Countdown to four intensive days to celebrate French bakery

08-Feb-2022 - Last updated on 08-Feb-2022 at 12:05 GMT

A rebranded Sirha Europain opens its doors in Paris, France, in March. Pic: GettyImages/Cristalov

Sirha Europain puts the French bakery sector in the spotlight next month, celebrating the country’s know-how in all things baguette and beyond, with rising ingredient prices, production methods, standardisation and deep-freezing being the hot topics.

Opening its doors from 26-29 March in Paris, the 2022 edition of Sirha Europain – rebranded from Europain – is back to boast a broad exhibitor offering, along with a rich programme focused on creating a responsible, modern and committed industry.

The event remains a leader on the bakery-pastry calendar, but with new branding to reflect the Sirha Lyon spirit, along with the high standards of the Sirha Bocuse d’Or and Sirha Coupe du monde de la Pâtisserie contests.

Over 300 exhibitors and brands will be presenting local products – such as the 100% French Berrouga blend by Grands Moulins de Paris – along with a plethora of equipment dedicated to sustainable development, including AMF’s Multibake Vita oven (which uses hydrogen fuels burners) and Scaritech’s Scaribac Neo (which boasts user-friendly tools to make life easier for bakers).

Hot topics

According to the organisers, visitors can also expect to find answers to the hot topics around ingredients (raw materials, yeasts, sourcing), environmental concerns (corporate social responsibility, 3R, short circuits), and skills and labour (recruitment, training, vocation) and customers (loyalty building). It will also be an opportunity to reflect on the women and men who drive the trade, the wellbeing of the artisans and employees.

Over the four days, the Sirha Europain Forum will host the sector’s top specialists and rising stars to share their deep insight into French bakery, artisan and local know-how, eco-responsibility and reuse, while the Bakery-Snacking Stage will focus on fundamentals (responsible approaches, recipes and methods) and natural products (organic agriculture, local flour, natural leaven).

On stage

• How can I promote my CSR actions to my customers? Timothée Elkihel from R3 Impact France, with Ouasyla Chaouchi & Jhemima Desfoux from Urban bakery

• What’s new in farm seeds? Julien de Clédat from Domaine des Bruyères

• My 100% bio bakery in Barcelona. Benjamin Brabant from Le Pain d’Éric & Benjamin

• Reduction, reuse and recycling: Preparing for decree 3R (law on anti-waste). Paul Boivin from Fédération des Entreprises de Boulangerie (FEB) and Sophie Wolff from Adelphe

• Women in bakery. Marjorie Farina, Pascale Bernard from Cordon Bleu Paris, with Christel Regis from Boulangerie Persephone

• What in store for 2030? Jean-François Bandet from Bo & Mie and Jean François Feuillette from Boulangerie Feuillette

• Recruiting and building employee loyalty in the bakery industry. Christophe Girardet from Victor & Compagnie, with Pascale Solona Tremeau from Vitaminée

• Price volatility of raw materials. Virginie Ciesla-Maudet from Assertis and Benjamin Bichon from Coopérative Tricherie

• The booming demand of bio breads. Adriano Farano from Pane Vivo and Anthony Bosson from L'essentiel

Maintaining its deeply rooted stance in the digital age, Sirha Connect and the Sirha Food app offer a one-click hook up for visitors with exhibitors and services.