Puratos Bakery schools for a better life in India and Brazil

We believe it is very important not only to share our skills and know-how with our commercial partners – bakers’ shops, supermarkets and the food business and services to whom we supply ingredients, but also to help underprivileged communities in the countries where we operate. Being a reliable local partner is part of our international business philosophy which we demonstrated by opening bakery schools in India and Brazil.

As in many other developing countries, consumer tastes in India and Brazil are becoming increasingly westernized, with an increasing demand for finished goods such as cakes, pastries and chocolates.  Supermarkets, bakeries and cake shops, as well as hotels and cruise ships, all want to increase the range of products they have to offer, but many of them suffer from a significant shortage of skilled labour.

Bakers of the future

Determined to teach young people the skills needed to work in the bakery, patisserie and chocolate sectors, Puratos has invested in two bakery schools, one in Brazil and one in India. In both countries, the courses have been designed to take pupils beyond basic education and to give them the practical training needed to make a decent living. The programme also includes periods of internship in various companies during which the students are paid. We also commit to employ pupils who graduate from the schools in India, Brazil or elsewhere, or place them with one of our partners.

Based on the proven success of the projects in India and Brazil, we are planning to expand the programme so that even more young people from developing countries can turn their passion for bakery, pastries and chocolate into a rewarding way of life.

India

Our first bakery school was inaugurated in India in August 2014. Twenty-five pupils from underprivileged areas follow the programme each year. Lessons are many and varied, going from learning the basics in cookery and bakery to progressing to more advanced lessons in patisserie and making chocolate.

Brazil

In April 2015, in collaboration with the Gol de Letra Foundation, we launched a similar project in an underprivileged neighbourhood of Sao Paolo in Brazil where every year around twenty pupils have the opportunity to take part in workshops for a period of 18 months. 

If you would like to find out more about our bakery schools, please contact your local representative.