Craft bakers meeting

The prestigious International Richemont Club flew into Liverpool on Sunday 6 October to kick off its annual gathering and to take an exclusive tour of Renshaw – UK manufacturer of marzipan and ready to roll icing.

The group was treated to an exclusive tour of the manufacturer’s production plant and was given the opportunity to learn more about its facilities.

Welcoming the incoming International Richemont Club president, John Slattery, head of Manchester-based confectionery retailer Slatterys and more than 80 Richemont members, were Renshaw managing director, Robin Mountain, and marketing director, Mark Bosworth.

Bosworth said: “The International Richemont Club is a centre of excellence for the bakery and confectionery trade, representing the very best of European craft bakers and confectioners. This is the heartland of Renshaw’s own reputation and heritage.

“We have two members of Richemont on our own staff, so we were delighted to be invited to host a visit by the Club. This gave us a rare opportunity to show the visitors how we manufacture the types of products they use every day back in their own businesses in places as diverse as France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Switzerland and Croatia.”

Slattery added: “Renshaw is a long-standing supplier of icings to my own business and, as the largest manufacturer of sugar coatings and toppings in the UK; I am delighted to show my colleagues a business which is a key supplier to my own.

“It was a real privilege to have the opportunity to visit the facilities, gain an insight into the company’s operational capabilities and see the production of products first-hand.”

Concluding the tour was an informal lunch during which guests were treated to a wide selection of craft bakery products supplied by local, award-winning craft baker, M Ray of Prescot, which included an impressive array of sweet baked delicacies featuring many of Renshaw’s bakery products.

The International Richemont Club is an umbrella organisation of national Richemont clubs and consists of eleven European and one Japanese club. Each of these clubs is composed of members who have benefitted from specialist training at Richemont.

Members are selected based on their commitment to the trade, excellent quality of service and professional ethics. High priority is given to the customised promotion of young bakers with an international staff exchange programme providing exceptional training opportunities.