Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Yuliya Barsukova, Lucie-Liane Duchesne, Colleen Kay, Daisy Medhora & Cynthia Nguyen
University of Alberta
AREC 323
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GLUTEN-FREE FOOD INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
Gluten-free Food Industry: Opportunities & Challenges
1. Describe
Physical assets & machinery: Kitchen & cafe space, baking equipment (work tables,
commercial ovens, mixers, scales, food processors, walk-in refrigerators, and freezers),
Customers: People with celiac disease, people that have a celiac member in the family and
non-celiacs who are influenced by the trend of going gluten-free or wanting to try gluten-
free pastries
Current players in the market: Gluten-free bakeries in different areas of town, cafes and
shops that offer a limited range of gluten-free pastries along with regular menu items, retail
Need to meet the gluten-free labeling requirements: if a food item contains any gluten
protein, modified gluten protein or gluten protein fraction it is illegal to claim that this food
There’s also a possible risk of cross-contact between gluten-free pastry made in the bakery
and any gluten-containing food item coming from the outside (worker lunches, visitors,
Market Analysis
The Market Analysis is made to formulate the company’s Market strategy based on its
competitive advantage. Thus, the risks of developing a company are evaluated. The success
of a new company relies on the analysis of four factors: the market, the competitors, the
The Market
expansion: it grows at a rate of 10% annually (Business Wire). Even though it is originally
focused on people being gluten intolerant (celiac), people of the world change their diets to
gluten-free diets. Indeed, 9 million people in Canada (28% of Canada’s population) reduced
their alimentation to only gluten-free products. Among them, only 1% are celiac, and 5%
have a gluten sensibility, which implies that 22% of them are gluten avoiders for no medical
reason, choosing a gluten-free meal for health issues (Gluten Free Agency, 2014).
gluten-free lovers (Gluten Free Agency, 2014). This market would include families with a
celiac member, but also people wanting to lose weight (25%), people wanting to eat healthier
(25%), and people admitting feeling better after a gluten-free meal (40%) (Gluten Free
Agency, 2014). Indeed, a social trend is in favour of this growing market: a lot of studies
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prove the quality of such a diet. Healthy, helping for physical performances, helping to lose
weight and helping digestion, these types of products attracts all type of age with all type of
way of living, from healthy families to strong athletes. An economic and technical trend
supports the choice of opening a company in this sector. The production of a gluten-free
product isn’t difficult from a technical point of view because it depends on a change in the
ingredients. For instance, to make flour, wheat or corn can be used. Currently, the exchange
rate of wheat in the world is CAN$243,799, more expensive compared to CAN$228/t for corn
(Terre-net, 2017).
The whole world of food is trying to take advantage of these trends. The pasta
produce gluten-free pasta (Barilla Group, 2015). Thus, big companies participate in the
growth of the market, a market which will be worth CAN$4.7 billion within 5 years (Girard,
L, 2015).
For a small company as Moh’s Gluten-Free Bakery & Cafe, with 6 workers, the
The Competitors
But this market is not new and has to be shared. The competitors are a threat to the
success of a company.
In Edmonton, there are five majors’ competitors to Moh’s Gluten Free Bakery and
Cafe (see Table 1). The market of a gluten-free bakery in Edmonton is shared between two
types of companies, depending on the target market they chose to reach. Indeed, two patterns
are spotted in the strategy of the potential competitors. On the one hand, Kinnikinick fresh,
Buns&Roses Organic Wholegrain Bakery and Breadland Organic Wholegrain Bakery chose a
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benefit leadership, increasing their quality of product, staff, environment, and therefore price.
With this strategy, they are aiming at people willing to pay a higher price for their health:
families, and older generations. On the other hand, RioVida gluten-free and Manufacturing
and Celebrate Gluten-Free decided to use a cost leadership. They are aiming at people
The social trend about the profits of eating gluten-free, encourage companies to invest
in this sector, which tends to increase the competition. Moreover, competitors can easily and
quickly bring a competing product to the market, as bakery recipes are patterned with
difficulty.
Thus, the weaknesses of our competitors lie in the quality of the product, the quality of
service, and the choice of products offered. As there is no leader, the customers are shared
and the price is regulated by the competitors aiming the same target market.
product and services. Indeed, the main advertisement used in this sector is based on the
customer's’ opinion. Most of them can be found on websites such as TripAdvisor or Yelp.
