J&K Ingredients

Over the last 20 years, J&K Ingredients has gained a reputation as a producer of innovative, all-natural ingredients for the world's baking industry. These ingredients include Restore, a natural flavor enhancer, and Bred-Mate, an all-natural preservative.

Last year, J&K introduced Milk-Free, a non-dairy replacement for milk and non-fat dry milk solids. Milk-Free has all of the benefits of milk, and when substituted for milk in cakes, muffins and sweet goods, Milk-Free produces greater volume, enhanced flavor and a softer texture. Milk-Free gives breads and rolls more appetizing crust color, improved crumb character and whiteness. It is perfect for today's growing number of lactose-intolerant consumers. Bakers find that Milk-Free costs as much as 50% less than non-fat dry milk solids. When used in Greek-style pita bread formulations, bakers report more attractive toast points, better volume and pita bread that stays fresh for a longer period of time with richer flavor.

But for all of its innovation, J&K also has products that customers have been buying for generations. For example, J&K's original Choc-Dip chocolate coating has been on the market for more than 59 years. The only thing that has changed is a new, more contemporary design on the outside of the pail. Just heat Choc-Dip and dip cookies, donuts and petit fours into the dip. Choc-Dip also is excellent for striating marble cake batter. However, what customers like best about the ingredient is that Choc-Dip dries to a beautiful finish in seconds, and it doesn't spot, bleed, turn gray or lose its gloss when frozen. Perhaps equally important, given today's health-conscious consumers, is that both original Choc-Dip and new Sugar-Free Choc-Dip contain no trans-fatty acids. "We're always working on new products," says Jim Sausville, J&K's president. "But when you have something that works like Choc-Dip, you don't mess around with it. Many of our customers have been using it for decades."