The bakery boom

The multi-cultural mix of consumers in Middle Eastern countries is driving demand for increasing varieties of bakery products, according to industry professionals.

Bakemart managing director T K Khaleel explained: “Bakery products, especially European Viennoiseries and artisan breads, are becoming very popular in the Middle East as a result of the increasing affluence and multi-cultural nature of the region.

“Ex-pats and tourists alike are often surprised but pleased to find traditional bakery products from their country of origin with the same quality they are used to at home — which furthermore are not necessarily very expensive.”

BakeMark International business development manager Andrew Adam added that the versatility of bakery products meant they could adapt to any outlet.

“We are seeing a rapid growth of coffee shops, snack bars and sandwich shops as well as a development of F&B services in hotels. Bakery foods have become an essential part of the offering in these types of places,” he noted.

According to Bakemart’s Khaleel, the major trend across the Middle East market today is for convenience products.

“With a view to saving time, labour and other operational expenses without affecting quality, consistency and supplies, most customers have switched to frozen products,” he explained. “This trend has caught up with hotels, catering services and other players in the food catering sector.”

BakeMark’s Adam added: “The worldwide growth in snacking is a major trend right now, as consumers today have less time — so this offers a great opportunity for bakery foods.

“People want to eat when it suits them, whatever the time and wherever they happen to be — and sandwiches, pastries and pizza-type snacks are all ideal solutions.”

Adam revealed that the company was also working on products to satisfy the ongoing health food trend.

“We have developed several varieties of bread to suit this trend: varieties with fortified ingredients to target specific health concerns such as vitamin enrichment, calcium for bone health, or pro-biotic ingredients to aid digestive health,” he concluded.

Mini 2in1

Introducing Convotherm Elektrogeräte’s new combi-steamer, the Mini 2in1, boasting two separate cooking chambers but just one control panel.

This double-chamber cooking solution allows greater flexibility — no longer will it be a problem for a chef to cook steaks and cakes at the same time! The combi-steamer’s ‘easyToUCH’ touch-screen makes it simple to operate and it is available in two models, to fit either 2/3 GN or 1/1 GN containers.

Convotherm Elektrogeräte GmbH
Tel: +971 56 604 7411
Email: g.eichhorn@convotherm.de
Web: www.convotherm.com

Bakemart recently introduced long fermented bread to the Middle East market.

Baking this variety of bread on an industrial scale requires careful preparation and patience — but the resulting breads, with their characteristic lightness, sour taste and unique flavour, are inimitable.

Varieties of long fermented bread available from Bakemart include pain de campagne, olive bread and rustic bread.

Bakemart LLC
Tel: +971 4 267 5406
Email: bakemart@emirates.net.ae

Naughty Praline

The most recent cakes catalogue from Advanced Baking Concept (ABC) includes a multitude of fresh-from-frozen fine desserts — including these Naughty Praline portions: brownie slices spread with a creamy hazelnut mousse and hand-decorated with ivory glaze. The product is available either as a whole unit or in ready-to-serve portions.

Advanced Baking Concept LLC
Tel: +971 4 885 3788
Email: masood@abcbaking.com
Web: www.abcbaking.com

Sofinor bread slicers

The Sofinor range of slicers comprises three models: the table-top slicer (BY45T, pictured) which is user-friendly and compact; the Bysance model, a back-loading slicer; and the Aisance model, a top-loading slicer. All models are available in semi- or fully-automatic versions, with brass decoration finish and various colours on demand.

Sofinor
Tel: +33 320 10 34 10
Email: a.pommaret@sofinor.com
Web: www.sofinor.com

Kraftkorn bread mix

BakeMark’s impressive range of bread mixes includes the world-famous Kraftkorn bread mix, bringing the authentic taste of Germany to bakers across the Middle East.

The Kraftkorn multigrain bread mix is incredibly versatile and can be used to make a variety of dough-based products, such as rolls, croissants and special snack breads.

BakeMark International
Tel: +49 421 3502 287
Email: info@bakemarkinternational.com
Web: www.bakemarkinternational.com