Spreading joie de vivre

From a corporate perspective, Bridor represents the industrial bakery division of Paris-based Groupe Le Duff, which operates more than 2,000 restaurants and bakeries that serve an estimated 1 million consumers daily. In many ways, the company feels that it is sharing the joy of life through its French-inspired pastries and artisan breads. In the US, those chains carry such popular brands as Le Madeleine, Brioche Dorée and Bruegger’s Bagels.

In 2014, Groupe Le Duff reported it had turnover of more than €1.5 billion (US$1.67 billion), up from around €900 million (US$1 billion) in 2010 or about a 67% increase in annual revenue over five years. In April, Groupe Le Duff expanded its market share in Europe by purchasing Kamps GmbH, one of the largest and most popular chains of bakery/cafes in Germany. (For more information on the company, go to en.groupeleduff.com.)

However, Bridor’s diversified customer base goes way beyond serving the restaurants and bakery/cafes owned by Groupe Le Duff. Its global clientele ranges from world-class hotels, five-star restaurants and even amusement parks such as Disneyland Paris to supermarket in-store bakeries, coffee shops, sandwich shops and almost any eating and hospitality establishments that major foodservice distributors serve.

In all, Bridor operates six industrial bakeries — two in France, three in Canada and one in the US. In addition to the Servon-sur-Vilaine bakery, the division operates Louverné Bridor — a new bakery that opened in 2013 near the city of Laval located about 75 km east of Rennes.

Over the years, Mr. Le Grand said, Bridor has needed to continually reinvest in its operations to keep up with demand as the business expanded globally. Recently, the company completed its 15-year, or 2030 plan, which calls for an even greater investment in its bakeries. “If we keep growing at our current rate, we’ll need to install a new production line every three years for viennoiserie and every four years for bread,” he observed. “That’s our vision.”