Bakery

Our Bakery experts offer extensive knowledge across the entire bakery value chain, starting with milling, and including bakery equipment and ingredients such as yeast. Their expertise spans a wide range of bakery products, from bread and pastry to biscuits, chocolate, and other confectionery. They advise on production processes, optimising product lines, automating production, and strengthening organisational and management capacity. To increase income, marketing and sales are key areas of focus, often linked to opportunities for expanding with a shop or lunchroom.  

PUM’s Bakery sector prioritises the development of inclusive programmes that engage both SMEs and larger bakeries. These ‘Train the Trainer’ projects will focus on product improvement, expanding product ranges, and strengthening areas such as organisational development and quality control. Collaborating with vocational institutes is also key: by training teachers, PUM contributes to cultivating the next generation of skilled bakers and pastry chefs, thus promoting youth employment. In addition, the sector will increasingly focus on building integrated bakery ecosystems, from ingredient suppliers to end customers, to foster sustainable growth and resilience. This will be done in close collaboration with colleagues from related sectors, such as Food & Beverage Processing. 

Bakery is one of the world’s oldest trades, and more relevant today than ever. As the global population grows and prosperity increases in many of the countries where PUM operates, demand for high-quality bread and pastry is increasing. The bakery sector offers strong opportunities for income generation and entrepreneurship.  

The PUM Bakery sector works with a wide range of businesses, from small artisan bakeries to industrial-scale operations, encompassing everything from personalised manual baking to fully automated production lines. 

While bread is essential for many, reliance on imported wheat can jeopardise food security, particularly under climate and market pressures. PUM experts explore options for integrating locally adapted grains into bread production, thereby strengthening national food resilience, and promoting sustainable and nutritious diets. 

Although fresh daily bread remains a cornerstone of production, prebaked bread, frozen dough, and other pre-proofed products are becoming an ever more substantial part of turnover. PUM experts provide guidance on these expanding product lines.  

Distribution is another key factor in increasing turnover. Our experts explore strategies for sales through entrepreneur-owned shops, supermarkets, and retail chains. While artisan bakeries typically serve local communities, medium-sized and industrial bakeries often cater to regional or national markets. 

Areas of expertise

Products 

• Tin & free-standing bread 
• Buns/rolls 
• Puff and Danish pastry 
• Cakes 
• Tarts (also decoration) 
• Cookies and biscuits 
• Biscuits 
• Chocolate 
• Donuts, berliners and fried products 

Special production process 

• Bake-off and/or part-baked 
• Sour dough 
• Whole grain products 
• Gas-packaging 

Organisation & management 

• Small, middle or industrial bakery 
• Chocolate production and/or shops 
• Lunchroom/cafeteria 

Flour mill 

• Supplier of bakery ingredients 
• Supplier of bakery equipment 

Professional people for positive impact

Looking to grow your business or organisation sustainably and build a brighter future for your community? Contact one of our representatives in your country for criteria, more information and guidance on the application process.