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Bakery trends at Europain 2020

Mika Parviainen

Bakery Consultant

Mika works as a bakery consultant. Among his tasks are testing new products and developing appealing recipes for customers. Mika keeps up to date with the current and emerging trends in the bakery and pastry industry

Held every two years, the Europain fair is always an exciting event from a professional standpoint, filled with interesting encounters. It is a good look at bakery trends as well as a great source of ideas and knowledge on everything related to baking.

Ideas for us

Going around the fair brings forth a great deal of ideas that support our development work and creativity – sometimes in excess. It’s not uncommon for phone memories to be filled with pictures. Thanks to them, thankfully, it's always easy to go back to these ideas, even years later. There is a large variety of interesting seminars and presentations on food trends, nutrition and other fascinating topics that serve to advance the bakery genre. Every year is different here.

Shows of skill in the confectionery and bakery competitions are another fascinating look into different techniques. These works are made of dough, sugar, and chocolate. The school series was a showcase of the high standards in French confectionery schools and their fantastic level of training. Finland was also present, as Kari Meltovaara from Rosten Bakery was a part of the judges’ panel of the La Coupe de Mond de la Boulangerie, the World Championships in Baking.

Bakery trends 2020

  1. Snack Attack The snacking phenomenon was once again a persistent highlight of the fair. Ideas and applications were in the scope of product presentation in stores and at bakeries. There were also a great deal of tasters of the snack product lines.
  2. Fresh and fragrant In take-away and café sales, the most interesting products are clearly the ones that are baked as the day goes by, to have something fresh and fragrant for sale all the time. Alsatian tarte flambée is an excellent example. This “flame pastry,” which resembles pizza bianca, is made quickly with few ingredients. It has an enticing fragrance and it’s easy to take with you.
  3. New style of presentation A stocked showcase continues to be vitally important. This fair, there were interesting solutions in the showcases themselves, for better presentation of the products. Among them were models where the products are on display as if in a watch or jewellery store, and customers see them clearly from the top. Doing this makes the selection more Instagram-worthy and more visible in social media.
  4. Clarity in decoration Decoration relies on putting the baker’s skill and ingredients on display. It does not, however, need to be elaborate and complex – minimalism works as well. When its appearance can tell you what a product tastes like, they are easier for the customer to choose from. In addition to confectionery products, it’s important to show what’s been put in sandwiches and baguettes in an attractive way.
  5. Artisanal baking The artisanal trend has been on the rise and keeps on getting stronger. Dough is allowed to rest longer, which creates a gentle and refined sourness in its flavour. Thick-crusted bread that has been made with love keeps well with its cut surface against the cutting board, with no need for a bread bag. Leavening is another trend that is on the rise. I recommend using soured milk products in baking artisanal bread with Valio recipes to achieve a natural leavening process. This can make the bread have a stronger flavour and more refined aromas. The tools and methods of artisanal baking are making headway in store bakeries, such as rising baskets and a method where the dough is made into a box, where it rests for several hours.where it rests for several hours.

Encounters integral at trade fairs

I met a great deal of Valio’s international partners, who use Valio butter or our Valio milk powders to make their products. This year, we had a tasting of Valio butter with French baguettes. The goodness of real butter cannot be substituted in professional baking.

Visitors were clearly impressed by the butter’s flavour, and many of its great properties, such as in laminator baking, were already familiar. Our French customers truly value the premium quality of our butter, and Valio butter is the best product for their croissant dough.

Valio butter is one of Valio’s most important export products and a premium product enjoyed around the world: Valio butter is exported to more than 30 countries and we are always looking also for new customers. The best moments are the ones where we can find ideas and solutions with the customer that influence their business directly. These solutions can be in equipment, product development or presentation. Read more about the award-winning Valio butter.