Since Sliced Bread

Josh Allen, founder and owner of Companion Baking Co., reflects on how the Guild helped him grow his business and how he’s giving back.

The COO of Unique Snacks and chair of SNAC International has seen the power the snack industry has as a whole.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Chad Larson, vice president and chief operating officer of Mel-O-Cream Donuts, spoke with Charlotte Atchley, editor of Baking & Snack and host of the podcast, about how individuals in the industry balance competition and collaboration. Listen to this episode to hear more about how Mr. Larson has seen the industry come together and how associations like BEMA have helped him expand his own network.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Tasos Katsaounis, founder and CEO of Bread Man Baking, opens up about the advice he received from bakers when facing the challenges of turning his hobby of artisan baking into a business.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Cordia Harrington, chief executive officer of Crown Bakeries, shares how Craig Olson of Fresh Start Bakeries and Chip Klosterman of Klosterman Baking Co. offered her a wealth of advice and resources when launching her first facility. Listen to hear Ms. Harrington’s story as well as her advice to other bakers who are just getting started in the industry.

Season 16 of Since Sliced Bread kicks off with Cordia Harrington, chief executive officer of Crown Bakeries, Brentwood, Tenn., and chair of American Bakers Association, emphasizing the importance and gratitude in bakers helping bakers.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Jim Gluhosky, senior technical services manager for Lesaffre, shares how artisan bakers can minimize costs and extend shelf life while maintaining clean label, artisan quality.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Alexander Salameh, chief operating officer of Bakery de France shares how the company has approached automating its process very carefully while still refusing to compromise on the simplicity of its bread. Listen to hear how Bakery de France keeps things simple with its products and looks to automation for a growing artisan bakery.

Listen to this episode of Since Sliced Bread to hear Chris Miller, director of operations for Baker’s Quality Pizza Crust, share how the company takes the burden of developing artisan quality pizza crust off the shoulders of pizza restaurants and other foodservice operators.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Peter Sonenstein, executive vice president and general manager at Tom Cat Bakery, shares how the company has maintained its artisan quality throughout these expansions into new markets. Listen to this episode to hear Mr. Sonenstein share the value of a supportive parent company and how Tom Cat Bakery adapted to a frozen bread program to enable its expansions over the years. 

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, sponsored by Lesaffre, Anthony Ambeliotis, co-owner of Mediterra Bakehouse, shares how the company’s unwavering commitment to artisan quality has transformed Mediterra Bakehouse for the better, as well as the challenges it’s posed. 

In the opening episode of season 15 of Since Sliced Bread, Jonathan Davis, culinary innovation leader at Aspire Bakeries, shares what he thinks elevates artisan bread. Listen to this episode to learn more about how Mr. Davis thinks artisan bakers can improve their quality and the trends they need to be aware of as the category grows. 

Season 15 uncovers the challenges in meeting demand while maintaining artisan quality.

Listen to this episode of Since Sliced Bread to hear Eric Shinsato, senior project leader, innovation and technical service for Ingredion, share how to effectively reduce sugar without negatively impacting the finished product. 

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Ashley Findlay, senior director of marketing for The Sola Co., shares how the company got to where it is today and why the company recently reformulated its product lineup, which includes bread, buns, bagels and granola. Listen to learn more about the ups and downs of kept-friendly and reduced-sugar formulating.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Blake Sorensen, founder of Blake’s Seed Based, shares his company’s growth history from creating seed-based bars in 2018 to the challenges of finding a co-manufacturer willing to commit to the company’s strict allergen-free mission.

Lauren Chew, founder of Love + Chew, discovers how to develop high-protein cookies without sacrificing taste or texture. Listen to this episode of Since Sliced Bread to learn more about the evolution of Love + Chew and the pitfalls and triumphs that come with giving consumers exactly what they want. 

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Scott Baker, president of 5 Generation Bakers, explains how he finally cracked the code on a CBD-infused baked good and how he has overcome the challenges of baking with CBD, where the category is going next and why he is sticking with it.

