Gitnux/Report 2026

Pastry Industry Statistics

Frozen bakery products are projected to grow at a 4.2% CAGR from 2024 to 2032, but consumer expectations are moving faster than supply chains with 60% of global shoppers choosing bakery items based on freshness claims. Follow the page where premium formats hinge on a 31% jump in purchase likelihood for indulgent flavors and where cold chain targets of 2°C to 8°C can extend shelf-life up to 2x.
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November 10, 2026Updated
Pastry Industry Statistics
Timothy GrantWritten by Timothy Grant·Edited by Henrik Dahl·Fact-checked by Peter Sandoval
Published ·Updated
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Before any source is gathered, an editor locks the question, what qualifies, and how the piece will be judged.

02Source Research

Search agents collect the source set and pull each data point out with its provenance attached.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 39 days

01 Industry overview

The pastry industry at a glance

The global pastry and cakes market reached $127.3 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow at a 3.4% CAGR through 2035, with Europe the largest regional market and Asia-Pacific the fastest-growing.

$127.3B[84]
Global market size, 2025
3.4%[84]
Forecast CAGR, 2026–2035
32.0%[85]
EU food-processing employment, 2023
10%[84]
Top-five market share, 2025
Market size
The global pastry and cakes market was valued at $127.3 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $132.0 billion in 2026. The estimate covers packaged and fresh sweet baked goods, including cakes, pastries, frozen bakery products and sweet snack bars.[84]
Forecast & CAGR
The market is forecast to reach $177.7 billion by 2035, representing a 3.4% CAGR from 2026 to 2035. Asia-Pacific is identified as the fastest-growing region in the forecast.[84]
Market share & regions
Europe was the largest regional market in 2025, while Asia-Pacific was the fastest-growing region. In the broader baked-foods market, North America accounted for 22.3% of global share in 2025 and the Middle East and Africa accounted for 8.1%.[84][86]
Segmentation
The market is segmented by product type, including cakes, pastries, frozen bakery products and sweet snack bars, and by sales channel, including retail, specialty bakeries, convenience stores, foodservice and e-commerce. Pastries are also commonly segmented by taste, such as sweet and savoury, and by format, such as packaged and artisanal.[84][87]
Key players & concentration
Grupo Bimbo led the defined pastry-and-cakes market with more than 4.1% share in 2025. The five largest named players—Grupo Bimbo, Mondelēz International, Yamazaki Baking, McKee Foods and J.M. Smucker—collectively held 10% of the market, indicating a fragmented competitive structure.[84]
Pricing
U.S. bakery-product prices rose 1.7% year over year in September 2026, while the narrower cakes, cupcakes and cookies category rose 1.9%. Frozen and refrigerated bakery products, including pies, tarts and turnovers, rose 1.3%.[26]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Growth is supported by premiumisation, frozen and packaged formats, e-commerce and demand for convenient indulgent products. Industry concerns remain concentrated around soft or declining volumes, labour availability and rising input prices; in a 2024 bakery-operator survey, these were cited by 32%, 26% and 24% of respondents respectively.[84][88]
Consumer behavior & competition
U.S. consumers increased spending on cereals and bakery products after the food-price surge of 2022, according to USDA analysis of 2023 and 2024 spending patterns. Competition is divided between large packaged-food manufacturers, private-label products, commercial bakeries, specialty patisseries and foodservice operators, with better-for-you, gluten-free and plant-based offerings used to differentiate products.[89][84]
M&A
M&A remains active across commercial and frozen bakery. Emmi completed its acquisition of Mademoiselle Desserts in October 2024; the target generated about €420 million in 2023 sales, operated 12 production facilities and employed approximately 2,000 people. Flowers Foods completed its $848.6 million acquisition of Simple Mills in February 2025.[90][91]
Regulation
The United Kingdom’s HFSS advertising restrictions took effect on 5 January 2026. They prohibit paid-for online advertising of less healthy food and drink products and restrict their television advertising before the 9 p.m. watershed, creating compliance requirements for qualifying pastry and cake products.[92]
Latest news
In 2026, Mademoiselle Desserts began operating under the Emmi Desserts name. The combined business reports 20 production sites and a presence in more than 65 countries, following its integration into Emmi’s global desserts platform.[93]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Pastry Industry

The leading companies in the pastry industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 9, 2026 · Next review December 9, 2026

Verdict

Puratos leads Gitnux's 2026 pastry ranking with an Overall score of 9.6, with supplies bakery and patisserie products and ingredients in more than 135 countries. Rich Products Corporation is the highest-ranked frozen cakes and pastries producer at 9.5, driven by cakes, icings, donuts, croissants and Danish pastries production for foodservice and retail.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in frozen bakery ingredients

    Puratos

    BE

    Ranked #1 · 9.6 · Frozen bakery ingredients

    Why we picked it: Its bakery and patisserie ingredient footprint supports packaged and frozen production across multiple markets.

    See in ranking ↓Visit puratos.com ↗

  2. Leader in frozen cakes & pastries

    Rich Products Corporation

    US

    Ranked #2 · 9.5 · Frozen cakes & pastries

    Why we picked it: Its frozen bakery portfolio covers cakes and viennoiserie, supporting consistent supply for operators.

    See in ranking ↓Visit richs.com ↗

  3. Leader in fresh retail bakery

    SPC Group

    KR

    Ranked #3 · 9.4 · Fresh retail bakery

    Why we picked it: Its integrated Paris Baguette model runs manufacturing and retail, linking product to store demand.

