Move to ‘grab and go’ boosts demand for bakery products
With the restrictions of the past 12 months severely impacting trade for many foodservice operators, it’s not surprising that there was a drop in demand for many product lines. But as many businesses began focusing on takeaway and home delivery opportunities, bakery products were seen as an ideal means of providing grab and go meals, with the result that demand actually increased from some quarters. To find out more we spoke to two major suppliers of bakery products to the foodservice market.
“As we know the dine-in experience virtually disappeared during lockdown, and not only were a lot of businesses struggling, even those which had pivoted to takeaway and delivery and so were doing OK still had to reduce staff due to social distancing restrictions necessitating fewer people in back of house,” points out Darren O’Brien, Bakery Innovation Manager – Foodservice at Tip Top.
“So the menus instead became about food which you could produce really quickly and efficiently with limited staff, and which would stand up to the rigours of delivery. And even now restrictions have eased up and customers are venturing back out to their favourite venues, many foodservice operators have been left with fewer staff than before so these menu changes are here to stay at least for the time being.
“It’s not so much about trying to save money on products, but about making efficient use of your labour resource by offering menu options which you can make quickly and easily.”
Darren says even though many foodservice businesses had to close their doors, there was nevertheless a surge in demand for bakery products from those who had pivoted, because they’re ideal for grab and go.
“Garlic bread suddenly became a quick and easy menu add-on, as a side or as takeout on a tray. Everybody went to burgers – you can’t serve a bacon and egg breakfast in a box to go, but you can put in a burger and box it with a hash brown.
“Burgers need buns and so we’ve seen demand for all our buns, from regular white seeded burger buns to potato buns, brioche buns and milk buns, really grow right across the market. Our potato bun is now our fastest-growing, it’s outselling brioche and milk for us. Many operators have latched onto it as the latest trend and sales have more than doubled over the last couple of years.
“When you look at sales in our bun category, the regular buns are now at 60 per cent, premium buns make up about 40 per cent and our potato bun is the biggest seller. I think its popularity is partly because it’s something new on the market and also because it’s a very soft product which works with all the different burger builds.
Burgers have moved away from your traditional meat pattie – we’re now seeing grilled chicken, pulled meats, pieces of pork, halloumi, so many different filling options, and you need a bun which will hold all that together but still be soft enough to be able to bite through.
“Another selling point for the potato bun is the fact that it’s vegan, which means you don’t need to order a special bun for vegan menu options – you can just use the potato bun as standard and if someone wants a vegan meal you simply swap out the filling.”
A lighter, low carb bun option
Darren also makes the point that when it comes to burgers, a lot of consumers are looking for a lighter, lower carb bun option – “because although they like bread, they don’t want to eat too much of it.” Hence the launch of Burger Thins, which are round pieces of bread pre-sliced to split apart easily – the thinner serving size cuts down carbs.
“We introduced Burger Thins some 18 months ago, following the success of Sandwich Thins which is the same concept but in a square format. They have been very successful, with most of our foodservice customers preferring to buy them frozen – we pack them in smaller cartons designed to suit those operations which have limited freezer space, with packs of six inside. This is an ideal size because it means you can pull out a pack or two at a time and have them thawing, ready to use when you have a customer who wants a lower-carb option.”
Only real limit is the chef’s imagination
Warren Jones at Mission Foods, which produces an extensive range of tortilla wraps, says demand from the foodservice sector has definitely increased over the past 12 months. “We believe that’s due to their grab and go portability, which makes them a natural fit as foodservice businesses pivoted to takeaway and home delivery,” he explains. “Tortilla wraps are really robust so they withstand the rigours of home delivery very well. They’re also very versatile products which you can use for any meal occasion from breakfast and brunch to lunch, dinners, leftovers and snacks.”
Warren adds that chefs have been getting very creative with their use of wraps, adding all manner of innovative ingredients.
“We’ve seen Korean food, Mexican food, American barbecue style, all presented in our wraps, along with serving styles as simple as the humble vegemite and cheese roll-up. You can even use them as a dessert option.”
“There’s also a wide variety of different wrapping methods being employed right now – the only real limit is the chef’s imagination, and that’s where Australia’s multicultural mix comes into its own, because we’re all exposed to so many different influences and cuisine styles. The diversity of our culture means there’s a real willingness among consumers to try all different kinds of food.
“Especially now that international travel has been curtailed, it seems that some people are seeking that sensory experience from their restaurant visits – they want to explore new cultures through food rather than travel. And of course with the easing up of local restrictions, people are just excited to be able to eat out again!”
With operators seeking alternatives to the standard wrap, flavoured wraps such as spinach and tomato have been popular sellers for Mission Foods a number of years. “Our flavoured wraps are one of our biggest sellers and we find a lot of cafes like to cut them in half – they offer a very colourful presentation when you choose bright fillings then have the coloured wrap on the outside. It ties in to the trend of rainbow food, putting more colour into your meals. The sizing goes from 5 inch up to 12 and the larger sizes of 10 and 12 inches are the big sellers – they're more versatile and make it easy to create a full meal. Having said that, the market’s also looking for snacking options, which is where the smaller ones come in to play for the mid-morning or mid-afternoon market: you can create cheap cheerful snacking options and we're seeing that in the QSR sector at the moment. It’s all about offering value for money and wraps fit neatly into that category.”
With consumers becoming more nutritionally aware and looking towards wholefoods type options, demand has also increased for Mission Foods’ wholemeal wraps over recent months. “We also have products such as a low fat wrap and one with no added preservatives,” Warren adds. “There’s definitely a push to cleaner and greener food.
“Our wrap range is classified as vegan which of course means it’s vegetarian as well. And the relevance of that is definitely on the rise, and will continue to rise as plant based foods gain more momentum.”
“Gluten free is also a big driver of demand in the marketplace, and the big success story we’ve seen in this space has been gluten free pizza bases. Demand for pizza really surged during the lockdowns because it’s such a well-established takeaway and home delivery meal to begin with, so gluten free pizza bases have been very strong sellers.”
