African bakers honoured for the 50th anniversary of the Baking Center™

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Lesaffre’s Baking Center™ network, we organised a pan-African competition bringing together the best bakers from West and Central Africa. The aim was to showcase the talents of craft bakers across the continent.

The competition took place in three stages. First, an online pre-selection process identified the most promising candidates in nine different countries. Next, a national selection process was held in each of these countries to choose the finalist who would represent their nation. Finally, these finalists competed in the grand final held at the Baking Center™ in Abidjan.

At each stage, the bakers had to complete two challenges: a classic bread-making test and a free test allowing them to give free rein to their creativity. Participants received boxes of yeast and improvers provided by the organisation, as well as numerous goodies.

The awards ceremony brought together more than 115 guests and was widely covered by the Ivorian press and television. The three winners received gift vouchers and numerous boxes of yeast, a great reward for their hard work.

This competition was an opportunity to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Baking Center™ while highlighting the talents of bakers. A fine tribute to the continent’s artisanal excellence!