PLANO, TX — Middleby Bakery Group, a global leader of industrial bakery equipment and technology, announced the addition of industry veteran Matt Zielsdorf as global category manager for specialty bread and pastry.
In this newly created role, Zielsdorf will be responsible for pushing Middleby Bakery further into the pastry and specialty bread categories through innovation from brands such as Baker Thermal, Auto-Bake Serpentine and GBT, which Middleby acquired earlier this year.
“My goal is to deepen partnerships and discover new opportunities in areas like artisan and specialty breads, flatbreads, pizza and pastry production,” Zielsdorf said. “We’re identifying new ways to not only partner with customers but also expand our supplier partner network to further innovate in the artisan bread and pastry space.”
As industry technology advances in dough sheeting, lamination and makeup, Middleby Bakery brands are identifying ways they can work with supplier partners through thermal technology to push the envelope on innovation even further.
Zielsdorf began his career in 1999 with the Peerless Group as the third-generation family member at the company. He has also led sales and strategy for manufacturing companies including Fritsch USA, Apache Stainless Equipment and Multivac Fritsch.
Middleby developed the category management role as a new strategy, which taps into Zielsdorf’s extensive experience with driving strategic sales growth and team development in commercial baking and manufacturing.
“I have seen Matt in the industry over the years, and I’ve seen his ability to be a sales champion,” said Mark Salman, president of Middleby Food Processing Group. “He has knowledge across the industry with croissant dough and specialty products and comes from a family with a legacy in mixing technology. So, we created a position that was tailored to enable Matt to become a ‘glue’ across several Middleby Bakery brands. This position will become critical as we continue to grow.”
“Matt is great catalyst to challenge us in thinking differently about sales champions.” – Mark Salman | president |
Middleby Food Processing
As a full-line solution provider with 11 supplier brands in its portfolio, Middleby Bakery Group touts expertise from leaders of each of its brands. As a category leader, Zielsdorf will tie the brands together while linking them with other partners throughout the industry. It’s a strategy that Middleby Food Group can carry into other sectors it serves, such as the cured salami and bacon categories in the meat industry.
“Matt is a great catalyst to challenge us in thinking differently about sales champions,” Salman said.
To learn more about full-line solutions in the baking industry, visit the Middleby Bakery Group website.
