MARKET
The third millennium has introduced to us life
at a speed of change and this has fuelled an
ever-spiralling need for food designed to meet
the demands for freshness, convenience, variety
and uncompromising taste. Malaysians are no
exception on this score. In Malaysia, Gardenia,
has successfully found the right recipe to establish
itself as a leader in its class. Dominating the
market with its variants of specialty breads, buns
and rolls and while redefining a “new normal” for
baked goods, Gardenia has become Malaysia’s
preferred brand for bread. With an enviable
70% share of the bread market, its consumers
span the entire spectrum of socioeconomic groups. Market research
indicates Malaysians’ preference
for soft American-style bread
which Gardenia bakes to
perfection.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Gardenia’s success began rather
humbly. Gardenia Bakeries Malaysia
rolled out the first loaf from
its production lines in 1986.
In a span of four years,
it became the leading
bread supplier with a 99%
brand and 80% top-of-
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SUPERBRANDS VOLUME VI
mind recall. Malaysia’s increasing demand for
fresh and nutritious bread convinced Gardenia
to invest in its own fully automated factory in
1991, constructed with a 6,000 loaves an hour
capacity. In 1994, an additional state-of-theart plant, capable of producing 10,000 loaves
an hour, commenced operations to meet the
rising demand for bread. Today, Gardenia’s five
factories, each with six fully automated bread
lines, produce more than 900,000 fresh loaves
a day, making it the largest bread producer in
Southeast Asia.
Attestations of Gardenia’s unrelenting efforts
in maintaining the integrity of its products
are found in its ISO 22000:2005 certification,
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)
certification, Highly Commended Product Award
by Malaysian Institute of Food Technologies
(MIFT), and a National Creativity and Innovation
Award. Gardenia’s accomplishments have sent
reverberations throughout the industry, even
winning the respect of enormous corporations
like Padi Beras Nasional.
Gardenia achieved the Universal Integrated
System ISI 2020 certification from the Research
Institute of Standards in Islam in 2005.
In terms of Superbrand accolades, the brand
garnered the Superbrands Award for three
consecutive years from 2003 to 2005. In 2006,
it was conferred the Superbrands Consumers’
Choice Award in Malaysia and reaffirmed its
Superbrand status in 2008. In 2009 and 2011,
Gardenia surged its way into the list of TOP
Ten Brands based on a Gardenia Superbrands
survey conducted by The Nielsen Company.
Recently, the bread giant was awarded the Putra
Brand Awards by the Association of Accredited
Advertising Agents.
HISTORY
In 1969, an American named
Horatio Sye Slocumm was
sent by the International
Executive Service Corps to
East Malaysia to start a bakery.
Mr. Slocumm brought with him 35
years of baking experience
with one of America’s
leading chain of bakeries.
The Gardenia brand name
was conceived in the
same year. In honour of Mr.
Slocumm’s contribution,
‘Uncle Slocumm’s original recipe’ is still carried
on the labels of Gardenia bread today.
PRODUCT
Gardenia achieves its phenomenal growth and
dominance through a distinctive style of breadmaking. The traditional sponge and dough
method is used to make every single loaf of
Gardenia bread. This bread-making technique
allows the dough to develop naturally, giving it
the unique Gardenia texture and flavour as well
as lengthen its shelf life. Gardenia’s high factory
hygiene standards further ensure a longer shelf
life for its bread once they leave the factory.
Gardenia’s soft and delicious sandwich bread
is Malaysia’s favourite, a fact that few will deny.
Gardenia’s flagship bread, the Original Classic,
has improved over time. Enriched with vitamins
and minerals, four slices of Original Classic
contains as much calcium as a glass of milk.
The pride of Gardenia, Gardenia Breakthru,
is the ground-breaking Low Glycaemic Index
and Low Glycaemic Load bread. It has prebiotic properties, high protein and fibre content,
with lower carbohydrate and caloric attributes.
The presence of Beta Glucan helps to reduce
cholesterol. Breakthru has even passed an
extensive clinical protocol of the Glycemic Index
Testing conducted at the Glycaemic Research
Institute (GRI) in Washington DC. Breakthru
earned a coveted seal of approval from GRI
as a diet-friendly and diabetic-friendly food.
Developed in collaboration with a prominent
dietician and a panel of researchers from a local
university, Breakthru accentuates Gardenia’s
commitment to its consumers’ well-being.
