Quality Management

Most people, when asked to think about what defines good and quality
bread for them, blurt out only one breed of bread—that is Gardenia. High-quality
and good-tasting bread has become synonymous to the bread Gardenia
Bakeries Philippines Inc. produces. Quality Management Gardenia has its own
Quality Policy: “We, at Gardenia Bakeries Philippines, are committed to delight
consumers by providing best quality bakery products. We aim for excellence
through innovation and continuous improvement of our processes, products and
services, ensuring compliance with our customers’ and applicable statutory and
regulatory requirements. We are steadfast in our commitment that quality begins
with each and every one of us.” It is “So good… you can even eat it on its own”—
the product slogan—can already tell you that value is truly Gardenia’s trademark
which it is committed to consistently extend to its customers. With this being said,
Gardenia has led the quality movement in this industry and summoned other
companies to join in this movement.
Throughout the manufacturing process, several techniques are done to
assure the quality of the bread. In the dividing/rounding stage, cut dough are
passed through a weighing scale so that every loaf weighs the same. Cut dough
that are over- or underweight drop from the conveyor belt into a pan. The dough
collected here is put back into the mixer.
In every 1000 loaves baked, one is randomly selected for quality check.
Here, several parameters are tested (e.g. temperature). This bread is also sent to
the laboratory and is subjected to several tests. Before the slicing stage, every
bread is passed through a metal detector to ensure that the bread is free of metal
contaminants.
A practice unique to Gardenia is the G-lock system. An integral part of
Gardenia’s quality control system, this resealable clip is color-coded to indicate
the day that the bread is baked for. It also contains all of its vital information such
as the “Best Before” date, the plant that baked the bread, a production code, and
the suggested retail price. This is to let the consumer know when the bread is
delivered instead of just when it will expire.
To further prove the quality of Gardenia, it has been awarded with
International Organization for Standardization ISO 9001: 2000 certifications from
2003 to 2009 and has now upgraded to ISO 9001:2008 in compliance with
Quality Management System and certification for product quality excellence. This
assures that consumers only get the highest quality products in the market. To
consistently provide world-class bread, Gardenia utilizes advanced
manufacturing equipment and implements current Good Manufacturing Practices
(cGMPs). Moreover, Gardenia is HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control
Point) certified since 2003 to present—proof of the company’s adherence to the
systematic approach in the identification, evaluation, and control of food safety
standards. From 2004-2010, Gardenia was accorded Superbrands status by
Superbrands Ltd., an independent authority and arbiter on branding. This, on the
other hand, re-affirms that Gardenia has met the stringent criteria of market
dominance, longevity, goodwill, customer loyalty and overall market acceptance.
Another notable award is the Annual National Consumers’ Award (ANCA) as the
“Outstanding Bread Manufacturer” for five straight years. Through these
testaments, Gardenia assures its consumers that only safe and quality products
are delivered to the public all the time. This shows us that providing quality is not
just a matter of good leadership or management but an integration of good
management and an exceptional set of processes and methods. One cannot
survive to continuously offer quality by limiting oneself to good management only
or exceptional methods alone.