Bakery franchise Paris Baguette announced on the 27th that it will launch the premium health bread brand "PARAN LABEL." The reason Paris Baguette is introducing a health bread brand is that they expect the health bread market to grow due to the slow aging trend of “slow aging.” Paris Baguette stated that its goal is to present "bread as filling as rice" using proprietary fermentation technology and carefully selected ingredients.

Kim Yeon-jeong, Head of the Marketing Division of Paris Baguette (left), and Shim Sang-min, Deputy Director of SPC Food Bioengineering Research Institute, respond to reporters' questions at the press conference for the launch of the Blue Label held at the Shilla Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul on Nov. 27. /Courtesy of Byun Ji-hee.

On that day, Paris Baguette held a press conference for the launch of the PARAN LABEL brand at the Shilla Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, and announced that starting that day, it would begin to popularize health bread through 3,400 stores nationwide.

PARAN LABEL has adopted the slogan "a new standard for healthy bread." Kim Yeon-jeong, Deputy Minister of Marketing at Paris Baguette, noted at the conference, "Since 2008, Paris Baguette has continuously released health bread products. We’ve concluded that we need to communicate with consumers as a brand rather than individual products by raising the standards for taste, quality, and technology," and added, "We will break the stereotype that healthy bread doesn’t taste good."

Paris Baguette explained that it planned the PARAN LABEL brand in line with the trends of "slow aging," which slows the pace of physical aging, and "Healthy Pleasure," which enjoys health management. Until now, health bread has been perceived as having a rough texture and lacking in taste. According to Paris Baguette, PARAN LABEL has made efforts to find the optimal balance between taste and nutrition.

To this end, SPC, Paris Baguette's parent company, has conducted joint research with the University of Helsinki in Finland since 2020. Breads from Nordic countries, such as Finland, are known for their high content of dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, utilizing whole grains such as rye and oats.

Healthy bread launched under the Blue Label brand. /Courtesy of Byun Ji-hee.

Shim Sang-min, Deputy Minister at SPC's Food Biotechnology Research Institute, said, "After four years of research, we successfully developed whole grain sourdoughs called 'SPC·Helsinki Sourdough' and 'Multi-Grain Sourdough.'" He added, "The downside of grain breads is that they easily become hard and are difficult to eat after a long time, but we optimized the enzyme method to ensure a soft and moist texture is maintained for a long time."

"SPC·Helsinki Multi-Grain Sourdough" is a mixture of whole rye and SPC's patented microorganisms (one yeast strain and four lactic acid bacteria). Whole rye is a grain that is high in dietary fiber and protein and rich in minerals. The Multi-Grain Sourdough has been developed using seven types of whole grains and seeds, including whole wheat, rye, oats, and flaxseed, applying special fermentation processes and high-temperature, high-pressure techniques to maintain the grain particles during the baking process.

Using the developed sourdough, PARAN LABEL has introduced 13 premium bakery products fortified with nutrients such as high protein, low sugar, and high dietary fiber, including four types of Nordic bakery. The PARAN LABEL products also use the ancient grain "spelt."

Shim noted, "The newly released PARAN LABEL products have focused on protein and dietary fiber, and we will also conduct research on sugar-free products in the future." Kim added, "PARAN LABEL must succeed in Korea to expand to overseas markets," and stated, "As a comprehensive bakery brand, Paris Baguette will expand consumer choices through the launch of PARAN LABEL."