TOP DESIGNS 2010 Inside Professional Practice Kerrie Thornton Kerrie is a co-owner and general manager of Babycakes - designers + producers. Babycakes design and produce artisan style cakes, bespoke stationery and table styling for wholesale, corporate and events. All designs and sweet products are created by hand on the premises, using the best local and seasonal produce available. Following her love of food, Kerrie started a joint venture four years ago with her sister, a pastry chef. They had styled their older sister’s wedding, and subsequently received numerous requests and referrals from friends. As well as overseeing the general operation of the business, Kerrie designs all of their product ranges, including packaging, branding and promotional material. She is a trained graphic designer, has been working in the industry for 10 years and taught Graphic Design at Swinburne Tafe for two years. www.babycakesbydesign.com.au How do you get new business?
Harvest Picnic Hanging Rock 2010, © Babycakes 2010
As we have been in operation for 5 years a lot of our new business comes from referral. This is the best form of advertising for us as it is a personal recommendation. Best of all a compliment comes free of charge! In terms of outwardly seeking new business we promote ourselves in two ways advertising and trade shows / festivals. We advertise in one national wedding magazine which comes out quarterly. 70% of our custom orders are for weddings, which means we are seeking a new audience each month. These magazines are important as they often showcase our latest collections and trends.
We partake in a couple of trade shows and festivals each year - Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, Good Food and Wine Show and Taste of Melbourne as well as some regional markets such as the Harvest Picnic at Hanging Rock and Werribee Mansion. These events are a fantastic as it gives us the opportunity to meet the public and promote our new products as well as gain feedback. It is a great way to promote and endorse our brand as these events often have a larger budget for marketing and promotion which we can be a part of. e.g. television interviews, editorials in newspapers and magazines and cooking demonstrations.
Tell us about some of your clients We have two streams to our business: wholesale and custom. The wholesale side makes up 80% of our business. We have created a range of products including cakes, muffins, macarons and tea cakes that are sold to cafes, restaurants/event venues, retail outlets and caterers six days a week. Some of our clients include: David Jones, Alliance Catering (Spotless), IBM, Melbourne Water, Middle Brighton Baths and the Pantry. The other stream is custom orders. These are individually designed products for one off events e.g. private wedding or corporate function. These products have a much longer lead time and usually more complex in terms of the design, production and embellishments. Some of our clients include: Tiffany & Co., L’Oréal, Cristina Re Designs and Diana Ferrari. Di Bella Coffee book launch - espresso cakes, © Babycakes 2010
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