Puratos, makers of Puraslim bread mixes, will be one of the 200 exhibitors at the Bakery Fair 2019.

Peter Fung, president of the Filipino Chinese Bakery Association Inc. (FCBAI), acknowledges technology as one of the key factors of the booming industry of baking in the Philippines. Though considered a volatile sector when it comes to food, baking slowly gained patrons with the help of social media.

We at FCBAI hope the Bakery Fair can promote, strengthen and also elevate standards of the Philippine bakery industry not only as part of the country’s dietary, lifestyle and culinary culture, but also to help boost economic development through expansion of small and medium scale enterprises or SME

The growing public interest can also be mirrored in the celebrities’ passion for baking, with Marian Rivera, Sharon Cuneta, Bea Alonzo, Judy Ann Santos, Maricar Reyes-Poon, Bettina Carlos and Ara Mina, to name a few, sharing their interest with the public. Fung said, “We are competing with home bakers. They are invisible competitors. But they also make us try to be on our toes. And yes, it is alarming for those who are sleeping on their job.”

Shortly after, brands especially those with physical stores began to capitalize via web. “A lot of people are jumping into it because you can bake a cake and sell it at home. You don’t need to have a shop. Just post it online and people will buy. That’s how good the market is right now,” he said.

THE trade show will feature exhibitors, seminars and demonstrations by local and international baking industry experts. On the other hand, according to him, old traditional bakeries are slowly on the brink of closing. “It is because when the owners pass away, their children don’t want to take on the responsibility of managing the bakery. Not to mention, more big players in the market who mass-produce baked products at a cheaper prices are coming in.”

In line with this, FCBAI encourages people to go into the baking enterprise by holding the annual Bakery Fair, a trade show featuring exhibitors, seminars and demonstrations by local and international baking industry experts. The three-day showcase aims to foster awareness on the latest trends in baking technology, ingredients, packaging concepts and materials.

“We, at FCBAI, hope the Bakery Fair can promote, strengthen and also elevate standards of the Philippine bakery industry not only as part of the country’s dietary, lifestyle and culinary culture but also to help boost economic development through expansion of small and medium scale enterprises or SME,” Fung said.

Even if rice and not flour was our primary grain, pandesal had become a predominant food on our breakfast table since the Spanish colonial days. Peter, who is also the president of Ling Nam, said the changing lifestyles of Filipinos will soon make bread the country’s staple food, an influence that began even during our Spanish colonial days. More than 300 years of colonization and religious influence brought in the culture of pandesal. Even if rice and not flour was our primary grain, pandesal was already a predominant food on our breakfast table.

A lot of people are jumping into it because you can bake a cake and sell it at home. You don’t need to have a shop. Just post it online and people will buy.

Moreover, Fung observed that we still have a long way to go before our country becomes the center of baking. “That’s what we’re doing right now to help the market. The Philippines is still a rice-eating country. We are promoting wheat bread, though that’s a bit high-end. Of course, Pinoys still want pandesal. That’s why later on people are coming up with wheat pandesal, malunggay pandesal.”

The annual Bakery Fair will be held at the World Trade Center from 15 to 17 February.

Entrance is free when you register online at www.fcbai.com.ph or www.bakeryfair.com.ph.

“Every year the event is getting bigger and bigger so we must be doing something right,” Fung concluded.

BAKERY Fair 2019 aims to foster awareness on the importance of updating the country’s industry on the latest trends in baking technology, ingredients, packaging concepts and materials.