The fresh bread category remains the most important segment in bakery today. It’s highly competitive, and the playing field continues to grow more crowded as more product dynamics like artisan and better-for-you come into consideration with increased frequency.
Nevertheless, the overall category remains flat. But pockets of accelerated activity point to significant opportunities for incremental growth—especially when someone like Oprah Winfrey sings the praises of bread, as we witnessed at the beginning of this year when she proclaimed her love of “the grainiest, nuttiest, seed bread” that she can find.