2013 Scottish Bakers Conference

President Gordon McGhee opened the 122nd Scottish Bakers conference. He promised an action packed weekend featuring bakery personality Mich Turner. He hoped that the programme would be good for your business. (29% of those attending the conference were attending for the first time.) He told the audience of around 200 that he wanted bakers to be more attractive and have the skills and communication ability to emerge from recession.

Alan Clarke explained the journey that Scottish Bakers had taken in the three years since he had been installed as a Chief Executive. He wished Scottish Bakers to be a respected trade organisation, raise the profile of the industry, influence government policy, enhance professionalism and preserve craft skills.

Scottish Bakers claimed that they had had a record year. The Scotch Pie Club Awards had attracted a big turnout and a massive amount of PR. The organisation had modernised and addressed how to support members in tough times when raw material costs are increasing. They have purchased a new office building in Dunfermline and created National Bakery Training brand for delivery of training in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scottish Bakers have successfully re-established the 40 group and had managed to make a surplus of £130000.

A new Scottish Bakers manifesto has been developed out of an away day with industry leaders. An interactive question and answer session gave an overwhelming endorsement of the manifesto.
59% strongly agreed with the need to regenerate town centres
90% felt that it was important to have a level playing field for vat on freshly baked products.
82% of those present considered EHOs inconsistencies important.
Alan Clarke stressed that Scottish Bakers wanted to listen to their members and was pleased that those present demonstrated such support.

The James Allan Bakery Academy will deliver online qualifications ready by end of 2013. Costing £200000 to develop, backed by Hamish Allan therefore the name.

Protecting the bakery skills is also important to the organisation. Alan said that he had just addressed the Bakers National Conference on the issue of Why Training matters? To survive, develop and prosper the industry must have business, bakery skills. What counts cannot always be counted. Scottish Bakery Training Numbers in Scotland have risen from 296 to 662 in the last three years. £1m of training services are now delivered in UK of which £600, 000 is in Scotland.

Mich Turner MBE of the Little Venice Cake Company made a presentation highlighting the need to uncover talent through training. At the age of 15 Mich took up Food Technology as an easier option amongst the science qualifications she was taking at school. The trade off was she had to study history as well. She became involved in cake decorating at the age of 17. Her talk developed into a who's who of commissions that she had done for the rich and famous.

She hoped that others would be inspired by her success, passion and creativity. Her skills have developed into impressive commercial opportunities that she trailed. Mich will be a judge in ITV's Britains Best Baker competition. While everyone might claim that they make good products Mich stressed that recommendation by others was the most important. “The rather disappointing Manchester Tarts” comment was used by their manufacturers as a marketing tool. Don't disguise, emphasise!

Bakers that do well if they look at what others do.
Do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always got.
Bakers in high streets were the hub of everything that happened.
Do not lose the passion.

Open for Business

Maggie Mitchell, Chief Executive of Dunfermline Delivers gave a presentation to the conference. To be successful she said that her organisation needed to :-
Listen, vision, believe in what you are selling, convince others that the vision is achievable but will not happen overnight.
Changes need to be structural and inspirational.
Needs real engagement, not a path to be walked alone.
Needs buy in from everyone involved from taxi drivers to shop owners.
Parking, signage, poor communications, non partnership, plan overload, talking and not enough action.
Cannot keep thinking retail. Need to be flexible, encourage start ups. Offer a mix of hotels, shops and cafes. Art galleries, museums and attractions. Attract locals and provide them with an experience, work with a digital media. Must be ready to do business. Working better with private and public.
Alive after five. Need to be a destination. Conference centres etc.
Took a look back, town centres are owned by everybody yet no single person is responsible. Everyone looking for something different from each other.
Promote a single place brand and story that addresses full on just what we want our audiences to want and feel. Painful process to get to a consensus. Dunfermline at the centre of Scotland's Story.
It is all about perceptions – parking at 60%
Boring and crime but evidence is that it is safe.
Need perceptions of what it will be like rather than what it is now. Develop perceptions where whole is greater than all the parts.
Where next? Dunfermline the place to be, great experience for all.
Having a plan that is not a huge document. Few objectives
Increasing awareness of safer towns. Illuminating public buildings, chewing gum removal. Address dilapidated buildings. Removing the for sale boards, heritage quarters, boutique quarters. Trying actively to attract businesses to Dunfermline. Showcasing what is on offer in Dunfermline, open and ready for business.

