During the past two decades, an increasing number of baking companies have been getting out of the direct-store distribution (DSD) business, focusing more on production of baked goods while leaving the expense of shipping and distribution to the cost-control experts in transportation.
Along with advances in freezing technology, improvements in ingredients and formulations have made the quality of many fully baked frozen and par-baked bread and rolls — and even sweet goods like donuts — nearly indistinguishable from their fresh-baked counterparts.
To serve the proliferation of frozen distribution and cold storage operations in the baking industry, the American Bakers Association formed a strategic partnership with the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA). GCCA will sponsor a 40- by 40-ft Cold Storage Pavilion at the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) to provide solutions to baking companies expanding into the frozen baked goods market.
The alliance consists of third-party, asset-based logistics companies specializing in refrigerated/frozen warehousing and transportation. A third group includes design-build engineers and contractors who construct low-temperature facilities for food and pharmaceutical products.
“[IBIE] is a great opportunity to expose our members to a broader audience and give them an opportunity to grow their businesses in different market segments such as the baking industry,” noted Corey Rosenbusch, GCCA president and CEO.
For bakers and their customers, GCCA exhibitors will offer value-added ways in which shared distribution through cold storage facilities or transport carriers can possibly reduce shipping costs and improve customer service.
For more information on GCCA’s partnership with ABA and the Cold Storage Pavilion, watch for Sosland Publishing’s special IBIE Show Guide issue in August, and visit www.ibie2016.com.