COTE D’IVORE – Lesaffre Ivoire has inaugurated its new Baking Center, the first of its kind in West Africa, in Abidjan to be closer to its customers and to meet growing demand in West Africa.

The official opening of the center was done in the presence of Mr David Jousselme, Director of the Lesaffre Overseas region and Mr Gilles Huberson Ambassador of France in Ivory Coast.

“We are proud to inaugurate this new Baking Center which will enable us to go further in our support in West Africa,” said David Jousselme, Director of the Overseas region of Lesaffre.

Jousselme explained that the center will bring bakers together and enables them to co-develop products that meet local requirements.

Lesaffre Ivoire noted that the new baking center will boost its expertise and facilities making it more effective in supporting its diversified clientele which is comprised of craft bakers, industrialists, distributors, wholesalers, hotels and restaurants.

The new baking center will bring together a team of breadmaking specialists who will be able to help professionals in the development of new products or breadmaking processes.

The specialists will also train customers using on-site equipment or intervene directly in their customers’ workshops and production sites to provide technical support.

Romain Petit, Managing Director of Lesaffre Ivoire said that the center was an opportunity for customers to learn or relearn how to master ingredients, to diversify their offer or improve the quality of their products.

Lesaffre Ivoire said that its  experts and technicians are perfectly familiar with the specificities of West Africa and provide concrete solutions for using yeast, sourdough or bread improvers in local recipes such as Ghanaian bread, traditional baguette, farmhouse bread or compound bread (wheat-manioc).

Lesaffre’s Baking Center™, whose concept was created in 1974 by Lesaffre, is a real centre of expertise, technology and innovation in bread making for the bakery trade and currently comprises 47 centres spread over the 5 continents.

Lesaffre was born in northern France in 1853 and since inception, it has focused on the design, manufacture and marketing of innovative solutions for Baking, Food taste & pleasure, Health care and Biotechnology.

In close collaboration with its clients and partners, Lesaffre employs 10,500 people, in 80 subsidiaries located in more than 50 countries.

Africa was the first export destination for the Lesaffre group and today, Lesaffre has 5 production sites in Africa, 6 sales offices and employs more than 700 people on the continent.

Lesaffre Ivoire has been based in Abidjan since 2004 and distributes yeasts and bread improvers throughout the Ivorian territory.

The Abidjan subsidiary also serves the commercial and technical support base for much of West and Central Africa.