Archive for the ‘American Bakery’ Category

Business Excellence Profiles Escape Velocity Systems as Leading ERP for Baked Goods Sector

Nov 14, 2010 American Bakery

According to Evan Garber, president of Bakery ERP specialists Escape Velocity Systems (EVS), “The unusual production characteristic for most bakeries is the practice of frequently mixing dough in a small kettle; many doughs are then used in one batch run. For each batch of dough the production team is aware of the ingredient lot number, but at the other end of the production line, quality control typically goes though a process of elimination to determine from which dough their test samples came.”

In the feature entitled, Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker, Escape Velocity Systems (www.evs-sw.com) is profiled as the leader among ERP vendors who serve this niche market. In the current issue of Business Excellence, the article authored by manufacturing journalist TR Cutler, details the nuances of the technology requirements of the baked goods sector.

Bakery ingredient items can be given lot attributes which can be entered by the QC department, however. Since flour is typically the key ingredient, most bakeries have to analyze the properties of each flour lot to determine absorption rates to maintain high quality standards. Getting the correct moisture in batches is an art with scientific elements.

Flour lot #1 has attribute absorption of ten and Flour lot #2 has attribute absorption of eight. These attributes stay with the lot throughout production life and can be used by production planners to estimate a compensating water content needed for a batch. “It’s important to track lot expiration dates,” Garber noted. “QC must also be able to determine that the real expiry date is different than the date calculated for a batch and be able to change it. The most important factor is that QC must be completely integrated with the rest of the organization’s ERP shelf life. Many bakeries’ QC departments are on separate systems, including Excel spreadsheets. The value proposition that bakery technology solutions must bring to food safety and quality is that QC is integrated with the rest of the ERP.”

Indeed if QC determines that a lot is bad and records it in the system, the lot is automatically put on hold and cannot be used in manufacturing or shipped out. If QC tests for attributes of a lot and records them in a bakery specific technology solution, the production planner can see the attributes of the lot and plan for compensating ingredients (such as water or gluten). Shelf stability and expiration date management applies to many food products, none more than baked goods.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggests the grain category is the largest segment of American dietary consumption, encouraging consumers to eat at least five ounces of grain products every day. From snack cakes, energy bars, cookies, crackers, rolls, donuts, pastries, pie, pizza crusts, cakes and muffins, and fortified breakfast cereals, bakery manufacturing covers a very broad range of foods. Since the average American eats more than 50 pounds of bread and more than a 100 pounds of cereal each year, it represents billions of dollars in revenue for bakers; the worldwide market for bakery products is now greater than $300 billion annually. “Serving this large and lucrative market requires knowledge of bakery management and maintenance of hygienic production of baked goods,” insisted Garber. “Sanitation processes, allergen control programs and bioterrorism defense strategies must be well defined and followed to ensure the bakery and the public are not at risk.” Generic technology solutions for the food sector will not suffice; hyper-vertical applications are necessary to meet the mandated compliance requirements from BioTerrorism Act to HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points).


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Digital Signage: How Sticky is Your Content? ? Part II

Oct 28, 2010 American Bakery

Like that sticky bakery tissue I wrote about in my last column, digital signage content is at its best when it’s something with which people have a strong attachment.

In other words, effective digital signage content gives its intended audience a reason to take glance, and another and another. Digital signage pages built with stickiness in mind tap into a subconscious longing on the part of a viewer for something that’s relevant, interesting and fresh.

The term “sticky” and the concept of “stickiness” as relates to content have come out of the realm of the Worldwide Web, but it’s really nothing new. Media of all sorts have used content that’s desirable to consumers as a means to build and retain an audience since shortly after Gutenberg began printing Bibles.

The fundamental step towards building stickiness into digital signage content is recognizing one simple fact: Most people in any given society share common interests in some very basic things. For instance, is it going to be hot or cold out today? Sunny or rainy?

Beyond these are topics like news, sports scores, stock market averages and traffic reports that many, but probably not as many as the previous example, find interesting and worthy of frequently checking.

Integrating these sorts of elements into a digital signage page can be powerful. Consider the findings of a recent survey from the National Center for Atmospheric Research of Americans about weather forecasts. Fully 90 percent of American adults said they obtain forecasts daily –many doing so more than three times per day. With that sort of natural stickiness, weather forecasts, conditions and warnings seem like a logical place to start for digital signage content designers looking to attract repeated attention from their audiences.

A weather element built into digital signage pages targeting the general public, such as grocery store shoppers, makes complete sense. But remember, there are other special-interest topics that have as much stickiness to viewers of niche signage. The trick is matching the content to the desired audience’s interests to get them to take a second or third look. For example, quotes on soybeans, corn and other commodities wouldn’t likely attract a second glance from the general public but would have a high degree of stickiness for farmers visiting a farm implement dealership. Ditto for visitors in the lobby of commodity exchanges.

