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Press: On the Cover of .... Baking Buyer

In September 2008, Deerfields Bakery made the cover of industry magazine, Baking Buyer in its feature article:

Going Gluten-free

Deerfields Bakery embraces a new product line and a new mission – to feed America with gluten-free baked goods.

Baker Lisa Albertson loves her job. She’s been a graphic designer, an editor, and a writer. But launching a gluten-free product line in a dedicated gluten-free baking space at Chicago’s Deerfields Bakery has given Albertson, and the bakery, a new direction. “I love this,” she said at the bakery’s July 28 gluten-free product launch. “I’m always thinking about new products and looking at recipes and it’s really inspiring.”

Meeting untapped demand

Approximately one out of every 133 Americans has celiac disease, a genetic autoimmune disorder that affects the small intestine and is triggered by gluten. Gluten is formed from two proteins found in wheat, rye and barley. According to the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, only one in every 4,700 celiacs has been diagnosed with the disease. All autoimmune diseases are on the rise, according to Carol McCarthy Shilson, executive director of the center. "For celiacs, eating gluten free is not an option. It is a cure. Ingesting merely 20 parts per million of gluten can cause a celiac to have autoimmune reaction that lasts a month. Abstaining from gluten lowers a celiac’s risk for osteoporosis, anemia, infertility, Type 1 diabetes, and often debilitating stomach problems. Albertson and Schmitt recognized the growing demand for gluten-free products that taste great, and they pursued this new-found focus. Schmitt says that bakeries are feeling the squeeze from successful niche markets. “Danish sales are declining, bread is declining, but at the same time, artisan bread has shown a spurt of growth,” he says. “Retail bakers are in this turbulent area, and we have to sink or swim. We have to redefine ourselves.” Schmitt looked down the road and wondered, "What direction will Deerfields take for the next five years?" The duo understands the importance of dedicating a facility to gluten-free production not just for celiacs, but for the increasing number of customers choosing to eat gluten-free. Consumers with wheat or gluten intolerance, those also afflicted with gluten-related intestinal problems, and parents who believe gluten may trigger more severe autism are putting gluten-free products in high demand. According to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, sales from gluten-free products equaled more than $1.3 billion in 2007. And the allergen-free food market is growing. According to the FDA, approximately two percent of adults and five percent of infants and children in America have food allergies.

Upon returning from Utah, the bakers morphed Deerfields’ 4,500-square foot Schaumburg, IL, location into a gluten-free bakery. Although regular cakes are decorated at the facility, no gluten-containing flours are stored there. Because only cake decorating takes place in Schaumburg, it was an easy transition to gluten freedom— but not necessarily an inexpensive one. Schmitt outfitted the location with a new Baxter oven, power-washed and re-wired old cookie equipment, purchased new mixing bowls for the Hobart mixer, and sprung for a new scale.

Building a new bakery

From the beginning, no floor employees were allowed in the baking space, “because the store staff handles wheat,” says Albertson. Every precaution is taken to avoid cross-contamination. The production area is partitioned from retail shop by a large glass window, and only gluten-free ingredients are brought into the baking area. All gluten-free products are wrapped in plastic upon cooling. They are shipped to other Deerfields locations in metal cabinets on wheels; products with gluten are shipped into the gluten-free location in similar cabinets. The FDA has yet to set and enforce a standard for the level of gluten allowed in products labeled gluten-free. In July, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, part of the World Health Organization, ruled that gluten-free products cannot contain more than 20 parts per million of gluten. The commission has no authority to enforce its decision, but the FDA may consider these guidelines when creating its own rules. Right now, says Shilson of the Celiac Disease Center, gluten-free producers are on the honor system. For this reason, Schmitt and Albertson carefully chose their suppliers. Even oats, which do not naturally contain gluten, may carry the protein if processed on the same equipment as wheat, grown in former wheat fields or grown in fields adjacent to wheat fields.

Deerfields'slogan for their new product line states, “Gluten free is for everyone.” It’s a lofty goal for a food segment that traditionally consisted of gritty and dense almost-breads. But the products, formulated from re-engineered recipes, live up to their tagline. Every gluten-free formula was tested on gluten-consuming customers before hitting the shelves. The testings, Albertson notes, are helpful because when consumers go on gluten-free diets, their tastes change. Originally, many gluten-free offerings were produced by the vegan-food segment. Vegans abstain from animal products of any kind, and vegan baked goods often omit wheat. “But that doesn’t mean everyone who’s a celiac wants to be a vegan,” he says. Many consumers want the traditional taste butter and eggs bring to confections. The bakery’s gluten-free offerings are all-natural but contain eggs and dairy products. Every package contains an ingredient list for transparency and quick reference.

Marketed with the help of Kurman Communications, a Chicago-based PR firm, the product line has received an encouraging response. Albertson keeps a blog, gluten-freebaker.blogspot.com, to let customers and Web surfers keep tabs on her latest concoctions. And many customers learn about the product line through good old-fashioned word of mouth. More than 20 gluten-freebies were offered at Deerfields’ gluten-free product introduction in late July, an event held in-house at the Schaumburg location. Members of the media and local community conversed with Albertson, Schmitt and Shilson while sampling the products. Many were taken on a tour through the gluten-free baking space.

Community member Robin Mandell shared that she had stowed the bakery’s cookies and brownies in the suitcase of her 12-year-old celiac daughter who was heading to summer camp. The daughter, who otherwise would have been left out of the indulgence, ate nightly dessert with the other kids. It’s these types of stories that keep Albertson at the drawing board. Deerfields currently offers three lines of gluten-free cookies— Chips, Buttons and Dreams. Chips include chocolate chips and a variety of mix-ins; Buttons come in lemon, ginger, sugar and snicker flavors; and Dreams feature a chocolate chip brownie base with add-ins such as pecans and white chocolate chips. Blueberry Cream Cheese and Pecan Sour Cream Coffeecakes are offered for breakfast. Triple Chocolate Brownies and Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache were designed so that entire families can share the same dessert. Rice Bran Artisan Rolls, a hearty bread roll that can be dipped in sauces, were introduced in late August.

Producing a gluten-free product

Producing gluten-free items in a combined environment would be challenging, says Carol McCarthy Shilson. To achieve the lowest levels of gluten, a non-dedicated bakery would need to house separate equipment, including ovens, mixing bowls and spoons, for gluten-free production. But even then, gluten protein could get into the products through air circulation. Gluten-free baking takes time and requires a commitment to caution.

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