All British Baker articles in November 2006

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  • News

    viewpoint

    2006-11-24T00:00:00Z

    If I had to sum up Justin King’s main attribute it would be ’enthusiasm’. I much enjoyed interviewing him for this week’s feature, and of course he has many other talents, but enthusiasm is a very infectious quality. And if you all share a leader’s vision you pick up on ...

  • News

    Twentebelt

    2006-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Twentebelt (Holme Firth, Yorkshire), a manufacturer of metal conveyor belts, has appointed Kevin O’Brien its UK sales manager, demonstrating the international focus of Twentebelt and its presence in the UK. With Kevin as UK sales manager, Twentebelt provides a local contact person for its overseas business partners.

  • News

    Turbo Systems

    2006-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Baking Solutions has recently purchased a complete muffin-processing unit worth £100,000 from depositing specialist Turbo Systems (Hull, North Humberside).The Oxfordshire bakery company required a new injection system to meet increased demand, after winning a major contract to supply muffins to over 300 outlets across the UK.The muffin range includes blueberry, ...

  • News

    Raising the spirits

    2006-11-24T00:00:00Z

    It’s not just office workers at the Christmas party that up their alcohol intake during the festive season. Baked goods are also partial to a shot or two of the hard stuff, with Christmas cake traditionally the thirstiest of them all. But alcohol can also be used to add flavour, ...

  • News

    PIAB

    2006-11-24T00:00:00Z

    PIAB (Loughborough, Leicestershire) specialises in industrial vacuum technology for packaging and processing.The company has a line of C Series hygienic vacuum conveyors for powder and bulk applications, as well as the IC Series of industrial vacuum conveyors, based upon the company’s patented multi-stage ejector technology.Its Automatic Vacuum Management has an ...

  • News

    Stephan Machinery

    2006-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Stephan Machinery (Deeside, Scotland) is an international company for food processing machines and equipment for fine cutting and emulsifying of meat products.Compared to other machines, the Stephan Rotor-Stator-Cutting system cuts energy costs by up to 25%. The cutting system works without metal-to-metal contact and has a life span up to ...

  • News

    Vision looks North

    2006-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Supplier Northern Foods has agreed a £160 million sale of its speciality bread, chilled pastry, cakes and flour milling businesses to private equity firm Vision Capital.The deal includes Fletchers Bakeries (with its La Baguette Doree business), Smiths Flour Mills, Park Cake Bakeries, and chilled pastry businesses including the Pork Farms ...

  • News

    Machinery sale funds NPD

    2006-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Healthy snack bar manufacturer Wholebake has taken the unusual step of selling off some of its manufacturing equipment to raise funds for new product development.Wholebake, which is based in Corwen, North Wales, made £50,000 in a sale and leaseback deal with asset finance lender Davenham, which meant it could develop ...

  • News

    Foster Refrigerator

    2006-11-24T00:00:00Z

    The Slimline range of cabinets from Foster Refrigerator (King’s Lynn, Norfolk) are compact with an added temperature (-2/+2ºC) option.They have a bottom-mounted refrigeration system that draws in cool air from the lower part of the bakery ensuring efficient operation and lower running costs. The cabinets also feature a forced air ...

  • News

    Springvale equipment

    2006-11-24T00:00:00Z

    A semi-automatic packing line from Behn & Bates, distributed in the UK by Springvale equipment (Alton, Hampshire), has been installed in the band drier area of Munton Malted Ingredients’ plant as part of a £440,000 investment.The block-like nature of the bags of dry ingredients will ensure they are tightly and ...

  • News

    Thermo Electron

    2006-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Thermo Electron (Rugby, Warwickshire), a producer of analytical and process instrumentation, has recently installed two advanced Goring Kerr DSP3 metal detectors at Wright’s Flour in Ponders End, London."We have a long working history with Thermo," says Alan Cave, director at Wright’s. "We’ve always been happy with the company’s service ...

  • News

    Dried fruit takeover

    2006-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Dried fruit manufacturer Whitworths has been sold in a deal worth £86m.Private equity firm European Capital appointed Will Carter as the company’s new boss after it bought Whitworths from another private equity firm, Gresham. Carter was previously MD of the merged KP and McVitie’s businesses in the UK."Whitworths is playing ...

  • News

    US distributor targets Mexico

    2006-11-24T00:00:00Z

    The ambitious US distribution company Nascent Wine has bought a Mexican distributor of bakery supplies as part of a plan to become the largest food distributor by scooping up many of the country’s 25,000 small distributors.Nascent paid MEX$290,000 (£14,000) for JM Distribucion, which supplies bakers in Tijuana, Mexicali and Ensenada ...

  • News

    Distribution watch

    2006-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Jiffy Trucks provide a large range of hot and cold snack delivery vehicles. Our customer base contains a selection of local bakery groups situated all across the country.The principle behind the vans is for bakers to sell their produce directly to customers at the work place - low rise office ...

  • News

    M&S trials Kitchen dining experience

    2006-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Marks and Spencer is to trial an M&S Kitchen branded outlet later this month - a cross between its Café Revive format and a table service restaurant.The M&S Kitchen will be a standalone unit next to its store in Canterbury, Kent, with 60 seats indoors and 20 outdoors.It will open ...

  • News

    A day in the life of...

    2006-11-24T00:00:00Z

    6:00amT he alarm goes off, but the day doesn’t begin until I’ve had my first cup of tea and a look through my emails.Today I’m due at a bakery so I scoop up my notes and recipes, check that the car is loaded up with samples and my trusty tool-box ...

  • News

    Counter intelligence

    2006-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Unlike traditional sandwich shops in high street environments, the philosophy of the Soho Sandwich Company is to meet the needs of companies. It has sites in Highgate Studios, a coffee shop in Hendon Library and the most recent acquisition, the Loughton sandwich café shop, on the ground floor of a ...

  • News

    Cranberry colour

    2006-11-24T00:00:00Z

    It’s red, it’s an antioxidant and it is rocketing in popularity. It can also be easily sweetened, it’s bake stable and it can be infused with other flavours. Oh yes, and it can cure cystitis.There are a lot of claims made about the common cranberry - and if recent evidence ...

  • News

    Briefs

    2006-11-24T00:00:00Z

    n The Costa Coffee chain has doubled its target of having 1,000 stores worldwide by 2010 to 2,000, quadrupling its present count. Costa plans to open 200 stores in Poland, Romania and Bulgaria within three years. Its estate already includes 157 outlets in 13 countries overseas.n International food exhibition Sial ...

  • News

    Jobs for the boys

    2006-11-24T00:00:00Z

    While many bakers scrabble around to find suitable staff amid a national skills shortage, there is one firm with a human resources structure so successful that it is finding it tricky to accommodate new blood. Bakery supplier Macphie claims to have the lowest staff turnover in the industry and the ...