Thus, the first step to adding stickiness to digital signage content –whether for the general public or a niche audience- is ensuring that it’s relevant to those whom it’s directed. The next is making sure the data upon which you‘re hoping to build stickiness is not static. Remember, creating stickiness taps into the desire of the audience to check back for something new and fresh. Don’t waste your time in regards to building stickiness with data that doesn’t change.

A third important ingredient to the stickiness recipe is making sure the content you hope your audience finds sticky is available or attainable. What good would it be to design mountaintop weather conditions into digital signage content for a ski shop at the base of the mountain, if it were impossible to set up and maintain the instruments necessary to collect and deliver that data?

Intentionally adding on-screen zones to digital signage content for sticky content that attracts viewers over and over again is a smart strategy. All that’s required is making sure the content is relevant to the desired audience, changes often enough to tap into the desire to take another glance and can be obtained from a data provider, collection instrument, via the Web or from some other reliable source. With those pieces in place, building stickiness into digital signage content is doable and a worthwhile endeavor.


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Four Generations of Yummmmm!

Oct 27, 2010 American Bakery

In the small seaside village of Abruzzi, Italy the D’Eliso family woke to a bright new dawn. The year was 1910. Pop D’Eliso looked forward to realizing his life long dream of prosperity that was rumored to abound in the new world. They were on their way to America!

The move was over before the family knew it and they settled in a very modest, two story, brownstone in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, USA. Many other Italian families had done the same, and so it wasn’t long before the D’Eliso family found and joined a local Italian Presbyterian church. The pastor worked tirelessly to provide a refuge where other Italian immigrants could maintain their traditions. Here they formed many solid bonds as, together, they became acclimated to their new surroundings.

It was there, in 1941, in an area known as East Liberty that Pop’s middle son, Anthony, met and married the beautiful Columba Faldo. As their family grew they enjoyed the love and traditions that are very much a part of every Italian family. In 1941 Anthony became a baker and cook for the US Army during WWII. After the war ended, in 1943, the call of California was not lost on this soldier boy, turned man. It didn’t take long before the D’Eliso family picked up roots and headed to the new “Promised Land”. In 1956 with the cry on their lips, “California here we come!” they left Pennsylvania behind.

1961 found Anthony and Columba settled in Whittier, California where they opened the D’Eliso’s Bakery. Their daughter, Gloria, and son, Anthony, worked right alongside their parents after school. They assisted with the daily tasks of operating a bakery, working in the kitchen and at the counter as needed. While the family worked side-by-side, in the kitchen baking, the secret family recipes passed from generation to generation. As the young Anthony grew and matured and learned the secrets from his father his love for baking multiplied. As time passed, the elder, Anthony retired and the younger continued on in the baking tradition with the D’Eliso’s family bakery.

During the six years that young Anthony was maturing as a baker in his own right, his sister, Gloria, was busy raising a family. It wasn’t until after a recent extended family trip to Italy to visit Gloria’s grandparent’s villages of Abruzzi and Calabria, the family legacy and passion for baking and serving authentic Italian cookies and cakes was once again ignited. The decision was made to fan those flames as the family meandered down the narrow streets of Italy with their youngest daughter, Elizabeth. When once again on American soil they formed My Little Taste of Italy with the promise to bake and serve, with passion, authentic Italian cookies and cakes.

Today, the family owns and operates My Little Taste of Italy, which has become world famous for their authentic treats. When Liz, as Elizabeth came to be known, created her unique recipe for Cappuccino Brownies the news of their rich and creamy, to die for, goodness quickly spread. It wasn’t long before Liz’s Cappuccino brownies were dubbed “Orgasmic!” by Jan Verhoeff, one of their loyal customers.

Along with the assistance of Gloria’s daughter, Liz, and her grandchildren, My Little Taste of Italy fills orders all across the US and has been known to mail their goodies to the soldiers serving overseas as well. Even the smallest, Baby Luke, at a mere 8 months old, was spied with a stirring spoon in his tiny little hand.

They have recently created two new flavors of biscotti that they will packaged in a very unique way for Valentine’s Day delivery that can be sent to your soldier as well as to your stateside loved ones. This new offering comes in two flavors; the Grand Marnier dipped in rich, Italian chocolate, and their Spumoni flavored biscotti drizzled with the same. For those that wish to add a little spice to the mix a twist to an old favorite has been created. Florentine cookies have been given a whole new zing with the addition of chocolate chips, espresso beans and cayenne pepper to the standard slivered almonds. This alternative Valentine special has been aptly named “Hot Mommas” and is sure to spice up your loved ones life.

What sets My Little Taste of Italy apart is not just the true old world recipes but the added touch created by their imaginative presentation. Their Valentine package, I am told, will be packed in with an assortment of fun items like wedding favor bubbles and wax lips. “I am sure this gift pack will spark the fire in your loved one this Valentine’s Day” states Gloria.

© Copyright 2007 Ginger Marks


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