Market Trends of Sourdough Industry
This section covers the major market trends shaping the Sourdough Market according to our research experts:
Surging Demand for Functional Baked Goods
Over the review period, the global marketplace witnessed a consistent rise in the demand for bread, buns, cakes, pastries, and other baked goods. Furthermore, consumers worldwide sought bakery products that offer functional benefits and suit their specific dietary needs and preferences. Hence, many manufacturers have offered baked products made from sourdough to cater to consumers' shifting priorities. These products are considered healthier alternatives to those made using regular dough, owing to the presence of lactobacillus and yeast, which neutralize acids in the dough, thus making these products easily digestible, unlike those made from regular dough. In addition, the scientific study "Functional and Healthy Features of Conventional and Non-Conventional Sourdoughs," published in the Applied Sciences journal in MDPI in April 2021, reported that sourdough fermentation could lower the glycemic index, increase mineral bioavailability, reduce gluten content, and reduce starch digestibility, mainly through the production of organic acids and other complementary mechanisms.
Growing awareness regarding the benefits of sourdough among consumers belonging to developed economies, such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and France, increased the demand for sourdough products, thus, propelling its demand in these regions. Furthermore, the sourdough market in the Asia-Pacific region has been growing owing to consumers' changing lifestyles and dietary habits and economic development in countries such as India, Singapore, Australia, China, and South Korea. Over the past few years, these countries have been importing many bakery ingredients, including sourdough, from the developed countries of Europe and North America. This factor helped propel the growth of the market in the region. Thus, the growing demand for fresh and functional bakery and patisserie products helped augment the demand for sourdough around the globe over the review period, propelling the market's growth.
Europe is Dominating the Market
Traditional sourdough cultures are rising across Europe, with ingredient companies investing in them for commercial use and fast-track solutions. Sourdough is embedded in the European bread culture owing to a large consumer base. Manufacturers offer specialty bread and bakery products from sourdough to cater to consumer demand. The United Kingdom is a remarkable producer of baked food products and one of the leading countries in bakery products across Europe. The bakery industry is rapidly growing in the country, owing to the fast-moving lifestyle and increasing population in the working community. The European bakery industry is innovating rapidly, with 37% of professionals saying they are looking to new product development to help counter the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, while 36% are focusing on product reformulations, according to a recent Tate & Lyle PLC survey conducted in December 2020. The survey stated that reduced sugar and calorie products are the biggest drivers of business growth as consumers seek healthier options. Thus, manufacturers focus on offering such products, driving the demand for low-calorie bakery raw materials. Pizza is a food of great cultural significance in Italy, with a long history associated with the local cuisine. Sighting the growing demand among consumers for sourdough pizza bases owing to their related benefits, the retail manufacturers and the foodservice sectors started introducing sourdough bases to cater to consumers, which, in turn, created a vast opportunity for ingredient manufacturers to boost their growth in the market. There is a significant emphasis on local-origin products, which can help to increase profitability. For instance, in March 2021, Philibert Savours, a key player in the sourdough market, invested EUR 15 million to build a new factory in Crottet, of 4,000 sq. mt., with a capacity of 6,000 ton.
