The Bakery Brokerage event was the first of the thematic brokerage events and it was held in Potsdam, Germany on the 6th and 7th November 2014.  The event brought together some of the leading minds in Bakery with a focus on the Artisan and Traditional Baker. The event comprised of keynote speakers; exhibition space; workshops and networking opportunities. This event aimed to build upon the Needs and Barriers Analysis undertaken at the start of the TRADEIT project and aimed to focus on the issues specifically identified for the bakery sector.

Themes and Key Issues
TRADEIT is designed to respond to the needs of food producers, food associations and food networks at a regional level via the provision of knowledge and technology solutions to address the particular challenges identified at a sectoral level.  ILU is TRADEIT’s lead partner in the bakery sector. Utilizing their extensive understanding of this sector and in consultation with TRADEIT partners and the bakery SMEs within the project, the following thematic areas emerged:

• The changing Image of the baker
• Product development
• Healthy bread opportunities
• Protein fortification
• Allergen management
• Gluten free
• Food safety
• Slow milling

The event programme that resulted was designed to enable participants to:

• Be informed on and discuss the latest thinking on the future of craft baking.
• Take part in short, focused 20 minutes meetings designed to foster effective networking.
• Meet key R&D players offering technologies and services to TFP SMEs.
• Find solutions and make offers - identify and meet organizations offering or seeking solutions to business and technology issues.
• Learn from case studies and examples of best practice in innovation partnership development.
• Meet with potential partners and/or technology providers through preplanned brokerage meetings.
• Participate in a practical bakery session with craft bakers from across Europe.

Main Lesson Learned
The brokerage event was successful in a wide range of ways, the takeaway lesson from this event was the benefits gained from engaging participants practically in activities where possible.
The practical bakery session was intended to build stronger links between the bakers by allowing them to share their approach and expertise. This session brought together craft bakers from across Europe who came together to bake collaboratively (craft bakers from Poland, Spain, Portugal, Finland, Ireland, Great Britain and Italy).



The workshop was successful not only for the bakery SMEs, but also for the research institutes and technology providers who were very interested in the baking show. After the workshop, some participants contacted the organizers to request the recipes for the baked products demonstrated in the sessions.

In addition, participants were given a tour of the IGV-site and facilities. The aim of the site visit was to showcase some the technology and innovation being undertaken at IGV and to give participants the opportunity to discuss any questions or queries they might have with IGV experts.