Warburtons - Creating the Perfect Loaf of Bread with Canadian and UK Wheat

by

I had the very fortunate opportunity this week to travel to the United Kingdom and have a visit with the people at Warburtons.  Warburtons is the largest bakery in the United Kingdom and has a special connection with not only the consumers of its premium bread, but also UK and Canadian farmers. Yes, I said Canadian farmers. Warburtons has been sourcing Canadian wheat for quite some time, and the benefits for United Kingdom consumers has been excellent.  Warburtons is the second largest food and drink brand sold in the United Kingdom, behind only Coca-Cola.  Holding 25% of the bakery market in the United Kingdom, Warburtons holds a strong opportunity for Canadian wheat farmers going forward.

GET MORE INFO: Find out more about the Warburtons Program for your farm

GET MORE INFO: Adam Dyck, Canadian Program Manager,  Warburtons discusses their program in a Wheat School episode

Stuart Jones was kind enough to take a whole day out of his schedule to make sure that I had the full Warburtons experience.  From the testing facility through the main bakery it was a very unique experience for me that I will always cherish.  According to Stuart I am now an expert in bread. I definitely don’t think I am an expert but I did learn many things about the technical and quality side of bread production.

See the Photos on Flickr

For many Canadian farmers that have been growing Glenn or Infinity, you are fully aware of the opportunities the Warburtons identity preserved (IP) program can mean for your farm.  The combination of using UK and Canadian wheat creates the opportunity for Warburtons to ensure the proper bread slice structure and texture for the customer.

Recently, Warburtons has expanded from the flagship Toastie (notice the wax wrap instead of plastic bag) into thins and wraps to extend the brand into other areas.  No matter the product, the common theme through the entire facility was quality. As Stuart says, “you are only as good as your last loaf.” With quality also comes taste.  If I could, I would bring a skid of the Warburtons Toastie home with me.  It was the most feathery, soft white bread I have ever tasted.

Please take the time to listen to my conversation with Stuart Jones, where we discuss Warburtons, bread quality and the role Canadina wheat plays in their strategy to make the perfect loaf of bread.

If you cannot see the below embedded audio player, CLICK HERE

Wake up with RealAgriculture

Subscribe to our daily newsletters to keep you up-to-date with our latest coverage every morning.

Wake up with RealAgriculture

Please register to read and comment.

 

Register for a RealAgriculture account to manage your Shortcut menu instead of the default.

Register