Micro ovens, the new trend that aims to bring bread back to rural areas

LleidaCiutadilla, Castellserà, Agramunt, Palacio de Anglesola, Bell-lloc, Bellvís, Alamús, Juneda, Bovera, Torregrossa, Torrefeta, and Florejacs… Bread ovens, especially small ones, have been proliferating in rural areas in recent years. Although still tentative, the opening of new businesses is counteracting a trend that seemed dramatic. "What was in decline until now seems to be a trend," says Toni Frias, the current president of the Bakers' Guild of the Lleida region. But this is no coincidence. At least, not in the eyes of the industry. "It was the result of time and a lot of dedication," Frias states. In recent years, the Guild has dedicated significant effort to promoting and organizing courses and training for new bakers and shopkeepers who have converted to traditional bakeries. "Now we are reaping the rewards," concludes the president of the organization.

One of the latest major initiatives was that of the Pla d'Urgell County Council. Last summer, the institution launched, together with the Leader Association of Ponent, the course Baker's assistant, an innovative project to ensure the generational continuity of the region's bread ovens and prevent their closureAccording to a diagnosis carried out by the regional local development department, twelve bakeries in Pla d'Urgell had closed in recent years, and another seven were at immediate risk of closing. For this reason, an 80-hour training course was organized last September in Torregrossa with the aim of reversing this trend. Twelve people are now completing this course, taught by Jesús Querol and his wife, Marga Cano, two professionals with extensive experience in the sector. "Before, we suffered from a serious lack of new bakers due to the difficulties of this trade," explains Querol, "but with new advances in production, many entrepreneurs are realizing that opening a bakery is no longer as demanding as it once was."

One of the major trends in recent times in rural areas is the opening of so-called micro-bakeries, small shops for baking and selling bread on a small scale, along with complementary products such as ready-made meals or pastries. In the Urgell region, this type of project has opened in recent weeks in Castellserà and Ciutadilla, two villages that had not produced bread for years and are now celebrating the arrival of these small businesses. A similar example of this business model is a bakery in La Morana, a small hamlet in Torrefeta and Florejacs (Segarra), located just one kilometer from Guissona. There, Jéssica Ruiz, a 49-year-old administrative technician, opened a bakery two years ago in the village, which has only 60 inhabitants. Motivated by her son, who is studying pastry, she learned to make a lot of sourdough and bake all kinds of bread, which she now sells on weekends not only to friends and acquaintances, but also to various shops and restaurants. "Many tell me they find my bread delicious," she says proudly. For now, she only sells on weekends and combines it with her administrative work, but she is thinking of expanding the business, setting up an additional space for a café, and incorporating her son's pastry shop, as he is the one who will eventually take over the business.

The dynamics are slowly changing. According to the sector, bread culture is being revived in rural society; there is more concern for healthy products, and consumers know where to find them. "Large supermarkets and gas stations are not our competition," confirms Toni Frias. The result is that, in recent years, the Guild has been gaining strength and currently has 140 members, so it is recovering from the decline of recent years, although it is still far from the nearly 200 it had decades ago.

One of the most notable achievements is that of Pan de Antes de la Fuliola, a business formerly run by residents of Fuliola who couldn't find anyone to take over after their retirement, and which, thanks to the network Repopulate.cat, they found Two French citizens who revived the business with a varied and high-quality offering which has led to the creation of a small chain of establishments with the opening of "branches" in Cervera, Linyola, and Agramunt (just a few weeks ago). "Transparency, variety, and always striving to make a good product," lists French entrepreneur Pierre Houspie as reasons for his success. He believes that people now appreciate his bread more, "because it's healthier," and laments that in Spain there are still insufficient controls to regulate the sale of industrially produced bread.

Also in Repoblem we found a proposal to reopen a bakery in Palau d'Anglesola. There, the town council is offering Cal Celestino, a house and a commercial space that still needs renovation. The council has been looking for a family willing to become tenant farmers for over a year.That is, it offers the necessary financing and support to set up the business "to their liking," while newcomers simply roll up their sleeves and get to work. "The reduction in the cost of renting the house and oven will depend on the number of hours they dedicate to it," explains Mayor Francesc Balcells, who is confident that this will alleviate a deficit the town has been struggling with for years. A separate case (and still pending) is that of Les Garrigues. It is one of the few areas in the Ponent region where the sector's situation seems precarious. The closure of bakeries, mostly due to retirement and without succession, is affecting municipalities like Arbeca and Vinaixa, where there are no ovens left, and even Les Borges Blanques, where some historic businesses have their days numbered. However, there are important efforts underway, such as the restoration of a century-old oven in Cervià de les Garrigues and the Bovera Town Council's commitment to getting the municipal oven up and running. It seems the odds are stacked against them, which is why the Guild is keen to revitalize upcoming training courses in this region.

Pan PiriPonent

The revival of the bakeries goes beyond mere business. There is a clear desire to reclaim a local, distinctive brand. For this reason, a dozen bakeries in the Ponent region have already joined a new project by the Guild. the PiriPonent bread brandA bread from the Lleida region, launched in September, aims to boost the production (and especially the consumption) of locally sourced bread, baked with ingredients from the plains: 50% wholemeal stone-ground flour from Lleida, salt from the Pyrenees, sourdough made with fruit from Lleida, and Les Garrigues PDO olive oil. The result? Experts describe it as follows: "With a crispy crust and a moist, soft crumb, firm yet spongy, with a cereal flavor and a mild, balanced acidity."