In the first episode of season 14 of Since Sliced Bread, Hector Saldivar, founder and CEO of Tia Lupita Foods, shares how the company centers on better-for-you simple and sustainable Mexican-inspired foods. Listen to this episode to more about upcycled ingredients and how Tia Lupita Foods is taking them mainstream.

In season 14, listeners will learn all about the challenges with formulating CBD, added protein, upcycled ingredients and more.

Listen to this episode of Since Sliced Bread to learn from Meaghan Meyer, senior vice president of food safety and quality at CraftMark Bakery, about the American Bakers Association’s Food Technical Regulatory Affairs Professionals group and CraftMark Bakery’s best practices to ensure its food safety program is implemented correctly.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Rasma Zvaners, vice president of regulatory and technical services at the American Bakers Association (ABA) explains how ABA has advocated for the industry and provides baking companies as they incorporate the latest regulatory rules for food safety.

In this week’s episode of Since Sliced Bread, Des Flahive, senior vice president of food safety and quality assurance for Aspire Bakeries, speaks to how Aspire disseminates its food safety protocols and adapts them to each team.

Listen to this episode of Since Sliced Bread to learn more about how Flowers Foods ensures its breads, buns, bars, snack cakes and more are safe for consumers.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Steve Robert, global vice president of sales, marketing and product innovation for AIB International, walks through how food safety programs have had to shift over the years and why it’s so critical to get food safety right.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Lance Roberie, founder of Food Safety & Quality Services, details how the industry’s approach to food safety has gone from a reactive to a proactive approach and ways baking companies can ensure they have a successful food safety program.

Season 13 of Since Sliced Bread updates wholesale bakers on the latest in food safety. Charlotte Atchley, host of Since Sliced Bread and editor of Baking & Snack, speaks with guests from AIB International, Manhattan, Kan.; CraftMark Bakery, Indianapolis, Ind.; and American Bakers Association to discuss the hazards of poor food safety and best practices for avoiding any confusion.

Jeff Lenard, vice president of strategic industry initiatives, National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), sat down with Baking & Snack Editor and Since Sliced Bread host Charlotte Atchley to discuss what the c-store landscape is now and how bakers and snack manufacturers could best support this channel.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Heather Davis, senior manager of customer insights, Bimbo Bakehouse, a division of Bimbo Bakeries USA, shares how the company is serving the foodservice channel and helping these customers navigate these challenges.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Anne-Marie Roerink, principal of 210 Analytics, discusses the American Bakers Association (ABA)’s new study “Life Through the Lens of Bakery 2022,” conducted by 210 Analytics and sponsored by Corbion. Ms. Roerink spoke to how bakery items are fitting into celebrations of holidays and major life events and where the opportunities lie for bakers.

In this episode, Jonna Parker, team lead for fresh at IRI, and Charlotte Atchley, editor of Baking & Snack and host of Since Sliced Bread, dive into all the reasons why the in-store bakery is thriving now and where the opportunities exist for even more growth.

On this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Shawn Paterakis, key accounts manager for H&S Bakery Distribution, and Ryan Paterakis, director of national sales for H&S Bakery, speak to how the commercial bread aisle and foodservice channels are faring and what their customers need.

In the first episode of season 12, Morgan O’Hara, director of brand partnerships for Instacart, shares how bakery is doing on Instacart and some of the best practices she’s seen from the brands who are performing the best online.

In season 12 of Since Sliced Bread, hear how the industry is adapting to meet the needs of customers in an ever-changing world. Listen to this upcoming season to learn about the best practices for growing your business in the biggest channels for bakery including retail, foodservice, c-store and e-commerce.