    See in ranking ↓Visit spc.co.kr ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the pastry industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Puratos

Frozen bakery ingredients · BE

9.6
2

Rich Products Corporation

Frozen cakes & pastries · US

9.5
3

SPC Group

Fresh retail bakery · KR

9.4
4

Groupe LE DUFF

Frozen cakes & pastries · FR

9.4
5

Europastry

Frozen cakes & pastries · ES

8.7
6

Grupo Bimbo

Packaged bakery, sweet baked goods and pastries worldwide · MX

8.4
7

Vandemoortele

Frozen bakery, viennoiserie, pastries and plant-based foods · BE

8.4
8

Lantmännen Unibake

Fresh and bake-off bakery products for retail and foodservice · DK

7.6
9

Finsbury Food Group

Speciality bakery, cakes and morning goods in the UK and Europe · GB

7.6
10

Bauli Group

Croissants, festive cakes and packaged sweet bakery products · IT

7.4

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 9, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Timothy Grant. (2026, February 13). Top 10 companies in the pastry industry. In Pastry Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/pastry-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Projection

Commercial bakery manufacturing shipments (United States)

Commercial bakery manufacturing shipments grew from 33,663,283 thousands of U.S. dollars in 2020 to 39,786,314 thousands of U.S. dollars in 2024.

$33.7M
Start
+4.27%
CAGR · 4y
$39.8M
Projected
20202024
source-verifiedfred.stlouisfed.org2024

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

Automation is linked to throughput: 35,000 pastries per hour are handled by an AI-powered robotic system at Mette Munk in Denmark. Adoption signals also show broad planned AI and automation use.

AI in the pastry industry

  • 16 robots operate across two production lines in Mette Munk’s AI-assisted Danish pastry facility in Denmark.[1]
  • 35,000 pastries per hour are handled by an AI-powered robotic system at Danish pastry manufacturer Mette Munk in Denmark.[1]
  • Nearly 70% of the U.S. commercial baking industry had adopted AI or planned to adopt it within 12 months in 2024.[2]

Automation in the pastry industry

  • 72% of Canadian baking establishments reported some level of technical integration in production processes in 2020.[3]
  • 35,000 pastries per hour are processed by the automated sorting and arranging system at Mette Munk in Denmark.[1]
  • 16 robots are deployed across two lines at Mette Munk’s automated frozen-pastry facility in Denmark.[1]
  • 58% of surveyed U.S. baking companies reported increased use of automation and robotics over the previous five years in 2025.[4]

Digital Transformation in the restaurants and food service sector (sector benchmark)

  • 82% of U.S. restaurant operators said technology had benefited their business in 2026.[5]
  • 77.9% of U.S. restaurant operators expected technology, automation, data and AI to be at least moderately critical to their business over the next five years in 2026.[5]
  • 67% of U.S. restaurant operators said they had incorporated more technology into their operations during the previous two to three years in 2025.[6]
  • 28% of U.S. restaurant operators that had invested in technology said it improved restaurant profitability in 2025.[6]
  • 69% of U.S. restaurant operators that had added technology said it made their restaurant more efficient and productive in 2025.[6]

Technology Adoption in the restaurants and food service sector (sector benchmark)

  • 52% of U.S. restaurant operators planned to invest in point-of-sale systems in 2025.[6]
  • 65% of U.S. restaurant operators planned to invest in digital or location-based marketing in 2025.[6]
  • 28% of U.S. restaurant operators planned to invest in artificial-intelligence integration in 2025.[6]
  • 76% of food-and-beverage respondents reported using point-of-sale technology in 2025, compared with 75% in 2024.[7]
  • 83% of U.S. restaurant operators said technology provides a competitive advantage in 2025.[6]
  • 49% of U.S. restaurant operators planned to invest in contactless ordering or payment in 2025.[6]

Cloud Computing in the restaurants and food service sector (sector benchmark)

  • 63% of full-service restaurant operators in the United States reported using a cloud POS system in 2024.[8]
  • 76% of U.S. restaurant operators reported using a cloud-based point-of-sale system in 2023, compared with 23% using a legacy POS system.[9]
  • 77% of Las Vegas restaurant operators reported using cloud POS systems in 2024, the highest rate among the major U.S. cities surveyed.[9]
  • 62% of restaurant operators in New York City reported using cloud POS systems in 2024, compared with 38% using legacy systems.[9]
  • 68% of quick-service restaurants expected cloud-application use to increase by 2025, compared with 54% of full-service restaurants in the United States.[10]
  • 55% of Texas restaurant operators reported using a cloud-based POS system in 2024, while 47% reported using a legacy POS system.[11]

Big Data in the restaurants and food service sector (sector benchmark)

  • 20% of major restaurant brands had an integrated customer master-data set accessible across the organization in BCG’s 2018 survey.[12]
  • 33% of U.S. restaurant operators reported using AI for data analytics in 2024.[13]
  • 20% of major restaurant brands had a comprehensive big-data strategy in BCG’s 2018 digital-maturity survey.[12]
  • 69% of restaurant operators surveyed in the United States were actively using or piloting AI for back-office reporting and analytics in 2026.[14]
  • 20% of major restaurant brands used predictive-analytics algorithms to drive business decisions automatically in BCG’s 2018 survey.[12]
  • 38.6% of U.S. restaurant operators reported using AI tools in 2026, indicating current use of data-driven technology across the sector.[5]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Customer and transaction data move marketing and retention. Examples include 400,000 purchases using Stadtbäckerei Kühl’s loyalty app in 2024 and nearly 40% higher conversion for Magnolia Bakery after A/B testing.

