Key Business Outlooks For 2025: Onno Kuiper, Rademaker
We foresee that the bakery market will continue to grow on a global level. For us, the challenge is to make sure that we as a company are prepared for the growing demand for industrial bakery production equipment. Also, we see that the bakery knowledge level is declining. To help bakeries deal with this problem, we have developed the Rademaker Academy.
As we step into 2025, the baking industry is evolving at an unprecedented pace, driven by shifting consumer preferences, sustainability demands, and technological advancements. To gain a clearer picture of what lies ahead, we spoke with industry leaders, from large-scale manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and technology innovators to professional associations that push the industry’s objectives on the public agenda.
In this special section, experts share their perspectives on the biggest trends shaping the market—from the growing demand for clean-label and plant-based products to innovations in precision fermentation, upcycled ingredients, and AI-driven production processes. They discuss how economic pressures, supply chain challenges, and sustainability goals are reshaping business strategies and what opportunities lie ahead for bakeries of all sizes.
Will 2025 be the year of functional baked goods? How will automation and digitalization continue to transform operations? And what role will climate-conscious sourcing play in consumer decision-making? Our panel of industry insiders weighs in on these critical questions, offering valuable insights to help businesses navigate the evolving landscape.
Read on for exclusive interviews with the visionaries shaping the future of baking.
Onno Kuiper, Sales Director, Rademaker
Considering market volatility, supply chain disruptions, energy costs, and workforce challenges, how would you assess your company’s performance over the past year?
The year 2024 indeed presented its challenges. While direct supply chain disruptions were mostly manageable due to actions taken in previous years, customer-initiated delays, such as those resulting from “buildings not ready” or unexpected time-consuming local government procedures, posed challenges for (re)planning installations. The energy crisis appeared to be less of an issue for most of our customers as energy prices dropped again and stabilized. Concerning workforce issues, this has driven many customers to invest in automated production lines, in which Rademaker is a market leader.
What are your expectations for 2025, taking into account the lingering impacts of 2024 and the evolving market dynamics?
The outlook for 2025 is positive, as the scarcity of labor continues to drive customers towards automated solutions provided by Rademaker. Investments made in the previous year should have prepared the organization to meet this high demand.
How do you foresee the global and regional bakery markets evolving, and what are your company’s top priorities for 2025?
We foresee that the bakery market will continue to grow on a global level. For us, the challenge is to make sure that we as a company are prepared for the growing demand for industrial bakery production equipment. Also, we see that the bakery knowledge level is declining. To help bakeries deal with this problem, we have developed the Rademaker Academy.
As competition in the baking industry intensifies, what strategies are you employing to strengthen your market position? How do you balance operational investments with innovation and R&D?
Innovation in the bakery industry is more and more dependent on the combined knowledge of (dough) ingredients, recipes and production processing together with electrical & mechanical engineering and data driven analysis. Enabling and efficient cooperation between customers and an integral approach of all mentioned fields of expertise of an equipment manufacturer such as Rademaker is resulting in new and innovative solutions.