Breakfast, dinner, snack, or a quick meal – bakeries have always provided the right offer for any time of the day. But eating habits have changed over the decades. International specialties, such as French baguette or Italian ciabatta, are becoming increasingly popular. Preferably with whole grain or from original grains, such as spelt or emmer. Bread made from sourdough is also in demand. And topics such as sustainability and the origin of products are very important in bakeries and bakery stores.
One megatrend that has influenced and changed the out-of-home market is snacking. For bakeries and confectioners, snacking is an added benefit and generates additional business, even though snacking requires bakers and confectioners to come up with new concepts to match with the current needs of guests. During the crisis months, however, the sector experienced a short downfall. But here, the demand for sandwiches, bagels and ciabatta is recovering as well. Bakers have become more than just bread experts; they are bakery gastronomes who have broadened their horizons and recognized the diversity of the entire sector.
Technology and digitization have found their way into bakeries. Kneading, weighing, or resting is already computer-controlled in many places. The use of innovative technology increases production reliability, reduces quality fluctuations, and relieves bakers from routine tasks. The networking of the individual devices in the bakeries is future-oriented. This allows process-optimized work and in addition to that it increases efficiency. Digitization is also found in the salesroom. Without modern and fast checkout systems, nothing works here anymore.
