Baked goods producer wins export award

Toronto – Fiera Foods Company, a producer of baked goods and frozen raw bakery products, has won the 2012 Ontario Food Exporter Award.

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) made the announcement in Montreal at the SIAL 2012 food tradeshow last week.

At the 2012 SIAL Canada food tradeshow in Montreal, Ted McMeekin, Ontario minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, recognizes two finalists and the winner of the Ontario Food Exporter Award. Pictured from left to right: finalist Charles Pillitteri (Pillitteri Estates Winery); Minister Ted McMeekin; award winner Boris Serebryany (Fiera Foods); and finalist William Taylor (Erie Meat Products Limited).

Fiera Foods has 1,000 employees in four manufacturing facilities, all in the Toronto area.

The company manufactures bagels, croissants, danishes, puff pastry, cookies, cinnamon rolls, muffins and cakes. It also offers clients several production methods, such as proof & bake, par-bake, freezer-to-oven, or thaw & sell. The company also offers a range of Kosher-certified products.

Innovative technologies

Fiera’s two latest innovative technologies include Freezer-to-Oven and Stress Free Dough.

Freezer-to-Oven allows retailers and restaurants to bake products directly from frozen, saving time and labour. Stree Free Dough allows the production of bread products with a very light, yet moist texture and provides an artisan-style product.

OMAFRA says companies like Fiera helped Ontario’s agri-food exports hit a record high of nearly $10 billion in 2011, a 5.4 per cent increase over the previous year.

For the 2012 Ontario Food Exporter Award there were two other finalists: Pillitteri Estates Winery, and Erie Meat Products Limited.

The Ontario Food Exporter Award, launched in 2011, celebrates Ontario exporters. This annual award recognizes a business’s successful expansion into new export markets, as well as their creativity and excellence in working with international markets.