Key Business Outlooks For 2026: Marek Sagalinec, Chief Commercial Officer, Minit
Globally, the bakery segment is shifting from quantity towards clean-label products, while at a regional level there is growing demand for local and fresh solutions available “just around the corner”. Our priorities for 2026 are therefore clearly defined around the quality of ingredients and innovation. We are focusing on implementing recipes with a higher fibre content, the inclusion of superfoods, and the elimination of unnecessary additives.
We asked the most important players in the European and American baking industry about their expectations for the year ahead. They talked about opportunities, changing consumer expectations, what type of support the industry needs, but also about the drawbacks of an unstable political climate and the challenges that come with labour shortage and energy prices increasing.
Marek Sagalinec, Chief Commercial Officer, Minit
How would you assess your company’s performance over the past year?
Despite changing economic conditions, we have strengthened our position as a market leader in the bakery industry in Slovakia. We currently export to 16 European countries, with exports representing a significant share of our total production. Manufacturing takes place in three modern plants operating ten automated, high-capacity production lines with an annual capacity of 35,000 tonnes.
We are a trendsetter in product portfolio innovation. We have successfully launched a wide range of new products made with mother sourdough, featuring long dough fermentation and baked in stone ovens. Among the most popular innovations are PINSA snacks, as well as new flavour variations of laminated dough products that reflect modern bakery trends.
Continuous modernisation of production technologies and optimisation of logistics have increased our productivity while simultaneously reducing our carbon footprint.
In addition to our supply partnerships within the retail segment, our franchise network has expanded to more than 500 outlets across Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
What are your expectations for 2026, taking into account the evolving market dynamics?
Our expectations for 2026 are built on proactive and sustainable growth. Market dynamics indicate that in 2026, customers will not only seek convenience, but also nutritionally valuable food options. At the same time, European trends confirm that consumers now expect something surprising even in bakery products, whether in flavour, shape, or through innovative combinations of modern flavours with unconventional forms.
Our outlook is focused on further expanding our portfolio with bakery products that are accessible to everyone, while also meeting the expectations of more demanding customers.
We view 2026 as a year of new opportunities for strong partnerships. Our ambition is to grow alongside our business partners, share both success and responsibility, and build a stable, trustworthy and forward-looking cooperation model that remains resilient in changing market conditions. We also plan deeper integration with digital platforms and the use of AI to optimise our production processes.
How do you foresee the global and regional bakery markets evolving, and what are your company’s top priorities for 2026?
Globally, the bakery segment is shifting from quantity towards clean-label products, while at a regional level there is growing demand for local and fresh solutions available “just around the corner”. Our priorities for 2026 are therefore clearly defined around the quality of ingredients and innovation. We are focusing on implementing recipes with a higher fibre content, the inclusion of superfoods, and the elimination of unnecessary additives.
Regional markets are facing labour shortages. In 2024, we responded by innovating and opening a new fully automated frozen products warehouse. At MINIT, we strive to do things differently. We provide comprehensive training for staff through the MINIT Academy, with a strong emphasis on customer experience and service excellence.
By 2026, sustainability is no longer a choice. We are transitioning to recyclable packaging and optimising our logistics routes to minimise emissions associated with product distribution.
What have been your primary growth drivers over the past year, and what is the most significant lesson you’ve learned in managing your operations?
Over the past year, our primary driver of growth has been product innovation. We were able to respond swiftly to increasing demand for healthier alternatives and expanded our presence in key transit locations. In summary, our progress has been driven by agility within our product portfolio: we introduced new product ranges with clean-label formulations that are highly attractive to consumers. Our assortment also includes plant-based product alternatives, supported by relevant certifications.
A key factor in our success is closer cooperation with local raw material suppliers, and transparent communication about ingredient origin is not merely a marketing tool for us, but a fundamental principle of how we operate.
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?
Competition motivates us to deliver higher performance; however, our strategy is not built on price comparison, but on creating added value. We actively listen to our partners and respond flexibly to special or exclusive requirements. Our ambition is to offer solutions that help our partners stand out from the competition not through price, but through the uniqueness of the products we deliver.
We are shaping Minit into a love brand that forms part of our customers’ everyday rituals, guided by the vision “Minit for every family.” We continue to expand into new channels through strategic partnerships with retail chains, both domestically and across international markets.
How do we balance operations with innovation? We see this balance as an investment in future profitability rather than a cost. We are continuously developing innovations in new ingredients, freezing technologies and storage solutions, because our goal is not only to produce bakery products, but to define modern snacking that is fast, fresh and relevant to today’s consumers.
What unexpected developments occurred in 2025, and how did they influence your business operations or strategies?
We entered 2025 relatively well prepared, and we responded flexibly to unexpected events by reassessing our operational setup, diversifying our supplier base and strengthening our energy self-sufficiency. As a result, unforeseen circumstances did not take us by surprise, while also confirming the validity of our long-term vision.
Flexibility is one of our core strengths in every respect. It enables us to adjust our production programme and distribution network within days rather than months. Thanks to timely measures, we emerged from these situations stronger, with an even more efficient internal inventory management process.
What are the most significant forces driving change in your business for 2026, and how is your company preparing to address them?
Today’s customer is no longer looking merely for a “quick fix for hunger”. The driving force shaping demand is the growing preference for bakery products with added value, such as high protein content, a low glycaemic index, clean label recipes and favourable Nutri-Score ratings.
We do not respond to these trends defensively; instead, we see them as an opportunity to innovate. This includes baking in a stone oven and using blast-freezing technology, which helps preserve both the freshness and nutritional value of our products.
From your perspective, what policy, regulatory, or market shifts would most benefit the baking sector in 2026, enabling businesses like yours to thrive?
The bakery sector has been undergoing a significant transformation in recent years. Our vision is built around the concept of an “intelligent bakery”. One that is sustainable, personalised and accessible anywhere.
Already today, our R&D department is working on recipes with a low glycaemic index, probiotic cultures and alternative protein sources.
Our contribution to the growth of the industry will be to demonstrate that even a traditional craft such as baking can be a true driver of innovation, when it has the courage to combine the heritage passed down from previous generations with the technologies of the future.