Nothing flat about IBIE’s resources for tortillas, pizza

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Nothing flat about IBIE’s resources for tortillas, pizza

1 Aug 2025

Annie Hollon

Annie Hollon is a journalist, copywriter and social media strategist from the Dallas, Texas area. She found a love for magazine writing during her time at the University of Alabama where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, double majoring in public relations and English. Beyond writing, you can find her expanding her library, attempting to teach herself the guitar and trying new hobbies.

KANSAS CITY, MO — Tortillas are seeing a meteoric rise thanks to growing consumer interest in better-for-you goods. Paired with younger consumers’ interest in international flavors, the tortilla market — valued at $33.09 billion in 2023, according to a study from The Insight Partners — is not going anywhere.

Data from Bakery Playbook: Tortillas, part of the American Bakers Association’s research study series sponsored by Dawn Foods, Lesaffre and Puratos, highlighted that the spectrum of product varieties and package sizes provides consumers with more options for various dayparts.

As seen in other factions of baking, tortilla producers are working on integrating alternative ingredients. To meet demand for low-carb, gluten-free or lower-calorie traits, manufacturers are introducing new ingredients such as dehydrated prickly-pear cactus, buckwheat and almond flour. Sourcing and incorporating these ingredients can require reformulation to ensure the texture and structure pan out and the dough will work with existing equipment.

Consumers are also interested in more traditional varieties. For some, this requires ensuring the proper equipment is in place to execute processes such as nixtamalization. There is also interest in offerings with health-forward attributes, driving innovation through a lens of sodium, cholesterol, trans fat and carb reduction.

As with the rest of the industry, labor is vital for producing tortillas. As workforce challenges persist, producers are investing in automation to reduce repetitive tasks and drive retention.

Working with these considerations requires adapting equipment lines. To help producers adapt, International Baking Industry Exposition exhibitors will present an array of solutions designed to ease these challenges.

Perspectives from pizza producers

Pizza, in all its many forms, remains a tried-and-true staple for American households. According to Mintel’s “US Pizza Market Report 2024,” the category had an estimated value of $9.6 billion.

Keeping up with demand requires steady relationships with vendors and ingredient suppliers. Pizza makers on the commercial scale are looking to balance incorporating automation and maintaining an artisan touch. Manufacturers of pizza crusts and pre-portioned dough balls must formulate to consistently meet foodservice operators’ needs. With an uptick in thaw-and-bake solutions, ensuring that products retain their quality is vital.

Packaging is also a major consideration, with manufacturers looking to automation to support this. Like other industry segments, there is also increased innovation with better-for-you ingredients and trendy toppings. Recent updates include crusts made from cauliflower and almond flour and unconventional flavors such as dill pickle and hot honey. Integrating ingredients poses an opportunity to find equipment that meets these needs at the show.

As a collective, baked goods manufacturers are seeing common themes on the operations side. From demand for better-for-you offerings and increased automation to specialty-specific operational challenges, bakers are searching for ways to strengthen their businesses.

This story has been adapted from the 2025 New Products Annual of Commercial Baking. Read the full story in the digital edition here.

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