30% spurt in footfalls
The latest edition of the industry’s top trade show, Bakery Business, registered an increase in terms of footfalls as well as exhibitor participation. A report by Manoj John.
With every passing edition, Bakery Business trade exhibition is raising the bar for itself. The latest edition of the country’s premier trade show for the bakery and allied industries, now in its 12th year, witnessed visitors from all verticals. Footfalls registered a 30 per cent year-on-year increase. Bakery owners from the Northern and Western India flew down to Bandra-Kurla Complex, Mumbai’s largest business district, to take a look at the latest trends in equipment and ingredients in the industry.
Several international brands displayed their products at Bakery Business 2016 held in last November at the sprawling MMRDA Grounds in Mumbai’s BK C. The latest equipment and technologies were rolled out at the exhibition—from rack ovens to plastic accessories. Several new ingredient brands also were launched at Bakery Business 2016.
There were a series of events held alongside the exhibition. The star attraction was a seminar on “How to Franchise Your Bakery Business Successfully,” which was presented by Vijay Widge. This was the culmination of a series of seminars on similar topics conducted over years.
There were seminars on “How to Start Your Own Bakery” and “How to Scale Up Your Bakery” in the past editions of Bakery Business, presented by industry veterans. Those seminars were aimed at fresh entrepreneurs who wanted to get into the bakery business and existing bakery owners. The present seminar was, interestingly, targeted at successful bakery owners who wants to grow further by way of the franchisee route.
In his presentation, Widge gave many tips to the bakery owners. One of the main knowledge tips was the lack of effectiveness of random advertisements. Widge said sporadic advertisements in leading newspapers will not bring matching result. He advised the bakery owners to instead go for outdoor publicity and in-door promotions to increase sales. He also threw light on various aspects of franchising such as selecting the partners, and fixing franchise fees.
Nilesh Karkhanis, consultant chef, in his presentation dealt with the affordable models of live-in-store bakeries. He primarily explained how the business model must be based on profitability. For many participants in the seminar, the idea of live bakery was new.
Karkhanis gave insights into the stark difference between independent bakery outlets, on the one hand, and live-in-store bakeries in retail chains, on the other hand. That the value proposition of a live-in-store bakery is essentially different was the crux of his presentation.
Karkhanis, who has been making presentations in the past editions of the Bakery Business trade show too, gave insightful answers to the queries from the audience who were eager to know the ways and means to increase revenue and improve profitability.
The Live Bakery Theatre, one of the signature events at Bakery Business, was a class apart this time with an array of internateionally renowned chefs leading the classes.
Anil Rohira, export corporate pastry chef at Felchlin AG, demonstrated the latest techniques in chocolate making. He also gave answers to the queries of the participants at the master class as
to the temperature, quality and various other aspects of chocolate making.
Bruno Pastorelli, MeilleurOuvrier, demonstrate various pastry products during his master class. Chef Ajay Chopra, in his demonstration, made products with California walnuts as ingredient. The products he made included cheese cake, kebab and jam.
By far the most thrilling experience among all sideshows at the Bakery Business exhibition every year is the competition for home bakers. This year’s Professional Home Bakers Challenge was no different. Around 30 home bakers vied with one another for the title of the Home Baker of the Year. There were prizes for the winners in each of the various categories too. Wedding cake, chocolate and dessert dominated the individual categories this year.
The India Bakery and Pastry Challenge, a competition for seasoned chefs, witnessed participation from the top luxury hotels in the country such as Grand Hyatt and The Oberoi. Bakery Business 2016 was home to a large number of multinational behemoths such as AB Mauri, Bunge and Nestle. This year’s trade show also witnessed several homegrown blue-chip corporates such as IDFC Bank and Tata Chemicals.
‘Big packs hold up home bakers’ purchase decisions’
Shyamali Mangaonkar, Home Baker of the Year in the last edition of Professional Home Bakers’ Challenge (PHBC), shares her experience on quitting her law profession and taking up baking. Excerpts from an interview.
Can you please tell us how you took up baking?
I completed Bachelors of Commerce from Mumbai University in 2010. After that, I worked at my father’s business of labour laws consultancy. While working there, out of passion for food I took up a craftsmanship course in bakery & cookery from Dadar Catering College (IHM, Mumbai) in 2012.
