This time of year when you think of a snowball, you don’t generally imagine a delicious bite-sized cookie warming your taste buds. But that is exactly what you get with Touché’s Snowball Cookie. London’s Touché Bakery Inc. is reimagining the classic and gourmet baked goods to deliver a memorable taste experience to nut-free and kosher customers.
Operating in London since 2005, this midsized food processor has been innovating in the specialty baked goods sector since Allan Swartz purchased it in 2005.Swartz comes from the speciality food processing industry where he led previously niche products like Glutino into a household name for the emerging gluten-free market.With a deep understanding of niche markets and customer needs, Swartz reformulated Touché ’s products to serve the nut-free and kosher markets.“Touché believes that everyone should be able to enjoy our gourmet baked goods,” says Swartz, “including those with severe nut allergies, or those following certain dietary practices.”
Following strict protocols, all of Touché’s gourmet baked goods are produced in a HACCP certified facility (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point), tree nut-free, peanut and sesame free, and kosher. “No ingredients or products with nuts are allowed in our plant,” explains Swartz, “and all ingredients, packaging, maintenance and suppliers must provide documentation assuring that their products are nut-free.”
Touché looks to local suppliers for raw and value-add ingredients.“Being in London gives us an advantage for sourcing ingredients.We look to the immediate region first, then Ontario, then broadly across the country if we need to,” notes Swartz.
With a diverse business model that supplies various markets including retail, food services, and B2B, Touché has also been able to leverage London’s location and talent advantages.“Our plant remains in London because of its strategic location and proximity to our key markets,” explains Swartz, “more than this, London has the talent and skilled workers we need to produce top-quality products.”
Touché is well-known for their Biscotti, Snowball Cookies and Meringues, but the company offers so much more including frozen cakes, min-loaves, and brownies. Being committed to nut-free products has enabled Touché to work with school boards to provide nutritious snacks and fundraising opportunities through the sale of frozen cookie dough and muffin batter. Swartz notes that “our nut-free cookie dough and muffin batters are distributed across Canada, and delivering our products directly to consumers is a market we are interested in growing.” Growth in their London plant is welcomed in London’s thriving food processing sector.
