Author

Grandelyn V. Occeño*
Capiz State University – Main Campus, Roxas City, Capiz, Philippines

Abstract

The bakery industry plays a significant role in food production, local entrepreneurship, and community development, particularly in provinces where bakeries serve as key sources of livelihood and staple food products. This study explored the bakery landscape in Capiz in terms of production practices, product diversity, market dynamics, and sustainability strategies using a qualitative phenomenological approach. Eighteen (18) bakery owners/managers and 18 consumers participated for triangulation, with data gathered through in-depth interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis by Braun and Clarke. Findings on production practices revealed themes of traditional and systematic bread production, use of traditional and modern equipment, quality control, labor-intensive processes, environmental challenges, adaptation and innovation, and preservation of traditional taste. Consumers evaluated bakery quality based on freshness, taste and texture, appearance, proper baking indicators, hygienic production, and consistency. In terms of product diversity, themes included product variety, bestselling products, customer preferences, innovation, production challenges, and resource constraints. Consumers reported satisfaction with local bread products, product variety, quality, and loyalty to preferred items. Market dynamics were influenced by seasonal demand, pricing strategies, ingredient costs, size adjustments, product quality, and customer service, while consumers prioritized affordability, accessibility, and quality. Sustainability strategies included maintaining product quality, strengthening customer and worker relationships, financial management, waste management, resource conservation, and addressing operational challenges. Overall, the study concluded that bakery businesses in Capiz remain sustainable through adaptability, consistent product quality, strong customer satisfaction, and community support.

Keywords: Bakery Businesses, Production Practices, Product Diversity, Market Dynamics, Sustainability Strategies

*Corresponding author / Email Addresss: grandelyn2017villegas@gmail.com
DOI: http://doi.org/10.69651/PIJHSS05021145

Recommended citation:
Occeño, G. V. (2026). Bakery landscape of Capiz: Production practices, product diversity, market dynamics, and sustainability strategies. Pantao (International Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences) 5 (2), 4131-4168. http://doi.org/10.69651/PIJHSS05021145

Read the full text

References

Acevedo-Duque, Á., Müller-Pérez, J., Alvarez-Becerra, R., Cachicatari-Vargas, E., Fernández-Mantilla, M. M., & Verges, I. Y. (2025). Environmental awareness and moral commitment in water usage in gastronomy SMEs. Sustainability, 17(4), 1379. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17041379

Aguilar, F. (2020). Product innovation trends in the bakery industry. Journal of Food Innovation, 12(2), 45–60.

Ali, M. (2021). Digital marketing strategies in small businesses. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 13(2), 45–59.

Almeida, F. (2020). Sustainability and SMEs: A systematic review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 256, 120–145.

Anderson, J. C., & Narus, J. A. (2018). Business market management: Understanding, creating, and delivering value (3rd ed.). Pearson.

Aquino, R. T., Santos, M. L., & Cruz, J. P. (2021). Product innovation and diversification strategies in small bakery enterprises. Journal of Food Business Research, 24(3), 210–225.

Araujo, L. (2020). Supply chain management in food industries. Supply Chain Management Review, 24(3), 22–30.

Baker, M. J. (2019). Marketing strategy and management (6th ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.

Bansal, P. (2019). Sustainable development in business organizations. Business Strategy and the Environment, 28(3), 345–357.

Barney, J. B., Ketchen, D. J., & Wright, M. (2021). The future of resource-based theory. Journal of Management, 47(7), 1771–1794.

Belz, F. M. (2019). Sustainable marketing and innovation. Journal of Marketing Management, 35(5–6), 456–475.

Benchmark International. (2024). Global bakery industry report: Market trends and growth opportunities.

Bhattacharya, C. B. (2020). Corporate sustainability and consumer behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 162(4), 689–700.

Biclar, J. M. B., & Martir, E. M. (2025). Product quality, service delivery and sustainable strategies of bakeries. International Journal of Science and Management Studies, 8(5), 276–294.

Bocken, N. M. P. (2020). Sustainable business model innovation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 65, 42–56.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2013). Successful qualitative research: A practical guide for beginners. Sage Publications.

Briceño-León, R., et al. (2021). Energy efficiency in food production systems. Sustainability, 13(9), 5209.

Brown, T. (2021). Innovation and productivity in SMEs. Journal of Business Innovation, 14(2), 88–102.

