instore - May 2018 - 76

R&D

Organic baked goods
by Andy Nelson

George says his polenta grower's agricultural practices are basically organic. But because he's a small grower, he didn't think it
was worth the investment to get the government's seal of approval.
All of the breads baked by Lake Katrine,
New York-based artisan baker Bread Alone
are organic. Company founder Dan Leader
left New York City for the Catskill Mountains in 1983 because he had a dream of baking organic breads on the hearth of a woodfired brick oven. Meeting with local farmers
before his move convinced Leader of the
virtues of organics, says his son Nels, who
joined Bread Alone in 2012.

Red Hen Baking's miche bread is made with wheat and rye from three local organic farms.
Photo: Red Hen Baking

"C

ertified organic" - those two words
can pack a powerful marketing
punch for today's health-minded, transparency-minded consumers. But for many
small farmers and producers, the "certified"
part of that often means jumping through
federal government regulatory hoops they
can't afford.
As a result, bakers who rely on some of
those smaller producers for the ingredients
that go into the products they ship to instore
bakeries have to tread a fine line. Especially
since many products that don't qualify for
the official United States Department of Agriculture seal of approval are nonetheless
grown in ethical, responsible ways - and
are the highest quality around.
Middlesex, Vermont-based artisan bakery
Red Hen Baking Co. does everything it can
to bake certified organic breads, says baker/owner Randy George. All but two of the
breads shipping this spring from Red Hen
had earned the United States Department of
Agriculture's organic seal.

76 * MAY 2018 * commissary INSIDER

But that's not to say George apologizes
for shipping the occasional "non-organic"
bread. "We're not going to turn our back
on something just because it's not certified
organic," he says. "We're not wedded to the
idea of being entirely organic."
That's the case for at least a couple of reasons, George says. Both can be illustrated by
Polenta Red, one of the two Red Hen breads
now shipping that isn't certified organic.
The flour is organic, the polenta and honey
added to it are not. With the honey, George
couldn't find an organic version that suited
his taste buds. "It wasn't a question of cost,"
he says. "It was just flavor."
Taste was also a factor in Red Hen's choice
of a non-certified organic polenta for its Polenta Red. Sourced from a grower in South
Carolina, George calls it his favorite polenta. But something else besides taste played
a role in his decision to use this particular
ingredient. "We know the producer personally." As a predominantly organic shipper,
Red Hen wouldn't source from just anyone.

But while organic is central to its identity,
Bread Alone, like Red Hen, doesn't take an
absolutist position when it comes to organic
vs. traditional. Not all of its pastries, for instance, are organic. Baking organic bread is
difficult enough, Nels Leader says. Pastries
can be a whole different level of hard. "With
pastries, you more frequently run into limitations," he says. "It can be a real challenge
to design an organic version."
Bread Alone's solution to this problem is
similar to Red Hen's. "We source as much regionally as we can, from places that may not
be organic but are places we know," Leader
says. Bread Alone sources its apples, for instance, from orchards just 15 miles away.
The grower isn't certified organic, but the
Leaders know he shares their attitudes toward the land and the foods they produce.
Nels Leader agrees with George that for
some small growers, it's not feasible to jump
through the USDA's hoops. "There's a lot of
work involved in getting certified."

Organic certiļ¬cation -
the good and the bad
"It's interesting how things have evolved,"
says George, referring to the current state
of the organic food industry and its evolution since the USDA began overseeing certification in the early oughts. "There are good
things and bad things about the mainstream-



