16 may. 2018
After years of running his own bakery together with his wife, Filip de Kimpe became an International Technical Advisor for Bakery at Puratos. He trains customers all over the world to work with Puratos’ products and shares his know-how with them. In October 2017, Filip spent a week in Saudi Arabia and documented his trip for us.
Customers can request a visit from a Technical Advisor when they want to develop their knowledge of a Puratos product, when they want to improve their products or when they’re looking for new ways of working, new products or new recipes. The Technical Advisors respond to these requests by visiting customers all over the world, giving demonstrations, launching new products and developing new recipes. Filip: “In October, I travelled to Saudi Arabia, where I mostly stayed in Riyadh. I went there to work with Bano, the distributor for Puratos in the Middle East. The purpose of my visit was to launch Mimetic for lamination and Mimetic for incorporation.”
“I visited customers every day and gave different demonstrations. Not only about Mimetic, but also about Sunset Glaze and our range of fillings: fruit fillings, water-based and fat-based fillings. Mimetic received the most attention though. It’s a New generation of fats for lamination for making croissants; so I taught them all about the product and about lamination.”
Mimetic allows chefs to create superior quality croissants, danishes, and puff pastry products with the traditional French viennoiserie touch. “Over the course of this week, my challenge was to launch Mimetic successfully in the Middle East. It was therefore important to show the differences and the similarities of Mimetic compared to butter and margarine.”
Technical Advisors always try to share innovative ideas with their customers and show different kinds of applications with the same product. “A croissant is no longer ‘just a croissant’; you can make a two-coloured croissant, a croissant with seeds and grains or a croissant with a surprising filling. When travelling the world, we keep our eyes open for new trends. We develop new products based on these trends and we show our customers the possibilities they bring.”
“The best thing about a travelling week like this one is the ability to show our customers how to work well with our products. I like giving tips and tricks to the bakers for them to obtain the best results. This week was all about lamination and, with lamination, the temperature of the fat is extremely important. So I shared tips about how to get the best temperature to conserve the lamination fat, which differs by customer, but also about the number of layers of fat they should use. These little things can make a big difference to the final product, so my advice is always tailored to the specific needs and wishes of the customer.”
Do you want to know more about working with Mimetic? Do you want bespoke advice on how to improve your products, or could you use some new, innovative recipes? Contact your local Puratos representative to see how a Technical Advisor could support your business.