Business intelligence in the pastry industry

  • 400,000 purchases used Stadtbäckerei Kühl’s bakery loyalty app in 2024, providing transaction data for customer engagement.[15]
  • Bakery and cafe transactions increased in 12 of 17 metropolitan areas measured by Toast in its 2023 restaurant-trends analysis.[16]
  • Nearly 40% higher conversion was reported by Magnolia Bakery after using personalized customer marketing and A/B testing.[17]
  • Almost 50% of Stadtbäckerei Kühl’s registered app users were regularly active in 2024.[15]
  • 6% year-over-year growth in Boston bakery and cafe transactions was identified from Toast transaction data for the second quarter of 2023.[16]
  • 30% of Magnolia Bakery customers were returning customers after the bakery used consolidated shopper data and personalization in the year described in its case study.[17]

Data analytics in the pastry industry

  • 73% of surveyed baking professionals reported renovation as a company priority in 2024.[18]
  • 111 baking-industry professionals participated in a 2024 survey covering product innovation, development priorities and timelines.[18]
  • 41% of surveyed baking professionals reported a concept-to-shelf timeline of six months or less in 2024.[18]
  • 0.40% growth was recorded for the bakery category’s new-product activity in 2023.[19]
  • 3,550 new bakery products were tracked in 2023 in the National Honey Board’s category analysis.[19]

Data Quality in the restaurants and food service sector (sector benchmark)

  • 7% of QSR and fast-casual brands said they could easily extract and use holistic data to drive decisions in 2023.[20]
  • 25% of QSR and fast-casual brands rated their ability to extract and use holistic data as poor or below average in 2023.[20]
  • 21% of U.S. restaurant operators rated their data quality as good in the December 2023 survey.[21]
  • 14% of U.S. restaurant operators identified ensuring data quality as their biggest challenge when incorporating new data in 2025.[22]

Data Governance in the restaurants and food service sector (sector benchmark)

  • 13% of restaurant and retail organizations said they needed to implement improved data governance but lacked the necessary skill set in the United States in 2019.[23]
  • 38% of restaurant and retail organizations said they embraced improved data-governance practices as part of day-to-day business in the United States in 2019.[23]
  • 28% of restaurant and retail organizations said improved data governance was an interest but other needs were more pressing in the United States in 2019.[23]
  • 10% of restaurant and retail organizations said improved data governance was not a high priority in the United States in 2019.[23]

KPIs in the pastry industry

  • United States bakery unit volume was flat year over year for the 52 weeks ended December 29, 2024.[18]
  • 9.7% to 14.4% was the overall production-loss range reported across companies in a Polish baking and confectionery study.[24]
  • $48.5 billion in United States bakery dollar sales was recorded for the 52 weeks ended December 29, 2024.[18]
  • 0.5% year-over-year growth was recorded in United States total bakery dollar sales for the 52 weeks ended December 29, 2024.[18]
  • 6.8% to 24.4% was the fresh-pastry loss range reported by a Polish baking and confectionery study.[24]
  • 2.83% was the monetary loss rate for bread and pastries in an Austrian supermarket study.[25]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Operators scale through store formats and channel expansion. Paris Baguette planned its first airport location in Philadelphia for 2026, after U.S. sales rose more than 30% to $462 million in fiscal 2024.

Growth in the pastry industry

  • U.S. household spending on cakes and cupcakes increased 26.4% in 2023 and 76.3% over the ten years to 2023.[26]
  • Paris Baguette recorded 19 positive North American traffic quarters by 2025, with the only negative quarter occurring in 2020.[27]
  • Paris Baguette’s U.S. sales increased more than 30% to $462 million in fiscal 2024.[27]
  • Paris Baguette’s U.S. sales rose from 132.6 billion Korean won in 2020 to an estimated 585 billion won in 2025.[28]
  • Tous Les Jours’ U.S. sales rose from 37.3 billion Korean won in 2020 to an estimated 200 billion won in 2025.[28]
  • Combined U.S. sales for Paris Baguette and Tous Les Jours increased from about 170 billion Korean won in 2020 to 587.3 billion won in 2024.[28]

Differentiation in the pastry industry

  • Tous Les Jours positioned itself as a fresh-baked Korean-style total bakery offering bread and cakes throughout the day in the U.S. market in 2025.[29]
  • Paris Baguette generated 80% of U.S. sales from breads, pastries and cakes in fiscal 2024.[27]
  • Paris Baguette positioned itself around French-style bakery products while targeting American consumer familiarity in 2025.[29]
  • Sweetmore Bakeries offered a product portfolio spanning biscotti, brownies, dessert bars, cakes, cookies, muffins, Danish pastries, granola, icings and fillings in 2024.[30]
  • Paris Baguette used airport expansion as a new trade channel, planning its first airport location in Philadelphia for 2026.[27]
  • Paris Baguette reported a $2.8 million average unit volume in the United States in fiscal 2024.[27]

Mergers and acquisitions in the pastry industry

  • Swander Pace Capital, CDPQ and Roynat Equity Partners acquired a majority stake in St-Méthode Bakery in December 2023.[18]
  • Second Nature Brands acquired Voortman Cookies for $305 million in December 2024.[31]
  • Sweetmore Bakeries acquired Sweet Eddie’s Inc. in May 2024.[30]
  • Martin Braun-Gruppe acquired Hoff’s Bakery in 2024 to strengthen its frozen bakery business in North America.[32]
  • Engelman’s Baking acquired St. Armands Baking Company in June 2024.[33]
  • Mondelēz agreed to acquire Chinese frozen-cake and pastry company Evirth in 2024 to expand its cakes and pastries business in China.[34]