Trade suppliers, MacPhie's have developed a Retail Excellence Programme to assist bakers. Seasonal products, classic favour printers and new innovative products. Suppliers need to work together to keep the trade strong.
Quality, Service and Value matter but so does the experience.
1. Window
2. Easy to access products
3. Smell
4. Taste and touch – offer samples
5. Sound – cheerful disposition
6. Product offer – blend of seasonality, innovation and traditional
7. Consumer needs change daily

A Bakers viewpoint was given by Andre Sarafilovic.
He runs Wm Stephens bakers who trade on a number of high streets. Issues because the landscape has changed but we are where we are. Things are difficult but accept things are different. Challenge from out of town, online, parking ( high street shops have lowest average spend).
Town centres depend on footfall. Accepted that bakers are not what brings people to the high street. Everyone fighting for the same pound, customers not spoiled for choice.
Customers expect good service and value for money. That doesn't mean being the cheapest. Environment is bright, modern and fresh. Product alone will not attract customers back.
Stephens differentiate through quality products, freshly made on the day, very little wrapped, no pre made filled rolls or sandwiches. They constantly report back condition of daily deliveries – we are only as good as our last delivery. Morning, lunchtime trade, meal deals increase average spend. Meal deals are linked with top selling products in their case steak bruises. They use mystery shoppers to rate their service and up selling. Their shops have a prize of a night out for the shop that comes out top on mystery shopping.
Stephens operate a Spotlight on Standards SOS to monitor their outlets. Shops are totally refitted every nine years. Why invest in the high street? A £54000 spend on refitting in Dunfermline created an 19% uplift, in Cowdenbeath a slightly larger spend because it was a bigger shop, had a 18% uplift mainly created by increasing average spend. He revealed compelling figures that justified why it was a good commercial decision to inset in the high street. He concluded by saying that success is a journey not a destination.

Key note speech was given by Angela Constance, Scottish Government Minister for Youth Employment. This is a unique post across the UK, having a dedicated minister for Youth Employment. She said that youth were unemployed not through lack of talent but through lack of opportunities.
Figures announced in May revealed youth unemployment has been dropping. In Scotland 27000 down on last year. 22000 now in employment but figures have no room for complacency. In other EU countries low youth employment has a correlation with commitment to vocational education and training systems.
What are they doing?
Action for Jobs plus £80m to support young Scots into work. Creating first opportunities into the world of work. Young people help to boost economic success. Now there are record levels of MA with a pledge to support 25000 every year in lifetime of Scottish Parliament. The Scottish MA is employed status and she felt that was very important- learning in the workplace. The Richards Review in England supported this Scottish approach.
Opportunities For All is available for young people seeking a route out of unemployment. Government also supports routes into starting up in business.
Investing in young people, growing your own talent is the right thing to do.
Last December launch of Make Young People Your Business campaign to adapt recruitment methods and make understanding each other better. Barrier can be young people being not work ready. Building employability skills is addressed in the Certificate of Work Readiness. This moments both the needs of young people and employers. Targeted at 16 – 19 year olds this qualification is endorsed by employer organisations. It involves work experience.

Craig Lear, Head of Catering, Cleaning and Waste Services at Glasgow 2014 showed a video the Taste of the Commonwealth Games. Opportunities that arise from from the event stretch beyond the City of Glasgow, but especially in the food outlets in Glasgow outside of the venues. Several groups have been set up to deal with the Games food offering.
Catering Food Forum Group
Catering Food Innovation Group
Athlete Food Focus Group
Catering Supply Chain Group
Food Safety Action Group
There will be signature dishes at each of the 16 venues. Cultural and Dietary differences will be catered for this includes all the allergy categories. One third will be Muslim. There will be extensive menu testing. In addition there is a challenge to have a fully trained workforce. Catering tenders are out but someone has to make the products they sell. He invited his audience to join the party.

National Craft Bakers' Week from 7th to 13th October will run with the theme of “Love Your Baker”. This will be a PR led campaign and will include point of sale material, a new website and will make extensive use of social media. They will use the Baking Brothers to front this. Posters and bunting, how to get involved guide will be available.

Keith Stuart of the Scottish Bakers 40 Group explained how a study tour in England had been a gear success. The group was resurrected as a result of this tour. The tour started from Birmingham Airport. They visited the Greggs bakery, a burger bun bakery in Milton Keynes, Nash's Bakery in Bicester, Oliver Adams in Northampton, British Bakels in Bicester, Cornfield Bakery, Oxford, Birds of Derby.