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of instore - May 2018

Instore - May 2018
Editor's Note - Big fun on the bayou
CONTENTS
News - NEED TO KNOW
Spotlight - BY THE NUMBERS: Pizza
Packaging - HOT TO-GO: Prepared foods packaging
Cover Story - One-on-one with Erik Waterkotte
Feature - Are you experienced?
Feature - Big Easy, big expectations
Feature - Snacking naturally
Feature - TURKEY time
Feature - Deli convenience
Merchandising - ON DISPLAY: Menu boards
Equipment - LATEST INNOVATION: Pizza ovens
Commissary Insider - May 2018
INSIGHT INSIDER: NuVue Foods
C-stores vs. business dining
NuVue Foods Fresh Brands
FOOD SAFETY - Pest Control
PACKAGING: Transparency
EQUIPMENT - Getting the most out of labeling
R&D: Organic baked goods
Product Knowledge - CATEGORY UPDATE: Sandwich Breads
Feature - What the future holds
Feature - Personalized cakes
Specialty Insights - CONSIDER: Indian foods
Product Trends - FIRST TO MARKET
Product Showcase
AD INDEX
instore - May 2018 - Instore - May 2018
instore - May 2018 - BNJ - 1
instore - May 2018 - BNJ - 2
instore - May 2018 - BNJ - 3
instore - May 2018 - BNJ - 4
instore - May 2018 - Instore - May 2018
instore - May 2018 - 2
instore - May 2018 - Editor's Note - Big fun on the bayou
instore - May 2018 - 4
instore - May 2018 - 5
instore - May 2018 - CONTENTS
instore - May 2018 - 7
instore - May 2018 - News - NEED TO KNOW
instore - May 2018 - 9
instore - May 2018 - Spotlight - BY THE NUMBERS: Pizza
instore - May 2018 - 11
instore - May 2018 - Packaging - HOT TO-GO: Prepared foods packaging
instore - May 2018 - 13
instore - May 2018 - 14
instore - May 2018 - 15
instore - May 2018 - 16
instore - May 2018 - 17
instore - May 2018 - Cover Story - One-on-one with Erik Waterkotte
instore - May 2018 - 19
instore - May 2018 - 20
instore - May 2018 - 21
instore - May 2018 - 22
instore - May 2018 - 23
instore - May 2018 - Feature - Are you experienced?
instore - May 2018 - 25
instore - May 2018 - 26
instore - May 2018 - 27
instore - May 2018 - 28
instore - May 2018 - 29
instore - May 2018 - Feature - Big Easy, big expectations
instore - May 2018 - 31
instore - May 2018 - 32
instore - May 2018 - 33
instore - May 2018 - 34
instore - May 2018 - 35
instore - May 2018 - 36
instore - May 2018 - 37
instore - May 2018 - 38
instore - May 2018 - 39
instore - May 2018 - Feature - Snacking naturally
instore - May 2018 - 41
instore - May 2018 - Feature - TURKEY time
instore - May 2018 - 43
instore - May 2018 - Feature - Deli convenience
instore - May 2018 - 45
instore - May 2018 - 46
instore - May 2018 - 47
instore - May 2018 - 48
instore - May 2018 - 49
instore - May 2018 - Merchandising - ON DISPLAY: Menu boards
instore - May 2018 - 51
instore - May 2018 - 52
instore - May 2018 - 53
instore - May 2018 - 54
instore - May 2018 - 55
instore - May 2018 - Equipment - LATEST INNOVATION: Pizza ovens
instore - May 2018 - 57
instore - May 2018 - 58
instore - May 2018 - INSIGHT INSIDER: NuVue Foods
instore - May 2018 - C-stores vs. business dining
instore - May 2018 - 61
instore - May 2018 - NuVue Foods Fresh Brands
instore - May 2018 - 63
instore - May 2018 - FOOD SAFETY - Pest Control
instore - May 2018 - 65
instore - May 2018 - 66
instore - May 2018 - 67
instore - May 2018 - PACKAGING: Transparency
instore - May 2018 - 69
instore - May 2018 - 70
instore - May 2018 - 71
instore - May 2018 - EQUIPMENT - Getting the most out of labeling
instore - May 2018 - 73
instore - May 2018 - 74
instore - May 2018 - 75
instore - May 2018 - R&D: Organic baked goods
instore - May 2018 - 77
instore - May 2018 - Product Knowledge - CATEGORY UPDATE: Sandwich Breads
instore - May 2018 - 79
instore - May 2018 - 80
instore - May 2018 - 81
instore - May 2018 - Feature - What the future holds
instore - May 2018 - 83
instore - May 2018 - 84
instore - May 2018 - 85
instore - May 2018 - Feature - Personalized cakes
instore - May 2018 - 87
instore - May 2018 - 88
instore - May 2018 - 89
instore - May 2018 - Specialty Insights - CONSIDER: Indian foods
instore - May 2018 - 91
instore - May 2018 - 92
instore - May 2018 - 93
instore - May 2018 - Product Trends - FIRST TO MARKET
instore - May 2018 - 95
instore - May 2018 - 96
instore - May 2018 - Product Showcase
instore - May 2018 - 98
instore - May 2018 - 99
instore - May 2018 - AD INDEX
instore - May 2018 - 101
instore - May 2018 - 102
instore - May 2018 - 103
instore - May 2018 - 104
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