Move over, Cronut. The next big thing might be the slider croissant, said Dominique Bohec, vice-president of sales and marketing for La Petite Bretonne, the Blainville, Que.-based sweet goods producer.

The bakery created a smaller-than-usual croissant for mini-sandwiches and appetizers, and jumped on the burgeoning bandwagon for snackable, grab-and-go foods for between-meal consumption. The concept may sound easy, but developing the product was about as painstaking as making a 14-grain croissant — another new product from the company.

To create that croissant with its more nutritious profile, three product developers worked with a vendor to find the right combination of grains to ensure the product didn’t taste as “healthy” as it sounds. Additionally, adding grains tends to take the “puff” out of a puff pastry. La Petite Bretonne found the solution in the most unlikely of places.

“To make sure we had a nice shape, we reduced the fat in the product,” Mr. Bohec said. “Besides making it healthier, less fat restored the puffing capability.”

The next challenge? Taking on clean label and removing preservatives while maintaining shelf life.

“We’re also looking at reducing sodium yet maintaining a good-tasting product,” he said.