The Rise of Premium Bread: A Small Indulgence That Can Enliven Everyday Meals
Premium bread products can function to give consumers what they’re looking for today, something closer to the restaurant experience at home. With consumers concerned about the economy, and, in some cases, less inclined to eat out or even to opt for delivery or takeout, given the costs involved, premium bread products can be a way to enhance just about any meal occasion. Also, it doesn’t hurt that foodservice operators have for some years now emphasized artisan and even exotic breads as a vital part of meals. Breads with an international pedigree can engage consumer interest, too, and that’s one reason that brioche, for instance, has been getting more play in restaurants and, increasingly, shoppers’ dining rooms.
Eating better isn’t just about eating out, however. Further, with consumers defining their approach to food more precisely today, especially for health reasons, premium products, including those with a specific profile such as vegan or gluten-free, give many consumers a higher-level eating experience while enabling them to adhere to their dietary disciplines.
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Kurt Burmeister, SVP, national sales and importing at Lipari Foods, in Warren, Mich., affirms that bread products with an elevated cachet are currently in demand. He points out that consumers are trading up to gourmet, grain-forward and internationally inspired breads, which means that these shoppers are increasingly “seeking flavor and function over blandness” and will pay more if an item delivers on freshness, ingredients or a satisfying culinary story.
“Consumers aren’t just tightening spending,” observes Burmeister, “they’re prioritizing value over price.”
Bread, especially in the in-store bakery or in specialty packaged formats, is for many consumers a small indulgence that can enliven everyday meals without costing a lot. Burmeister underscores that Lipari has been working with retailers to help them identify and address premium bread opportunities in a category that’s advancing based on some larger and some subtle shifts.
The Differentiator
The right bakery products can do a lot for a company. Bobby Turner, president of Busch’s Fresh Food Market, in Ann Arbor, Mich., says that investment in bakery operations has been a major force buoying the 16-store company, which just celebrated its 50th anniversary. Premium bread products help boost Busch’s bakery position, in part by providing tastier options, such as artisan bread, than the standard offering.
“Bakery is one of the cornerstones of the Busch’s guest experience, and a key differentiator for our stores,” explains Turner. “It’s not only about freshness and quality – it’s about creating connection through food.”
Busch’s recognizes that keeping up with consumers and giving them attractive options in bakery can be a competitive advantage. The company’s premium bread products come in multiple forms. For example, shoppers can find brioche bread, as well as brioche hamburger and slider rolls, under Busch’s own label.
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However, a critical mainstay of Busch’s bakery operation enables the company to offer customers freshness, newness and even trendiness when appropriate in artisan bread and a range of other products: the Bakehouse.
“The Busch’s Bakehouse, established in 1995, is our in-house commercial bakery, located in Clinton, Mich.,” notes Turner. “It’s where over 40 skilled associates, including artisan bakers, sweet specialists and cake decorators, produce fresh baked goods for all 16 of our stores daily. Many of our team members have been with Busch’s for 15 to 20 years, which speaks to the level of craftsmanship and consistency they bring. It is a heartbeat of our operation, and a direct extension of our quality promise.”
At Allegiance Retail Services, a retailer-owned cooperative based in Iselin, N.J., Alexa Conciatori, category manager for bakery, says that value as reckoned today in the market takes the desire for good times into play, along with wariness about finances.
“Consumers are increasingly seeking a balance between premiumization and practicality,” she says. “In the in-store bakery, there’s a clear trend toward elevated offerings that deliver on taste, quality and perceived value, especially as shoppers look for affordable indulgences amid economic uncertainty. Traditional premium breads like brioche and sourdough remain strong performers, though sales often ebb and flow based on price. Shoppers are willing to pay a premium for quality, but their spending is influenced by promotions and seasonal occasions. Brioche appeals broadly across demographics, while sourdough has seen a notable uptick among Millennials and Gen Z, fueled by social media and interest in its fermentation-based health benefits.”
From the larger perspective, according to Conciatori, premium bread suits how consumers are eating in 2025.
“Overall, premium bread is benefiting from the ‘restaurant-quality-at-home’ mindset,” she says. “Consumers are willing to spend a bit more for products that feel like an upgrade but still align with budget-conscious habits.”
Anne-Marie Roerink, principal at San Antonio-based market research firm 210 Analytics, observes that a lot of consumers are looking for alternative ways to have a restaurant eating experience while saving money.