In this bonus episode of season 11 of Since Sliced Bread, host Charlotte Atchley, editor of Baking & Snack, spoke with John Unrein, editor of bake magazine about his insights and takeaways from IBIE 2022.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Bernadette Shanahan-Haas, executive director of the Retail Bakers of America, explains how the past three years have treated the retail baking industry and how Retail Bakers of America has supported its members during such difficult times. She also shared what retail baker attendees can expect to find at IBIE 2022.

Bary Yogev, co-owner and executive baker at Liv Breads, shares his experience competing in the Tiptree World Bread Awards. Listen to this episode of Since Sliced Bread to hear more about Mr. Yogev’s experience and his tips for the perfect loaf.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Peggy Moore, chief executive officer and partner of Love’s Oven, shares the challenges she has faced after 10 years in the industry and how the company has been able to expand, even as marijuana remains illegal at a federal level.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Dave Watson explains what’s driving bakers to automate and how it’s impacting the technologies they will be looking for when they attend IBIE 2022.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Karl De Smedt, librarian of Puratos' sourdough library shares why he thinks sourdough is the future of baking and how it could bring bread-skeptics back to the bakery aisle.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Dennis Gunnell, president of Formost Fuji and IBIE chairman, shares how IBIE 2022 pivoted to stay relevant in the midst of the new challenges brought by the pandemic.

In this season, you will hear from IBIE committee members, bakers and industry experts as they bring insight and experience in how to keep your business going strong.  Season 11 premiers Aug. 3.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Pippa O’Shea, education manager at American Bakers Association explains the many opportunities ABA offers baking companies to assist in training their employees and bridge the workforce gap.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Emily Bowers, vice president of education and operations for BEMA, shares how the association hopes to bring leadership training and educational opportunities to the baking industry. Listen to this episode to learn more about BEMA-U as well as how BEMA pivoted to offer a virtual Workforce Edition of its annual convention, held June 22-26, in San Diego, Calif.

In this episode, David Walsh, vice president of communications and membership of SNAC International, shares the many opportunities the organization provides snack companies.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Justin Spannuth, vice president and chief operating officer of Unique Snacks, shares how the company is prioritizing workplace culture and communicates to employees that the company cares about them in very tangible ways.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Eric Carcellero explains the importance of inclusivity in today’s competitive labor market and how an inclusive culture translates into retention programs.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Rob Weber shares some of the strategies Hostess has tried to make their manufacturing jobs more appealing to the new demands of today’s workforce.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, learn from Marjorie Hellmer and Lauren Williams about how the baking industry can compete effectively and maybe even pull ahead of other manufacturing industries.

Tune in to season 10 of Since Sliced Bread premiering on May 4th. 

Listen to this episode of Since Sliced Bread to learn more about how to work around the supply chain to maximize capital investment.

Listen to the episode to find out the lay of the land when it comes to supply chain and capital investment.

Listen to this episode of Since Sliced Bread to learn more about the questions bakers need to be asking as they navigate secondary and even tertiary ingredient suppliers.

Listen to this episode of Since Sliced Bread to hear Lin Carson's take on how training and investing in flour quality can improve a bakery’s chances at reformulating.

In this episode, Josh Allen, founder and owner of Companion Baking, shares the company's experience navigating the supply chain and how the company pivoted to continue to support its own customers.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Lisa Anderson, president of LMA Consulting Group, explains where the supply chain stands now, how it got this way and what she sees successful companies doing to get through the crisis.

Season nine of Since Sliced Bread brings analysts and experts to the microphone to offer a way through the current supply chain situation.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Beau Netzer shares how Aspire Bakeries pivoted quickly to offer its customers —especially those in hospitality — thaw-and-serve individually packaged product and how that shaped operations.

Listen to this episode of Since Sliced Bread to learn more about how Richmond Baking continues to drive efficiencies and assist its customers during current recovery challenges.