Strategic partnerships in the pastry industry

  • Paris Baguette was evaluating franchise partners for potential expansion to 100–150 locations in Mexico in 2025.[27]
  • Engelman’s Baking and St. Armands Baking described their 2024 transaction as a partnership creating commercial opportunities for both businesses.[33]
  • Swander Pace Capital partnered with CDPQ and Roynat Equity Partners in the 2023 acquisition of a majority stake in St-Méthode Bakery.[18]
  • Sweetmore Bakeries and Sweet Eddie’s planned continued facility and team investment after their 2024 transaction to support growth with existing and future customers.[30]
  • Rise Baking Company had completed ten acquisitions since its founding in 2013 by the time of its 2024 ownership transition.[35]
  • Vandemoortele entered a strategic partnership with Banneton Bakery in 2024 while acquiring a majority stake in the North American pastry producer.[36]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce constraints persist as a driver of technology and training. In 2025, 43% of U.S. commercial baking companies reported machine-operator shortages, while 93% used formal internal training programs.

Hiring in the pastry industry

  • 78% of U.S. baking companies had some or considerable focus on recruiting second-chance workers in 2021.[4]
  • 86% of U.S. commercial bakers reported technology or digital-skill deficiencies when hiring or promoting machine operators in 2025.[18]
  • 43% of U.S. commercial baking companies reported machine-operator shortages in 2025.[18]
  • 69% of U.S. baking companies hosted company-specific career fairs in 2021, compared with 28% in 2016.[4]
  • 61% of U.S. commercial bakers reported technology or digital-skill deficiencies for maintenance and engineering positions in 2025.[18]

Employee retention in the pastry industry

  • 17.14% of Aspire Bakeries’ workforce had at least 15 years of service in 2022.[37]
  • 85% of U.S. commercial baking companies reported a challenging manufacturing environment as an obstacle to employee retention in 2025.[18]
  • 90% of U.S. commercial baking companies used a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment as a retention strategy for skilled production employees in 2022.[4]
  • 89% of U.S. commercial baking companies focused on improving work environment and culture as a skilled-production retention strategy in 2022.[4]
  • 88% of U.S. commercial baking companies used formal onboarding for skilled production employees in 2022.[4]

Remote Work in the restaurants and food service sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. food and beverage businesses, 73% required employees to work in person in 2025, while 26% offered an in-person or remote option.[10]
  • Across U.S. restaurant and bar businesses, 88% required employees to work in person in 2025, while 12% offered an in-person or remote option.[10]
  • 11.11% of paid workdays were performed from home in U.S. hospitality and food services in 2025, according to the Work from Home Research dataset.[38]
  • Across U.S. hospitality and accommodation businesses, 76% required employees to work in person in 2025, while 21% offered an in-person or remote option.[10]

Hybrid Work in the restaurants and food service sector (sector benchmark)

  • 84% of hospitality and food-service respondents globally agreed in 2025 that the ability to work remotely was important for employee retention.[39]
  • 38% of hospitality and food-service employees worked in hybrid arrangements—one to four days weekly in the office—in Cisco’s global 2025 study.[39]
  • Among U.S. small businesses allowing remote work, 52% planned in 2025 to encourage hybrid and remote employees to spend more time in person, without requiring it.[10]
  • 80% of hospitality and food-service employers globally said in 2025 that their organizations were still struggling to balance hybrid work effectively.[39]

Upskilling in the pastry industry

  • 42% of Poppies Bakeries employees were included in performance and development reviews in 2022.[40]
  • 39.7% of female Poppies Bakeries employees were included in performance and development reviews in 2022.[40]
  • 16.6 average formal training hours were provided to male employees at Poppies Bakeries in 2022.[40]
  • 93% of U.S. commercial baking companies used formal internal training programs for new and existing employees in 2025.[18]
  • 40.1% of male Poppies Bakeries employees were included in performance and development reviews in 2022.[40]

Employee Engagement in the restaurants and food service sector (sector benchmark)

  • 62% of 702 U.S. restaurant employees surveyed in 2026 were satisfied or extremely satisfied with their benefits.[41]
  • 67% of 702 U.S. restaurant employees surveyed in 2026 were satisfied or extremely satisfied with their pay.[41]
  • More than half of restaurant employees surveyed in 2024 said greater management recognition would increase their engagement, while one-quarter rarely received feedback.[42]
  • 25% of U.S. restaurant workers surveyed in 2025 said they felt unrecognized for their hard work.[41]
  • 32% of U.S. restaurant employees surveyed in 2026 ranked good hourly pay among their top-three favorite job aspects, tied with flexible scheduling.[41]

DEI in the pastry industry

  • 48% of Poppies Bakeries’ senior management were women in 2022.[40]
  • 43% of Aspire Bakeries’ global workforce was female in 2022.[37]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Demand is supported by repeat visit behavior and menu rotation. In 2025, 79% of customers visited in the past month also visited during the past week, while 73% of bakers rotated seasonal specials.

