This post is on the 4 best brands of bread in Kenya based on your tastes; these are the brands that are universally agreed by the public as the best, thus explaining their popularity and mainstream adoption.
This is just a personal opinionated article, with no input from any of the brands in making this post.
4. Supa Loaf
Notorious for being too sweet, almost sugary, and was my favorite bread as a kid, used to be so good and soft you could eat it on its own.
Lately, quality has tanked after going mainstream (just like everything), it has one of the worst consistencies, from slices being un-uniform to bread being packed with a hint of bread crumbs, some slices crumbling in the packaging too.
It is just less elegant, the only thing it has going is the sweetness if you want sweet bread, the texture is so bad, it is the chewy kind of bread, I don’t think that is a good thing, personally that bothers me.
The other good aspect about it is it is at least soft for the most part, and the slices are moist and dense.
They have spinoffs of other brands including; Supa Loaf Butter Toast and Milk Toast, they come in yellow packaging and are not different from the original Supa Loaf if you ask me blindfolded.
Supa Loaf brown bread isn’t it, and I wouldn’t recommend it.
3. Festive
This is the all-around balanced bread, not so sweet, not so salty, not so dry, just alright. This is probably the demographic’s favorite bread, because it is almost perfect, and I agree.
Festive achieves this as they are the most technologically advanced in their bakery, nothing in the whole batch is hand touched, it is all fancy equipment, machines, and robotics. This ensures consistency and is the most consistent of all bread brands in terms of taste and texture
It is so soft that you literally can’t apply spread without it tearing and crumbling off, too much of a good thing isn’t a good thing anymore. If you don’t plan on spreading and just want the softest, not sweet not salty bread, then I recommend Festive for you.
Festive has one of the most loved brown breads, it is fluffy and soft, something you wouldn’t expect out of brown bread, I don’t know how they pull it off but it is just different( in a good way). It is indeed wholegrain, and you can sometimes taste the individual grains that went into it.
However, years ago,( in 2020 actually) Festive came under fire for using alot of preservatives that their bread was going weeks without going bad, so just think about that, this resulted in the brand(DPL Festive) being banned after being accused of using formalin, a preservative used in funeral homes. Lab tests however didn’t show that as true, and the ban was lifted shortly.
2. United
United is a bread brand by United Millers, who lately have an array of products. They are located in Kisumu thus this is the bread of choice in western and Nyanza parts of the region, packed in an environmentally friendly wrapper, not polythene that will ruin the environment further,
I know I said Supa Loaf is what to go with if you want sweet bread, but if you want delicious and sweet bread, then the yellow United it is. It is the one in the blue wrapper, but the slices are literally yellow since it is a sweet bread.
Gives me nostalgia, can’t remember much about the white or brown one, but all I can say United is a decent bread brand.
1. Broadways
According to me, this is the best bread, it is a favorite especially among boomers since it has been in existence since 1958.
It is just old school and tastes like old school, it has one of the lowest sugar content even for white bread, and is usually a little salty
Broadways is not the softest bread if that is what you want in bread, i guess it is because of the packaging, it dries out quicker compared to other brands that use nylon wrappers, but at least Broadways is ecofriendly as the paper is biodegradable.
However all these issues have been addressed by their white bread, not the original in the orange wrapper, but the one on a purple one. It is called Broadways Premium, and it is less salty, slightly sweeter, and soft. This is a smart move to address some of the issues while retaining the classic formula for those who fancy the old recipe.
Their brown bread is a little on the harder side, especially the crust. This is kinda of a blessing in disguise since it makes it one of the easiest breads to spread blue band, jams, and peanut butter without the need to toast them, other brands are so soft that they tear away.
It is not all roses for Broadway either, it is notorious for having holes in some slices, if not the entire bread if you are not lucky, that is a rip-off if it happens to you, but lately not been much of an issue like years ago.
Relevant Links
5 Ways to Make Use of Blue Band Margarine in Kenya
Is Blue Band Margarine Really Healthy?