Cabalum, G. M. L., Soqueña, A. C., & Martir, E. M. (2025). Business resiliency and sustainability practices. International Journal of Science and Management Studies, 8(2), 183–198.

Carpenter, C. (1997). Phenomenology as method. In P. L. Munhall (Ed.), Nursing research: A qualitative perspective (2nd ed., pp. 48–71). Jones & Bartlett.

Carvalho, H. (2020). Supply chain management and cost efficiency. Journal of Operations Management, 38(2), 140–150.

Cassarino, E., et al. (2024). Consumer trends and sustainability in bakery products. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8, 1253865.

Choi, T. (2021). Sustainable supply chain management. International Journal of Production Economics, 235, 108–119.

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage.

Cruz, J. P., & Mendoza, A. S. (2021). Diversification strategies of local bakeries in urban and rural settings. Philippine Journal of Business and Entrepreneurship, 10(2), 72–85.

Davies, I. A. (2020). Consumer behavior and ethical consumption. Journal of Consumer Studies, 44(5), 785–799.

Dawn Foods. (2025). Global bakery trends report 2025.

Day, G. S. (2018). Market-driven strategy and competitiveness. Journal of Marketing, 82(4), 1–17.

Dela Cruz, M. R., Reyes, P. L., & Gomez, S. A. (2020). Digital marketing adoption in small food enterprises. Asian Journal of Business Research, 10(2), 45–60.

Dela Cruz, R. M., Santos, K. L., & Reyes, P. J. (2020). Market behavior and competitiveness of small food enterprises in the Philippines. Asia-Pacific Journal of Management Research, 5(3), 101–115.

Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2018). The Sage handbook of qualitative research (5th ed.). Sage Publications.

Department of Trade and Industry. (2022). Philippine MSME statistics and industry performance report. https://www.dti.gov.ph

Di Nunzio, M., et al. (2020). Functional ingredients in bakery products. Food Research International, 137, 109–117.

DiCicco-Bloom, B., & Crabtree, B. F. (2006). The qualitative research interview. Medical Education, 40(4), 314–321. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2929.2006.02418.x

Evans, S. (2019). Innovation in food systems. Journal of Business Innovation, 10(3), 233–245.

Fellows, P. J. (2017). Food processing technology: Principles and practice. Woodhead Publishing.

Food and Agriculture Organization. (2019). The state of food and agriculture 2019: Moving forward on food loss and waste reduction. https://www.fao.org

Food and Agriculture Organization. (2021). Sustainable food systems and practices. FAO.

Gao, Y. (2020). Consumer demand for healthy food products. Journal of Food Products Marketing, 26(3), 211–224.

Garcia, E. M., & Lopez, D. R. (2020). Production efficiency among small and medium bakery enterprises. International Journal of Food Science and Technology Studies, 6(2), 33–47.

Garcia, L. M., Torres, E. R., & Mendoza, A. S. (2021). Technological adoption in small-scale bakery enterprises. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 28(4), 567–583.

George, G. (2021). Sustainable entrepreneurship and resilience. Academy of Management Perspectives, 35(2), 201–210.

Giorgi, A. (2009). The descriptive phenomenological method in psychology: A modified Husserlian approach. Duquesne University Press.

Goryńska-Goldmann, E., et al. (2021). Food waste management in bakery enterprises. Olsztyn Economic Journal, 16(1), 45–58.

Grant, R. M. (2021). Contemporary strategy analysis (11th ed.). Wiley.

Grunert, K. G. (2017). Consumer attitudes and behavior toward food quality. Food Quality and Preference, 56, 137–144.

Hardy-Jones, B., & Hampton, S. (2025). Accelerating SME decarbonisation: A case study of the restaurant sector. Local Economy, 40(1), 65–88.

Hitt, M. A. (2020). Strategic entrepreneurship and competitiveness. Journal of Management, 46(1), 1–15.

Homburg, C., Jozić, D., & Kuehnl, C. (2017). Customer experience management: Toward implementing an evolving marketing concept. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45, 377–401.

Jenkins, H. (2018). SMEs and corporate responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 67(3), 241–256.

Jones, P. (2021). Retail food trends and customization. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 49(6), 789–805.

Kearney. (2021). Global food supply chain report.

Khan, M. A. (2019). Business and environmental sustainability: Impacts and innovations. Sustainable Development Journal, 27(3), 456–468.

