At Wegmans, signature pastries such as the apple crostata serve as mouth-watering attractions to the fresh bakery department. The apple crostata features a rustic open faced fruit tart baked in a buttery and flaky pastry dough, sliced Ida Red apples, baked on top of an almond paste smear, garnished with toasted slivered almonds, dusted with a light coating of snow sugar.

On the supply side of the equation, leading innovators continue to achieve new inroads. Gourmand Pastries recently marked its 40th anniversary, a milestone that highlights the company’s rich history. For four decades, Gourmand Pastries has been a global leader in the world of frozen viennoiserie, with craftsmanship and innovation always at the forefront. During the 2024 edition of SIAL Paris, the company unveiled its latest products, each responding to current consumer trends.

These new creations are the result of ongoing trend-watching within the company. Gourmand Pastries has carefully listened to the desires of modern consumers, resulting in a range that meets the demand for surprising flavor combinations and a balance between sweet and savory. The newest products combine traditional flavors with contemporary ingredients, ranging from fruity and refreshing notes to rich, savory tastes, ideal for different moments of the day:

Cherry Plait: A plait filled with juicy cherries, offering a perfect balance between sweet and savory flavors.

Sweet Mini Mix Danish: A mix of sweet mini pastries, including praline, apple, and lemon. Designed for those who enjoy variety.

Lemon Diamond: A diamond-shaped pastry filled with a refreshing lemon filling; perfect for lovers of light, fruity flavors.

As a producer of frozen viennoiserie, Gourmand Pastries supplies tailor-made products to supermarkets, distributors, bakers, and on-the-go channels. Gourmand Pastries has been a leading producer of frozen viennoiserie for 40 years. The company is known for its high quality, innovation, and flexibility in delivering customized products to customers worldwide.

Guava-filled pastries

In other retailer developments, Publix Super Markets has opened a new store at Hollywood Beach in Hollywood, Fla. The 29,912 square-foot-store features a full-service bakery, deli and much more. The store is located on the intracoastal waterside and includes a dock where customers can park their boats to walk in and shop. Customers will also find a seating area inside and benches on the main dock to enjoy their Publix bakery item, sub or other grab-and-go items.

The Publix bakery is a scratch bakery that offers an array of cakes, cookies and pies as well as flavorful items such as guava-filled pastries. Bread and rolls are baked fresh throughout the day. Customers are tempted by bakery treats like cheesecake, cupcakes and jumbo muffins.

“We are excited to open this much-anticipated store,” said Lindsey Willis, Publix media relations manager. “We look forward to welcoming our customers to their new Hollywood Publix, introducing them to an array of new offerings and providing them with the service and quality products they know and love.”

Whole Foods Market has opened a new 44,648-square-foot store located in Stamford, Conn. The store’s product assortment includes more than 1,000 locally sourced items from across the Northeast, each meeting Whole Foods Market’s rigorous Quality Standards.

Opening morning, customers were treated to complimentary muffins from Abe’s, which features labor-saving fresh bakery items including 12-pack mini muffins and 12-pack mini cupcakes, pound cakes, and gluten-free pastries.

In addition, Whole Foods Market opened a new 44,600-square-foot store located in Nashua, N.H. The new location’s product assortment includes more than 1,180 items from New England with more than 300 from New Hampshire, each meeting Whole Foods Market’s rigorous Quality Standards. Featured pastries here come from Iggy’s Bakery, a regional bakery that offers such pastries as croissants (plain, chocolate, almond and more) and sticky buns.

Pastries – elevated

Malachi Van Wyhe, chief marketing officer, sales manager, Dutchland Foods, points out that consumers are seeking new flavor experiences.

“Right now, we are offering some new filled pastry options which adds a twist on traditional classics, like our Kouign Amanns that come in a bakeable cup and are filled with delectable fillings. They are a big hit. We are willing to make custom flavors, shapes, and sizes to help in-store bakeries have their own touch on the products they offer, such as Lattice Croissants, Danish Crowns, Hand Pies, Croissant Doughnuts, Flavored Palmiers, etc.,” Van Wyhe said.

At Europastry USA, Carolina More Pascual, USA marketing director, said in-store bakeries have an exciting array of new pastry product options to attract consumers. Croissants remain a popular choice, with offerings like multigrain and pain au chocolat appealing to those seeking both indulgence and variety, she points out. Danish pastries feature enticing flavors such as chocolate, custard, almond, raspberry, and apple.

The company is particularly excited about new flavors of DotsOriginal released in 2024, including Lotus Biscoff®, Raspberry Cheesecake, and Coconut & Almond, among others. Additionally, handheld items like donuts and croissants are becoming increasingly popular, providing convenient and satisfying options for on-the-go consumers. With innovative flavors and enticing presentations, these products are perfect for impulsive purchases, making them essential additions to any bakery’s lineup. Cinnamon rolls are gaining popularity, with options for thaw-and-eat and ready-to-bake versions available.

“These innovative offerings cater to diverse tastes and are perfect for impulsive purchases,” More Pascual said.

Vandemoortele’s range of pastries is known and loved for many reasons including the freezer-to oven convenience, visual attractiveness and the delicious smell of real European butter released when baking. The latter is very important, as in-store bakeries can create a great smelling and inviting space by creating multiple baking cycles throughout the day.

Vandemoortele’s Bake’Up® All-Butter Sandwich Croissant released in May 2023 has continued to gain popularity and has quickly become a bestseller. Made with the same authentic French recipe as the brand’s best-selling all butter croissants already in market, the sandwich croissant is designed as a versatile carrier for the added benefit of providing a canvas for consumers’ favorite sandwich fillings. The light, flaky, and signature buttery taste can be paired with a plethora of toppings to provide grab-and-go sandwiches all day long.

Last October, Vandemoortele announced that it has expanded its line of authentic French pastries in North America with the addition of a new, easy-to-bake and easy-to-love Pistachio Filled Croissant. The new product began being available for distribution in early 2025, according to the company.

Under the company’s flagship brand, Banquet d’Or®, the new Banquet d’Or Pistachio Filled Croissant offers a beloved European flavor combination of savory-sweet pistachio and buttery pastry in a convenient, grab-and-go form. Made with the same authentic French recipe as the brand’s best-selling all butter croissants, this new filled croissant provides multiple layers of delicate crispy pastry surrounding the creamy pistachio filling. A crunchy topping of seeds balances the richness with a subtle nuttiness.

“Serving our customers by providing yet another high-quality, unique pastry is our goal each season, and we’re excited to sample the new pistachio croissant with existing and new customers,” said Raoul Dexters, commercial manager, Vandemoortele USA, who added that the company began the sampling at the NACS show in the fall.

Sugar reduction

Across much of the globe, one thing is clear: nearly everyone is actively reining in their sugar intake. What’s interesting are the various ways in which different cultures approach it. ADM Outside Voice research surveyed 13,900 people in 15 countries across four regions about their purchase behaviors. On average, 83% of consumers are limiting or avoiding sugars in their diets, but the products vary widely.

In North America, 69% of shoppers are flipping over pancake syrup bottles to review sugar content and ingredients on labels, while it doesn’t even make the list in the other regions. For example, North Americans prioritize milk alternatives, Europeans are focused on the quality of chocolates and pastries, and, in Latin America and Asia Pacific, snacks and specialized nutrition are top for product evaluation.

“It’s clear how significant monitoring sugar consumption is, no matter the region. 

That’s why we have invested in extensive research and analysis to understand attitudes towards sugar, motivations for reading labels, and unique ingredient preferences,” said Sarah Diedrich, senior marketing director, Global Sweetening & Texturizing Solutions, ADM.