Consumers are demanding a much wider range of snack products and baked goods. By adapting the packaging design and look of their product, producers can easily update their portfolio to help maintain visibility and market relevance.

Thermal management is crucial to processing, storing and delivering several types of snacks and baked goods. The latest systems cover a wide range of functions, including chilling dough, cooling product after exiting the oven, and refrigerating or freezing finished product. Specialized cold storage facilities also are part of the mix.

In 1989, when La Brea Bakery opened its doors, it introduced Los Angeles to the sublime beauty of artisan bread. Fast-forward to 2016, and La Brea Bakery has grown into the largest baker of nationally distributed artisan breads in the U.S.—breads that still retain their original artisan allure.

Advances in fleet management are being driven by routing and scheduling software linked to in-cab vehicle tracking equipment that streamlines the delivery process. These advances can help cut costs and better monitor delivery of products in a market where on-time delivery is crucial.

Snack producers and bakeries can travel multiple avenues toward improved operational efficiency. Additional automation is a natural progression.

Companies have been releasing a wide range of new ovens and proofers suited to snack and bakery operations, and the diversity is sure to cultivate a strong level of appeal across the board. This new range of equipment focuses on ease of use, technical improvements, better sanitary design and new levels of efficiency.

Sustainability is increasingly part and parcel of conducting business in food. Environmental sustainability embodies maximum preservation of our global natural resources at its core.

Clif Bar & Company officially celebrated the opening of its $90 million Twin Falls (ID) bakery, a one-of-a-kind, sustainability-focused facility that intentionally uses biophilic design, a cutting-edge approach to design that connects people in buildings with nature and the well-being it provides.

The International Baking Industry Exposition and Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery have announced the companies qualifying for the prestigious B.E.S.T. in Baking Program.