Baking Industry Exhibition

The demand for bread and morning goods in the UK is now worth in excess of £3 billon per annum with production of loaves now above 12 million every day. Much of this output is produced by the industrial baking giants who still command 80 per cent of the market. But ‘in store' supermarket production and several thousand craft bakers still account for a significant slice of the industry's output.

With more and more bakers looking to diversify their offerings the second Baking Industry Exhibition (BIE) is focused firmly on fresh ideas for the bakery and snacks sector and will provide visitors with plenty of opportunities to see and experiment with new products, ingredients and technologies. Every aspect of the industry can be explored via the co-located events, which cover the entire food and drink supply chain, making it the biggest event for the sector in the UK this year.

The BIE show targets the complete range of production environments including volume production, craft baking, packaging and bake-off. A number of events and features will be dedicated to expanding the range of products available and the best way to bring these to market for all types of retail environments. 

Organisers William Reed Business Media believe the show is "well placed" to help companies improve their performance in tough market conditions. Daren Rose-Neale, BIE show manager, commented: "The recent success at IBA 2009 (International Trade Fair: World Market for Baking) and Anuga, the international food fair, as well as UK events demonstrates the value of exhibitions to help companies recover from recessionary influences and improve profitability."

"In recent years there has been a proliferation of retail outlets for an ever increasing range of products. This diversity reflects an explosion in demand for fresh and even freshly baked products, wherever they are bought."

"The 100 plus exhibitors at BIE will demonstrate the industry's response to changing tastes and the environmental challenges associated with energy use, process control and packaging" he explained.

They will be supported by a number of features and events to help visitors with their business. These include a fully functioning bakery in Bakery Live, producing new products as well as old favourites using the latest machines and raw materials from some of Europe's leading ingredient and equipment suppliers. There will also be a series of daily Master Classes from inspirational bakers in the industry in the BIE Theatre.

Competitions at the show will have a dual purpose, not only showing off up and coming expertise and skills at California Raisins' Future Baker of the Year contest, but also the talents of experienced bakers in the UK national heat of the Louis Lesaffre Cup, known as the ‘World Cup' of baking.

Completely new is the 'Craft Bakers Shop' enabling smaller and specialist bakers to demonstrate innovative and exciting new products. This area is aimed at helping independent bakers to increase their retail ranges.

"At BIE we are able to showcase the different aspects of the industry and look to future trends for both the larger producers as well as the smaller, independent bakers. Additionally ‘in store' and bake-off options can be explored. Visitors can then see some of these technologies in action as the shows co-located with BIE cover some of the production and retail options now available for these products" concluded Mr Rose-Neale.