The fifth installment of the Austrian Bakery Days took place on April 20 and 21, 2024, held at and around the backaldrin headquarters. On both days, backaldrin’s customers and partners could learn about the baking ingredients manufacturer’s current and traditional products. Around 4,000 international trade visitors came from all parts of the world. For the first time since 2019, the Austrian Bakery Days event returned to Asten. Seven bakeries were visited, the products were tested and the latest innovations were discussed with backaldrin employees. “The Austrian Bakery Days are always somet ..read more

Grupo Bimbo reports strong performance across most regions in the three months ending on March 31, 2024. During this time, the company’s gross margin expanded 90 basis points to 52.0%, due to lower raw material costs across every region, which was offset by higher labor costs. Bimbo acquired Trei Brutari in these three months, a producer of bread and cookies in Romania, and three franchisees, as well as a 30% stake in UNO, the packaged bread leader in Turkey. Bimbo also recently acquired Moulin d’Or, a market leader in branded sweet baked goods in Tunisia, expanding Grupo Bimbo’s presence t ..read more

The European Union is set to fine Oreo maker Mondelez for blocking sales across borders, according to a Financial Times report, which cites people familiar with the developments. The fine, possibly in the millions of Euros, could be announced as soon as next month, the financial publication says. The report also anticipates that the European Commission will also order Mondelez to stop blocking the sale of its products between EU member states, to avoid the risk of harming consumers. EU antitrust authorities began investigating Mondelez International in early 2021 over concerns it ..read more

Belcolade and Puratos released the latest annual report of the Cacao-Trace® sustainable cocoa program. The program is on track to support and provide living income for 50,000 farmers by 2030, Puratos announced. The report highlights milestone achievements in 2023 in the journey to improve sustainability across the chocolate and cocoa-based product chain. Last year, Cacao-Trace® reached over 23,000 farmers and their families, across eight countries. In 2023, the Cacao-Trace program also collected a EUR 2.4 million Chocolate Bonus, which will be shared with farming communities in 2024 – eithe ..read more

Glanbia announced an agreement to acquire Flavor Producers LLC, for an initial consideration of USD 300 million. Flavor Producers is a US flavor platform, providing flavors and extracts to the food and beverage industries, with a focus on organic and natural ingredients. Glanbia will operate Flavor Producers within its Glanbia Nutritionals, Nutritional Solutions business. The transaction is anticipated to close in the first half of FY 2024, subject to customary closing conditions. Flavor Producers is an established platform with a background of over 40 years and an extensive flavor library ..read more

IBIE officially launched its ‘Call for Speakers’ campaign for the upcoming 2025 IBIEducate show. The educational program offers a platform for chosen presenters to demonstrate their expertise, share best practices, and showcase emerging solutions, trends, and technologies to thousands of professionals. Professionals interested in contributing are encouraged to submit proposals at www.BakingExpo.com/Call-for-Speakers by August 30, 2024.   IBIE will feature more than 100 learning opportunities catering to the specific needs of attendees across all job roles and sectors of the baking indu ..read more

No two sourdoughs are the same; its value lies in its diversity. Perfecting different sourdough specialties relies on process accuracy and stability, with optimum kneading and mixing parameters for each type of product. Simply sourdough: DIOSNA To optimize sourdough processing, the best place to start is by learning the starter itself. An important characteristic of starter cultures is stability: they must be stable in terms of microbiological quantity (concentration of microorganisms) and quality (representation of the background species). The starter cultures ensure the repeatability of t ..read more

Bridor announced the acquisition of PANDRIKS Holding B.V., a Dutch bakery specializing in organic and artisanal-inspired products. PANDRIKS has a turnover of EUR 150 million (2023) and 400 employees. “Under the BRIDOR umbrella, PANDRIKS will continue its journey with both its brand and values being preserved,” the company detailed in an announcement. With a turnover of nearly EUR 3 billion in 2024 and a presence in 100 countries, the LE DUFF Group plans to accelerate its growth in the bakery market, as the recent acquisition made by its subsidiary, BRIDOR, shows. The integration of PANDRIKS ..read more

On April 10, Palsgaard held an event to inaugurate a new spray cooling tower and officially launch the construction of a new emulsifier factory that will supply the tower, where the emulsifiers will be turned into fine-powdered products. The resulting materials can be used in several industries, including food. The tower and the emulsifier factory make up the two largest parts of Palsgaard’s EUR 200 million investment into doubling its production capacity by 2025. Mayor Ole Vind was invited to the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the spray cooling tower and to break ground for the new factory al ..read more

Lesaffre announced the launch of an open call to discover new paths of innovation in carbon capture and utilization (CCU) specifically tailored for the food industry. In this endeavor, Lesaffre partnered with SoScience, a company specializing in responsible research and innovation. Addressing the challenge of feeding sustainably a growing global population is a global concern that requires collective innovation, Lesaffre believes. Fermentation and microorganisms, as they offer unlimited potential for innovation can contribute to the solution of this challenge, helping to create sustainable ..read more