When the pandemic forced normal life to a screeching halt, some bakeries refused to let COVID bring them down.
La Brea Bakery and Otis Spunkmeyer — two major Los Angeles-based brands alongside their Ontario, Canada-based sister brand, Oakrun Farm Bakery — began a new chapter as they opened under their newly formed parent company, Chicago-based Aspire Bakeries, formerly known as ARYZTA North America.
The brands are riding waves of change, growth and innovation under new backing from investor Lindsay Goldberg. But long before the acquisition, they were navigating some serious consumer changes induced by COVID-19 and the virus’ impact on restaurants, schools and businesses.
“There have been seismic shifts in terms of what we’ve seen in how people purchase and consume food,” said Chris Prociv, Aspire Bakeries senior VP of marketing, innovation and R&D. And those shifts — some pandemic-induced, others happening prior to 2020 — are playing a role in how the company and its brands look at innovation.
“We think about innovation in two different segments,” Prociv said. “The first is customer-led, as we have strong partnerships with our strategic customers and work collaboratively with them to develop innovation. We also have a separate path that we started about two years ago, where we’re leading innovation, inspired by research to identify consumer insights, that we can bring to our customers.”
As Aspire focuses on turning that innovation into tangible growth, it highlights three core categories — customers, consumers and suppliers — tapping into a mix of primary and secondary research based on qualitative and quantitative data.
“This is how we stay on top of the latest trends for all our customers,” Prociv said. “We provide them with the latest information that has a unique point of difference so that our insights can be used for innovation.”
The company is also constantly searching for ways to uncover best possible solutions for customers across its wide variety of markets and brands. That includes retail and foodservice channels, as well as in-store bakeries, QSR operators and even school and hospital foodservice.
“There have been seismic shifts in terms of what we’ve seen in how people purchase and consume food,” said Chris Prociv, Aspire Bakeries senior VP of marketing, innovation and R&D. And those shifts — some pandemic-induced, others happening prior to 2020 — are playing a role in how the company and its brands look at innovation.
This combination perfectly fit the consumer interest for homemade sourdough thanks to its artisan style made in an automated setting. The bakery is known for its gentle process that includes 24 hours of baking time, including fermentation.
“People understand that now more than they did a year or two ago,” Prociv said.
Aspire’s brand Otis Spunkmeyer also broke boundaries in the way it operated. Its cookie sales, largely done by fundraising as a hallmark of the brand’s business, essentially ceased to exist. But soon consumers started clamoring for another way to get their Otis Spunkmeyer cookie fix.
“We noticed people posting on social media things like, ‘Where can I find my Otis Spunkmeyer cookies? I can’t get them from school anymore,’ and we saw it as a business opportunity,” Prociv said.
So, where do people go when they’re looking to purchase something they can’t find anywhere else? Amazon.
Shortly into the pandemic, Otis Spunkmeyer frozen cookie dough pucks became available through Amazon Fresh. At that point, the company’s only option was to sell the 6-lb box of frozen cookie dough pucks — the size typically available in Costco stores — but between the consumer longing for what they couldn’t get and the overwhelming need to stockpile, people scooped them up.
Today, most schools are back in session. That means fundraising is back, and cafeterias will be buzzing once again.
In fact, Aspire Bakeries’ analyst data is predicting a 77% bounce-back in school foodservice spending this year, even over 2019 levels.
“While schools recover, Otis Spunkmeyer is helping school operators provide safely handled foods for their students,” said Daniele Bianchini, director of marketing at Otis Spunkmeyer.
The brand is also paying attention to changes in other markets. Bianchini noted that the biggest changes she has seen in the foodservice space, in addition to last year’s shutdowns, have included the increases in drive-through, carryout/curbside and third-party delivery services.
“Our food has to be compatible with the shift in how consumers purchase and indulge in our foods,” Bianchini said. Some of these shifts include a focus on food safety, health and wellness, and take and bake products.
The re-established company that is Aspire Bakeries serves as an umbrella of innovation and growth into the future as it encompasses these beloved brands known for healthy, high-quality, safe and comforting foods.
“I believe we will all come out of this stronger, Prociv said. “Our foods will continue to be a part of consumers’ lives.”
