To help upgrade Taiwan's baking industry, Chairman of Nanqiao Group, Chen Feilong, announced that he will formally propose "culinary baking" to clients, integrating Taiwanese dietary techniques into baking to give the industry a new look.
Targeting the "post-pandemic era" baking business opportunities, Namchow Group, following the release of the industry's first white paper on the baking industry in July, will once again hold a large-scale professional exhibition at its Taoyuan Visitor Center from December 9th to 11th. For the first time, the theme will be "culinarization of baking," with plans to present five major themes, 13 baking proposals, and a total of 210 products. This event will also feature a digital communication workshop for baking, teaching clients how to communicate with consumers through photos and social media. The goal is to help clients grasp industry trends amidst the pandemic and further drive industrial upgrading. Prior to the client presentation, Namchow Group held a small media experience session on the 7th. Namchow Chairman Chen Fei-lung personally attended and stated that this is a major event for Namchow. Integrating Taiwan's high-quality dietary technology into the baking industry, combining food and baking to create a new look, will be the focus of the next stage. This is also the first time Namchow has held three professional exhibitions in a single year, directly addressing client needs. Even amidst the challenges of the pandemic, Namchow's two main businesses, frozen dough and baking fats in Taiwan, have maintained growth trends this year.
Namchow Oils and Frozen Dough Operations President Dai Shu-wen stated that an estimated 550 clients will attend the exhibition over three days, including cross-channel operators such as bakeries, hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores, coffee shops, and breakfast shops. In addition to some new products that can catch the Christmas season at the end of the year, products for Valentine's Day, Children's Day, and Mother's Day in 2021 have also been pre-arranged to allow clients to prepare early.
This year, the baking industry has seen a mixed bag due to the impact of the pandemic. Chen Feilong emphasized that Namchow hopes the Taiwanese baking industry will "not only stand firm but also go global." To achieve this, they have launched a series of concrete actions. The first step is to ensure raw materials meet international standards, which led to the launch of baking fats with Clean Label certification last year. The second step is to provide application methods to customers. The third step is to transform baking into a culinary and gastronomic experience, with three expert chef consultants specially hired to assist. These three chefs will also be present for live demonstrations and exhibitions during this event.
Dai Shu-wen pointed out that combining cooking with baking has three major challenges: first, moisture control; second, sauce consistency; and third, pastry dough pairing. She also noted that a major feature of this proposal to integrate cooking into baking is the extensive use of Taiwanese ingredients, such as Hsinchu miso, Miaoli strawberries, Kaohsiung bananas, Pingtung lemons, Kinmen sorghum, Hualien peeled chili, Yilan kumquat, Penghu scallops, and Changhua dragon fruit, which adds local flavor.
In addition, Nien Chiang's first community-based baking complex, Paulaner restaurant, is scheduled to begin trial operations on December 25th. Located in Beitou District, within the business district of MRT Guandu Station, the establishment integrates Nien Chiang's frozen dough, oils, flash-frozen noodles, and ice cream products with Paulaner's Western cuisine and beer. Its exterior resembles a bakery, and it will even offer Guandu preserved egg and lean pork congee. It is envisioned as a new flagship store model, with the potential for replication in other communities in the future.