Customer experience in the pastry industry

  • 54% of bakery customers used bakeries on both weekdays and weekends in 2025.[43]
  • $13 was the average expenditure per bakery visit in 2025.[43]
  • 73% of bakers regularly rotated seasonal specials or menus in 2025, while another 22% did so occasionally.[44]
  • 62% of bakers reported receiving special dietary requests from customers in 2025, with gluten-free and plant-based options the leading needs.[44]
  • 77% of bakery customers rated daily specials and offers as important in 2025.[43]

Customer retention in the pastry industry

  • 9.9 was the average number of bakery visits per customer per month in 2025.[43]
  • 79% of bakery customers who had visited in the past month had also visited during the past week in 2025.[43]
  • 32% of purchasers were new to the frosting category after the Duncan Hines Frosting Creations campaign.[45]
  • 70% of Duncan Hines frosting purchasers returned to the brand after one year in the campaign case study.[45]
  • 28% of bakery customers said they were not visiting bakeries as often as they would like in 2025.[43]

Customer acquisition in the pastry industry

  • 93,885 product trials were generated by the Duncan Hines Frosting Creations campaign.[45]
  • 1,349 purchases generated $102,379.86 in revenue for Miami bakery dbakers from August 2021 through May 2022.[46]
  • 77.5% of bakers identified word of mouth as a customer-acquisition driver in the 2026 industry survey.[44]
  • 50.5% of bakers identified local events as a customer-acquisition driver in the 2026 industry survey.[44]
  • 75.8% of bakers identified social media as a customer-acquisition driver in the 2026 industry survey.[44]

Customer loyalty in the pastry industry

  • 32% of respondents said they consumed more from businesses where they used a bakery customer-loyalty program.[15]
  • 47.7% of respondents valued having fewer physical cards because of digital bakery loyalty programs.[15]
  • 96.2% of respondents considered bakery and confectionery customer-loyalty programs attractive in 2024.[15]
  • 64.4% of respondents preferred visiting a bakery or confectionery that offered a customer-loyalty program in 2024.[15]
  • 63.1% of respondents found discounts in bakery customer-loyalty programs very appealing in 2024.[15]

Lead generation in the pastry industry

  • 40,000 new Baker’s Club members were generated by the Duncan Hines Frosting Creations campaign.[45]
  • 35% of bakery customers wanted weekly information about bakery or confectionery news in 2024.[15]
  • 84.2% of bakery customers wanted seasonal-offer information through a company app in 2024.[15]
  • 10,000 positive product reviews were posted before the Duncan Hines product launch.[45]
  • 30,000 targeted bakers competed for 1,000 baking-party kits in the Duncan Hines Frosting Creations campaign.[45]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Marketing effectiveness is tracked through engagement and earned media. Paris Baguette secured 3.3 billion earned-media impressions in the first seven months of its partnership, and one campaign delivered 6% retail sales lift.

Marketing in the pastry industry

  • 300% revenue growth versus the previous seasonal period was reported for Joe Gambino’s bakery campaign.[47]
  • 40.7% of bakery operators identified marketing and customer acquisition as a business challenge in the 2026 industry survey.[44]
  • 2.8% was the sales lift reported for Pepperidge Farm’s Milano cookie campaign.[48]
  • 6% was the reported increase in Duncan Hines frosting retail sales after the Frosting Creations campaign.[45]
  • $1,042,982.63 in sales was generated for Joe Gambino’s bakery during its January seasonal campaign.[47]

Digital marketing in the pastry industry

  • 4.13 times was dbakers’ reported return on investment from combined social and email marketing between August 2021 and May 2022.[46]
  • 7.55 times was dbakers’ reported return on investment during its February–April 2022 campaign period.[46]
  • 15,000 users were regularly active on Stadtbäckerei Kühl’s bakery loyalty app, according to the 2024 report.[15]
  • 15.75 times was dbakers’ reported return on ad spend from its marketing campaign between August 2021 and May 2022.[46]
  • 400,000 purchases were registered through Stadtbäckerei Kühl’s bakery loyalty app in the reported period.[15]

Branding in the pastry industry

  • #1 was Duncan Hines’ ranking for frosting sales during the Frosting Creations campaign quarter.[45]
  • 9.17% was the average engagement rate for Paris Baguette’s holiday influencer campaign.[49]
  • 20 years was the period Duncan Hines had maintained chocolate and vanilla frosting offerings before launching Frosting Creations.[45]
  • 3.3 billion earned-media impressions were secured for Paris Baguette during the first seven months of its communications partnership.[49]
  • 150 U.S. cafés was Paris Baguette’s footprint in 2023 when it set a goal of reaching 1,000 cafés by 2030.[49]

Social media in the pastry industry

  • 80 million social-media impressions were generated by Pepperidge Farm’s Milano cookie campaign.[48]
  • 10.5 million social-media impressions were generated by the Duncan Hines Frosting Creations campaign.[45]
  • 693 million total media impressions were generated by the Duncan Hines Frosting Creations campaign.[45]
  • 8 times higher than benchmarks were Pepperidge Farm Milano’s Facebook and Instagram engagement rates during its campaign.[48]
  • 2 times higher than benchmarks was Pepperidge Farm Milano’s Twitter engagement during the campaign.[48]

Influencer Marketing in the restaurants and food service sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across surveyed restaurants and venues, 42% said influencers or user-generated content drove the most bookings in the United Kingdom in 2024.[13]
  • Among surveyed restaurants, 46% ranked working with creators as their second-highest-return social strategy in 2025 research.[50]
  • Across food and drink influencer content globally, TikTok posts achieved a 3% average engagement rate in 2023, compared with 2% on Instagram.[51]
  • Across food and drink influencer content globally, 11.5 million posts generated an average 1.19% engagement rate in 2023.[51]
  • Across hospitality brands, 49% include paid influencer work within their brand strategy in 2026.[52]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Capacity planning and quality targets compete with recall and waste pressures. Across 2012–2024, 442 U.S. microbiological food recalls involved bakery products, while surplus food signatories reported 14,129 tons in 2024.

