Lone Star completed the acquisition of Hillenbrand for USD 3.8 billion. The transaction was initially announced on October 15, 2025, and approved by Hillenbrand’s shareholders on January 8. Lone Star, an investment firm headquartered in London, UK, now owns Coperion.
Dawn Foods launched Frozen Conchas and Frozen Mantecadas, which are now available to bakeries across the US, as it observes a growing interest in authentic Hispanic bakery, particularly among Hispanic and Gen Z consumers.
MIWE America celebrated the opening of its new headquarters in Middlesex, New Jersey. Spanning 15,000 square feet, the new facility features a MIWE live baking center, the MIWE America technical center, and a warehouse.
Dawn Foods hired Kristi Kangas as Senior Vice President of North America Manufacturing Operations, reporting to John Schmitz, Chief Operating Officer.
Bundy Baking Solutions announced leadership changes: William (Bill) Bundy is now the Chief Executive Officer, as of January 5, 2026, while Gilbert Bundy assumed the role of Chairman.
Samuel Schär started the year with a new role, as CEO of Bühler. He succeeds Stefan Scheiber, who is being proposed as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors.
dsm-firmenich announced ‘Frosted Star Anise’ as its Flavor of the Year for 2026, drawing from the Pantone Color of the Year 2026: ‘PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer’. The lofty white hue inspired dsm-firmenich to elevate both an ingredient and a feeling as the 2026 Flavor of the Year.
Lesaffre expanded its existing Baking Center™ in Shanghai with new, state-of-the-art industrial production lines, aimed at providing technical support and solutions to industrial bakers in the Chinese market.
Two popular baking books by wheat expert Prof. Dr. Friedrich Longin are now available in a single volume, compiled in English and offered as a free download. The volume combines two books previously published in German.
Whether lowering ingredients such as sugar
or salt, or adding others – fibers, proteins, or more,
reformulating products for a better nutritional profile essentially means creating a new product with its own optimum processing parameters.
For most consumers, bread is ‘flour, yeast, salt’. Professionals know better:
between 50 – 60% of a bread dough, by mass, is water.
And how you can address them at your facility.
