FedEx finds a niche in R151 a loaf bread market

A PENCHANT among high-flying gourmets for a French-made bread costing the equivalent of R151 a loaf is big business for express operator FedEx. While UK consumers are paying that for the thick, crusty Poil‰ne bread with its sourdough flavour which is baked near Victoria Station at the only Poil‰ne bakery outside Paris, gourmets in the rest of the world have another option. "The can pay $ 35 - about R 370 - to FedEx a fresh loaf from Paris," says Sameer Wadhwa, marketing manager of MyExpressCo, the licensee of FedEx in Southern Africa. FedEx currently flies 5 000 fresh loaves per week across the Atlantic from the French bakery. Fans of Poil‰ne include movie stars such as Robert de Niro and Catherine Deneuve. "Should South African visitors to the UK acquire the taste for Poil‰ne bread, they're welcome to phone us and order a loaf when they return home," quips Wadhwa.