Listen to this episode of Since Sliced Bread to find out which major shifts Jeffrey Quasha, corporate executive R&D chef of Morrison Healthcare, anticipates will stick around and how that’s changing what Morrison Healthcare needs from bakery suppliers.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Mr. Mongeau shares how an increase in delivery and a reduction in labor have impacted Weston Foods’ innovation.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Mark Marcucci shares how Alpha Baking was able to endure the slow period of 2020 and then able to pivot to meet increased orders in 2021.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Wade Hanson sits down with Charlotte Atchley, editor of Baking & Snack, to provide some context to how the foodservice industry was impacted by the pandemic and what the recovery looks like today.

Season eight of Since Sliced Bread explores how the foodservice industry has adapted to the pandemic and how these bakery customers plan to move forward.

Learn more about how Factory provides big resources and adapts to each brand’s unique positioning in this episode of Since Sliced Bread.

Listen to this episode of Since Sliced Bread to learn how being a digital native brand informs HighKey’s innovation process and the benefits of a robust online community of consumers.

Richard Charpentier shares his best practices for ensuring new products succeed.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Mr. Brown and Bohn Popp, executive vice president of quality and brand strategy at Aunt Millie’s, explain how and why the company has made innovation such an integral part of the business.

Listen to this episode of Since Sliced Bread to hear how bakers can hold onto consumer dollars even as they return to a more on-the-go lifestyle.

In the latest season of Since Sliced Bread, listeners will hear conversations with analysts, consultants, and baking and snack companies as they explore the importance of innovation and some of the best practices for creating new products.

In this second episode of Since Sliced Bread’s state of the snacking industry, Ms. Lyons-Wyatt explores not only how the pandemic impacted innovation but also changed the definition of health and wellness and how immobility changed how consumers snack.

In this first episode, Sally Lyons-Wyatt gives an overview of the snack universe, dives into e-commerce and how the different generations engaged snacks last year

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Tim Grzebinski, client insights leader at IRI, explains how retained buyers drove growth, but lack of variety definitely had an impact on sales.

In this episode, Jonna Parker, team lead for fresh foods at IRI, sees how the lessons of 2020 can help the in-store bakery find opportunities for future growth. Michael Mendes, president of Just Desserts, also shared where the supplier of desserts and sweet goods to in-store bakeries saw growth and where the future of the category is going.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Jonna Parker explains the why behind this data. Also, Luc Mongeau, president of Weston Foods, Toronto, shares how his company’s own donut business fared as in-store bakery sales took a hit during 2020.

In this episode, not only does Mr. Grzebinski provide data analysis, but Luc Mongeau, president of Weston Foods, Toronto, and Tim Lotesto, senior director of national retail accounts, Alpha Baking Co., Chicago, share their companies’ sales experiences from last year.

Since Sliced Bread is partnering with market research firm IRI to bring you the state of the industry report for bakery and snack.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Mr. Wolfe shares what that support can look like and how BBU adapts its green business practices and investments to each facility’s specific need.

Listen to this episode to hear why a holistic sustainability program is critical to bettering the environment and the community.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Ms. Sadowski shares how she and Simple Mills came to that conclusion and what that looks like at the farm level.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Meghan Stasz, vice president of packaging and sustainability for the Consumer Brands Association, shares how recycling and sustainable packaging are tied together, and what the CPG industry can do to affect lasting change.

Listen to this episode to find out what his team discovered along the way and how this decision invigorated the company’s sustainability program.

Listen to this episode of Since Sliced Bread to hear about Ms. Lewis’ journey to learn more about the food industry’s sustainability practices and how she has created a snack company with sustainability built in.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Walt Tunnessen, Energy Star national manager at the EPA, explains how the program can help bakeries get their arms around their energy consumption and make significant changes.

Opportunities exist throughout a bakery to improve an operation’s carbon footprint, whether it’s quick changes or major capital projects. In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Margaret Ann Marsh, vice president of sustainability and environmental, Flowers Foods, discusses how the company incorporates sustainability initiatives at every level and reaps not only environmental rewards but also business benefits.