Health & Nutrition was an afternoon topic.
Speaker Ted Rich, senior Vice President of Customer Experience, Rich Products
Sugar free, fat free, whole grain, natural organic, no carb so many challenges. So many routes which is the right one?
People are taking a more passive approach to weight management. Probiotics are growing in interest. The big three are
A. General well being – Green Tea, less additives, healthy balance
B. Weight management – smaller portion sizes, responsible calories
C. Digestive Health – inc yoghurts in desserts
More nutritional information now on labels. It is more about evolution rather than revolution.

Christophe Surdiacourt, Technical Director, Puratos UK
Customers looking for time saving products but ones that are both convenient and healthy.
This leads to opportunities to integrate nutrition
1. Nutrition at the heart of our products.
2. Supported by research
3. Share that knowledge
This can be achieved by using naturally healthy, fortified breads, reduced less healthy (fat, salt and calories). Fat reduction in cakes materially alters the product. Salt reduction in bread can be achieved by using sour doughs.

Paul Morrow, Managing Director, British Bakels
The big picture is the two global challenges of under nourished and obesity. These impact on us as food retailers.
Health aspects of food, some good some bad. Additives still of interest
gluten free and additive free / clean products.
Health claims can suggest benefit to heart, gut or brain health. Whole meal, high fibre but how do you get this across on loose products without labels.
“Early to bed, early to rise, no bloody good is you do not advertise”.
Very few customers buy product that is healthy unless it tastes good. Positive claims will encourage people to buy more. Ageing population has different demands.

Lewis Davage, Development & Business Manager, Zeelandia
Covered topics that the others didn't. Zeelandia is a worldwide organisation that has information sharing platforms through international seminars. This allows an overview to be established. There are health trends and health needs that can act like a Mexican wave that go as fast as they come. Boom in supplements provide business for the likes of Holland & Barrett. Omega in bread is popular in Greece, Chia seeds now popular in UK but its lifespan in Italy is almost over. Reduced carbohydrates is still a trend in Scandinavia. Low GI is a trend in bread, more because it is tasty than because of its properties. Cholesterol reduction is one of the most demanded. Finding a solution in everyday lifestyle is key.

Consumers are most interested in healthy food and diets immediately after New Year, before they go on holiday and when they return when they see the photographs. Also people eat healthier at the beginning of a week than they do at the end. Best then to launch a product to the health conscious on the first Monday in January!

Award winners JB Christie in Airdrie, World Scotch Pie Champion and the 2012 Scottish Baker of the Year, Harry Gow, Inverness were highlighted. Videos were shown covering the publicity and the effect of it on the business.
Harry (78) claimed the business had seen an “upsurge” in sales. He felt that the competition was very worthwhile because it was a whole business appraisal. He was surprised and delighted to win.
Andrew Chisholm left school at 16, he is a 3 rd generation baker although neither his father or grandfather had actually owned their own businesses. At the age of 45 he acquired a business that came up for sale and in a very short time he won the World Scotch Pie Championship. Andrew told the conference
“You certainly underestimate what it is like. The well kent faces in Airdrie and Coatbridge told you we knew you did, so you'd better keep it up!”

Scottish Baker of the Year Awards

Last year 12000 customers voted, 15000 customers voted this year. After nominations, 370 products were requested to be judged in Dunfermline. The companies who won a regional award had the chance to win a national award.
24 bakers completed written entry form and took part in telephone interviews.
Judges were Michael Tully, Bako Northern Scotland, James Withers, Scotland Food &Drink, David Lonsdale of CBI in Scotland. Six short listed but many of the others were excellent.

Regional Awards Presentation
Best Morning Rolls
Highlands Islands & Grampian: Ythan Bakery
Central & Tayside: Wm Stephens, Dunfermline
South: John Gillespie & Sons

Savoury Category
Highlands Islands: MacLeans Highland Bakery
Central Belt & Tayside: Mimi Bakehouse
South: Brownings the Bakers, Kilmarnock

Scone Category
Highlands Islands & Grampian: Harry Gow
Central Belt & Tayside: Atholl Bakery
South: Irvine's Bakery & Confectionary

Individual Cake Category
Highlands Islands & Grampian: MacLean Highland Bakery
Central Belt & Tayside: Dunbar Bakery
South: Irvine's Bakery & Confectionary

Bread Category
Highlands Islands & Grampian: MacLeans Highland Bakery
Central Belt & Tayside: SM Bayne, Lochore
South: Brownings the Bakers, Kilmarnock

The conference was extremely well presented, the content was very interesting and the whole event went really well.