Germany’s Local Bakeries Struggle, Thanks To Mass-Production Technology

Technology has nearly dealt a death blow to Germany’s neighborhood bakeries, which until recently supplied the lion's share of the breads and rolls so important to the German diet.  Mass-produced loaves, rolls and pastries are now mostly baked on an industrial scale, then frozen for shipment to supermarkets around the country. Stores reheat and sell them for a fraction of the price of the handmade versions. Old-style bread makers, like Fritz Trefzger in Schopfheim, are fighting back, opening their kitchens to the public so customers can see and appreciate the old-fashioned craft. The national bakers association is even seeking special protection. But the trend may be unstoppable: as of 2013 only 13,171 bakeries remain, down from 55,000 sixty years ago.