In 2024, Lesaffre, a major player in fermentation and micro-organisms, celebrates 50 years of its pioneering Baking Center™ concept. With a network of 51 Baking Center™ around the world, Lesaffre innovates every day, working closely with its customers to support their developments in these dedicated application centers.
Since 1853, the ambition of a solid geographical footprint has always been at the heart of Lesaffre’s development, whether through the diversification of its areas of expertise, or the extension of its global presence. It is through a resolutely local approach that the Group has developed alongside its customers, anticipating their evolving needs, whatever their profile, from craft bakeries to industrial bakeries.
Lesaffre, which celebrated its 170th anniversary in 2023, is present on every continent. The Group’s products are distributed in over 185 countries, produced at 77 production sites and developed at 10 R&D centers around the world.
“At Lesaffre, we are committed to helping bakers develop their skills and activities, whether they’re craft or industrial bakers. In 2050, there will be 9 billion people on earth to nourish healthily, considering the planet’s limited resources. With these unprecedented challenges awaiting us, we strongly believe that our Baking Center™ network will continue to grow around the world in the years to come, enabling Lesaffre to be even closer to its clients, to keep providing them with solutions that are ever more adapted to their needs.”says Brice-Audren Riché, Lesaffre’s CEO.
Customer proximity as a hallmark of Lesaffre’s identity
Today, there are 51 Baking Center™ around the world, training customers and partners every day in the use of Lesaffre products and the art of breadmaking. Today, this network of Baking Center™ forms an international fabric acting as a benchmark for bakery fermentation. These centers of expertise put their experience and know-how to work for customers, providing market knowledge, innovation, formulation, sensory analysis, scientific support, technical assistance and training. Every day, more than 300 bakery technicians around the world passionately pass on their know-how and work with their customers to develop the products and techniques that will make tomorrow’s bakery.
“In 1974, Lesaffre was the first company to create an application center that trains bakery professionals in the art of bread-making: the Baking Center™. Today, with a strong network of 51 Baking Center™ around the world, our teams of bakers have built up a lasting relationship of trust with our customers, adopting an ever more customer centric approach by providing them with a growing portfolio of products and innovative services.” Says Thomas Lesaffre, Group Baking Marketing Director at Lesaffre.
For some time now, the training provided by the Baking Center™ network has diversified, and today offers support in sourcing local raw materials in bread-making ingredients, baking processes or even waste reduction. In these Baking Center™, professional bakers train customers and partners in the use of Lesaffre products, with a better understanding of their challenges and issues.
A 50th anniversary celebrated by an entire community
Throughout 2024, Baking Center™ teams around the world will be celebrating this anniversary with their customers and partners, helping to spread the word about this pioneering concept: trade shows, customer seminars, events, international exchange programs, solidarity actions, etc. For the occasion, two original books have been published: a comic book offering a journey through time and space to meet the men and women who imagined and developed this network; and a recipe book entitled “Les pains du monde”, featuring 40 bread recipes from around the world, interpreted by local technicians. Throughout 2024, on every continent, the entire community of bakers, craftsmen and industrialists is invited to celebrate this anniversary with the Lesaffre teams.