Pennant creates new opportunities with frozen dough

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Pennant creates new opportunities with frozen dough

29 Jul 2024

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 — Tiffany Blue. The Golden Arches. Some consumer brands are known simply by their color. And in certain bakery circles, the same can be said about Pennant, the frozen puff pastry dough brand many retail bake shops, in-store bakers and foodservice pastry chefs have, for more than 85 years, known as the dough in the green box.

Part of the Los Angeles-based Aspire Bakeries portfolio, Pennant recently expanded production in the parent company’s Hazleton, PA, bakery. During that time, the brand also underwent a revitalization to renew recognition of the product’s history, versatility and modern applications.

In an effort led by Lisa Papaloni, Aspire Bakeries’ director of marketing, Pennant spent close to a year generating excitement among team members and customers. The work culminated with the startup of equipment and technology upgrades at the Hazleton bakery, including a state-of-the-art pastry dough makeup line and the launch of Pennant’s new website.

While it’s always been a beloved brand, Pennant now offers more than just an easy-to-use puff pastry dough. It also sparks attainable inspiration through tips and tools available on its website.

“There are so many resources on the website,” Papaloni said. “Not only are there recipes and inspirational photos, but there are troubleshooting resources as well. When working with pastry dough, challenges can come up, so we built a whole section of FAQs to help address those as quickly as possible.”

Pennant also launched a manual with product ideas and how-to guides for creating new products, including tips for how to properly defrost, cut or sheet the dough specific to the application.

When inspiration comes with technical tips, true innovation is possible.

“What Pennant dough offers is a blank slate,” said Chris Jakubek, director of sales, foodservice, for Aspire Bakeries. “When we put something on the website, it’s an idea. And that idea leads to a conversation. Then chefs can take the ideas and put them on paper to create menu items across all dayparts.”

“Although consumers aren’t spending quite as much of their budget on eating out, they’re still willing to pay for food that delivers an experience, not only in foodservice but also in segments like lodging and cruise ships.” — Lisa Papaloni | director of marketing | Aspire Bakeries

Of course, that’s a game-changer in foodservice, where labor shortages aren’t getting any easier. But it’s also revolutionary for environments where variety and innovation are required, and physical resources are limited.

For example, while inflation has prompted many consumers to watch their spending, the “you only live once” (YOLO) culture emphasizes experiences over possessions. In fact, research from Rabobank identified experiences over possessions as an important post-pandemic trend.

“Although consumers aren’t spending quite as much of their budget on eating out, they’re still willing to pay for food that delivers an experience, not only in foodservice but also in segments like lodging and cruise ships,” Papaloni said. “People are living into the YOLO mindset. There’s this balance between inflation and still spending money. Consumers are just more selective in how they spend it; they still want to enjoy those experiences.”

As the cruise industry embarks on a major comeback — Reuters predicts this year will see a 6% increase over 2019 — consumers have high expectations for cruise ship culinary experiences without a thought to the kitchens below deck. In the burgeoning cruise ship market, demand for unforgettable food experiences is increasing, but the space to create them isn’t.

“What’s the first word that comes to people’s minds when they see an elaborate food display on a cruise ship?” Jakubek asked. “It’s, ‘Wow.’ This puff pastry dough allows these chefs to achieve that ‘wow’ factor. We like to think of Pennant as the ‘wonder dough.’”

Frozen puff pastry dough that’s easy to handle and store is critical. Operations like cruise ships employ premier chefs who have the expertise to create show-stopping culinary delights on board, and Pennant’s compact packaging allows them to engage that creativity without the need for multiple types of dough.

“The key to successfully using Pennant dough is keeping it fresh during storage,” Papaloni said. “Pennant is packaged with parchment paper between the layers, and the box was designed to slide out of the freezer in a drawer-like fashion, which makes storage easy and gives quick access to the dough.”

This story has been adapted from the 2024 New Products Annual of Commercial Baking. Read the digital edition here.

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