New direction for swirl bread
Pepperidge Farm, Inc., the leader in the swirl breakfast bread category, moved in a different direction last year with the introduction of “cheese breads” in three varieties: cheddar potato bread, three-cheese Italian bread and Asiago cheese bread. Loaves began appearing on supermarket shelves in the second half of last year in certain markets.
“The cheese bread line allows consumers to elevate their everyday sandwiches with restaurant-inspired cheese flavors,” Kristin Cagney, senior specialist, communications at Pepperidge told Milling & Baking News in December 2015. “The target is a consumer who is looking to make their ordinary sandwich extraordinary from the convenience of their own home.”
The hearth-style bread is sold in a 14-oz half loaf and priced at $3.99 per loaf. Each slice of the cheddar, for example, contains 120 calories, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 270 milligrams of sodium and 3 grams of sugar.
Ms. Cagney said promotions associated with the launch of the new Pepperidge cheese bread line have varied by retailer.
Kids as organic opportunity
An organic entry in the children’s bread market represents an attractive opportunity, said Mr. Garfinkel of Hain Celestial. Before Rudi’s Organic Bakery introduced Kids Soft White and Kids Soft Wheat bread, the organic bread category had no products specifically targeted at children. Leading non-organic breads targeted toward children contain synthetic preservatives and chemical additives, which adds to the sense at Hain their new products look promising.
“This new bread is unique in that the recipe was developed specifically to appeal to kids as well as parents, which means that it’s incredibly soft and fluffy and made with only certified organic ingredients,” he said. “It also has 24 grams of whole grains in each serving and is made with certified U.S.D.A organic and non-G.M.O. ingredients.”
Also a first in 2015 for Rudi’s was pumpkin sandwich bread. Baked with organic pumpkin and a range of spices, including cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and allspice, the fall introduction is suitable for breakfast or for lunch sandwiches, Rudi’s said.
“The bread should be back in stores at select national retailers in September 2016,” Mr. Garfinkel said. Also representing an effort to extend the Rudi’s franchise, the company in 2014 introduced Rudi’s organic white English muffins.
Yet another market gap Rudi’s is attempting to fill is in the gluten-free category.
“We just introduced our first gluten-free sandwich bread found in the regular bread aisle,” Mr. Garfinkel said. “Currently available in our Multigrain and Original varieties, this bread still has the incredible taste and fluffy texture that our fans love, but doesn’t need to be defrosted from the freezer.”
The gluten-free bread is sweetened with honey.