In this premier episode of season five of Since Sliced Bread, Jack Bobo, food futurist and chief executive officer of Futurity, a food foresight company, gives a tour of how consumers and food companies’ sustainability priorities sometimes misalign. Listen to this episode to hear what the baking industry is doing right and where companies can grow to not only better serve the consumer but also still improve the environment.

Baking & Snack’s podcast Since Sliced Bread is taking a closer look at why companies are putting sustainability front and center and what it takes to create an effective program. Be on the lookout for season five, premiering February 3.

In the final episode of Since Sliced Bread’s fourth season, Marjorie Hellmer, president of Cypress Research Associates, returns to dive into some best practices bakeries can implement to recruit and retain employees.

This October, the American Bakers Association (ABA) and NDP Analytics released the findings of the Baking Industry Frontline Workforce Landscape study. On this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Mary Donovan, principal and economist, NDP Analytics, will explain what the data means for the baking industry. As a participant in the study, Pat Richards, vice president of organizational development and recruitment for Hearthside Food Solutions, Downers Grove, IIl., gives her perspective on what this data looks like on the ground.

As one of the sponsors of the Workforce Gap Study discussed in the first episode of Since Sliced Bread’s fourth season, the American Society of Baking (ASB) has been hard at work addressing the issue since the studies 2016 release. In this episode, Brittny Stephenson Ohr, director of product management at Sugar Foods Corp. and third vice chair at ASB, details what the society has been addressing since being armed with such data.

For more than forty years, Alvarado Street Bakery has operated as a 100% employee-owned bakery. Due to its co-op structure, the company has experienced low turnover and high employee engagement. In this episode, Dae Lee, director of marketing at Alvarado Street Bakery, discusses how a worker-owned co-op operates and how it’s principles could apply to any commercial bakery.

By partnering with the International Institute of Akron, Main Street Gourmet has found a loyal workforce in refugees that have resettled in the United States.  Hear what hiring from this population entails and how it can benefit bakeries and their employees in our discussion with Kelly Loebick-Frashella, director of human resources, Main Street Gourmet.

Kansas State University’s Department of Grain Science and Industry has been supplying the next generation of bakers to the commercial baking industry for years. The department itself though, struggles with the same recruitment issues the industry does. In this episode, KSU Grain Sciences Department Head Gordon Smith, PhD, and Aaron Clanton, Baker’s National Education Foundation instructor, share how the workforce gap looks from the university program’s perspective.

For Greyston Bakery, Yonkers, NY, an unorthodox hiring model has opened the doors to overlooked labor pools to fill open positions at the bakery, and in the process the company is rewriting the rules on employment. Joe Kenner, president and chief executive officer, and Rich Jamesley, vice president and general manager, explain the company’s open hiring policy, how it works and how it has benefited the bakery.

Kicking off the  fourth season of Since Sliced Bread  is a conversation with Marjorie Hellmer, president, Cypress Research Associates, a firm that has conducted research on the baking industry’s behalf for 18 years. Ms. Hellmer will discuss how the industry has evolved since Cypress conducted the 2016 Workforce Gap Study commissioned by the American Bakers Association and the American Society of Baking and break down the extent of the skills gap as well as the shortage of labor.

After examining the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on commercial bakeries, Baking & Snack’s podcast Since Sliced Bread will return Oct. 14 to take on the workforce crisis. In the new season, Charlotte Atchley, senior editor, Baking & Snack, speaks with guests about how companies can solve the industry’s inescapable problem of hiring and retaining talent of all skill levels.

In 2005, Leidenheimer Baking Co. endured Hurricane Katrina as it flooded 80% of New Orleans and displaced more than one million people. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the bakery and the entire food industry very differently than Hurricane Katrina, but as companies try to survive, the heart of each of these crises is much the same. For season three’s final episode, we speak to Sandy Whann, president of Leidenheimer Baking Co., about how Hurricane Katrina has informed the company’s COVID-19 strategy and what it will take for the baking industry to move forward through this storm.

