More than 130 members of the Welsh baking industry came together to discuss key issues facing the sector at the second annual Welsh Baking Conference.
The event, which took place in Cardiff on Wednesday 13th March 2024, was organised by ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre at Cardiff Metropolitan University, and focused on the theme of the ‘Past, Present and Future’.
The conference was opened by Patrick Wilson, president of the Craft Bakers Association, and other speakers included Dr Hulya Dogan, department head of grain science at Kansas State University, and Martin Sutherland, commercial and marketing director at ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre.
Training in the sector
Delegates discussed how to tackle the skills shortages facing the sector, and John Lamper, bakery specialist for Tesco, talked about the digital training platforms utilised by the company to remotely upskill members of staff who work in its in-store bakeries. Lamper also explained how Tesco is “driving the growth of in-store bakeries” across its retail estate by adopting technical solutions such as baking on the shop floor.
Dr Sara Autton, technical baking consultant, and Terry Fennel, chief executive of FDQ Ltd, talked about how bakery skills shortages in Wales can be eased through the growth of apprenticeships. A recent increase in Welsh Government funding and a revamped baking apprenticeship framework in Wales have been launched to “expand their uptake”.
External challenges affect bakers
Robb MacKie, former president and CEO of the American Bakers Association (ABA) looked at macroeconomic challenges facing the baking industry, including inflationary pressures resulting from a “continued increase in labour costs”, the repercussions of 2024 being the “biggest election year in global history”, and the potential impact on demand for baked goods resulting from the launch of weight loss drugs like Wegovy.
MacKie discussed strategies that bakers could adopt to secure growth including developing partnerships throughout the supply chain from farm to customer, “empowering and upskilling” existing employees, and the necessity of engaging with Government agencies and industry organisations to ensure businesses have a seat at the table.
Learning to “continuously evolve”
John Foster, managing director of Fosters Bakery, shared his experiences of appearing on the BBC‘s Victorian Bakers and how the baking industry rapidly evolved during this time period. Foster stressed that it was “still just as important now for bakeries to continuously evolve or risk being left behind by competition”.
Professor David Lloyd, director at ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, said: “With speeches focusing on future trends impacting the baking industry, tackling current skill shortages in the sector, and how learnings from the past can be applied to bakeries today, the second Welsh Baking Conference very much lived up to its Past, Present and Future theme.”
Lee Pugh, head of baking at ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, said: “The Welsh Baking conference is only in its second year but it’s great to see the support for this event which is being shown by businesses of all sizes from across the sector. We believe this conference provides an important opportunity for Welsh bakers to come together and discuss the collective challenges facing the sector and how they can be solved.”
