Lloyd Pan's Blog

• Crazy flavors create headlines, but classics bring loyalty

  by Support Arland
  Apr 13, 2012

  Have you seen some of the wacky flavors and creative products bakeries and cafes are developing today?

  Cupcake bakeries accelerated the movement by adding unusual ingredients to batters and icings, like bacon, basil and even pickles. Flavor innovations have snowballed into other bakery products as well. 

  Muddy Paws Cheesecakes, St. Louis Park, Minn. offers more than 200 cheesecake flavors. Rafael’s Tequila Lime and Deadhead, a tie die cheesecake, are two examples of its innovations. Dinkel’s Bakery, a full-line retail bakery in Chicago, found a hit with its maple bacon donuts. Sammy’s of Provo, Utah is famous for its pie shakes–a whole piece of pie of your choice (crust, filling and all) blended into a milk shake. 

  As bakers venture into unexplored flavor territory, they are discovering a whole new wardrobe for bakery products. Products that are traditionally sweet are trying on savory ingredients and visa versa. Sometimes new flavor combinations work, and sometimes they don’t. But, they certainly are turning heads and letting customers know these businesses are always thinking, always innovating. 

  Even if wacky flavor combinations or new product concepts don’t become greatest hits, they keep customers interested and may even generate some publicity for your business. Customers may be drawn to the wacky, but will want to try your most popular products too, typically the classic flavors and traditional products people have come to love and adore over the years. 

  The best-selling muffin is still blueberry. Plain bagels rule the roost for most bakeries that sell them. The most popular cookie in America? You guessed it: chocolate chip. 

  So branch out into new flavor territory for sure. But keep the classics and produce them using the highest quality ingredients and processes, and your bakery will gain customer loyalty through every flavor trend. 

  
  

• Visionaries wanted

  by Support Arland
  Mar 27, 2012

  In the business world, dreams often are inhibited by the realities of environment. We’re often told we can’t do things because of the limitations of resources, whether they are personnel, technology or just plain shortsightedness. 

  The baking industry often is subject to these same realities of environment. New product ideas are often squashed before even leaving the gate for a variety of reasons.

  “Our equipment won’t handle that type of product.”

  “It will cost too much to develop this product.”

  The reasons not to explore a new product idea often outnumber the reasons to become innovative with your product lineup. Lloyd Pans was founded and developed to help commercial bakers and pizzerias realize their new product visions. Seems like an odd role for a pan company, but it’s the role we gladly accept, and thrive at. 

  Our motto says it all: “You’re not stuck with the standard.”

  Many bakers believe they are stuck with the standard though. They limit their new product launches to the pages of pan catalogs, dreaming only as far as standard pans will take them. Simply put, the preconceived notions of custom pans being too expensive and minimums too high, have squashed many great product ideas.

  Lloyd Pans specializes in developing affordable custom baking pans with low minimums, allowing commercial bakeries and pizzerias to explore new product ideas and drive sales growth. We excel in custom solutions because we are Made in the USA. We manufacture all of our custom baking pans in our Spokane, Washington, plant, which is one of the most efficient and innovative manufacturing facilities in the United States.

  Don’t be stuck with the standard. Don’t fall victim to preconceived notions that custom solutions equals outrageous costs. Take a look at our custom baking pan solutions and contact Lloyd Pans to let us know how we can help you make your new product ideas a reality.

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