What BEMA does

BEMA (Baking Equipment Manufacturers & Allieds) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1918 and headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas. The organization represents, connects, educates, and provides resources to baking and food equipment manufacturers, allied suppliers, and commercial bakeries across the United States. Its portfolio centers on three pillars: Connections (the annual BEMA Convention, Regional Dinners, NEXUS events, and the Baking Industry Forum), Education (BEMA-U Insights Discovery training, BEMA-U Market Minute webinars, Sanitary Design Workshop, and scholarships), and Resources (BEMA Intel industry data, the On A Roll podcast, and the annual Capital Spending Study with Cypress Research).

BEMA co-owns the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) with the American Bakers Association (ABA) and is supported by Retail Bakers of America (RBA); IBIE 2025 was the largest in its history with 1 million square feet of exhibition space. The underlying technology stack is light: BEMA operates a WordPress website, email newsletter, and podcast, but does not develop proprietary software, APIs, or AI products. Its "platform" is the events calendar and member network, not a technology platform.

Revenue is generated primarily through annual membership dues, event registrations (Convention 2026 priced at $3,595-$5,995 per attendee), corporate sponsorships, and event-fee programs such as the $250 regional dinners. The current chairman is Jay Hardy of J&K Ingredients (2025-2026 term) and the CEO is Kerwin Brown. Unlike a venture-backed technology company, BEMA is a member-governed non-profit with 1-10 staff, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no funding rounds. Its scaling constraints are organizational rather than market-driven; its competitive position rests on the institutional weight of a century of industry representation and co-ownership of the dominant trade show in the Western Hemisphere.

Name

BEMA

Legal name

Baking Equipment Manufacturers & Allieds

Website

https://bema.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1918

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BEMA is a 1918-founded non-profit trade association that connects, educates, and provides resources to baking equipment manufacturers, allied suppliers, and commercial bakeries across the United States, anchored by its annual Convention, BEMA-U education programs, and co-ownership of the IBIE trade show.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Overland Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: BEMA generates revenue primarily through membership dues from baking equipment manufacturers and allied suppliers, as well as from baker customers who participate in BEMA programs and events.
2. Convention and Event Registrations: Revenue is generated from convention registration fees, sponsorship opportunities, and regional dinner fees. The BEMA Convention 2026 offered tiered pricing: BEMA Member Early Bird $3,595, BEMA Member $3,795, Non-Member $5,995, Adult Guest $1,495, Children Ages 6-20 $395.
3. Convention Sponsorships: Companies can purchase various sponsorship opportunities at BEMA conventions, including golf tournament sponsorships, session sponsorships, welcome reception sponsorships, and more.
4. Regional Dinner Fees: BEMA charges $250 per person for regional dinner events, with refunds available less a 10% processing fee until April 20, 2026.
5. Scholarship Program: BEMA operates a scholarship program (Pulver Scholarship) where member companies can be reimbursed up to $7,000 per year for employee scholarship awards, and individuals can receive up to $3,000. The association funds this through its operating budget.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BEMA is a non-profit trade association that represents, connects, educates, and provides resources to bakery equipment manufacturers, allied suppliers, and commercial bakeries. Its core offerings include the annual BEMA Convention, the triennial IBIE trade show, NEXUS and Regional Dinner networking events, and a suite of education programs (BEMA-U Market Minute webinars, Insights Discovery training, Sanitary Design Workshop, scholarships). The association generates revenue through membership dues, event registrations, and sponsorships.

Product overview

BEMA (Baking Equipment Manufacturers & Allieds) is a trade association offering a portfolio of member-exclusive programs and events for the commercial baking industry. The core offerings include the annual BEMA Convention, the triennial IBIE trade show (co-owned with ABA), NEXUS collaboration events, Regional Dinners, and the Baking Industry Forum for industry discussion. Education offerings encompass BEMA-U programs (Market Minute webinars and Insights Discovery training), Sanitary Design Workshop, and ASCEND scholarship initiative. Supporting programs include BEMA Intel (industry data), the On A Roll Podcast, and BEMA Scholarships for professional development. These programs collectively serve to connect, educate, and provide resources for members and the industries they serve.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BEMA-U: Leadership and training program using Insights Discovery format
• Baking Industry Forum (BIF)
• NEXUS
• IBIE
• BEMA Convention
• BEMA Connect
• BEMA-U Market Minute
• ASCEND

Products and services

• BEMA Convention
• IBIE (International Baking Industry Exposition)
• NEXUS Event
• Regional Dinners
• Sanitary Design Workshop
• BEMA-U Market Minute
• BEMA-U Insights Discovery
• BEMA Scholarships (Pulver Scholarship)
• Baking Industry Forum (BIF)
• BEMA Intel

