Bread buses are driving a market that expects sales to grow by up to 60%.

The next holiday which includes All Souls’ Day on November 2 is already starting to drive the market and sales in the commercial sector. One of the segments that is growing at the moment is the bread maker, thanks to supermarkets who see an opportunity to increase revenue and position their own brands in bread buses in this part of the year.

These traditional products with good sales expectations are already on the shelves of chains such as Megamaxi, Supermaxi, Hypermercados Coral, Mi Comisariato and also in bakeries.

In the case of the Corporación Favorita, Megamaxi and Supermaxi chains, the offer for this date includes classic guagua breads, sweet breads and filled with blackberries, guava, chocolate and delicacies. “We have Maxipan specialties with Nestlé chocolate: Galak, Crunch and M&M’S; which contain a chocolate and delicacy filling. In the bakery section, customers can also enjoy freshly baked guagua bread, ready to eat,” said the CEO of Maxipan, the corporation’s bakery division.

Classic guavas retail for $1.67, while special editions with Nestlé ingredients are $2.76, Galak and Crunch ones, and $3.37 for M&M’S-filled ones.

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Prices are different, as are their presentations and ingredients. In Coral Hypermarkets, you can find guagua bread starting at $0.61 per two-unit package. In Mi Comisariato, they are sold for $1.30 per unit, both products weigh 100 grams and 110 grams, respectively.

Ángelo Tumbaco was one of the customers who brought the buses of Coral bread. He used last Friday to go on a two-week shopping spree. “I take several buses because they are cheap, they can be a bit more expensive in bakeries,” said the customer, putting two bus covers in his cart.

The chains have good sales projections for this year. Those from Corporación Favorita, including Aki and Titán, plan to sell 100,000 busloads of bread this season and expect sales growth of 15% compared to 2022. price as in 2022″, explained the director of Maxipan.

However, the increase in costs is not a negligible fact for the bakery industry. This year, the production of traditional guaguas is more expensive, confirmed Elena Cacuango, coordinator of the Pichincha Baker Guild.

“Now it is more expensive to produce a bus of bread than last year because the price of all raw materials except flour has gone up. For example, a bucket of eggs used to cost $3 and now it costs $4.20,” Cacuango said.

Luis Sortia, owner of the El Reventadito bakery in Quito, assures that another basic ingredient, the jam filling, has also increased in price, according to the bakery, it was around $38 in 2022, and this year it already exceeds $43.

Despite these higher costs, the sector predicts an increase of approximately 30% in bread bus sales for this year compared to 2022. low, there was only 10% to 15% growth,” Cacuango recalled.

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In Guayaquil, Pastelería y Panadería Adrianita shares and surpasses this optimism. The chain, which has 23 stores, plans to produce twice as many bread buses as it sells in 2022 and increase sales by 60%, according to head of marketing, Anthony Coello. He announced that the company also plans to open two branches, one in Mall del Sol and the other in the recently opened Mall del Norte.

Until then, at the Mall del Río branch, in the north of Guayaquil, María Fernanda Ron, a saleswoman there, assured that the demand for bread buses had started to increase since this week. Adriana sells regular buses for $1.60 and plush ones for $2.50.

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The market for this date and other seasonal dates throughout the year is diverse and adjusts to demand. The brands have new special edition products, for example to accompany guaguas de pan, as well as the traditional colada morada. In the case of Pastelería y Panadería Adrianita, they are sold in three varieties: 1/4 liter for $2.50, 1/2 liter for $3.50 and a liter for $8.80.

Vita Foods also launched its own version: Colada Morada Vita, a ready-to-drink drink with a combination of fruit pulp, an infusion of aromatic spices and purple cornmeal. For a limited time, this product can be purchased in 1 liter packs at grocery stores, bakeries and supermarkets nationwide for a suggested retail price of $2.

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Gabriela Lunavictoria, marketing manager of Vita Alimentos, indicated that the company estimates to reach the market with a total of 140,000 liters of Colada Morada Vita. The production of this drink takes place in a factory in Quito, and from there the distribution chain will be in charge of its spread throughout the country.

Another recognized company in the local market, Sweet & Coffee, launched a Colada Morada Jucy option made with high-pressure processing technology on Thursday, October 12, at select locations in Sierra. Without preservatives, dyes, flavors and GMOs, it comes in a 360 ml package. While on the Coast, the new product is available from Saturday, October 14. Sweet & Coffee has 133 stores nationwide, in Guayas, Santa Elena, Pichinchi, Tungurahua and Imbabura.

Café Bombon’s also offers its colada morada in 1 liter and 500 ml packages. On its social networks, such as Instagram, the brand shows the production process of the product and the ingredients it contains. Restaurants also join the seasonal launches, Menestras del Negro offers its colada morada in a 2 liter presentation in its stores.

However, brands are not only focusing on the Day of the Dead, with the purple colada, but are also taking the opportunity to launch other new products for dates that are also close by, such as Halloween. For example, Sweet & Coffee launched the Zombie Shake, a shake of vanilla ice cream with apple juice and berry berry sauce offered at $3.90 for a 12-ounce presentation with the option of cream for an additional $0.75.

KFC was not far behind and also launched its Halloween ice cream in the market at $1.99 for the ice cream version and $0.99 for the cone.