Gardenia’s Breakthru is “Even Better Than
Wholemeal Bread!”.
The unique tasting Delicia Butterscotch
created some excitement in the food & beverage
market. Food reviews dictate that Delicia
Butterscotch truly deserves the slogan it carries,
“Really..Really..Really Good!”.
Today, Gardenia’s bread variations feature
names like Toast’em (bread with fibrous fruit and
grains) and delicious snacks such as Twiggies,
Delicia Cream Rolls, Squiggles, Delicia Buns,
Quick Bites, Fluffy Buns as well as a whole lot of
other wonderful bread products.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
Gardenia strives to meet the consumer’s demand
for variety by staying abreast with industry
innovations and baking technologies as well as
committing to new product development. The
introduction of Gardenia Delicia Waffles in 2011,
opened up yet another potential segment in the
market place. Gardenia Delicia Oven Fresh Tasty
Waffles allow consumers to enjoy waffles in any
way, anytime of the day and anywhere. Easy
access of the product plus a sound marketing
strategy has contributed to its success, winning
customers who never give the product a chance
to sit on the shelves for long.
PROMOTION
Gardenia’s tagline and endearing signature tune,
‘So good you can even eat it on its own’, is a hit in
every household. In this brilliantly organised radio
campaign, more than 20 versions of the jingle
has been played on almost every radio channel
across Malaysia. Consequently, Gardenia won
the Advertising and Marketing Magazine’s Best
Radio Campaign Award for creativity.
The successful inclusion of the ‘Bakerman’
icon in all its marketing and communications
materials, such as point-of-sales marketing
collaterals, header boards and uni-poles, has
succeeded in building an emotive bond with
the consumer. Today, the Bakerman personifies
Gardenia’s wholesome corporate identity.
Gardenia participated in numerous corporate
social responsibility initiatives which, though
rarely visible to the public eye, exemplify
Gardenia’s sincerity as a caring corporate
citizen. Gardenia is happy with the knowledge
that it provides one square meal each day to
more than 60 homes for the less fortunate in
Malaysia.
Gardenia’s close collaboration with the
National Diabetes Institute and Nutrition Society
of Malaysia in the Fight Against Diabetes and
Nutrition Month Malaysia shows the company
prioritises the need to give back to society.
This is a major health educational programme
on the management of diabetes and nutrition.
500,000 copies of Heart-care Booklets and
100,000 copies of Creative Recipes with Bread
Books have been distributed to the people via
hospitals, government clinics and healthcare
professionals regularly.
Gardenia’s educational factory tours offer
consumers a rare glimpse at how fresh bread is
made. Groups of school children and adults are
given a tour from the safe confines of catwalks
built right above the production floors. These
educational tours have to be booked months
in advance, due to overwhelming requests from
the public.
BRAND VALUES
Gardenia has always been associated with quality,
freshness, reliability, and healthy living, earning
the brand a firm place in consumers’ hearts.
Gardenia pledges to maintain its leadership
through constant innovation. To this end, the
company promotes new product development,
enforces stringent quality assurance measures
and provides reliable distribution channels for
timely delivery of its goods.
Gardenia continues to stand out from
its competitors by continuously enhancing
its product lines. Continuous research and
development coupled with committed teamwork
make this possible.
Gardenia regularly sends key employees
overseas for training at the American Institute of
Baking and other professional institutions. From
time to time, the company sends representatives
to participate in international trade shows. These
are avenues where Gardenia employees can
learn about the latest techniques and products
in the industry. By understanding the hearts and
minds of its consumers, Gardenia is confident of
staying relevant in the food and beverage scene,
as it continues to transform itself for greater
things to come.
www.gardenia.com.my
THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT
GARDENIA
• Gardenia delivers fresh daily-baked
breads to more than 22,000 outlets
throughout Malaysia
• With a total production capacity of
over two million loaves a day, Gardenia
Malaysia is the largest wholesale bakery
in Southeast Asia.
• Since 1991, Gardenia has been providing
fresh daily-baked breads to about 60
charitable
organisations,
including
homes for the elderly, orphanages and
centres for the disabled.
• Some 25,000 people walk into Gardenia
each year for guided tours of the factory
premises.
M A L AY S I A’ S S T R O N G E S T B R A N D S
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