Customers
This specialized market is mainly ruled by the customers, who keep on increasing the
demand for the past few years. These customers are celiac people, their relatives, and people
following the social trend. This section of the population includes every category of people:
families, students, and old generations. Edmonton is a developing city of 316,575 families,
including 48.3% couples, 27% families with one kid, 20.6% families with 2 kids and 9.1%
families with 3 or more kids (City of Edmonton, 2014). The utility they can get from such a
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company resides in holding a breakfast, holding a meeting with snacks, holding an event,
each of them involving or celiac or gluten-free lovers. Their need could be daily, weekly or
monthly. As some competitors are already settled in the market, the factors influencing the
customer's’ choice can be found in the price, the quality of a product (taste and shape), the
quality of service (trusting a staff who could give advice, nice accommodations) and opening
hours. Having a “classic menu” could help reach their needs: by offering a product they can
trust over the years, in a sufficient quantity and with an affordable cost.
The example of an aimed customer could be a 32 years old mother, having two
children among which one is gluten intolerant and who likes grocery shopping healthy food.
Target Market
The most attractive market is obviously the gluten intolerant or sensitive people.
Edmonton is a developing city, with a demographic growth of 3.7% from 2012 to 2014 (City
of Edmonton), attracting families thanks to its location, bringing many students to the
university. The advantage of Moh’s Gluten-Free Bakery & Cafe can manage is its
specification. Most of its competitors are bakeries providing gluten-containing and free
products.
Thus, more than the gluten intolerant market, it could reach the health conscious
Going gluten-free has been portrayed as a standard sensation saw by both out of need
(Government of Canada, 2012). The gluten-free market has outperformed the low-carb trend
and is projected to develop as large as the lactose-free dairy industry (Gluten-Free Market
Trends, n.d). Since the diet’s rising popularity Canada’s Food and Drug Regulations have
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taken actions to prohibit food manufacturers from selling any gluten protein in a food package
almost around ⅓ (10 million) of Canadians are searching for gluten-free items for medical
reasons, however 2.5 million of Canadians are looking for gluten-free items due to the
apparent idea that gluten-free items are a more beneficial towards our lifestyle (Agriculture
and Agri-Food Canada: GofC, 2015). Additionally, with the recent diagnosis of celiac disease
and gluten-free sensitivity, it has increased awareness of the conditions by both consumers
and healthcare professionals, it normally used to take up to 8 years for a diagnosis of celiac
illness (Gluten-Free Market Trends, n.d). Furthermore, Grand View Research (2017)
emphasized that the global gluten-free products market measure was esteemed at USD 14.94
billion in 2016 and estimates a compound annual growth rate of 9.3% from 2017-2025. As
indicated by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: GofC, (2015) , there were around 3,000 new
gluten-free snack item introductions in the U.S. from 2008 to 2010 and recently food
manufacturers are blending more ancient grains, such as quinoa and amaranth into their
gluten-free products to enhance their nutrient content (McCluskey, J.J., 2015). Since the
introduction of Gluten-free products, they have substantially enhanced in taste, quality and
nourishment, and consumers now have an array of ingredients and ready to eat meals to
choose from (Lee, A.R., et al. 2007). The most prevalent and noteworthy earning category in
the industry for baked commodities, which include cookies, crackers, cakes, cereal and other
baked goods as shown in figure 3 (Grandview Research, 2017). As observed in figure 4, small
niche gluten-free markets have had the opportunity to expand and now require
communication tools that go past informal messages, the internet allows for companies to
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GLUTEN-FREE FOOD INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
advertise their food products to target groups that are in urban and rural communities (Lee,
Michael Porter's five forces of competition determine the potential profit in the industry.
All five forces; entry of competitors, the threat of substitutes, bargaining power of buyers,
bargaining power of suppliers, and rivalry among the existing players are further discussed for
the gluten-free industry, specifically looking at the gluten-free baked goods industry. The
template for the tables that have been formulated to go with analysis of Porter’s 5 forces was
Entry of Competitors
The gluten-free industry has undergone a rigorous change from being considered
specialty niche products to being products accepted as part of a normal diet (Gluten-Free Market
consuming gluten-free products, not only because of being diagnosed with celiac disease but also
because of a general perception of maintaining better health. Due to the rapid growth of this
market, new establishments that enter the market make it harder for existing markets to thrive.
Granted, that most companies in the industry are smaller and are dispersed across North America,
making the gluten-free baked goods production somewhat fragmented (Gluten-Free Market
Trends., n.d.). In order to determine if new entrants can gain access to the market we looked at
factors such as (1) economies of scale, (2) product differentiation, (3) capital requirements, (4)
switching costs, (5) distribution channel accessibility, (6) cost disadvantages, and (7) government
policy. As we analyzed each one (see Table 2.1) we could come to the conclusion that Moh’s
bakery is threatened by new entrants in the market. Some ways to improve these conditions would
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be to increase market awareness so that Moh’s Gluten-free Bakery & Cafe becomes more
recognized.
