So Why Eat
Behind the scenes at Ozery Bakery
A FRESH START
Where do our ingredients come from?
You’d think it’s simple, but every single ingredient is handpicked and taste-tested by our team. Great ingredients are the foundation of great flavours, so we spend a lot of time getting to know the suppliers we work with so we can get that flavour profile right. We rarely factor in the cost, we just evaluate based on flavour.
For instance, you wouldn’t believe how many raisins we go through because we're always looking for the best ones with the right acidity and earthiness. You'd think that would be simple, but our rate of approval is maybe only 5%. But that extra effort is so worth it when you bite into that Morning Round and it tastes so juicy – but not over-powering.
ATTENTION TO DETAIL
That attention to detail doesn’t just apply to raisins and other fruits–you’d be amazed at how many cheap sesame seeds are out there–and probably 90% of them have a bitter, musty flavor. Some bakeries feel that doesn’t matter because they’re only using the seeds for crunch. But we care how they taste. The sesame seeds we use are so good that you could spoon them out of the bag and eat them on their own!
Our buyer Abel has a great palate, and tastes everything that comes into the bakery. If he feels something isn’t quite right, he shares it with Manny, our Production Manager, as well as Aerolan in Research & Development and Alon. It doesn’t get any further than the front door.
QUALITY CONTROL
How do you maintain quality?
Without revealing too many trade secrets, we can say our bakery is state-of-the-art, which certainly helps us maintain the highest standards of quality. We’ve taken the extra step of having our facility BRC Certified, which is a globally recognized international food safety and quality standard. The program is used by thousands of suppliers, retailers, manufacturers and distributors in many countries. BRC regularly audits our operations and supply chain to assure we’re always operating at our optimum.
While we’re pretty leading edge when it comes to our equipment, we’ve realized that there are some aspects to ensuring quality that can’t be automated. For example, we still have a team of people dedicated to sorting our fruit by hand and clearing out any impurities before they reach the bakery. It may seem like more work, but when it comes to maintaining our standards, cutting corners isn’t in the cards.
Frank is our Quality Assurance lead and he tastes and tests everything we make. (Tough job, right?) But really, we look at quality as being everyone’s responsibility – so our whole team is continually involved to make sure that what we make deserves to have our name on it.
KEEP IT CLEAN
What tips do you have for keeping products fresher longer?
We’re adamant that everything we make is non-GMO and contains no artificial preservatives, colours or flavours. Not just because it’s better for you–but also because real food made from real ingredients tastes better!
But real food has a shelf life. If you can’t consume before the best before date, we suggest storing them in the freezer. Some of us like storing them in the fridge.
Our pitas, OneBun and Morning Rounds can be taken from the freezer and thawed at room temperature in about 30 minutes, or popped in the toaster or oven (400°F) for about a minute for fresh baked flavour and texture.
