KANSAS CITY, MO — Chewy bagels with that quintessential crispy exterior deliver a truly unique eating experience. Interest in specialty and artisanal varieties, along with healthier options that offer functional ingredients, satisfy many occasions beyond breakfast.
Learn how old-school techniques meet new-age technology as bagel manufacturers pivot to efficiently supply products without compromising quality.
For nearly 100 years, Ridgefield, NJ-based Toufayan Bakeries has baked bread products using Old World techniques. While it has added modern automation to enhance production, the company’s hearth-baked bagels are still made with its traditional recipe. Focusing on ingredient integrity and process refinement — high-quality flour and precise fermentation for example — is key to achieving the perfect bagel texture and flavor.
“Our time-honored process of boiling and baking gives our bagels their distinctive taste and chewy texture,” said Karen Toufayan, VP of marketing and sales at Toufayan Bakeries. “The bagel industry is seeing a surge in demand for new flavors and better-for-you options, which directly influences our operations. We are expanding our production facilities and investing in technology to meet these consumer demands while ensuring quality and efficiency.”
As interest in functional ingredient claims such as gluten-free, high fiber and added protein grows, Toufayan Bakeries understands the importance of knowing what consumers are prioritizing. Leveraging interest in protein, its bagels contain at least 8 grams of added protein per serving.
The ingredient space is where Toufayan has observed the biggest innovation for the bagel category. The introduction of nutrient-rich ingredients and unique flavor combinations promotes growth potential.
“These advances have broadened the appeal of bagels, transforming them from a classic staple to a versatile component in contemporary diets that meet the needs of consumers from a flavor, quality and quality of life perspective,” Toufayan said.
Berkeley, CA-based Boichik Bagels evolved from a family tradition of eating authentic New York bagels and the need for that kind of artisan experience on the West Coast. After spending five years experimenting with formulations and old-school bagel making, Emily Winston, the company’s founder and CEO, landed on the recipe used today.
“We produce real New York-style bagels made with the same traditional ingredients and the same cold fermentation, boil and bake process used in New York for 100 years,” she said. “We do not take any shortcuts when it comes to traditional bagel making. Our goal is to produce a world-class, top-tier bagel focusing on the ingredients, process and quality of the final product.”
Boichik Bagels started as a retail operation and built an 18,000-square-foot facility in Berkeley that produces bagel dough for all of its northern California stores. About half of that dough gets delivered to retail stores that finish the bagels on-site. Freshly baked bagels are also prepared for other shops and packed and frozen for CPG, an area of growth opportunity.
The company manufactures its wholesale bagels with the same boiling and baking process. Manual processing is combined with a semi-automated packing line that includes a slicing machine, blower for the bags, an inkjet tag printer and tag applicator.
“Our dough production is mostly automated, including a Baker-Bot Apex Motion Control robotic custom arm that lifts the heavy bagel boards off the line and moves them to the proofing racks,” Winston explained. “We added automation to make the process more efficient without compromising our end product. Our team basically supervises the automated robots instead of engaging in unnecessary lifting, which is more fun, and as a result, we have low turnover since our production process does not require onerous repetitive labor.”
The company also invested in a customized mixer with a bowl that can be moved with an automated lift to transition the dough to a two-lane BakTek bagel forming line that’s integrated with the cobot.
Scaling up the business is a primary goal, and Winston is constantly seeking ways to add new automation, including attending the triennial International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) for inspiration. In fact, the company’s current BakTek bagel line was custom-built and displayed at IBIE 2022 before it was installed at Boichik’s facility.
“The bagel line was a game changer for us, since I was just getting started with the business at that time,” Winston said.
“As an engineer, I enjoy keeping tabs on recent advances in the world of automation,” she added. “An industrial tunnel oven is on my wish list, and it will be interesting to see what new models are available this year.”
This story has been adapted from the October | Q4 2025 issue of Commercial Baking. Read the full story in the digital edition here.