Threat of Substitutes
A substitute product is a product that appears to be different but can satisfy the same need
as another product, according to Porter, “Substitutes limit the potential returns of an industry by
placing a ceiling on the prices firms in the industry can profitably charge (Wheelen, T. L., &
Hunger, J. D., 2018). Since gluten-free baked products fall into the category of staple foods for
consumers who choose to intake gluten due to either personal choice or a health-related choice
there are a limited number of substitutes for some products. To further consider factors that can
threaten Moh’s bakery we looked into (1) primary customer market, (2) customer switching costs,
(3) price for substitute products and the quality of substitute product (see Table 2.2). The threat of
substitutes in the gluten-free bakery & cafe is moderately low and is not at risk due to the simple
fact that there is not a proper substitute for gluten-free products for people who chose to consume
The power of buyers is the fourth aspect of Porter’s five forces, which will affect Moh’s
Gluten-Free Bakery & Cafe negotiation capabilities with buyers. Some factors that Moh’s would
look at are (1) the availability of substitutes for buyer, (2) product differentiation (3) switching
cost of the buyer, and (4) threat of forwarding integration by the supplier industry buyer (see
Table 2.3). Based on these factors, the power between Moh’s Bakery and the buyer lies mainly in
the hands of the buyer. To increase power over buyers, Moh’s will need to create a brand that the
consumer will have a particular interest in the organization's products. Once Moh’s focuses on
increasing buyer demand they will benefit by creating more incentives to attract customers.
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Bargaining Power of Suppliers
Suppliers can influence an industry through their capacity to raise costs or diminish the
nature of bought merchandise and enterprises (Lee, A.R. et al, 2007).To better understand the
bargaining power of suppliers, the factors observed (see Table 2.4) are (1) supplier market, (2)
availability of substitutes, (3) customer feedback, (4) supplier good differentiation, (5) switching
costs, and (6) forward integration threat. These factors reveal that a significant amount of power is
held in the hands of suppliers, again the best way to hold this power would be to expand our
market.
The competitive rivalry of the industry is the last aspect of Porter’s five analysis, Moh’s
Gluten-free Bakery & Cafe used 7 factors to determine whether these factors increase or decrease
the rivalry amongst current competitors: (1) number of competitors, (2) industry growth rate, (3)
fixed costs, (4) storage costs, (5) product differentiation, (6) capacity costs, and (7) exit barriers
(see Table 2.5). Based on all these factors, the competitive rivalry at this level of production is
low. However, this is simply because of the extensive development found in this part, and
development levels of focused contention are required to increase. As new competitors enter the
market, Moh’s will need to reassess competitive rivalry. Until then, it would be beneficial to
come up with ideas to help decrease rivalry among new competitors as they enter.
3. The outline of the table was taken from Handout 1 “Examples of SWOT analysis”
by Mohammad Torshizi.
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· Ability to charge higher prices · Gluten products don’t stay fresh as long as
· Owner/chief baker with celiac wheat based pastries
disease experience · Expensive lease
· Only gluten-free bakery in downtown · Hard to adjust recipes to appeal to everyone’s
area taste
4. Moh’s Gluten-Free Bakery and Cafe is a strong entrepreneurial opportunity in the current
and emerging market in Edmonton. In addition to satisfying the dietary needs of celiac patients,
gluten-free products are increasingly being sought by the general public, in pursuit of a healthy
lifestyle. Some of the large grocery chains offer a small variety of commercially produced
products. The emerging trend, however, is for consumers to shop in local, independent stores,
where customer service, product quality, and diversity are perceived to be higher. An
independent operation like Moh’s can better control quality and eliminate cross-contamination,
given they only trade in gluten-free products. The owner has significant experience with celiac
disease, and can, therefore, provide the business with valuable knowledge regarding celiacs. In
dealing with celiac people, the owner understands the restrictions people face in sourcing gluten-
free products. Given that gluten-free products have shorter shelf lives, grocery stores are reluctant
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to carry a large diversity and abundance of these products. A specialty bakery offers the type of
freshness and variety sought by consumers. Therefore, low price is not a priority for the
5. Moh’s Gluten-Free Bakery and Cafe has a competitive advantage over other businesses
in this industry because of where it is located, the products and experience it offers, and the
current market. Moh’s gluten-free Bakery will be located in the downtown Edmonton area, which
will bring the advantage of local business to the market. It is also a bakery that brings experience
to the market by having a person who has knowledge of celiac disease. It also specializes in a
very specific product and therefore caters to a specific group of consumers. Another advantage
Moh’s Bakery has is the current market it is entering. The gluten-free trend, as mentioned above,
is a very popular trend now and is attracting people trying to make changes to their diet to better
fit a healthy lifestyle, in addition to celiac people already buying gluten-free products.
6. Small firms were the first to begin producing gluten-free foods to solely meet the needs
of those with celiac disease. The first gluten-free foods developed were dry, crumbly, and
nowhere near as palatable as gluten-containing foods (Elgeti, D., et al. 2014). Still, the
introduction of these foods into the market met the needs of a small population. This small market
had no power to attract the attention of larger firms, until growing knowledge and increasing
diagnosis of the disease became widespread (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: GofC, 2015).
