At its first in-person gathering in three years, this year’s International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) offered attendees something to celebrate with the 2022 BEST in Baking Awards. Presented in partnership with Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, the recognition program applauds bakeries and suppliers that have put forth solutions to elevate plant efficiency, improve bakery formulas, advance operations, and support continued baking industry growth.

BEST in Baking launched 12 years ago, originally intended to honor suppliers that demonstrated a commitment to sustainability, a focus that the 2022 program carried on.

“The 2022 IBIE BEST in Baking Awards provided wonderful perspective on the innovations driving the baking industry toward increased sustainability—both environmental and overall corporate sustainability,” says Douglas Peckenpaugh, Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery group publisher.

The program underscores IBIE’s commitment to shining a spotlight on industry leaders, as well as its mission to support growth of talented suppliers and bakers worldwide, by recognizing achievements in sustainability and other key areas.

“Operational areas like plant efficiency, environmentally friendly ingredient sourcing, sanitation, and workforce development all factor into how we view sustainability today,” says Peckenpaugh. “The companies represented across the 2022 IBIE BEST in Baking Awards are leading with sustainability, integrally and strategically linked to market-leading innovations—a group that includes some of the largest bakery companies in the world, including those honored in our BEST in Baking Product Innovation Awards.”

The BEST in Baking awards were judged by a panel of experts, including:

• Jeff Dearduff, president, JED Coaching & Consulting
• Mike Pierce, president and CEO, The Austin Co.
• Josh Skow, CEO, Roaring Fork Capital

Top honorees and qualifiers alike were recognized during ceremonies at IBIE, Sept. 18–21, 2022 in Las Vegas; all nominees were showcased in the BEST in Baking Lounge, situated in the Las Vegas Convention Center’s Grand Concourse, at digital signage throughout IBIE, and at the booths of winning and qualifying companies. To view the winners and nominated companies in each category, view the BEST in Baking slideshow. SF&WB