Dave Collier: An interview with Spar’s National Bakery Manager

How did you get into baking?

Quite by accident. As a boy I lived over the road from a local bakery and I became friends with the bakery foreman’s son, who lived above the shop. When I turned 14 and was allowed to work on weekends and school holidays, I started in the bakery as a cleaner/general assistant. I was planning to study law, but after achieving my O levels and then working all summer in the bakery, I could not face going back to school for two more years and then four at varsity. I became an apprentice baker, and finished a three year apprenticeship in two years.

What sort of training have you had?

I completed City and Guilds Baking and Flour Confectionery 120 as well as Retail Baking 9444 in the UK, and then completed In-House technical and managerial training programs with a number of food retailers both in the UK and in South Africa. I trained as an Assessor and Moderator with the Foodbev SETA.

Which companies have you worked for?

I’ve worked for Squires Bakery in North London, Sainsbury’s, Tesco’s and a number of South African Retail Groups. I then had my own bakery (Bottom Line Bakery) followed by my own training provider company (ABMS) for many years. I joining SPAR in 2013 to take on the challenge of National Bakery Manager.

What does your job at SPAR involve?

I manage the SPAR National Bakery Strategy, which involves monitoring and guiding every aspect of how SPAR continues to deliver top class baked goods to its consumers. The other major part of my portfolio is managing the SPAR Freshline Bakery Brand, SPAR’s in-house range of packaged baked products which offers the consumers quality, convenience, and peace of mind. I lead a team that controls new product development, food safety, product quality, and availability from the Freshline suppliers. We visit each one of these suppliers a minimum of once every quarter to ensure their adherence to our specifications, Food Safety Standards and Code of Ethics. We are continually innovating in order to keep up with both local and international evolving trends.

Are trends important and how do you monitor them?

We monitor local and international trends and try to be first to market with whatever we feel will be a viable product range. I will be visiting IBA in Germany later this year to see where Europe is going with regards to baking evolution, and how that will meet the South African market.

Are there any exciting projects that you’ve been involved in with Freshline?

Too many to list but just to name two:

• We have launched our Gluten Free range with Fresh Earth, the leading supplier of Gluten Free products in South Africa.
• We launched the Roosterkoek, in the Eastern Cape and are rolling it out around South Africa. This product is basically a Braai’d roll, which is uniquely South African and has taken the market by storm in all LSM categories.

How do you ensure that all of your bakers are trained correctly?

Lack of trained staff is my biggest headache. I have always been passionate about training bakers, and for many years was heavily involved in qualifications and curriculum development for South African bakers. We have not got it right yet, due mainly to the lack of involvement from the FET colleges, as well as poor buy-in from the industry. At SPAR we currently have a number of stores that host learners on the SETA Learnership programmes, and we are also developing our own E-Learning program to facilitate In-House learning. I am involved in the current development of QCTO occupational trade qualifications for baking, and hope that this time we can facilitate an effective program, whereby school leavers will be able to enrol on a three year (hopefully) learnership to achieve a fit-for-purpose and workplace-based qualification. You can be assured that the SPAR Bakery Division will be leading the way when the time comes.