MARKET The fast paced lifestyle and the shift in demographic profiles within families globally has fuelled the demand for nutritious food that delivers on taste and convenience. Malaysia is no different on this score. Gardenia successfully managed to harvest and deliver on this demand, asserting its place as an industry leader.

In this region, Gardenia honed an unprecedented reputation of prominence in the baking industry. Dominating the market with its wide range of bread and specialty loaves, buns and rolls, cakes, waffles and even spread which caters to every Malaysian. Gardenia has stood the test of time and till today remains Malaysia’s preferred brand with a 70% market share.

Understanding that its consumers consist of the entire spectrum of socio-economic segments, the company takes pride in its commitment to keep abreast with market development and are receptive towards the

shifts in consumers’ demands and needs. Market studies conclude that Malaysians prefer the soft, American-style bread that Gardenia produces to the drier European variety.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Gardenia’s journey began in 1986 when the first loaf of bread rolled off its production line. In a span of four short years, the corporate ascend was inevitable with a 99% brand recall rate and 80% top-of-mind recall. Malaysia’s increasing demand for fresh and nutritious bread led Gardenia to build its own fully automated factory in 1991, capable of producing 6,000 loaves an hour. In 1994, another state-of-the-art plant, capable of producing 10,000 loaves an hour, started operations to cope with the growing demand for bread. Today, Gardenia’s five factories with fully automated bread lines have a machine capacity exceeding 900,000 fresh loaves a day, making it the biggest bread

producer in Southeast Asia by far.

Gardenia’s uncompromising feat in maintaining the highest quality standards and commitment to its consumers, has won Gardenia more than its share of accolades and awards. Amongst them are ISO 22000:2005 Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) certification, Malaysian Superbrands status, and a National Creativity and Innovation Award.

Gardenia has also won the prestigious Putra Brand Gold Award, the people’s choice award, six times in a row, from 2010-2015. In 2013, Gardenia earned the accolade of highly acclaimed Brand Icon. This is an especially significant recognition as Gardenia was placed alongside renowned global brand names, further entrenching Gardenia as the consumer’s preference. This award by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Malaysia (4As) and endorsed by Malaysia External Trade Corporation (MATRADE) is based on a market

• Gardenia delivers fresh bread 365 days a year, rain or shine, to more than 25,000 outlets throughout Malaysia.

• With a total machine capacity of over two million units of product each day, Gardenia Malaysia is the largest wholesale bakery in Southeast Asia.

• Since 1991, Gardenia has been providing fresh bread daily to more than 70 charitable organisations and continues to do so. This includes homes for the elderly, orphanages and centres for the disabled.

• Over 35,000 people walk through the gates at Gardenia each year for a free factory tour.

THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT GARDENIA

survey on the most preferred brand in the foodstuff category.

This year has brought in another success for the brand, as Gardenia bagged the best marketing award of the year, an accreditation that acknowledges Gardenia’s plight to give the best of its ability at all times.

HISTORY In 1969, an American named Horatio Sye Slocumm was sent by the International Executive Service Corps to East Malaysia to start a bakery. He brought with him 35 years of baking experience with one of America’s leading chain of bakeries. Gardenia was chosen as the brand name and in honour of Mr Slocumm’s contribution, the packaging still describes the

product as ‘Uncle Slocumm’s original recipe’.

PRODUCT

Over the years, Gardenia has sustained its phenomenal growth and dominance through its distinctive bread-making technique and philosophy. The traditional sponge and dough method is employed to bake every single loaf of Gardenia bread. This bread-making technique allows the dough to develop naturally, giving it the unique Gardenia texture and flavour as well as naturally increasing its shelf life. Each loaf, from the initial mixing of ingredients to the final wrapping, takes approximately eight hours. The results attest to the old saying of taking one’s time to do things right, a soft and delicious sandwich bread favoured by Malaysians.

Gardenia’s insistence on supreme factory hygiene coupled with natural replacements such as raisin juice concentrate and vinegar made it possible for Gardenia to produce bread with No Artificial, Synthetic and Unnatural Preservatives for the Malaysian consumer.

Leveraging on its brand strength, Gardenia also produces a variety of other tasty bread products to satisfy consumers’ demands. Amongst it’s popular items are Gardenia European Cottage Style bread, Toast’em and Delicia loaves and convenient snacks such as Squiggles, Delicia Cream Rolls, Delicia Sambal Bilis Bun, Delicia Waffles, Twiggies and Quick Bites snack cakes and its range of spreads.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS Gardenia continuously strives to meet the consumer’s demand for variety and constant shifting tastes by staying abreast with industry innovations and baking technologies as well as investing in product development. The popularity of Gardenia snack cakes paved the introduction of two new variants of Twiggies; Tiramisu and Raspberry were launched to fulfil an older segment of the cake market.

Gardenia introduced its very own Milky Chocolate and Hazelnut Chocolate Spread. The creamy, thick, smooth and rich tasting spreads are just ridiculously good! These new products were swept of the shelves as soon as it hits them.

PROMOTION A key component of the creative marketing exercise carried out by Gardenia is taking upon themselves to educate the consumers on the health benefits of 100% Wholegrain and giving them an opportunity to make informed decisions on their dietary intake based on their requirements. This task is carried out by sponsoring health talks for the doctors and other healthcare professionals, informative leaflets and even the incorporation of the single-served Canadian Purple Wheat 100% WholeGrain bread in hospital menus.

Another aspect of the marketing activities was engaging the end users through multi level platforms; traditional and digital. The company consciously embarks into digital campaigns to reach out and engage with its consumers effectively. This new wave media communication provides a combination of opportunities for the brand to engage and have interactive dialogues with its consumers.

BRAND VALUES Gardenia has always been associated with quality, freshness, reliability and healthy living which has earned it a firm presence in the consumers’ hearts. Gardenia pledges to sustain

its leadership through constant innovation while at the same time maintaining consumer satisfaction with new product developments, stringent quality checks and efficient distribution.

Gardenia continues to stand out from its competitors by creating products that are category leaders. Continuous R&D, committed teamwork and a single-minded objective makes it possible.

The company regularly sends key employees overseas for training with the American Institute of Baking and other professional institutions. Its employees also attend international trade shows. By understanding the hearts and minds of its consumers, Gardenia is confident of staying relevant to its market and sustaining its success.

www.gardenia.com.my

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