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Esmachlab and the future of artisan breadEsmach combinines the best of both worlds: tradition and quality

with a contemporary business model, says Donna Brown

INNOVATION

Luciano Delpozzo, the CEO of Esmach, is dynamic, focused and passionate about bread and bakers. “Coming from a completely different background in heavy industry, I wanted to understand the work of an artisan baker,” he says. “I want to learn about the hours, the challenges, why there are fewer small bakeries, how they can become more competitive and what role Esmach can play to encourage bakers and to maintain the tradition and future of artisan bread.” Esmach have considered many different factors in their study of the market, including workflow, hours, production, quality and profitability says Delpozzo. “What emerged from this study is that many small bakeries are closing because of the difficulties involved with the lifestyle and revenues. It became evident that, in order to be a company

EsmachLab is the result of this in-depth study - a small footprint, highly profitable, flexible and productive artisan bread laboratory. The concept itself is innovative and the first of its kind. It brings the world of artisan bread-making into a daytime job and makes it accessible to non-professional bakers. Existing Esmach appliances have been adapted to this new concept, making it possible to produce high-quality artisan breads throughout the day and avoid the night shift that puts such a strain on personnel and their families.

The components of EsmachLabEsmachLab consists of five different appliances that can be sized to meet the production needs of the customer and guarantee the very best quality an artisan baker can provide. The Mother Yeast Generator makes sure that you have perfectly maintained mother yeast ready at any time. This means that bread is of the highest quality, easy to digest and full of natural flavor. There is no need for artificial raising agents or improvers.The Automatic Spiral Mixer is a workhorse ready to mix each dough to its desired consistency easily and reliably. When the dough is ready it goes into the intermediate proofer for the necessary time. It is suitable for short proofs as well as for long, slow proofs of up to 72 hours. In its

that partners bakers rather than just sells their products, we needed to work on modernizing the business model of bakeries and making them relevant and successful.” Esmach also looked closely at consumer habits and how they have changed. “They are fundamentally looking for one of two things,” says Delpozzo. “Either the convenience of one-stop shopping with a reasonable level of quality or a complete customer experience with exceptional quality products and a high level of personalized service. Consumers have become more aware of what they eat and are willing to invest more time and resources in their health. This fits perfectly with the objectives of EsmachLab: to offer extremely high quality pizza, focaccia, pies and bread with the inimitable, evocative fragrance that only freshly baked goods have.”

Esmach want to encourage bakers and maintain the tradition and futureof artisan bread

Clients can increase their revenues with sandwiches, snacks and other finished products made withtheir baked goods

A full range of pizzas, pies,breads and rolls can be made

in an EsmachLab

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controlled environment, the yeast will work its magic and each bread or pastry will rise perfectly as it develops its flavor. The baker is able to add gourmet ingredients at this stage: olives, tomatoes and roasted vegetables to name a few.While it is obviously possible to shape by hand, a specific moulder does the work for you, quickly, professionally and with no flour in the environment, making the workplace safer and more pleasant. Various forming dies allow the baker to express his creativity to the fullest and create many different shapes without stressing or degassing the dough. The shaped dough may be baked directly or stored in a chiller, ready to be baked off when needed.There is a wide range of ovens: rotary, rack, deck ovens and modular ovens for all your baking needs. Pizza, pastry and bread will all be baked to perfection. Esmach’s research and development department has fine-tuned existing products to reflect the changes in this business model for daytime baking. Each of these appliances has been fine-tuned and are high-quality, sturdy, reliable, easy to maintain and energy efficient.

Who is Esmach for?The true test of a company is how it moves with the times, how it interprets, predicts and even shapes them. By studying consumer trends, EsmachLab is designed to enable small businesses and high-volume, fast turnover customers to produce quality pizza, focaccia and bread on demand throughout

the day. On a practical level, this means that the appliances required to bake the goods can be much smaller, saving costs on valuable retail space and increasing profitability per square metre. EsmachLab is accessible to professional and non-professional bakers. This means that other businesses, such as bistros, restaurants and small hotels can expand their business and offer fleshly baked pizza and bread to their customers.

Learn the art of baking at the Esmach AcademyIn order to partner future clients and to encourage the culture of artisan pizza and bread-making, Esmach has opened its Academy in its brand new showroom in Vicenza, Italy. Everyone is welcome to learn the art of pizza and bread making in their four one-week courses. They may be taken individually, and even after the first course, the participants will be able to make breads, pizza and pies on their own. Each level is designed to give the baker more autonomy and confidence in creating their own recipes as well as using the ones studied especially for this format by the research and development department.“Esmach is a partner, not merely a supplier,” says Delpozzo. “In understanding our clients and their needs and by researching consumer trends, we are able to look at the market from many different points of view and come up with innovative ideas and winning strategies for today’s bakers.”

Esmach appliances are high-quality, sturdy, reliable, easy

to maintain and energy efficient

A fully functional bakery can be set up in less than

30 squArE mEtErsthe production capacity is up to

400kgof products per day

the initial investment is approximately

€70,000-120,000 for appliances, training and commissioning

Profitability of approximately

25-40%

revenues: roughly

€40,000per square meter per year

FAcTs ANd FIgures

ThE sTrEngThs of EsmachLab • Baking becomes a daytime occupation

• Esmach helps new talents emerge and express their creativity

• multi-sensorial experience for the customer

• EsmachLab changes the ratio of footprint: production and profitability

• Delivery of healthy and digestible pizzas and bread

• makes quality products an everyday, accessible experience

• No waste products when the shop closes for the day

Esmach’s r&D department has fine-tuned products to reflect the changes in daytime baking

INNOVATION