Since Sliced Bread

Season two of Since Sliced Bread will explore the emergence of “accidental” bakers and snack makers. We’ll tell the stories of how they got started, the challenges they faced and how they are disrupting their categories — or in some cases — how they are creating completely new ones. In this first episode, we sat down with Monica Watrous, managing editor of Food Business News. She’ll explain what’s making it possible for these emerging businesses to find a space on the shelf and become true competitors to more established snack and bakery companies.

Since Sliced Bread returns April 15! On season two, we’ll be talking to bakers and snack makers who got into the industry by accident. Tune in to learn how these entrepreneurs transformed their ideas into reality and how they are disrupting their categories.

Consumers may be cutting carbs, but King’s Hawaiian Bakery is not feeling the pinch. Despite overall declining bread sales, the company has experienced double-digit growth the past few years, said Chad Donvito, chief marketing officer for King’s Hawaiian. In this episode, Mr. Donvito shares how the company invested in a marketing message that embraced the products’ shareable, celebratory nature.

In this episode, , Charlie Negaro Jr., CEO, Chabaso, shares his experience learning about and supporting regional agricultural. He outlines what farmers need from local, state and federal government and the baking industry in order to grow these ingredients and make a regional agriculture model sustainable.

While sliced bread declines, other baking industry segments like tortillas are picking up the slack. And a large part of the problem, Tom Gumpel, founder and CEO of MDJ Baking and former vice-president of bakery research and development for Panera Bread, argues, is the lack of innovation from the bread producers. He appeals to the baking industry to move away from white bread and take the time to put in the work to make flavorful bread that is nutritious.

What we eat, where we eat and how we eat are changing, and the commercial baking industry needs to adapt to those changes in order to grow. In this episode, Daniel Servitje, CEO and chairman of Grupo Bimbo, shares how the company is keeping up with the fast-paced change and how the industry can be a part of the consumer conversation. He also makes a case for how a checkoff program can educate consumers on how bread fits into a healthy diet.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Jon Davis, vice-president of innovation for Aryzta North America and La Brea Bakery, discusses how La Brea Bakery has partnered with farmers to develop new breads with heirloom and sprouted grains. He shares not only why he thinks these ingredients are part of the future of bread but also some of the hurdles the industry will have to clear for sustainable change.

With the proliferation of blogs, social media and smartphones, consumers have a wealth of information at their literal fingertips, sometimes too much — or even inaccurate — information. On this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Julie Martin, social media manager for Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe, shares how the bakery is communicating on social media the healthfulness of its bread and the value the company found in connecting with its consumers. Hear her thoughts on how the industry can use these connections to educate consumers that not all carbs are bad.

The first season of Since Sliced Bread will examine falling bread sales and talk with industry leaders about bringing consumers back to the bread aisle. In this first episode, we speak to Josh Sosland, editor of Milling & Baking News and editor-in-chief of Food Business News, to find out how the sliced bread market is performing and what led to this decline.

On Jan. 15, 2020, Baking & Snack will launch its first podcast, Since Sliced Bread. From declining bread sales to the workforce crisis, the series will explore a new topic each season in hopes of uncovering new solutions to the industry latest challenges.