Process optimization in the pastry industry

  • 69% of U.S. bakers planned to spend capital budgets on maintenance and parts in 2024.[18]
  • 68% of bakery operators identified automation as a priority for 2024.[53]
  • 72% of U.S. bakers prioritized improving process capability and flexibility for 2024.[18]
  • 84% of surveyed bakery operators planned capacity expansions in 2024.[54]
  • 58% of U.S. baking companies increased automation or robotics use over the five years covered by the workforce-gap study.[4]

Operational efficiency in the pastry industry

  • U.S. bakery and tortilla manufacturing labor productivity increased 5.9% year over year in 2020.[38]
  • U.S. bakery and tortilla manufacturing labor productivity decreased 0.9% year over year in 2024.[38]
  • U.S. bakery and tortilla manufacturing labor productivity decreased 4.9% year over year in 2022.[38]
  • 61% of U.S. bakers prioritized decreasing labor costs in 2024.[18]
  • 49% of U.S. bakery professionals said workforce shortages harmed production-process timeliness in 2022.[18]

Quality management in the pastry industry

  • 58% of U.S. bakers prioritized product quality, consistency and accuracy in 2023.[18]
  • 55% of U.S. bakers identified product quality, consistency and accuracy as a key capital-investment goal for 2026.[18]
  • 442 U.S. microbiological food recalls involving bakery products were recorded from 2012 through 2024.[55]
  • 66% of U.S. bakers prioritized improving product quality, consistency and accuracy in 2024.[18]
  • 4.1% of U.S. microbiological food recalls from 2012–2024 involved bakery products.[55]

Supply chain in the pastry industry

  • 24% of surveyed U.S. bakery operators rated rising input and ingredient prices as a major 2024 challenge.[54]
  • 14,129 tons of surplus food were reported by business-and-industry bakery signatories in 2024.[56]
  • 62% of U.S. bakery professionals anticipated significant transportation and logistics-cost challenges in 2022.[18]
  • 81% of surveyed bakery professionals reported rising ingredient costs in 2024.[18]
  • 18% of surveyed U.S. bakery operators rated supply-chain disruptions as a major 2024 challenge.[54]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the restaurants and food service sector (sector benchmark)

  • 23% of surveyed United States foodservice operators outsourced labor, such as delivery, to a third party in 2022.[54]
  • 47% of food services and facility management activities were outsourced in the United States in 2023, according to Oliver Wyman’s sector estimates.[57]
  • 23.7% was the average share of production outsourced by surveyed United States food and beverage companies in 2022.[58]
  • 25.3% of 669 surveyed food and beverage companies said meeting fluctuating demand in a timely manner was their top reason for outsourcing in 2022.[58]
  • 74.1% of surveyed food and beverage companies in the United States used outsourcing for production in 2022.[58]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Operators face cost pressure reflected in price indices and spending plans. U.S. bakery-product consumer prices rose 12.2% between May 2022 and December 2023, while 87% of operators planned M&A in 2024.

Pricing strategy in the pastry industry

  • U.S. bakery-product consumer prices increased 12.2% between May 2022 and December 2023.[26]
  • U.S. soft-cake producer prices increased 7.3% between May 2022 and December 2023.[26]
  • U.S. bakery-product producer prices increased 10.5% between May 2022 and December 2023.[26]
  • U.S. bread producer prices increased 13.2% between May 2022 and December 2023.[26]
  • Only 13% of surveyed U.S. bakery operators considered pricing a significant growth lever for 2024.[54]

Cost reduction in the pastry industry

  • 18.9% of Canadian bakery-manufacturing expenses were labor-related in the latest FCC report.[59]
  • 31% of U.S. bakers increased investment plans because of rising raw-material costs for 2025–2026.[18]
  • 61% of U.S. bakers prioritized decreasing labor costs in 2024, compared with 52% in 2023.[18]
  • 45% of U.S. bakers planned to increase investment because of inflationary pressures for 2025–2026.[18]
  • 58% of U.S. bakery survey respondents planned to increase capital spending because of labor shortages in 2024.[18]

Profitability in the pastry industry

  • $542,678 was the average median revenue of U.S. bakery businesses sold through BizBuySell from 2021 to 2025.[60]
  • 5% to 10% was the reported overall profit-margin range for U.S. bakeries in 2024.[14]
  • $47.5 billion was the estimated 2024 U.S. bakery-products market revenue.[14]
  • 1.62% was the reported growth rate of the U.S. baking sector from 2023 to 2024.[14]
  • $108,035 was the average median discretionary earnings of U.S. bakery businesses sold through BizBuySell from 2021 to 2025.[60]

Financial planning in the pastry industry

  • 87% of surveyed U.S. bakery operators planned to pursue mergers or acquisitions in 2024.[54]
  • 65% of U.S. bakeries had fewer than 10 employees in 2024.[14]
  • 44% of U.S. bakers expected to increase capital investment in 2026 compared with 2025.[18]
  • $16.80 was the median hourly pay for U.S. bakery labor in 2024.[14]
  • 74% of surveyed U.S. bakery operators expected profits to exceed 2023 levels significantly in 2024.[54]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

New product and packaging activity continues across multiple claim types. A total of 2,058 bakery products were launched in the U.S. in 2022, and 3,049 launches from 2018 to 2022 involved new packaging.

