Jon Turonnet is Foodservice Sales Manager at Brioche Pasquier, who specialise in premium frozen patisserie, baked to traditional recipes. Brioche Pasquier have given two of their popular Entremet desserts a new look, to make serving them easy in busy kitchens. Jon Turonnet spoke to Wholesale Manager.
How would you sum up the Brioche Pasquier proposition?
Brioche Pasquier make premium fine French pâtisserie, used in a vast array of kitchens. From large groups who want product for banqueting events to smaller independents, we provide delicious French desserts.
What’s the split in your business between retail and foodservice?
Currently it’s around 80/20 in favour of retail, the main driver being our family baked Brioche, but we are closing the gap with the growing interest in french delicacies such as Macarons and Petits Fours.
How do you work with wholesalers to serve foodservice customers?
We operate on a Day 1 Day 7 order and delivery process, in which each wholesaler can order mixed pallets. We can be more flexible when starting with new wholesalers and can offer smaller half pallets to get the business started.
We then put a promotional plan in place to support their launch and attract their customers to our range. This is boosted by our own channels across the UK, pushing key messages related to the products on promotion.
What’s in your UK foodservice product range? Which are the biggest sellers?
All our Pâtisserie are made in France. We pride ourselves in offering traditional products using the artisan pastry chefs’ skills and knowledge. Our range consists of Macarons, Petits Fours, Tartelettes, pre-cut Tartes, and Entremets. The biggest sellers are the Macarons and the individual Tartelettes, especially our awardwinning Lemon Meringue Tartelette and the Tartelette Tatin.
You’ve re-designed Les Trois Chocolat and Le Tout Chocolat to reduce preparation time and remodelled the layering. What was the story behind that? We always have the wholesaler’s customers and the guest experience in mind, specifically what the guests will be eating, as the dessert is always the last thing you eat and usually the first thing you remember.
Our layered desserts now have a better balance of dark and milk chocolate, with the addition of white chocolate for the Les Trois. They have a finer contrast of textures between the smoothness of the mousse, the sponge of the biscuit, and the crunch of the feuilletine.
With wholesalers’ customers in mind, to prepare these intricate desserts with ease, the piping formation has been developed for more precise servings of either individual bites or larger slices suitable for different occasions.
Are you updating any other foodservice products to make serving them easier?
We are constantly looking at ways to simplify the use of our products. Our teams in France spend a lot of time and effort making sure all our products can be served with the greatest of ease, maximising taste and appearance.
Your pâtisserie is free from preservatives, palm oil, and artificial colours and flavours. Are you planning to improve it further?
We are in the process of a huge project across the whole company looking at making the recipes even cleaner, and the packaging easier to read and store. We are also in the process of a packaging review to make all our packaging recyclable.
Is more Brioche Pasquier NPD on the way?
Watch this space, we have some delicious Petits Fours due at the end of the year in time for Christmas, and a new Macarons selection. These are just a small taste of things to come.
How are you helping your wholesale customers grow their business?
In such a competitive market, we help wholesale customers develop the right menu offering, filling in any gaps. Along with this, we present upcoming trends that they should look out for, such as the rise in Afternoon Teas and Café Gourmands and how they can utilise their current menu to meet these opportunities.
With all of our Pâtisserie being ‘Thaw & Serve’, our products are suitable for the small independents to the larger groups, and are accessible to a multitude of skill sets.
How can wholesalers maximise sales of your products?
With Brioche Pasquier consistently producing the finest French Pâtisserie, wholesalers can be sure they are offering their customers the best. We engage with wholesalers to understand their clients further, and recommend the best desserts to meet their diverse requirements. We also support wholesalers through our own channels, and help push certain selections into the category to drive desire from guests and interest from wholesale customers. Lastly, when working with wholesalers’ sales teams, we offer product presentations and serving suggestions and give detailed product fliers to aid their sales teams when they visit their customers.
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