The new Baking Center in Vienna, with a König line, Rondo dough sheeting line and a Rheon stress-free dough divider. The spiral mixers are from Diosna, the proofing, baking and cooling assembly is from Miwe and sourdough production unit is from Bertrand
The Lesaffre yeast group has established a Baking Center in the Vienna-Neudorf industrial zone on the southern outskirts of the Austrian capital city. The bakery, laboratory and training facilities complex covering more than 600 m2 is aimed primarily at industrial and major artisan customers in western and eastern Europe. In addition to mixers and a sourdough preparation unit available for trials and product development, there is also a selection comprising a Rondo dough sheeting line, a König line for bread rolls, buns and donuts, and a Rheon stress-free V4. Proofing, baking and freezing take place in a Miwe plant combination. In addition there is a Rheon Cornucopia, and a Riehle fat-frying line stands ready for tests with fat-fried products. A small laboratory is also available for raw materials and quality investigations.
More than yeast
Lesaffre produces not only yeast for the baking sector but also sourdough, baking agents and premixes. Mixes and premixes, e.g. a protein bread mix, are marketed under the Inventis brand. The Group sells a full range of baking agents under the Magimix name for both fresh and frozen products, wheat and rye doughs, and aimed at specific dough problems. The third brand name in this product range is Levendo. Behind this lie sourdoughs arranged according to flavor profiles, including a liquid sourdough with live microorganisms that promises a “French flavor note” in the finished baked product.
For SIL (Société Industrielle Lesaffre), the Vienna site is centrally important to the European business. In 1996 the French took over the yeast business from Mautner-Markhof, the Austrian yeast mogul at that time, which not only dominated the Austrian market but had also bought up yeast factories in the former k.u.k. (Austro-Hungarian Imperial) countries immediately after German reunification. Lesaffre has operated the world’s biggest yeast factory at the company’s headquarters in Marcq-en-Barœul since 1968. The Budapest yeast factory from the M(autner)-M(arkhof) empire has grown into an important supplier to European markets. Yeast is also produced in Poland, Croatia, Romania and the Czech Republic, and at three locations in Russia. The Group owns the Asmussen GmbH production facility in Elmshorn in Germany. Lesaffre Germany serves the German market through Fala GmbH based in Kehl am Rhein. Lesaffre Austria currently has 45 employees on its payroll, whose responsibilities include domestic business and the baking agent division’s exports. Yeast is marketed in Austria mainly through Bäko.
(l. to r.) Ewald Müller, General Manager of Lesaffre Austria, Antoine Baule, CEO of Lesaffre, and Jérôme Lebriez, President of the Central and Oriental Europe Region at Lesaffre
According to CEO Antoine Baule, the yeast market is growing worldwide. He says this is currently especially noticeable in Asian, Latin-American and African markets. A middle class with an increasing demand for bread and thus a need for yeast is coming into existence in these countries. In Europa, according to Baule, demand growth is mainly in sales of liquid yeast, whose metering can be integrated into automated processes. Lesaffre offers it in various types of package, starting with a bag-in-box system and mobile containers for artisan bakeries, and extending to large containers or tanker trucks for major consumers.
The Lesaffre Group
The Lesaffre Group is the world’s biggest yeast supplier. The company’s headquarters is in Marcq-en-Barœul, a small town in the northeast of France close to the Belgian border. The Group, which originates from an alcohol distillery founded in 1853, has a current worldwide turnover of more than EUR 2 billion, 70% of it through business with baked products manufacturers in the form of yeast, sourdough, mixes and baking agents. The remaining 30% is contributed by three business divisions, all more or less based on fermentation technology. HealthCare focuses on health-promoting products for use in the care of people, animals and plants (companies: LHC, Phileo and Agrauine). Antoine Baule, CEO of the Lesaffre Gruppe, says: “We don’t want to leave this area to the pharmaceutical industry.” A second division is devoted to industrial biotechnology, including for bioethanol and animal feed manufacture (companies: Leaf and Procelys). The LIS company, which also belongs to this Division, specializes in spray-drying as a service.
A division known collectively as “Food Taste and Pleasure” deals with fermentation products that improve the flavors of wine and beer (Fermentis), food flavorings such as vanillin (Ennolys) or yeast extracts and natural flavorings that allow salt and sugar contents to be reduced (Biospringer).
The company operates 60 production facilities in more than 50 countries worldwide, whose products in turn go to customers in 185 countries. The total worldwide workforce is around 10,500 employees. Applications research for the various business areas takes place in 56 subsi-diaries. Baking Centers are located at 44 sites, including Vienna, where demonstrations to customers, tests and product development for baking sector customers can take place.