Product development in the pastry industry

  • 77.4% of 402 surveyed Polish bakery companies had introduced new bakery products.[24]
  • 2,058 bakery products were launched in the United States in 2022, including 388 cakes, pastries and sweet goods.[61]
  • 3,049 United States bakery launches from 2018 to 2022 involved new packaging.[61]
  • 41% of surveyed commercial baking professionals reported concept-to-shelf product-development timelines of six months or less in 2024.[18]
  • 2,131 United States bakery launches from 2018 to 2022 were classified as new products.[61]

Product lifecycle in the pastry industry

  • Retail waste averaged 12% across bakery products in the United States estimate cited in a 2020 grocery-retail study.[62]
  • A supermarket study in Austria found bread and pastry losses equal to 2.83% by monetary value.[25]
  • A Polish baking and confectionery study found fresh-pastry losses ranging from 6.8% to 24.4% of production volume.[24]
  • A Polish baking and confectionery study found average daily company losses of 0.8 to 6.4 tonnes.[24]
  • Artisanal bread in the United States grocery-chain study had a shelf life of two days in 2020.[62]

After-sales in the pastry industry

  • 32% of surveyed German bakery-loyalty-program users said they consumed more at participating companies after joining in 2024.[15]
  • Toast data showed bakery and cafe transactions in Boston rose 6% year over year in the second quarter of 2023.[16]
  • Almost 50% of Stadtbäckerei Kühl’s registered bakery-app users were regularly active in 2024.[15]
  • Magnolia Bakery reported a 30% returning-customer rate after using customer data and personalization during the year described in its case study.[17]
  • Magnolia Bakery reported that personalization increased conversion by nearly 40% in its customer-marketing case study.[17]

Value proposition in the pastry industry

  • 5,677 United States bakery launches from 2018 to 2022 carried a kosher claim.[61]
  • 2,432 United States bakery launches from 2018 to 2022 carried an environmentally friendly packaging claim.[61]
  • Cookies accounted for 16.9% of United States bakery-cafe industry revenue in 2020.[63]
  • Pastries, cookies and cakes accounted for 69.0% of United States bakery-cafe industry revenue in 2020.[63]
  • Donuts and pastries accounted for 7.0% of United States bakery-cafe industry revenue in 2020.[63]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Packaging and emissions reporting show measurable targets. In 2024, 99.7% of Poppies Bakeries’ product packaging content was reported as recyclable, and Scope 1–2 emissions totaled 127,207.35 tonnes CO₂e for QAF Group.

Sustainability in the pastry industry

  • 99.7% of Poppies Bakeries’ product packaging content was recyclable in 2024, compared with 99.7% in 2023.[40]
  • 10% was De Graaf Bakeries’ reduction in environmental impact in 2024 while production volume increased 5.5%.[64]
  • 21% was the reduction in De Graaf Bakeries’ absolute Scope 1–2 CO₂ emissions in 2025 compared with 2024.[64]
  • 100% of Lantmännen Unibake’s sites used fossil-free electricity in 2025.[65]
  • 15,000 kg of bananas were saved from food waste through De Graaf Bakeries’ Banana Chocolate cookie launched with a customer in 2024.[64]

ESG in the pastry industry

  • 97% of Barry Callebaut’s total raw-material volume was covered by its eight priority sustainable-sourcing materials in 2024/25.[66]
  • 55.8% of Barry Callebaut’s cocoa and chocolate products sold in 2024/25 contained certified or verified cocoa.[66]
  • 51,420 child-labor cases were under remediation in Barry Callebaut’s cocoa supply chain in 2024/25.[66]
  • 33,795 hectares of new agroforestry were established through Barry Callebaut’s cocoa programs in 2023/24.[67]
  • 557,739 cocoa farmers in Barry Callebaut’s supply chain were above the poverty line in 2024/25, up 30.0% from 428,997 in 2023/24.[66]

Ethics in the pastry industry

  • 3 international child-rights organizations partnered with Barry Callebaut in 2023/24 to address child labor and child-rights risks.[67]
  • 125.8% was the increase in Barry Callebaut’s paid Labor Groups program coverage in 2023/24 versus 2022/23.[67]
  • 94% of large chocolate companies reported child-labor cases in their supply chains in the 2026 Chocolate Scorecard.[68]
  • 94% of children in cocoa-growing areas of Ghana were estimated to be affected by child labor in the latest U.S. Department of Labor assessment.[69]
  • 1.48 million children were estimated to perform hazardous work in cocoa production in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana in 2018/19.[70]

CSR in the pastry industry

  • 11,564 cocoa farmers received seedlings through Barry Callebaut’s 2024/25 resilience program.[66]
  • 7,480,306 thousand baht was President Bakery’s revenue in 2024.[71]
  • 6 countries hosted Barry Callebaut forest-protection projects in 2024/25.[66]
  • 442 SNP Food outlets had waste-sorting points in 2024.[72]
  • 249,256 meals were generated from 59.35 tonnes of surplus bakery products donated through SNP Food’s 2024 program.[72]

Circular economy in the pastry industry

  • 21,603 tonnes of Poppies Bakeries’ non-hazardous waste were recycled in 2024.[40]
  • 35.9% of Poppies Bakeries’ total waste was non-recycled waste in 2024.[40]
  • 4.6% of Poppies Bakeries’ production output represented food-loss intensity in 2023.[40]
  • 99.7% of Poppies Bakeries’ product-packaging content was recyclable in 2024.[40]
  • 5.5% of SNP Food’s bakery sales were unsold in 2024.[72]

Carbon footprint in the pastry industry

  • 7% was King Arthur Baking’s reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions intensity per tonne of finished product from its FY2022 baseline by 2024.[73]
  • 127,207.35 tonnes CO₂e were QAF Group’s total Scope 1–2 emissions in 2024.[74]
  • 362,329 tonnes CO₂e were Poppies Bakeries’ total location-based greenhouse-gas emissions in 2024.[40]
  • 348,807 tonnes CO₂e were Poppies Bakeries’ Scope 3 emissions in 2024.[40]
  • 39% was Lantmännen Unibake’s reduction in combined Scope 1–2 emissions between 2019 and 2025.[65]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Cross-market footprints expand distribution and store formats. Tous Les Jours operated 150 U.S. stores at the end of 2024, while Paris Baguette planned its first airport location in Philadelphia for 2026.

