On March 5, 2020, the Guillaume Tirel High School in Paris hosted the regional final chaired by Benoit Couvrand.
Zachary LEBEL from CFA Médéric in Paris won the "Juniors" final with his dessert "Ma Normandie" while in the professional category, Anthony CHENOZ from the Lucas Carton restaurant in Paris won the title with his dessert La Pomme de Pin. Both will attempt to win the title of French Champion in the final, which will take place in Rouen (76) on April 7 and 8.
What strategic options are available to BVP professionals?
A very interesting study conducted by Céline Ansart-Le Run for Unigrains outlines the strategic priorities for bakery, pastry, and viennoiserie ( BVP ) manufacturers. To respond to the evolving global BVP market (health, well-being, more natural products, practitioners, taste, etc.), three main paths are being taken by industrial bakery product manufacturers , which can be pursued simultaneously. According to Unigrains, the first path is internal development, which requires rethinking the entire value chain. Investments are necessary at each stage of the process. The second path is acquiring companies with the desired expertise. This strategy allows for rapid market entry but is riskier, as integration can be complex and the cost high. This is what the world leader, the Mexican company Grupo Bimbo, did when it acquired Stonemill Slow Craft, a Canadian manufacturer of long-fermented bread, and the American company Bays, specializing in English muffins. The third strategy is partnership. This is the most innovative approach, as companies tend to favor an individualistic approach based on power dynamics with their partners, rather than a collaborative and win-win process. Partnerships involve upstream players (raw materials), ingredient and equipment suppliers, or startups, universities, and public-private research centers. The most striking example is Bridor, which launched its “La Mie Biote” baguette, a high-fiber bread with beneficial effects on gut microbiota and cholesterol levels, the result of a partnership with the French National Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research (INRAE) and the Rhône-Alpes Human Nutrition Research Center (CRNH). This Unigrains study, conducted in January 2020 and entitled “The Bread Market: Consumption Trends and Player Dynamics – Focus on Clean Label,” is available in restricted access on the website www.unigrains.fr