Pennant focuses on innovation and consumer preferences

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Pennant focuses on innovation and consumer preferences

2 Sep 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 —Frozen puff pastry dough producer Pennant, an Aspire Bakeries brand, is making a comeback and seizing opportunities to efficiently execute traditional pastry applications with limited labor.

“With the abundance of resources that Pennant provides,” said Lisa Papaloni, Aspire Bakeries’ director of marketing. “In-store bakeries can scale up their existing offerings by adding appetizers, meal items and snacks made from puff pastry.”

It’s true that operations like cruise ships, hotels and in-store bakeries need to focus on efficiency and ease-of-use. However, with consumers hyper-focused on experiences and indulgence as self-care — while still controlling spending — Pennant’s new focus on innovation through inspiration provides these operators the best of all worlds.

“Chefs strive for innovation in flavor profiles, techniques and culinary creations, and Pennant’s high-quality puff pastry is ideal for achieving those goals,” Papaloni said. “Our goal is to make their job easier.”

In addition to offering tips, tricks, and inspiration on its website and in technical manuals, Pennant has also deepened its relationship with the American Culinary Federation (ACF).

Not only did the brand receive ACF’s official Seal of Approval — which required extensive testing and evaluations to deem the dough superior in application, appearance and performance — but Pennant has also increased its exposure with the culinary experts who are involved with the group.

In this renaissance, the question becomes: Did Pennant make a good thing better, or simply bring a great product back to life? Perhaps the answer is both, depending on the vantage point. Easy digital access to tools, resources and inspiration certainly breathes innovation into a brand that, for decades, was likely seen as the “old standby.” But Aspire Bakeries’ investment in Pennant’s production, especially in areas such as the makeup line, has also taken the dough to the next level in terms of providing customers with a versatile product that’s foundational in creating experiential products that modern consumers crave.

“With the abundance of resources that Pennant provides, in-store bakeries can scale up their existing offerings by adding appetizers, meal items and snacks made from puff pastry.” — Lisa Papaloni | director of marketing | Aspire Bakeries

Throughout the production line, operators are constantly engaged, checking dough temperature, dough thickness and percentage of fat, and thickness of the layers — more than 150 in all — to ensure the rise and honeycomb interior it’s known for.

Operationally, Pennant is revitalizing the process, on some level, in the same way it did the brand. With equipment upgrades and strategic expansion in the bakery — which also makes other items in the Aspire Bakeries portfolio — Pennant ensures a product that can stand up to the versatility its customers need. It’s all about incorporating modern technology into a time-honored process.

“The key is taking your time,” said Dave Bonacci, R&D manager for Aspire Bakeries, describing the careful process of making the dough. “Here, we use the best ingredients. We take our time and run the line the way it’s meant to run. We think about what a baker or chef does in their own kitchen; they take their time when they fold a dough and give it a proper rest time, and then they do it again. That’s what we do with this process. We mimic the hand touch, slow and easy.”

From the production process where the puff pastry dough is made, to the operation where it’s used, Pennant has been rooted in reverence … for the dough and for the creative minds who make the products from it. Any good marketer knows that rebranding something with that much equity is as efficient as reinventing the wheel. By revitalizing a staple brand with new resources, Pennant has added intention behind what has always been a household name for foodservice operators.

“Pennant has been the expert in puff pastry for 86 years,” Papaloni said. “And Aspire Bakeries has an outstanding commitment to quality. It’s one of our key promises to our customers. We prioritize staying true to the product and want to be seen as a solution center for our customers. Pennant puff dough performs with the same quality customers expect, but now it comes with new ways to develop new creations and think outside the box.”

The little green box, that is.

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

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