Quantifiable outcome

• IBIE 2025 was the largest show in its history, connecting the global baking ecosystem with 1 million square feet of exhibition space
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Cypress ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 March 2026Cypress Research conducted the Baking & Snack 2026 Capital Spending Study, sponsored by BEMA. The study surveyed bakers on capital investment priorities including sustainability, efficiency, and equipment purchasing decisions.
• Baking & SnackminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 March 2026Baking & Snack magazine published the 2026 Capital Spending Study sponsored by BEMA and conducted by Cypress Research, providing industry-wide benchmarking data on capital investment trends.
• American Bakers Association (ABA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBEMA and ABA jointly own and produce the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE), the largest event for the grain-based foods industry in the Western Hemisphere, held in Las Vegas every three years. All proceeds from this nonprofit event are invested back into the industry.
• Retail Bakers of America (RBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRBA provides support for IBIE (International Baking Industry Exposition), the triennial trade show co-owned by BEMA and ABA. IBIE brings together all segments of the supply chain and professional baking community.
• American Society of Baking (ASB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBEMA members and leadership have served on the ASB Board of Directors and participated as session chairmen. ASB is a professional society serving the baking industry alongside BEMA.
• Alliance for Advanced SanitationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBEMA collaborates with the Alliance for Advanced Sanitation to help advance food safety through sanitation and sanitary design for the food industry, alongside PMMI's OpX Leadership Network.
• PMMI (The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBEMA works with PMMI's OpX Leadership Network on advancing food safety through sanitation and sanitary design standards for the food industry.
• 3-A Sanitary Standards, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBEMA's Greg Marconnet serves on the Education Committee for 3-A Sanitary Standards, Inc., contributing to the development of voluntary sanitary design standards for bakery equipment.
• Fairmont Orchid ResortminorOthersThe Fairmont Orchid on the Kohala Coast of Hawaii is the venue for BEMA Convention 2026 (June 25-29). The luxury resort offers BEMA attendees discounted rates with a reservation deadline of May 15, 2026.
• Kansas State University (K-State) Grain Science ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBEMA established a scholarship in recognition of Tom Belshaw and Bob Loeb to provide financial support for individuals attending the Grain Science program at K-State in Manhattan, Kansas. The association also contributes gifts-in-kind to the Bakery Science Club.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• FMI – The Food Industry Association: Trade association serving food retail and wholesalers, including in-store bakeries. Comparable as a larger incumbent association operating in the food supply chain that BEMA's members ultimately serve.
• National Restaurant Association: The largest foodservice trade association in the U.S., running the NRA Show. Comparable as a much larger incumbent trade association serving the broader foodservice ecosystem of which commercial baking is a subset.

Direct peers

• SNAC International: Trade association for the snack food industry, running member services, conventions, and policy advocacy. Highly comparable trade-association operating model for an adjacent processed-food category, with similar revenue mix of dues, events, and sponsorships.
• Grain Foods Foundation: Consumer-facing and industry-support foundation for grain-based foods. Comparable as an allied trade/industry organization operating in the same grain-based foods ecosystem that BEMA's members serve.
• Retail Bakers of America (RBA): Trade association for retail bakeries and an IBIE supporting partner alongside BEMA. Comparable as a baking-industry membership organization serving a distinct but adjacent baker segment, with overlapping education and convention programming.
• PMMI (The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies): Trade association for packaging and processing equipment manufacturers, with overlapping membership and partnerships (OpX Leadership Network, sanitary design initiatives). Directly comparable as an equipment-supplier trade association with a similar member-services and large trade show (PACK EXPO) business model.
• American Bakers Association (ABA): The U.S. trade association representing wholesale bakers, and BEMA's co-owner of IBIE. Directly comparable as the demand-side counterpart to BEMA's equipment-supply-side mandate, sharing the same commercial baking ecosystem and exhibiting overlapping member rosters.
• American Society of Baking (ASB): Professional society serving baking industry scientists, engineers, and technologists with technical education and certification. BEMA members and leadership serve on ASB's board, making it a closely aligned peer with overlapping educational programming in the same industry.
• Independent Bakers Association: Trade association representing independent wholesale bakers across the United States. Directly comparable as a baking-industry trade association with advocacy, education, and member-services programming serving a defined slice of commercial bakers.

Others

• Sosland Publishing (Baking Business / Baking & Snack): Trade media publisher covering the baking industry, partnered with BEMA on the annual Capital Spending Study. Comparable as a thematically connected ecosystem participant — not a direct competitor, but the dominant trade media counterpart that BEMA coordinates with for industry research and thought leadership.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bema

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BEMA