Editor’s Note: When the Work Begins

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Editor’s Note: When the Work Begins

24 Nov 2025

Joanie Spencer

Since 2008, Joanie Spencer has covered the retail and wholesale sides of the baking industry.
Serving associations such as the American Society of Baking (ASB) and BEMA, Joanie is also in demand as an industry presenter on bakery operations and trends. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Rockhurst University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.

When she’s not running or playing soccer, Joanie spends her time with her husband and 11-year-old son.

KANSAS CITY, MO — If you’re anything like me, you’ve returned from the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) equal parts exhausted and energized. As an industry, we spent a week in Las Vegas making new connections, visiting with old friends and identifying where we go from here.

During the show, there was a lot of discussion around the changing consumer landscape, especially in terms of how people are balancing health concerns with the desire for unique food experiences. That’s driving much of the product innovation in our industry, and it’s only the start.

Identifying what needs must be filled is Step 1 … understanding how to fill them is where the work begins. Between record-breaking educational content and countless supplier innovations on the show floor, IBIE provided the tools bakers need to get that work done. This issue is dedicated to not only insight from the Baking Expo but also from bakers using technology in all-new ways to develop products that serve specific need states and the hottest new retail channels.

Our October issue not only marks the entry into the fourth quarter of an undeniably turbulent year, but it’s also Commercial Baking’s 20th regular issue since launching in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through all the ups and downs the industry has experienced in recent years, our team is proud to have shared this ride with you.

Then again, the ride isn’t over. Remember, the work has, in many ways, only just begun.

This has been adapted from the October | Q4 2025 issue of Commercial Baking. Read the full digital edition here.

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