Coronavirus is opening a world of opportunities for Scottish bakers

The Scottish market is mirroring what is happening across the whole of the UK, with bread and rolls in high demand, and bakers need to adapt to meet those needs.

We have seen bakers across the country adopt different approaches to maintain revenue and support their local community, either through selling flour, yeast and eggs to consumers, or using sandwich delivery vans to make deliveries of bread and even create a mobile shop.

These challenging times are creating ‘new’ thinking, which will be healthy for the industry long term.

Looking for comfort

Fresh patisserie sales are declining as consumers opt for longer life, individual products that can be stored in the pantry, rather than fresh, sharing options.

In Scotland, though, the Empire biscuit and the national favourite – the Snowball – continue to sell well, showing that consumers are looking for familiar and trusted products that give them comfort.

This is also proving evident within bakery as Scotch rolls and potato scones continue to sell out. In fact, at Puratos, we are seeing up to a 20% rise for ingredients to make these lines with some of our customers.

As the initial panic buying begins to subside, consumers are consciously looking for healthier items, like breads high in fibre, wholegrains and seeds, to try to maintain a healthy lifestyle throughout this period.

Through a sense of discovery, or because the high demand of their usual products means stocks are low, consumers have opened their minds to alternative products and brands – opening new opportunities for today and the future.

As a long-term supplier to the Scottish market, it is our promise during these uncertain times to remain a reliable partner to our customers. Our sales and technical support team will help customers address the challenges of today caused by the coronavirus crisis.