers spend 10% more than the average c-store shopper, and 42% cite hot food as a reason to return, we’re enabling retailers to use our high margin products to capitalize on the festive feel good factor at a time when shoppers want to indulge.”

Other bakers are not afraid of promoting Christmas treats early. “It’s never too early for a Christmas treat,” according to the French artisanal bakery PAUL. The bakery chain presents a limited-edition mince pie croissant to satisfy that Christmas craving with a French-styled artisan delicacy from November 7.

Last but not least, American company Cheryl’s Cookies celebrates Jewish holiday Hanukkah this year with a wide range of cookie gift offerings, some of them giving the consumer’s the possibility to personalize the box.

These are just a few ideas of products promoted through annual events, in a holiday land of baking opportunities. Products launched this year prove one more time that baked goods and international holidays are a good match for companies and consumers as well.