In this industry, innovation has been led by smaller firms that originally intended to produce
products in response to a dietary restriction, as the adherence to a gluten-free diet is the only
effective treatment for celiac disease (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: GofC, 2015). Today,
innovation in this field is represented by the ability to create new products that not only meet the
needs of those with gluten intolerance, but that also are palatable and have a texture and
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mouthfeel that resemble the desirable properties of gluten-containing foods (Elgeti, D., et al.
2014). While gluten-free foods were initially produced in response to the needs of the celiac
population, the gluten-free fad that developed among consumers in recent years led larger firms to
expand their business to include gluten-free products with the sole motive of profit.
Consumers prefer small, local businesses that exclusively produce gluten-free foods rather
than large companies that produce gluten-free foods in addition to gluten-containing foods due to
a lower risk of contamination. Small firms that originally discovered the market for gluten-free
foods propelled rapid growth in a way that induced larger firms like mainstream grocery stores to
carry gluten-free foods, thereby widely increasing the availability and selection of products for
consumers (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: GofC, 2015). The increasing popularity of the
gluten-free diet requires new firms to produce competitive products that are not only palatable but
also nutritious. Innovation in this industry is primarily done by smaller firms who are genuinely
motivated to develop new products that meet the needs of celiacs without lacking in other
properties and plan to do so long after the gluten-free diet is no longer a trend. Small firms that
are exclusively gluten-free must invest in developing products that mimic the desirability of
gluten-containing products, whereas larger firms may no longer be interested in producing these
goods when the gluten-free diet is no longer popular. The innovation of these competitive
products by small firms has lured larger firms into the market, which can partly account for the
Figure 1
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Figure 1 depicts the number of Canadians looking for gluten-free products (Agriculture and
Figure 2
Figure 2 shows a detailed reason for consuming gluten-free products (Agriculture and Agri-Food
Figure 3
U.S. gluten-free products market revenue by product, 2014 - 2025 (USD Million)
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Figure 3 compares the estimated market revenue for specific categories of gluten-free products
Figure 4
Figure 4 describes the availability of gluten-free products in different marketplaces (Lee, A.R.,
et al. 2007)
Customer market Increases power Most people visiting gluten-free bakeries like
dominated by few of substitutes to visit because they either have celiac
large customers → disease, are gluten intolerant or they choose
Moderate to not consume gluten, however, people that
just want to enjoy our cafe for none of the
above reasons are most welcome.
Customers face few Increases power Most gluten-free bakeries have similar prices
switching costs→ Low of substitutes and it’s easy for customers to switch from
one bakery to another without facing high
switching costs.
Customer market Increase the Moh’s bakery welcomes every person, gluten-
dominated by few large power of free diet, celiac, regular diet, however, we
customers → Moderate customers cater to the needs of people with celiac disease
or people looking for gluten-free diet
specifically.
References
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Government of Canada. (2015). “Gluten Free” Claims in the
http://www.agr.gc.ca/resources/prod/doc/pdf/free_claims_gluten_sans_allegations2014-
eng.pdf
Autio, E. (2005). Template for Doing Industry Analysis. Universite De Lausanne, Switzerland
Elgeti, D., Nordlohne, S. D., Föste, M., Besl, M., Linden, M. H., Heinz, V., Becker, T. (2014) .
Volume and texture improvement of gluten-free bread using quinoa white flour. Journal of
https://www.edmonton.ca/documents/City_of_Edmonton_Growth_Study.pdf
agricole
Girard, L. (2017) . L’industrie agroalimentaire investit sur le marché sans gluten. LeMonde
Economie.
Gluten-Free Market Trends. (n.d.) . Retrieved September 29, 2017, from http://thegluten-
freeagency.com/gluten-free-market-trends/
Gluten-Free Products Market Analysis By Product (Bakery, Dairy Alternatives, Desserts & Ice-
Creams, Prepared Foods, Pasta & Rice), By Distribution (Grocery Stores, Mass
Merchandiser, Club Stores), And Segment Forecasts, 2014 - 2025. (2017). Retrieved
free-products-market
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GLUTEN-FREE FOOD INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
Government of Canada. (2012) . Health Canada's Position on Gluten-Free Claims. Retrieved
an/alt_formats/pdf/securit/allerg/cel-coe/gluten-position-eng.pdf
Lee, A.R., Ng, D.L., Zivin, J., & Green P.H.R. (2007) . Economic burden of a gluten free diet.
McCluskey, J.J. (2015). Changing Food Demand and Consumer Preferences, Federal Reserve
Wheelen, T. L., & Hunger, J. D. (2018) . Strategic management and business policy:
http://thegluten-freeagency.com/why-a-gluten-free-agency/
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