“There is no doubt about it: Many households are experiencing tremendous pressure on income after several years of inflation,” says Roerink. “Households across the income spectrum are making changes to their food spending, and this is impacting categories around the store, including the bakery category. While it may seem logical to assume that consumers are trading down and cutting back, reality isn’t quite so simple. Reality is that consumers sometimes skip what they consider nonessentials, buy private-brand items, buy what’s on sale or buy a smaller pack size. Other times, they show strong willingness to splurge and buy indulgent baked goods, whether a more premium bread or a sweet treat; buy the brand they love regardless of whether it is on sale; or trade up to a larger pack size. This nonlinear behavior drives today’s complex marketplace that still holds ample opportunity for premium bread.”
The Brioche Component
Brioche is among those products in the more traditional core of the premium bread segment, along with some other styles that have international or artisan associations, and that can attract consumers looking for more than everyday bread to enhance any number of meal occasions, from breakfast to grilling.
Pepperidge Farm, based in Norwalk, Conn., has introduced an new variation on breakfast bread, the Caramel Brioche Swirl. The item builds on the success of the brand’s Lemon Blueberry Swirl debut. Pepperidge Farm developed the caramel brioche innovation to cater to Millennial appetites for premium, flavorful options, the company contends. The item has become the seventh permanent flavor in the Pepperidge Farm Swirl Bread lineup.
Ama Auwarter, VP of Pepperidge Farm, bakery and cookies at Camden, N.J.-based Campbell Snacks, says that developing the latest swirl bread came out of careful attention to what’s happening with consumers.
“Pepperidge Farm Swirl Bread is a breakfast staple and the No. 1 breakfast bread in America, affording us an exciting opportunity to experiment with different formats and flavors of bread to satisfy consumers’ evolving tastes,” she notes. “We identify new flavors by staying on top of the latest consumer trends and preferences while ensuring that our commitment to top-tier quality and taste remains consistent as we innovate. Caramel and brioche are a trending combination, so this flavor direction felt like a natural evolution for the line of rich, indulgent and approachable everyday breakfast bread flavors. With sweet breakfast options projected to be among the top-10 growing foods for Millennials in 2025, we created Caramel Brioche Swirl to meet the need for a convenient, delicious and elevated option for our target audience, so that they can start their morning off with a treat worth savoring.”
The foremost idea underlying the product, according to Auwarter, is to produce a better option for breakfast.
“Our goal was to bring something truly unique to the bread aisle with Caramel Brioche Swirl, a flavor that is indulgent yet familiar,” she explains. “Together, caramel and brioche fill a white space in the current breakfast bread set by delivering a rich, premium experience that effortlessly elevates the everyday for consumers. This innovation continues Pepperidge Farm’s legacy of offering nostalgic flavors with a twist, all while staying rooted in what the brand is known for: high-quality ingredients, distinctive taste and attention to detail in every slice.”
It’s also worth noting that Pepperidge Farm’s recent brioche introductions run the gamut from breakfast to grilling, given the brand’s Farmhouse Brioche Hot Dog Buns.
For its part, Gonnella Baking Co., based in Schaumburg, Ill., has introduced new brioche buns, with the prime focus being retail foodservice and C-stores. The brioche buns deliver the rich, buttery flavor and soft texture of authentic brioche bread, according to the company, in accordance with its pledge and slogan, We Bake to Differ. Gonnella’s brioche buns are certified Kosher, vegan-friendly and baked in sesame seed-free facilities.
Gonnella Baking Co. developed its brioche in accordance with quality standards that allow it to support any type of filling. Company product testing demonstrated proven resilience in use with toasters, ovens and warmers, so that its brioche buns provide quality customer experiences for made-in-store and on-the-go programs.
The company cites Datassential’s market research attesting that the trending brioche category is growing at a more than 21% pace.
Dave Gonnella, the company’s VP for sales, maintains: “When we developed our new brioche buns, the goal was simple: deliver a great-tasting, premium-quality bun at a fair price. We know today’s shoppers are looking to elevate their everyday meals with better ingredients, and our brioche delivers on both indulgence and value. These buns are soft and rich, with a subtle sweetness perfect for burgers, chicken sandwiches and pulled pork, yet priced to be accessible for busy families and food lovers alike.”
The company also formulated the product for flexibility.
“One of our retail partners is featuring the brioche buns both as part of a hot-sandwich program in the deli and as a retail item merchandised in the perimeter,” notes Gonnella. “That kind of dual-application offering, meal solution plus take-home option, is exactly where we see the perimeter bakery and deli departments winning today.”
