Registration Is Open: World Bakers Summit Is Coming to Bucharest on September 15-17
Join us this fall for the first summit of the baking industry in Central and Eastern Europe! On September 15-17, 2026, the most important brands and specialists in bakery ingredients, technology, products, marketing, as well as buyers from the retail and hospitality industry, will gather in Bucharest, Romania, for a three-day event that will foster better business in the region.
The World Bakers Summit is where the fast-evolving baking and pastry industry comes together to connect, collaborate, and grow. The event serves as a hub for manufacturers, suppliers, retailers, and hospitality leaders to exchange insights, explore cutting-edge technologies, and identify new business opportunities. Participants will discover the latest market trends, discuss pressing challenges, and forge partnerships that drive progress across the bakery ecosystem.
Whether you’re a producer expanding distribution, a technology provider helping bakeries operate more efficiently, or a retailer championing local craft, the World Bakers Summit offers the platform to engage with industry peers and shape the future of baking.
The first edition focuses on developing business connections between the manufacturers, retailers and hospitality leaders in Central and Eastern Europe. Once seen as a market looking West for direction, the region has now become a dynamic source of innovation, investment, and opportunity in its own right. With modernized factories, thriving artisan bakeries, and forward-thinking retailers transforming the landscape, the Summit celebrates this new era — one defined by local strength, creativity, and ambition.
The event is organized by World Bakers and European Baker & Biscuit with the support of Progresiv Magazine Romania, Trends HRB, Frozen Food Europe.
The first confirmed speakers
Lara Schütz
Master Baker & Bread Sommelière
Lara Schütz is a master baker and international bakery consultant working across Central and Eastern Europe. As the first Romanian bread sommelier and finalist at the Bread Sommelier World Championship 2025, she focuses on integrating sensory analysis into the everyday life of a bakery.
Her work centers on building a shared, structured language for bread evaluation, moving teams from vague descriptors to precise sensory criteria that help improve quality, consistency, and product positioning.
With over two decades of entrepreneurial experience and 26 years in education, she bridges craft, science, and communication. Lara is a certified bread sensory assessor, bread sommelière, and diplomed beer sommelière, speaker, translator of The Weinheim Language of Bread and The Bread Flavor Wheel, and author of The Bread Sommelière Newsletter.
Gabriela Bereș
Managing Director for Central & Eastern Europe, Puratos
Gabriela Bereș is Managing Director for Central & Eastern Europe at Puratos – the Belgian group dedicated to building a better future for bakery, patisserie, and chocolate – where she leads a dynamic regional business across 15 countries.
A recognized leader in the industry, Gabriela has successfully driven strong, sustainable growth, transforming Puratos Romania into a market leader and doubling its business performance under her leadership. Today, she continues to scale this impact at regional level, with a clear focus on innovation, customer centricity, and long-term value creation. She is also a strong advocate of Puratos’ “Food for Good” vision – promoting healthier food solutions and meaningful impact in communities.
One of her most inspiring initiatives is the Bakery School program in Romania, which provides young people with access to professional education while helping reshape the perception of craftsmanship careers. Gabriela is known for her authentic leadership style, her ability to build strong teams, and her passion for developing people and opportunities.
Dr Isabel Trogh
Customer Technical Support Manager at BENEO
As Customer Technical Support Manager at BENEO, Isabel Trogh is positioned as the bakery application specialist at the BENEO-Technology Center in Belgium, having joined the company in 2013. In this role, she is responsible for helping customers identify new opportunities using BENEO’s ingredients and providing solutions to technical challenges across all food applications. Alongside this, she develops technical documentation for all BENEO’s applications and ingredients, and delivers application training sessions and seminars for both internal and external stakeholders, as well as providing technical expertise.
With more than 20 years experience in the food industry, Isabel started her career as R&D Manager Patisserie Mixes, before moving to R&D Manager Nutrition and Product Manager Patisserie Mixes, all at Puratos Group in Belgium.
Isabel holds a Masters degree in Bio-engineer Chemistry (option food) and a Doctoral degree in Applied Biological Sciences, both achieved at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.
René van Ass
Business Development Officer, Verhoeven Family of Companies
After his positions as marketeer with the multinationals Sony and Mölnlycke, René began building brands on his own account in a variety of markets. He experienced the rise of International brand licensing as a strong added value opportunity. After a career of more than 30 years as independent entrepreneur he decided to share his creative skills and experience in a postion as consultant. René is passionately advocating the distinctive powers and importance of creativity and innovation. He was hired to build the strategy on repositioning, guiding innovation and business development at the Dutch Verhoeven Family of Companies where he currently operates as Business Development Officer.