Hannah Kacey A.

Baluca Insight Paper #2

BUSMAN – 106 April 5, 2023
“Gardenia: Experience Delicious”

Gardenia is a firm known for its wheat bread, which comes in a variety of flavors. Gardenia has
been in business since 1998, and it has found a home in the hearts of Filipino families all throughout the
country, providing delightful smiles on every occasion and even on the most mundane occasions. Once
our section and batch arrived at Gardenia's main plant at Laguna International Industrial Park, we were
greeted by a staff member who first directed us to where we should stay, and then a male staff member
turned over to introduce us to their firm, Gardenia. Following that, we watched a film that explained the
company's history, operations, and goals.

Additionally, he clarified that the scope of what he can reveal and explain to us is limited to the
method of how they manufacture their bread, not to the measurement or percentage of a certain element
required for the procedure. The clip depicted a family in need of a staple on their table, which is Gardenia
bread, a bread synonymous with world-class quality and deliciousness, delectable even without a spread.
Gardenia's history began in 1998, with the company's objective to deliver world-class, accessible, and
affordable products. Gardenia also transformed the bread business in the Philippines by introducing the
most modern bread-making technology. Bread is manufactured in an automotive method rather than by
hand here, which improves the quality and taste that the entire family enjoys. As a result, there is a steady
growth in demand throughout the Philippines.

Another method Gardenia has advanced is through their distribution system, which delivers
freshly produced bread to different regions of the Philippines on a daily basis. They have also developed
additional factories in other parts of the Philippines. Its first-ever facility in Cebu, Philippines, is already
in place to meet the needs of the Mindanao and Visayas markets. This brand is noted for its consistency in
technical breakthroughs. A world-class quality brand begins with world-class quality ingredients, and
their Gardenia bread begins with the best and finest ingredients from across the world.

The first phase in the ingredient preparation process is the ingredient preparation process, where
they will keep the ingredients such as milk, flour, sugar, and whey powder. Second, sponge mixing is the
process of producing the base dough, which includes combining half of the bread's components. Once the
sponge is finished, it will be moved to large containers and placed in a cool room for many hours to
ferment. This is done to improve the texture, fragrance, and flavor of the bread even more. The sponge is
then combined with the other half of the ingredients in the fermentation room to form the final dough,
which is then moved to the dough throw and the make-up line. The dough passes through four steps in the
makeup line: dividing, rounding, intermediate proofing, and molding.
Hannah Kacey A. Baluca Insight Paper #2
BUSMAN – 106 April 5, 2023
According to the speaker, dividing happens when the dough is moved by the dough elevators to the
divider, where it is sliced into the desired size and weight, resulting in a precisely scaled and uniform
dough piece. Second, rounding is the process of forming dough pieces into a smooth-surfaced ball using a
rounder, which is a conical piece of equipment. Finally, intermediate proofing occurs when weighted
dough pieces are transported to separate baskets in the intermediate proofer, allowing the dough to rest so
that it may pass through the molding rollers without tearing. After this process, molding is the act of
flattening and rolling dough parts into a cylindrical shape, sealing, and cutting them into their final form.
Following this, the dough will be twisted and placed in baking pans. The baking pans are moved via a
multi-level swing tray, allowing the dough to rise within. The baking pans are automatically covered with
a lid after the final proving. The empty baking pans will be automatically cleaned by a machine to remove
any residue before passing through the pan-greasing station, where highly specialized baking oil will be
sprayed.

Following that, the baking machine is tested to make sure that the heat is distributed equally
throughout all of the loaves. The metal covers are automatically removed after baking and kept for the
cooling process. These loaves of bread are placed in a pan-storage room to cool off. If these loaves meet
Gardenia's high-quality criteria in terms of form, they will be verified by highly qualified personnel. After
they have been checked and met, each loaf will be sliced into pieces and ready for packing, where
machines will mechanically place them into bags, untouched by hands. Gardenia additionally employs
color-coded g-locks that are imprinted with a batch and traceable number, price, and expiration date.

What I like about this firm and its bread-making process is that they maintain the quality of safety
in the production area and premises via the aspects of flavor, freshness, softness, scent, and nutritional
content of the bread. They also examine the production process in terms of the cleanliness of their
equipment, such as the floor, ceilings, and walls, as well as pest control techniques. These loaves are not
touched by human hands, but if they are, they are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized.

Overall, my experience during the Gardenia plant tour was really informative and great, since I got
to see firsthand and in real-time how their bread is manufactured, and how diligent they are in
maintaining the safety, cleanliness, and quality of their bread in terms of brand standards. This
manufacturing plant tour was a lot of fun for me.