Baumfalk: From 2013 to 2019, NOWEL invested more than EUR 60m in the development and acquisition of production equipment. How much did you invest in 2020?
Michał Zajezierski: We started with a very extensive investment plan worth EUR 22m, which we managed to implement despite the pandemic, largely thanks to good organization and exemplary cooperation on the part of bakery equipment suppliers. The first project was a line dedicated to the production of tin bread, mainly rye or wheat-rye, produced on the basis of our own sourdough. We implemented this project in cooperation with WP, Newcap, JBT and Diosna.
The second project, which I see as the crowning achievement of our bakery and which, is also unique on a global level, as far as I know. We have managed to translate the artisanal process of producing bakery products into fully automated industrial production. Assuming that the best products take time to develop their full flavor, we designed the line so that the entire production process – from the start of wheat acid fermentation, through the maturing of the dough and further processes – takes over 40 hours. The products, made on natural wheat sourdough, with a long maturing time (over 12 hours), have a deep flavor, an open texture and also stay fresh for a few days after the final baking. Regarding this line, we would also like to thank our partners, namely Mecatherm, Diosna and Rademaker for developing together pioneer production solutions with us, and for the proper management of the installation process during such a difficult period.