LITTLE LUXURIES
There are three strong consumer dynamics shaping the café cakes desserts market. The first is the continued strength of indulgent, bakery-led treats, particularly Viennese pastries, as everyday ‘little luxuries’. In the UK, 93% of regular croissant buyers eat them at least once a week, with croissants remaining the first choice of pastry for 95% of consumers and 88% saying croissant quality strongly influences their perception of an establishment1.
Although breakfast is still the primary consumption occasion for pastries for 83% of people2, a growing number are choosing croissants and other viennoiserie as an afternoon snack or coffee accompaniment, expanding the daypart relevance of these products.
The second trend is the rise of visually striking, globally inspired patisserie that doubles as counter theatre and a social media talking point. In our European and UK research, we’ve discovered around three quarters of consumers are drawn to visually appealing products and toppings3, which is encouraging operators to stock cakes and desserts with distinctive shapes, layers and finishes. This is one of the reasons we are seeing demand for products such as the Portuguese Pastel de Nata, now familiar to 65% of Europeans4, and for mini tartelettes and macarons that offer vivid colours and refined presentation in a small, premium format.
EASY TO SERVE
The move away from a rigid three-meal structure towards all-day grazing means that treating behaviour has become more fluid. Our research shows that while breakfast remains the key moment for croissants, many associate pastries with coffee breaks, afternoon snacks and even brunch and long lunches5. As a result, there is strong demand for products that flex across multiple occasions. For example, a croissant that works equally well on a breakfast buffet, in a mid-morning coffee pairing or as the base for a filled ‘crodwich’ at lunchtime.
This shift is influencing both our innovation pipeline and how operators use our range. We have introduced items such as the Praline and Hazelnut Swirl and Chocolate Bread Roll specifically to target the elevated treat space around breakfast and the afternoon snack. These provide a richer, more indulgent experience than a standard pastry, yet are easy to serve warm alongside a hot drink. Also, frozen bake-off formats allow our customers to bake smaller batches throughout the day, which is essential when treating occasions are more spontaneous and over half of grab-and-go purchases are unplanned6.
We are focusing on combining strong consumer insight with operational simplicity. On the Viennese side, our Maxi Croissant has been developed as a 120g ready-to-bake format, as a generous standalone pastry or sandwich base for savoury crodwiches.
For sweet treating, we have the Praline and Hazelnut Swirl – a 100g puff pastry spiral with crushed hazelnut topping, developed in response to data showing that 78% of Europeans enjoy filled pastries and hazelnut-based creams.
(1,2,5) UK Bridor 800 buyers of croissants at least once a week, Jan 25
(3) Bridor 6000 Europe consumers, Aug 24
(4) Bridor 6000 Europe consumers Sep 23
(6) IGD 2024.