Further, I went on to do an apprenticeship in a baking. After a few months, I started taking orders from home and also took up specialised classes in sugar crafting and chocolate making from Bimba Nayak.
What was the turning point in your career?
As a child, I was interested in painting and drawing. We had a business-like atmosphere at home. I having good academic track record, my father wanted me to get into business. But I was never satisfied doing what I was doing because I did not like confining myself to a desk.
Food was always an interesting thing for me. Cooking helps me calm down when I am stressed. I also helps me put to use my creative instincts. When I was studying law, I participated in the fresher’s competition.
One of their questions was about hobbies. I passionately explained about food, different cuisines and my favourite things to bake. They were impressed by my confidence and I won the contest.
I had never ever participated in a personality contest. To win it because of my passion for food was an eye opener for me. It made me realise that this is something that truly makes me happy and lets me use my creative and administrative skills equally.
It was a very tough decision to quit law and to get into the food industry without any background in that field. It was also very challenging. It took a while for me to convince my father and gain his confidence in my work. But when parents see their child is happy and doing well, they support you.
My brother suggested me to start taking orders from home. This sounded very sensible. It gave me the scope to learn, experiment and practise before I started full-time baking. Then I started Shyamali’s Bake Creations with basic training from the catering college and my grandmother’s mother’s cake recipes in my hand.
Please elaborate on the training and skill upgradation you impart to yourself?
As I said, BimbaNayak has been my guide since I started my journey in the bakery business. I keep on taking up classes with her to upgrade my practical skills. Learning is a constant process. Experimenting and practicing on your own is very important. I love to read and refer books on professional baking, sugar crafting and chocolate making. I have a whole cupboard full of big, informative and expensive books. Also Internet helps a lot to know the trends and techniques worldwide.
What are your favourite products and flavours?
Chocolate is my favourite product. It is so versatile with different types such as dark, milk and white. Chocolate can be combined with many other flavours, and the rich aromas and the smooth taste are just amazing. Orange and coffee are the next best flavours for me. How useful are social media such as Youtube and Facebook for a baker. Please elaborate your experience.
Social media is of course very helpful. Home bakers do not have a shop or a face to their products. Youtube, Facebook or Instagram give the chance to display their products. It enables them to reach out to more people at a lesser cost. Also when people appreciate or give feedback on social media, it not only encourages them but also gives good publicity.
What is your customer profile? What are their preferences? What were the changes in customer preferences over the years?
My customers are those who actually understand good quality products and authentic taste. I also have customers who don’t like eating cakes a lot but they still go for my cakes and desserts.
PHBC participants speak…
The competition was good. This is the first time I am participating in a competition. Competitions help me realise whether I have made any mistake and how I can improve myself. I hope to do better next year. Judges were good. — Louella Lopez
The competition was amazing. This was my first experience at a competition of this scale. It lent me lots of learning. I could meet many experts at the event. The judges delved into every bit and detail in perfect accordance with the rule book. — Sonali Mhatre
It was a fantastic experience for me. I participated in last year’s PHBC too in dessert and chocolate categories. The inputs given by last year’s judges were very helpful for me to improve myself. I was runner up in Cakeology competition in last September. It was totally unexpected for me bag the position of Runner up in Home Baker of the Year Award this time in PHBC. PHBC is a very helpful platform for everyone. — Ankita Lunia
IBPC participants speak…
The experience of taking part in the competition was very good. I had participated in IBPC two years ago when it was smaller in scope. This time I could see the event has grown in a huge way. The number of teams also has increased over the years. The jury was very clear in its approach. They explained to us what went wrong and where. I was sure I had a 50:50 chance to win. — Riddhi Raut, Trident, Gold medallist
I liked the competition a lot. It was perfectly conducted. The temperature level was controlled at the optimum level. The equipment provided was of good standard. I have put in a lot of hard work and expected to win some medal. The jury explained what needed to be done. I am planning to go abroad so I will probably miss the next year’s IBPC. — Ajit, Grand Hyatt, Silver Medallist
It was amazing. I have participated in many competitions such as the GIPP and RECA. This was the first time I was taking part in IBPC and the experience was really good. We had to work our daily routine and then put in extra hours to prepare for IBPC. This time we had only 10 days in hand so we had to work really hard. We worked 18 hours a day. The jury was also good and we are happy with their decisions. — Aabhas Jain, The Oberoi, Silver Medallist
