bake - January/February 2024 - 37

pastries such as croissants and tarts for the local
farmers markets.
" Finding him enabled me to take things to the next
level, in terms of being able to achieve that artisanal,
old-world, real deal level of bread making, " LoFranco
says. " When I met him, we hit the ground running.
Before that I was making ends meet, but working with
Yannick immediately opened up a whole new world
for the business, with the kind of bread we wanted
to make, and it all just clicked. Since then, it's been
go-go-go. With him we finally had really great bread,
which is always the key element to getting the business
going and everything else just fell into place. "
Not only does Guegan create a high-quality product,
but he strives to improve it every day.
" With him leading the way, there's a constant education
happening. It's always about how we can do things
better, not about how to do things more efficiently. "
LoFranco and Guegan make an unlikely but incredible
bread dream team - she runs the business end
while he spends day in and day out doing what he
loves most: baking everything from amazing artisan
breads to gorgeous pastries, from pain au chocolat
to Kouign Amanns.
The bakery's signature sourdoughs are its mainstays,
hands down. Also beloved are the viennoiseries and
pastries at its weekend farmers markets. Guegan's
specialty is the Kouign Amanns, and that's no accident
considering he comes from Brittany, the birthplace
of the pastry.
Bread Artisan Bakery looks to continue making
farmers markets a significant part of its business.
Since it doesn't have a brick-and-mortar retail presence,
the bakery uses these markets to connect directly with
customers and communicate its passion to them and
with them.
LoFranco believes that the biggest change in the
industry since she started is the awareness of artisan
bread and good quality ingredients.
" When I first started, we had to educate people and
potential customers on what artisan bread was and
now, people already know, they are actively seeking
high-quality breads, " she says. " To see our breads on
the store shelves of very popular specialty grocers
today and at more than 300 restaurants, theme parks
and resorts, that's evidence right there of how much
has changed in the bread industry. "
Yannick Guegan (left)
and Jonnie LoFranco of
Bread Artisan Bakery.
FIGHTING INFLATION
To combat ballooning inflation, 5 Generation
Bakers-the producer of Jenny
Lee Swirl Bread-has announced
its " Superheroes in the Fight Against
Inflation " campaign. Teaming up with
distributors and retailers, Jenny Lee
has lowered its national prices by an
average of more than 10% effective
Jan. 1, 2024.
" As consumers ourselves, we feel their
pain every time we purchase something
at retail. As a businessman, I
also feel it with virtually every invoice
I pay, " says Scott Baker, president and
founder of 5 Generation Bakers.
" There is always a lag between wholesale
prices and retail prices since
producers feel the swings in commodity
prices first. These are later passed
to wholesalers, then to retailers, then
to consumers, " he continues. " There
is usually reluctance to pass increases
along as the parties are concerned
about possible reductions in volume
which might result. Conversely, when
some costs decline, there is reluctance
to pass these along in the form
of lowered prices due to possible lost
revenues and the need for bottom-line
profit. Inflation, therefore, is kind of
self-perpetuating. "
bakemag.com | JAN-FEB 2024 > 37
RON DE ANGELIS
http://www.bakemag.com
bake - January/February 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of bake - January/February 2024