French Connection
St Pierre Bakery, based in the U.K. city of Manchester and a brioche-centric brand, developed its first-ever marketing campaign for the U.S. market with a tongue-in-cheek take on French superiority, to boost St Pierre’s quality perception. The campaign launched in several countries before St Pierre introduced a U.S. version on Feb. 3, with plans calling for a rollout across retailer online channels, social and digital brand channels, and on televisions screens via Connected TV, targeting viewers in the Pacific, Mountain, West North Central, East North Central and West South Central regions. Social media activity and retailer online programs such as in-store activations and public relations efforts in time for grilling season were launched to support the campaign.
St Pierre sees a wide range of opportunity for its brioche products, which it continues to explore, according to Sarah Boddy, the company’s managing director.
“Our brand is growing, and we are investing more into marketing than ever before, in order to maximize the distribution we’ve secured over the past few years,” says Boddy. “Part of this is because of the opportunity we see in being able to bring younger shoppers into the category. Datassentials research shows that it is Gen Zs and Millennials who have the highest ‘interest’ scores in the category, and that’s the same shoppers who are showing strong preferences for premium products. This year, we launched our first ‘above the line’ creative – Eat Avec Respect, which was designed with this in mind – a bold new creative platform that clearly demonstrates St Pierre’s quality credentials and sees us advertising via new mediums at mass scale, to reach our target shoppers where they are.”
Datassentials market research also suggests that brioche sales growth opportunity is significant. According to the Chicago-based market research company, 75% of consumers are aware of brioche; in fact, it’s in the 59th percentile of awareness, meaning that it’s better known than 59% of food, beverage and flavor products. However, only 62% of consumers have tried brioche, placing it as a class in the 69th percentile. Moreover, only 8% of consumers have had brioche many times, putting it in the 67th percentile, so plenty of room exists to build steady consumption.
When asked how they feel about brioche, 22% of consumers overall told Datassentials that they love it, and 31% said that they like it. Of consumers who have tried brioche, 34% said that they love it, and 46% said that they like it, with 13% neutral. Although brioche performs relatively strongly among various demographic groups, Millennials and Generation Xers had the greatest affinity for it. Among ethnic groups, white and Hispanic consumers had the strongest affinity, while the West and Midwest were the strongest geographic regions, although the Northeast and South weren’t far behind.
For her part, Boddy points out: “Brioche is a subsector in growth, now worth more than $700 million to U.S. bakery. It’s growing faster in both value and volume than total breads in both [the in-store bakery] and bread aisle.”
Going Bavarian, and More
Los Angeles-based La Brea Bakery, which focuses on premium and artisanal products, introduced its Plant-Based Brioche Bun in 2023. It recognizes, however, that consumers continually want new choices in premium bread products, so this past April, La Brea Bakery launched a new and different premium product that gives consumers a novel choice in baked goods. In fact, the company asserts that it’s redefining the pretzel segment with its new artisan Pretzel Buns, Pretzel Sausage Buns and Pretzel Baguettes.
Offering a rich traditional Bavarian pretzel flavor, the line features the simple, clean ingredients that more shoppers want today. La Brea Bakery regards its pretzel line as offering consumers the kind of inviting artisanal products that they normally only get at upscale restaurants. Among the ways that grocers might merchandise the line, La Brea Bakery suggests Pretzel Baguettes as an accompaniment to charcuterie and dipping boards. As such, according to the company, the new pretzel lineup gives grocers a high-quality, on-trend option that can drive repeat purchases.
“Shoppers today are seeking more from their bread,” notes Brie Buenning, senior director of marketing at La Brea Bakery. “Our pretzel line offers a new take on a beloved classic that uses real ingredients and proven techniques to deliver delicious pretzel flavor and texture.”
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As with La Brea Bakery’s pretzel inspiration, premium bread is evolving in a way that continues to incorporate traditional approaches but also pays attention to consumer trends and needs. To that end, Nature’s Own, a brand of Thomasville, Ga.-based Flowers Foods, has added Keto Life Multigrain Sliced Bread as well as Keto Soft White Buns as a hot dog companion, and Homestyle White, Ancient Grain, 100% Whole Wheat, Hawaiian and Sourdough to its Small Loaf series. The new products join a product lineup that already includes Brioche Style Perfectly Crafted artisan-style bread.
According to Allegiance’s Conciatori, specific products with flavor and content profiles that appeal to consumers are important to consider, but those considerations should be made in the context of the premium bread category and how it’s developing.
“Emerging segments, such as vegan, high-protein and gluten-free breads, continue to grow, driven by younger consumers and those with specific dietary needs,” she explains, adding, “High-protein options are particularly appealing to fitness-minded shoppers, while gluten-free continues to gain traction both as a necessity and a wellness choice.”
