Specialty Bakery Paves its Way to Indian Consumers' Taste

The rise of specialty bakeries is driving compelling changes in the retail bakery landscape. In India, specialty bakery* items are perceived to be a source of indulgence, superior to regular bakery items such as white bread, khari, or sliced packaged cakes. Influenced by global trends in modern café bakery culture, urban-dwelling and affluent consumers, in particular, seek intense flavours and enjoy trying the new formats and tastes that specialty bakery items have to offer. Mintel data reveals that36% of Indian consumers frequently visit bakery shops/or cafés just to check out what’s new in baked goods.

- Mintel

As renowned international café and bakery chains such as PAUL and Magnolia have opened branches in Indian metros, home-grown cafés and bakeries are also catching up by innovating and offering specialty bakeries that have western influences or fusion flavours.

THE STRONG APPEAL OF NEXT-LEVEL INDULGENCE

Specialty bakery consumers want intense flavours and superior indulgence. This encompasses the all-important visual appeal, as it truly is a category that brings to life the saying “eat with your eyes”, especially now that consumers are also seeking a share-worthy experience. This has been propelled by social media platforms which have enabled the documentable experience of food and drink.

The demand for indulgence is at the forefront for Indian millennials. For instance, 32% of 25-34-yearold consumers mentioned that indulgence is more important than health when it comes to bakery items, which over-indexes the total average of 27%. Consumers’ unwillingness to compromise on taste is also seen as 36% of metro dwellers prefer portion control over choosing low-sugar variants in baked goods.

Consumers also look to the specialty bakery category as one which offers novel flavours and formats. Mintel Food and Drink Trend, Eat With Your Eyes, suggests that the growth of e-commerce and consumers’ increased craving for novelty will lead to more brands experimenting with immersive experiences using colours, textures, audio, and scents.