Catalan gluten-free bakery chain to open franchises abroad

The selection of ingredients and respect for traditional baking times are two fundamental factors to making good bread. That's according to the manager of the 0% Gluten bakery chain, Francesc Altarriba. Over the next four years, the company is planning to grow, and to make a qualitative leap forward. According to Altarriba, the firm has received investment proposals from countries such as Israel, Mexico and Chile.

Every bakery in Altarriba's chain produces its own freshly baked products for people with celiac disease. According to the manager, that is one of the secrets of their bread. "Making gluten-free bread in a central factory and distributing it throughout the country would have made us a market operator," he said, but he points out that the quality of a product that travels "never improves, but rather diminishes."

Although there are around 75,000 sufferers of celiac disease in Catalonia, the idea is not only to make gluten-free products, as the firm wants the companions of gluten intolerant people to also shop in their bakeries. "We like to say that we have an inclusive bakery," said Altarriba in an interview with the Catalan News Agency (ACN).