As one of the pioneers in organic and functional baked products, Eagan, Minn.-based French Meadow Bakery capitalizes on consumers' growing interest in healthful foods. With its recent move to a larger facility, the bakery not only has greater capacity, but the enhanced capability to launch new products. Fourteen new products were introduced last year.

French Meadow opened its new facility last September, which includes a gluten-free bakery that will enable the company to strengthen its position as a supplier of quality, gluten-free baked products. A gluten-free tortilla is French Meadow's most recent new product launch.

The bakery's line of natural and organic products contains unique ingredients, such as hemp seed, cracked wheat, millet, quinoa and flax seeds, among others. Many of these ingredients provide added healthful benefits, creating what the bakery calls “performance foods.” These products contain added vitamins, minerals and other functional ingredients that reportedly help the body prevent or treat disease.

French Meadow, acquired by Rich Products Corp., Buffalo, N.Y., in July 2006, continues its founding traditions of using only certified organic grains and non-GMO ingredients that foster a sustainable environment. The bakery is USDA-certified organic; Quality Assurance International certified organic; certified gluten-free by the Gluten Free Certification Organization (GFCO), a program of The Gluten Intolerance Group^®; and certified low glycemic for diabetics by The Glycemic Research Institute^®.

Staying true to its core principles

French Meadow's dedication to the production of baked products that meet a variety of dietary needs aligns with its founder's principles. Lynn Gordon started the bakery in 1985, after searching for a bread recipe that would accommodate her macrobiotic diet. The diet prohibited her from eating breads made with yeast and sugar. Gordon turned to an old-world baking technique that incorporates sprouted grains combined with a natural leavening process — one that breaks down complex carbohydrates and the glutens, rendering the bread more digestible and the nutrients more easily absorbed.

While making certified organic loaves of bread without baker's yeast provided a challenge for Gordon, she relied on the tried and true process of natural leavening.

Emily Dingmann, marketing coordinator, showcases French Meadow’s Hemp Bread, which provides an excellent source of protein, fiber, essential minerals, and is certified low glycemic. Bruce Kasten, operations manager, describes key drivers that help drive production efficiency.

To prepare its doughs for baking, the bakery uses a starter that dates back more than 20 years. The company mixes the starter with stone ground flour or a blend of sprouted grains that have been soaked and ground, before allowing the dough to rest overnight in a controlled environment. After resting, the dough is divided, moulded and proofed before baking.

French Meadow's sprouted products are different from its yeast-free products made from stone ground flour, notes Emily Dingmann, marketing coordinator. Sprouted products have a similar texture to conventional products for people who aren't the core organic consumer looking for yeast-free breads, she adds.

As the bakery fine-tuned its natural leavening process, it began launching a variety of innovative, nutritious breads with functional attributes. For example, one of its recent introductions, Our Daily Bread^™, is yeast-free, vegan and contains no added oils or sweeteners. The soft, sprouted whole grain bread is made with CoroWise^™, a plant sterol clinically proven to lower LDL cholesterol when incorporated into the daily diet.

Two other recent new product introductions include hemp tortillas and an organic wheat and sprouted grain variety. Both types are made with sprouted living grains. The sprouting process reportedly increases vitamin content and improves digestibility. The hemp tortillas are made with hemp seed, flax seed and organic pumpkin seeds; contain no added oils or sweeteners; are yeast-free, vegan, high in whole grain fiber and protein; and offer a rich source of omega 3 and 6.

Combining two plants into one

The bakery has come a long way from its meager beginnings in Gordon's kitchen to its new 64,000-sq.-ft. bakery in Eagan. French Meadow had been operating out of two smaller facilities that were, in total, one-third the size of its current building. Both plants had reached capacity. “We saw an opportunity to reduce overhead cost and combine the management team into one,” says Bruce Kasten, operations manager.

Kasten joined French Meadow in April 2008. He has been with Rich Products Corp. for 35 years. “When I got here, there were no systems in place,” Kasten says. “I used Excel to track total labor costs and efficiencies. My job during relocation was to make sure the bakery kept running,” Kasten says. “It was far more complicated than combining two facilities into one. We built up inventory and then took a two-week window to move each line.”

One of the biggest needs the bakery had prior to opening the new facility was space, notes Mike Simon, senior team leader. New equipment was added as part of the expansion, including two additional proofers, three rack ovens and a lift for the mixer.