Kim, H., Sefcik, J. S., & Bradway, C. (2017). Characteristics of qualitative descriptive studies: A systematic review. Research in Nursing & Health, 40(1), 23–42.

Kotler, P., Keller, K. L., & Chernev, A. (2022). Marketing management (16th ed.). Pearson.

Kumar, V. (2020). Customer relationship and marketing analytics. Journal of Marketing Analytics, 8(2), 67–80.

Lee, K. (2021). Innovation in SMEs. Small Business Economics, 56(3), 1235–1248.

Leech, B. L. (2003). Asking questions: Techniques for semi structured interviews. PS: Political Science and Politics, 36(4), 665–668. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096503003645

Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage Publications.

Liu, Y. (2020). Food safety and production systems. Food Control, 110, 107–115.

Luthans, F. (2020). Organizational behavior (13th ed.). McGraw-Hill.

Manen, M. (2016). Researching lived experience: Human science for an action sensitive pedagogy (2nd ed.). Routledge.

McKinsey & Company. (2022). Digital transformation in the food industry.

Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Meyer, K. E. (2020). Business strategy in emerging markets. Global Strategy Journal, 10(1), 3–25.

Monteiro, N. B. R., Moita Neto, J. M., & da Silva, E. A. (2022). Life cycle management in bakeries: A roadmap towards sustainability. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 27, 82–97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-021-02008-7

Morris, M. H. (2020). Entrepreneurial strategy. Journal of Business Venturing, 35(1), 105–120.

Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Sage Publications.

Neubauer, B. E., Witkop, C. T., & Varpio, L. (2019). How phenomenology can help us learn from the experiences of others. Perspectives on Medical Education, 8, 90–97.

Nielsen. (2021). Global consumer trends report.

Nonaka, I. (2020). Knowledge creation in organizations. Organization Science, 31(1), 1–20.

OECD. (2021). SME competitiveness outlook. OECD Publishing.

Peteraf, M., Di Stefano, G., & Verona, G. (2018). The elephant in the room of dynamic capabilities. Industrial and Corporate Change, 27(5), 869–890.

Philippine Statistics Authority. (2023). Annual survey of Philippine business and industry (ASPBI). https://www.psa.gov.ph

Porter, M. E. (2008). The five competitive forces that shape strategy. Harvard Business Review.

Ravitch, S. M., & Carl, N. M. (2021). Qualitative research: Bridging the conceptual, theoretical, and methodological. Sage.

Republic of the Philippines. (2019). Local government code and decentralization framework updates.

Reyes, A. D., Santos, M. V., & Flores, J. R. (2021). Traditional and modern baking practices: A comparative study of local bakeries. Journal of Culinary Science and Technology, 19(4), 289–305.

Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2020). Organizational behavior (18th ed.). Pearson.

Rocha, J. M. F., Figurek, A., Goncharuk, A. G., & Sirbu, A. (2023). Baking business sustainability through life cycle management. Springer.

Santos, R. L., & Villanueva, P. G. (2023). Digital marketing adoption among micro food enterprises in the Philippines. Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development, 11(1), 55–69.

Schaltegger, S. (2020). Sustainability accounting and reporting. Journal of Cleaner Production, 267, 122–134.

Shaposhnikov, D., et al. (2023). Consumer sustainability awareness. BIO Web of Conferences, 68, 01015.

Smith, A. (2018). Market systems and consumer demand. Oxford University Press.

Spence, L. J. (2018). Small business social responsibility. Business Ethics Quarterly, 28(3), 329–354.

Sucipto, S., et al. (2020). Evaluation of GMP and SSOP in bakery SMEs. Food Research Journal, 4(3), 789–799.

Teece, D. J. (2018). Dynamic capabilities and firm performance. Strategic Management Journal, 39(6), 1397–1414.

Tesch, R. (2013). Qualitative research: Analysis types and software tools. Routledge.

UNESCO-UNEVOC. (2020). TVET and skills development for the future of work.

United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. https://sdgs.un.org

World Bank. (2021). Small and medium enterprise development report.

Yudawisastra, H. G., & Layalia, F. (2025). Sustainability business in the culinary sector: A systematic literature review. Social Agriculture, Food System and Environmental Sustainability, 2(2).

Yuneline, M. H., Yusoff, M. N. H., & Abdullah, S. S. (2026). Determinants of sustainability practice adoption among MSMEs. AIJBES Journal.