Globalization in the pastry industry

  • Tous Les Jours operated 150 U.S. stores at the end of 2024, up by about 50 stores in roughly 18 months.[29]
  • Vandemoortele acquired a majority stake in Banneton Bakery in 2024 to expand its North American frozen-to-oven croissant, Danish and pastry platform.[36]
  • Combined U.S. sales for Paris Baguette and Tous Les Jours reached 587.3 billion Korean won in 2024, compared with about 170 billion won in 2020.[28]
  • Approximately 4,500 Paris Baguette units operated globally, including about 3,700 in South Korea, around 300 in China and locations across Southeast Asia, Europe and North America in 2025.[27]
  • Krispy Kreme reported global points of access for December 29, 2024, across company shops, hubs, delivered fresh points and other international channels.[81]

Cultural adaptation in the pastry industry

  • A Mexican pastry concept described adapting French recipes to local palates with toasted rice, Mexican cinnamon, criollo chocolate and local dessert styling in 2024.[82]
  • A pastry chef cited Korean influence through low-sugar, plant-based flavors and small, bite-sized pastry presentation in 2024.[82]
  • Paris Baguette planned its first airport location in Philadelphia for 2026, extending its bakery concept into a nontraditional U.S. channel.[27]
  • Paris Baguette expanded into 28 U.S. states by 2025, indicating adaptation of its bakery-café format across multiple regional markets.[27]

Supplier management in the pastry industry

  • Sweetmore Bakeries supplied retail in-store bakery and foodservice customers across the United States with products including Danish pastries, cakes, muffins, fillings and icings in 2024.[30]
  • Flowers Foods operated 518 company-operated distribution territories at December 28, 2024.[83]
  • Sweet Eddie’s said its acquisition by Sweetmore Bakeries would support continued investment in its facility and team to serve current and future customers in 2024.[30]
  • Flowers Foods distributed products through 4,784 independent distributor-owned territories in fiscal 2024.[83]
  • Flowers Foods had 552 distribution territories classified as available for sale at December 28, 2024.[83]

Stakeholder management in the pastry industry

  • Flowers Foods operated 223 thrift stores and generated $64.1 million in fiscal 2024 sales through those outlets.[83]
  • Flowers Foods reported Walmart and Sam’s Club as its only customer accounting for at least 10% of sales in fiscal 2024.[83]
  • Vandemoortele’s 2024 Banneton transaction kept founders Victor and Alex Litinetsky invested in the company and responsible for daily management.[36]
  • Flowers Foods accrued $20.7 million in settlements at December 28, 2024, including obligations related to distribution-territory repurchases.[83]
  • Rise Baking Company had completed ten acquisitions since its 2013 founding by 2024, supporting a broader customer-service and growth platform.[35]

Distribution channels in the pastry industry

  • U.S. retail e-commerce bakery sales increased from $1.98 billion in 2018 to $5.04 billion in 2022.[61]
  • Flowers Foods sold surplus and returned bakery products through 223 thrift stores in fiscal 2024.[83]
  • Center-aisle retail accounted for 46% of the U.S. bakery market in 2022.[83]
  • Foodservice accounted for 33% of the U.S. bakery market in 2022.[83]
  • In-store bakery retail accounted for 20% of the U.S. bakery market in 2022.[83]

Key questions about the Pastry Industry

What is the current global market size for pastry and cakes, and what is it expected to reach by 2035?
The global pastry and cakes market reached $127.3 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $132.0 billion in 2026. It is forecast to reach $177.7 billion by 2035 at a 3.4% CAGR from 2026 to 2035.
How fast is the market expected to grow after 2026?
The forecast CAGR for 2026–2035 is 3.4%. Asia-Pacific is identified as the fastest-growing region in the forecast.
Which companies lead the pastry industry?
Puratos leads Gitnux's 2026 pastry ranking with an Overall score of 9.6, with supplies bakery and patisserie products and ingredients in more than 135 countries. Rich Products Corporation is the highest-ranked frozen cakes and pastries producer at 9.5, driven by cakes, icings, donuts, croissants and Danish pastries production for foodservice and retail.
What technology shifts are showing up in pastry production and operations?
Near-term automation and AI appear in production throughput, including 35,000 pastries per hour handled by an AI-powered robotic system at Mette Munk. In 2024, nearly 70% of the U.S. commercial baking industry had adopted AI or planned to adopt it within 12 months.
How concentrated is competition in the defined pastry-and-cakes market?
Top-five market share was 10% in 2025, indicating a fragmented structure in the defined market. Grupo Bimbo held more than 4.1% share in 2025.
What changes affect pricing and regulatory compliance for pastry categories in the U.S. and UK?
In the U.S., bakery-product consumer prices increased 12.2% between May 2022 and December 2023, and U.S. bakery-product prices rose 1.7% year over year in September 2026. In the UK, HFSS advertising restrictions took effect on 5 January 2026, with paid-for online advertising prohibited for less healthy products and TV limits before the 9 p.m. watershed.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Timothy Grant. (2026, February 13). Pastry Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/pastry-industry-statistics
MLA
Timothy Grant. "Pastry Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/pastry-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Timothy Grant. 2026. "Pastry Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/pastry-industry-statistics.

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