During the Spring Festival, many people choose to explore bakeries in different regions to experience the local baking flavors. According to Baking Exhibition, the development of the baking market, however, has not been an overnight success but rather a result of a long historical evolution and cultural integration. In 2025, the baking market is showing new trends, which are driven by both historical influences and the demands of modern consumers.

From the Popularity of Japanese Baking to the Transformation of the Chinese Market

The popularity of baking in Japan is largely due to historical reasons. After World War II, the U.S. wheat aid program (such as school lunch policies) helped make bread one of the staple foods in Japan. Childhood memories and acquired tastes have profoundly influenced the development of Japan's baking industry. However, Japan did not simply imitate Western culture but adapted it to local tastes, creating classic products like red bean bread, curry bread, and baumkuchen, successfully integrating baking into the traditional dietary system.

In contrast, China has been less and more recently influenced by Western-style baking. Within the rich framework of traditional Chinese cuisine, baking products have struggled to replace traditional foods as the mainstream. However, in recent years, the baking market has grown rapidly, with key growth areas including:

Taste and Texture Satisfaction: Consumers are increasingly seeking a "familiar strangeness," combining Western novelty with Chinese cultural identity. Products that blend Chinese and Western flavors, such as Japanese-style taro paste with Chinese salted egg yolk or Sichuan peppercorn with chocolate, have become popular. Additionally, brands are using high-quality local ingredients like lemons from Sichuan, hawthorn from Guizhou, and barley from Tibet to enhance regional identity.

Emotional Value: Emotional value has become an essential part of modern retail. Brands enhance emotional connections with consumers through complex flavors (e.g., sweet and salty), personalized customization (e.g., co-creation experiences), and customer narratives (e.g., inviting consumers to share their stories). Data shows that in 2023, the average transaction value for sweet and salty baked goods was 20-30% higher than that of traditional sweet flavors, indicating that complex flavors better stimulate dopamine release.

Convenience: Baking brands are expanding consumption scenarios (e.g., snacking, small packaging, seasonal exclusives) to make baked goods accessible at any time. For example, some brands have launched products like "Weekly Little Happiness" and "Seasonal Sensory Series" to integrate baking into daily life.

Three Major Trends in the 2025 Baking Market

Consumer Sovereignty: The market is shifting from "educating consumers" to "defining products based on user needs". Brands need to focus more on consumers' real needs rather than relying solely on market education or blind following.

Uniqueness as Competitiveness: Cultural resonance is more important than novelty. Regional ingredients, city-specific flavors, and personalized combinations will be key to brand development. For example, Chengdu's spicy croissants and Xi'an's roujiamo ciabatta use local culture to add more meaning to products.

Emotional Value Over Functional Value: Even in health categories, brands need to provide pleasure through flavor design. Brands must not only satisfy consumers' taste buds but also enhance brand loyalty through emotional connections.

In 2025, the baking market will continue to focus on health, personalization, and emotional value. Brands need to pay more attention to consumers' real needs, combine local culture with innovation, and create more competitive products. The future baking market will not only satisfy taste buds but also connect emotionally. Only by truly understanding consumers' needs can brands stand out in the fierce market competition.

Bakery China 2025 will continue to share more industry professional content with you, so please stay tuned!

Bakery China, organized by China Association of Bakery and Confectionery Industry (CABCI) and Bakery China Exhibitions Co., Ltd. was launched since 1997. Bakery China is the Asia Pacific‘s leading event serving the entire value chain for the bakery and confectionery market. The event presents all range of ingredient, equipment, packaging and services, and enables global leading professionals and buyer delegates to meet and share the latest innovations and thinking on manufacturing & distribution, R&D, applications and related services for bakery industry.

The 27th Bakery China would be held on May 19-22, 2025 at National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC), Shanghai, covering 330,000 sqm show space. Over 2,200 exhibitors and 400,000 visits are expected.

（source: SOHU）