When the pandemic arrived in the United States and government orders shut down the economy, the American Bakers Association and SNAC International jumped into action. Both associations saw themselves as connection points between the industries they serve and the state and federal governments. They also served as resources of information from government agencies as it changed so quickly in those early days.

The very nature of a pandemic means that COVID-19 has disrupted business and lives around the world. As the world’s largest baking company, Grupo Bimbo has had a front row seat to the entire crisis. In this episode, Jonathan Berger, vice president of human relations, Bimbo Bakeries USA, shares how the company’s global footprint prepared it for the pandemic as it unfolded.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Yianny Caparos, president of The Bakery Cos., explains why the business didn’t shy away from growth despite the pandemic’s uncertainty. Hear the unique challenges that came with expanding in the midst of COVID-19 and how the company overcame those obstacles.

To keep the production line running, baking and snack companies are finding new ways to support and incentivize their workers throughout the pandemic. Baking & Snack spoke with Rob Sarlls, president and chief executive officer, Wyandot Snacks, about why the company decided to give its employees snacks, extra pay and quarantine aid during the crisis and how it has impacted morale.

As bakeries develop their COVID-19 contingency plans, shutting down operations for an outbreak should be a part of their strategy. In this episode, Jaime Correa, chief executive officer of AbiMar Foods, Abilene, Texas, shared the company’s experience closing its facilities when an outbreak was detected.

As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has upended consumer buying habits and the way business is done, the supermarket has been where all of these changes have converged. In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, David Ball, president and chief executive officer of Ball Foods, shares how his 26 grocery stores managed employee safety, avoided supply chain disruptions and kept customers’ carts full during this unpredictable time.

Running a bakery during a pandemic comes with a lot of extra challenges from rearranging production to keeping employees safe. In this episode, Jeff Dearduff, president and CEO of Gold Standard Baking, shared how increased demand at the supermarket and evaporating foodservice business changed Gold Standard’s operations. He also discusses how the company helped workers adapt by forming a COVID-19 emergency team.

The COVID-19 pandemic upended life around the world in ways no one could have predicted. Since mid-March, the US has seen panic buying at the supermarket, stay-at-home orders, school closings and more measures all aimed at hindering the spread of COVID-19. And those measures had implications for food purchases and the commercial baking industry. In this episode, Jonna Parker, principal, fresh center of excellence for IRI, and Tim Grzebinski, client insights principal, IRI, shared how consumer buying habits changed in those early days of the pandemic. We hear what bakery categories thrived and what categories didn’t.

The new normal is here, but what does that mean for the baking industry? In season three of Baking & Snack’s podcast Since Sliced Bread, Senior Editor Charlotte Atchley will look at how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the sector and how commercial bakers are responding to the demands brought on by the virus.

It is no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed the way consumers buy food and how food companies do business. In light of these significant changes, Since Sliced Bread closes its second season by checking in on some of the featured companies.

Sadie Scheffer started baking gluten-free bread to impress a crush who would become her husband. It worked, and it impressed a lot more people, too. With her gluten-free sourdough, Ms. Scheffer was able to start a small wholesale bakery, Bread SRSLY, Berkeley, Calif. In the past eight years, the bakery has managed its own production, outsourced to a co-manufacturer and brought production back in-house. But its commitment to gluten-free, sourdough has remained consistent. 

After developing a proprietary technology for turning spent brewing grains into a food-safe flour called SuperGrain+, Daniel Kurzrock and Jordan Schwartz founded ReGrained. The company uses the flour in its line of branded snacks that includes nutrition bars and puffs. In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Mr. Kurzrock shares the challenges they’ve faced not just creating ReGrained but also developing a supply chain that aims to close a food waste loop.

Founder and Owner Greg Acerra’s culinary background has informed how he has built Fireking Baking Co. over the years. Many of the bakery’s customers are restaurants like his own. In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Mr. Acerra details how premium ingredients can pay off and how he worked around his own knowledge gaps to overcome the challenges of a growing bakery.

