Heidi Chef to take on Canadian market

Baked goods and ingredients provider Heidi Chef Solutions has used Gulfood as a platform to announce that it is expanding overseas to become Austrian baking products producer Backaldrin’s partner in Canada.

Heidi Chef general manager Manuel-Yves Eckert explained: “We feel there’s a big demand for our products there; it’s a bread-eating culture and also a market where Backaldrin does not really have any exposure at the moment, so we believe it’s a logical step to take the company there.”

Eckert emphasised that the Middle East would still remain a central market for the business.

“The Middle East of course is still a very important market for us, in partnership with Backaldrin; we locally manufacture for the entire MENA region from Amman, Jordan, so naturally it’s a key area,” he said.

“Looking at the new operation, we’re going to start in Toronto and take the business from there to other major cities – Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver.

“We haven’t put a time-line in place, we’re staying fairly relaxed. As last year proved, there are some things you can’t plan. We’re taking it step-by-step, as it comes.

“But of course after some time, once the market is right, we will start to manufacture locally, rather than importing from overseas,” he revealed.

“While I cannot officially comment for Backaldrin, I can tell you that they do have further plans globally,” Eckert continued.

“Canada is the next step, and we feel we should concentrate on this market before moving on – possibly south of the border, into the US.”