La Brea Bakery, North America’s No. 1 artisan bread brand, announced a number of advancements to its sandwich carriers for the foodservice industry.

“The pandemic has significantly impacted the foodservice industry, and the needs of operators have shifted,” said Brie Buenning, director of marketing for La Brea Bakery. “Operators are looking for product solutions that help address labor constraints and can be used in multiple applications across the menu. When we examined our portfolio, we saw an opportunity to enhance our sandwich carriers to address operators’ changing needs in a challenging environment.”

La Brea Bakery’s new and improved sandwich carriers include the following:

A refreshed assortment of carrier breads including brioche buns, telera rolls and sliders, La Baccia rolls (square and rectangle), sourdough demi baguettes, French demi baguettes, ¼ Focaccia, ciabatta rolls (square and rectangle), and multigrain sliced sandwich bread.

Operators can simplify their inventory to bread products that are versatile enough to be used across the menu and truly meet business needs.

Carriers’ ambient shelf life has increased to four days using natural enzyme technology. Now that carriers can be kept ambient longer, operators can free up freezer space and use bread over several days, decreasing waste and maximizing profits.

Unlike parbaked products, Thaw & Sell bread does not need to be baked before serving, reducing labor, saving time and making La Brea Bakery products easier to use.

And as plant-based diets continue to grow in popularity, operators can trust that La Brea Bakery sandwich carriers (with the exception of Brioche buns and multigrain sliced sandwich bread) are free of all animal products, such as honey or cheese.

“We’re proud to be able to make these changes while maintaining what La Brea Bakery bread is known for: delicious artisan bread made with time and care that elevates any eating experience,” said Buenning.

Aspire Bakeries – parent company to the world-class La Brea Bakery and Otis Spunkmeyer brands – showcased a number of innovations while exhibiting at the 2022 International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA) Show, June 5-7 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

“Our team is excited to reconnect with our customers and colleagues in person at IDDBA,” said Christine Prociv, senior vice president of Marketing, Innovation and R&D at Aspire Bakeries.

Features included delicious grilled cheese sandwiches made on La Brea Bakery artisan bread, to delectable Otis Spunkmeyer Gourmet cookies.

La Brea Bakery showcased its expanded Take & Bake artisan bread portfolio, including Rosemary Garlic Focaccia Rolls, Sunflower Turmeric Rolls and more.

Other features included Decadent Classics, Aspire Bakeries’ new line of indulgent cookies, which offers rich flavor and premium ingredients in four varieties including Chocolate Chunk and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut.

Attendees enjoyed samples of warm Otis Spunkmeyer Gourmet cookies and delicious grilled cheese sandwiches made with La Brea Bakery artisan bread and discussed industry insights, upcoming trends and more with Aspire Bakeries representatives.