Stacy Madison’s, founder of Stacy’s Pita Chips and BeBOLD, shares the challenges that come with creating new products that defy expectations and the importance of staying connected with consumers.

Rubicon Bakers was started as a non-profit in 1993 by Rubicon Programs as a job training program for the Bay area’s homeless population, those recovering from addiction and the formerly incarcerated. Ten years ago Andrew Stoloff and Leslie Crary, a restaurant-owner and lawyer, respectively, purchased the bakery and turned it into a profitable business without losing the original mission.

Brazi Bites founder and CMO Junea Rocha explains how exposure and timing helped bring the brand to the national stage. She shares how Brazi Bites cleared hurdles to become a successful business in the competitive snack industry.

Season two of Since Sliced Bread will explore the emergence of “accidental” bakers and snack makers. We’ll tell the stories of how they got started, the challenges they faced and how they are disrupting their categories — or in some cases — how they are creating completely new ones. In this first episode, we sat down with Monica Watrous, managing editor of Food Business News. She’ll explain what’s making it possible for these emerging businesses to find a space on the shelf and become true competitors to more established snack and bakery companies.

Since Sliced Bread returns April 15! On season two, we’ll be talking to bakers and snack makers who got into the industry by accident. Tune in to learn how these entrepreneurs transformed their ideas into reality and how they are disrupting their categories.

Consumers may be cutting carbs, but King’s Hawaiian Bakery is not feeling the pinch. Despite overall declining bread sales, the company has experienced double-digit growth the past few years, said Chad Donvito, chief marketing officer for King’s Hawaiian. In this episode, Mr. Donvito shares how the company invested in a marketing message that embraced the products’ shareable, celebratory nature.

In this episode, , Charlie Negaro Jr., CEO, Chabaso, shares his experience learning about and supporting regional agricultural. He outlines what farmers need from local, state and federal government and the baking industry in order to grow these ingredients and make a regional agriculture model sustainable.

While sliced bread declines, other baking industry segments like tortillas are picking up the slack. And a large part of the problem, Tom Gumpel, founder and CEO of MDJ Baking and former vice-president of bakery research and development for Panera Bread, argues, is the lack of innovation from the bread producers. He appeals to the baking industry to move away from white bread and take the time to put in the work to make flavorful bread that is nutritious.

What we eat, where we eat and how we eat are changing, and the commercial baking industry needs to adapt to those changes in order to grow. In this episode, Daniel Servitje, CEO and chairman of Grupo Bimbo, shares how the company is keeping up with the fast-paced change and how the industry can be a part of the consumer conversation. He also makes a case for how a checkoff program can educate consumers on how bread fits into a healthy diet.

In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Jon Davis, vice-president of innovation for Aryzta North America and La Brea Bakery, discusses how La Brea Bakery has partnered with farmers to develop new breads with heirloom and sprouted grains. He shares not only why he thinks these ingredients are part of the future of bread but also some of the hurdles the industry will have to clear for sustainable change.

With the proliferation of blogs, social media and smartphones, consumers have a wealth of information at their literal fingertips, sometimes too much — or even inaccurate — information. On this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Julie Martin, social media manager for Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe, shares how the bakery is communicating on social media the healthfulness of its bread and the value the company found in connecting with its consumers. Hear her thoughts on how the industry can use these connections to educate consumers that not all carbs are bad.

The first season of Since Sliced Bread will examine falling bread sales and talk with industry leaders about bringing consumers back to the bread aisle. In this first episode, we speak to Josh Sosland, editor of Milling & Baking News and editor-in-chief of Food Business News, to find out how the sliced bread market is performing and what led to this decline.

On Jan. 15, 2020, Baking & Snack will launch its first podcast, Since Sliced Bread. From declining bread sales to the workforce crisis, the series will explore a new topic each season in hopes of uncovering new solutions to the industry latest challenges.