Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

rND Bakery is an expanding industrial bakery located in Smith's Falls, Ontario. rND, approaches the production of baked goods differently than most other bakeries, using as few ingredients as possible, while maximizing nutrition. It is through this lens, that rND has focused on the production of oat-based baked goods. Oat-based products do not contain gluten, and their ability rise naturally without the use of yeast, allows rND to label their product as gluten-free and vegan, at a premium price point. While oats as a primary ingredients have a number of benefits for consumers, they can be challenging to handle and process in baked goods. Specifically, rND have noticed that comparable oats from different producers, lead to significantly different amounts of rise, and high amounts of product variability. rND, working with St. Lawrence College's Applied Research group, will work to understand the root cause of product variability, through analysis of ingredients, production and environmental conditions. Through the outcome of this project, rND hopes to be in a position to understand what circumstances causes variation in products, such that changes can be made to their production protocol, allowing them to increase output, and ultimately reaching a larger national market.