Our Good Bakers

Enjoyable, contemporary, sustainable 

“We worked on the launch of ‘The Good Baker’ for about a year and a half. We know from our consumers in various countries that they are looking for products for a conscious and sustainable lifestyle, and that the demands on them are very diverse. ‘The Good Baker’ picks up at exactly that point. The brand combines the delicious pizza taste that one expects from Dr. Oetker, with balanced nutritional profiles and contemporary sustainability aspects. Our slogan ‘feel-good pizza’ highlights the balance between all these facets. The point is not about doing without, but about feeling good while enjoying pizza. Since September, consumers in the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom have been able to buy the products in stores. Since October, also in Switzerland and Portugal. Other countries will follow.”

Julia Klückmann, Senior Brand Manager International 

Product development with a pencil 

“We started the development process with a low-caloriepizza. We quickly realized, however, that consumers expect more. ‘The GoodBaker’ had to be exclusively vegetarian or even vegan and have balanced nutritional values, which are also reflected in the Nutri Score. Therefore we have completely avoided added sugar. We were also very conscious with salt and oils, as every little adjustment has a big influence on the calculation of the Nutri Score. You can talk a bit about product development with a pencil. Consumers were also involved in the selection of additional ingredients. As part of market research on this project, they were asked directly which ingredients they found attractive. We looked at the top 10 that were mentioned and incorporated them into the recipes. That’s also how the idea of different bases depending on the variety came about, with ingredients such as wholemeal flours or also something that was a first for us in doughs – linseed, oat flakes and barley flakes.” 
Insa Parkan, Product Developer Pizza 

Same taste with shorter lists of ingredients 

“If there is a new idea about raw materials in product development, it comes to us in quality assurance. For 'The Good Baker', a pizza with vegetarian bolognese was to be created, but there was no raw material for this in our stock. Of course, we always keep an eye on suitable suppliers – but the development is very dynamic. There are always new companies with exciting products. But not all of them come into question as suppliers for us. The most promising raw product based on pea protein initially consisted of 28 ingredients. Since we want to keep our ingredient lists short, we continued to develop the vegetarian minced meat alternative with the supplier. In the end, we decided on a meat alternative made from 15 ingredients that tastes really good and is now produced exclusively for Dr. Oetker."

Luis Aelker, Senior Quality Assurance Manager Pizza 

A constant learning process 

“As a Production Engineer, I act as a link between product development in Bielefeld and the plant in Wittenburg. When a new pizza range is to be produced, I make an initial assessment based on the recipes: Can we manufacture the products this way with our machines and processes? Are tests necessary first and do we perhaps need new technology? ‘The Good Baker’ was a particularly exciting and challenging project. Each pizza in the range has its own dough recipe and is therefore unique – also in terms of production. At the same time, we are using new components that we have not used before; flax seeds, for example, which have to be soaked before processing. Implementing the project at the plant was a constant learning process.”

Jeanie Wolf-Hellwig, Production Engineer 

Every new label requires commitment

“’The Good Baker’ was developed as a holistic concept with a special focus on sustainability – this also includes the packaging. The folding cardboard box in the range is made exclusively from recycled material. We therefore considered which label could be used to guarantee and also communicate this fact. We came up with the internationally known ‘FSC® Recycled Label’, which can now be found on ‘The Good Baker’ packaging. In order for us to apply the logo in this form, we first had to get certified by the FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council), which works to protect forests. In addition, compliance with the FSC® specifications is now checked in an annual audit.” 

Sandra Schmidt, Senior Quality Manager International 

Flagship project for our Sustainability Charter 

“’The Good Baker’ is a special flagship project in the area of sustainability, as the range combines several goals from our Sustainability Charter. We have committed ourselves to introducing ranges for a more nutritionally aware and sustainable lifestyle, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the recyclability of packaging. All of these points apply to ‘The Good Baker’.” 

Thomas Urban, Sustainability Program Manager