On November 6^th and 7^th over one hundred bakers, suppliers, researchers and experts from across Europe gathered in Potsdam for the TRADEIT Bakery Technology Brokerage event. The turnout was especially heartening as participants had to overcome travel problems caused by a strike on the main railway system.

The aim of the event, hosted by ILU (Institut für Lebensmittel- und Umweltforschung e.V), was to provide SME Bakers with an opportunity to learn about and adopt the latest technologies from European research. It mixed formal presentations and discussions with both formal and informal opportunities to discover and investigate adopting new technologies.

The event had a full programme of speakers covering future trends in Bakery and the latest in product development. This was followed by a chance to sit down with experts and technology providers to explore the ways in which these technologies could help their businesses. There are already some new partnerships springing up between European partners which have the potential to dramatically change those businesses.

Participant feedback has been very good, with some strong new international relationships forming. The opportunity to learn that the same challenges and opportunities face bakery businesses across Europe was particularly valued. The TRADEIT Project teams are now looking forward to helping those bakeries profit from their new ideas and contacts.

The event closed with a unique event – a hands-on international bakery session in which participants worked together to produce a range of breads and cakes. As much as any of the formal meeting proceedings, this enabled bakers to come together and form new international relationships.

This was the first of series of such events. The next will be a Sustainability themed event, open to all TRADEIT participants, and held alongside the Anuga Foodtech exhibition in Cologne in March. If you would like to participate contact your nearest TRADEIT Hub through the contact page on this website.