How to set up a bakery
How to set up a bakery Opening a business is always a challenge, regardless of what it does, particularly for those who are starting out in the corporate world. Setting up a bakery or patisserie, regardless of its size or type, requires strict planning and plenty of hard work. Many doubts can arise when executing a plan for creating a bakery. However, you must stay focused on the company’s mission and the value proposition to the market. To help you as you execute the different stages of your plan, we have come up with a list of some of the variables whose management requires greater attention, specifically: the space and work area, human resources and equipment, ingredients and other variables resulting from specific conditioning factors that are established by you.
1. space CHOOSING THE SPACE Space, regardless of whether it is for production, sales or distribution, is a fundamental part of your strategy and its success. It is vital to chose a good location, suited to the type and needs of your business: a biscuit factory does not require a location close to populated areas, unlike a patisserie that sells directly to the general public. The location, ease of access, presence of services and the area available, as well as its proximity to other establishments where synergies can be created, must all be subject to analysis. Infrastructure quality, from the perspectives of customers, employees and suppliers, should be a continuous concern. Ensure that existing resources are used to maintain and periodically refurbish your space, from a perspective of permanent value creation.
2. EQUIPMENTS EQUIPMENT SELECTION Variables that investors should “weigh up� include machines that are reliable, versatile, certified, easy to operate and that optimise processes, ensure the safety of operators and offer high levels of profitability for a feasible investment amount. Although the amount to be invested is one of the most important aspects when making a final decision about the equipment to be purchased, the profitability and reliability of the equipment, as well as technical assistance are variables that have a substantial influence over the total investment that has to be made. Let’s look at a proposed purchase of a piece of machinery that, despite being cheaper, does not have a reliable technical assistance service. Do you think that this risk can be measured? Would a production stopped for 24, 48 or more hours compensate for a lower investment value? Can the risks associated with such a stoppage, such as failing to deliver orders or losing sales due to the absence of a certain product, be measured? For short- and long-term success, it is essential to define the equipment needed to set up a bakery. Conditioning factors such as current legislation, food safety rules, wrapping, preparation, packaging and distribution, as well as consumer preferences, must all be studied. The type of business, amount of use and usage methods must all be taken into account when selecting machines, equipment and accessories, as well as the intended production capacity and the quality of the food product. Choosing between a mixer with capacities of 35 kg and 50 kg can seem like a purely financial issue when making the initial decision. However, when the business is successful and sales are growing as expected, the ability to produce another 15 kg of dough for a single product recipe will significantly reduce costs (work time, energy, hypothetical loss of sales), and increase profit margins, which could mitigate the initial difference in price.
The factory must be a flexible and versatile work area, with capacity to meet specific market needs and opportunities to generate higher financial gains and increase the market share. Preventive maintenance is another concern that must be taken into account by bakery industry executives. Scheduling a preventive visit or check up of your factory al-
lows costs to be reduced, as it allows breakdowns that seem unexpected to be anticipated, leading to high levels of equipment performance. Each establishment, each factory and each professional has specific needs and equipment that adapts to each situation is required. There is a vast range of equipment on the market, designed for different business types: - Spiral mixers with fixed bowl, removable or lifting mixer (12 to 200Kg of flour capacity) - Planetary mixers (10 to 140l of bowl capacity) - Bowl tilting lift to spiral mixers and Bowl lifting device to planetary mixers - Dough dividers, manual, semi-automatic and with removable press - Dough sheeters with several dimensions - Cutting tables of several dimensions - Pie and tart lines - Bread slicers, manual and automatic - Dough brake - Bread moulders - Could counters, watercoolers, chambers and cabinets - Tables and utensils bakery - Ovens
3. PEOPLE PROFESSIONALS We all know that a great product sells itself! But to create it we need the help of professionals with technical bakery and patisserie skills and aptitudes, from the perspective of the manufacturer and consumer. Choosing between employees with more experience, or with more irreverence and dynamism can often be a tricky task. However, focusing on the goal of your work and value proposition for the market will help you to clarify which option is the best to take. In most cases, staff should be hired with a range of different characteristics: with more experience, who will be able to deal with delicate situations, and young people with more creativity to design and adapt new products are the key to success. In establishments that sell to the general public, service is one of the most important aspects. What’s it worth to have a good product and a good profit margin if sales are not made with the friendliness that the consumer deserves? Invest in staff training whenever possible and commit to an incentives system that is adapted to each role, always from the perspective of better production performance.
4. PRODUCTS PRODUCT QUALITY The quality of your products: bread, cakes, biscuits or pies, must be your greatest concern. They are the items that sell the most, and they serve as communication and advertising for your brand. And your business income comes from your products. Therefore, the ingredients in your recipes should be carefully selected. If possible, conduct different tests on your products using alternatives to the raw materials and ingredients that you intend to use. By doing this you can achieve a higher quality product in line with your value proposition. The return on your investment in facilities, equipment and human resources is the quality of your production. That’s why it is vital to clearly define the ingredients that you use, to ensure that the success of your products and brand among consumers is not jeopardised. Place an emphasis on flavour, nutritional value and the presentation and creativity of your recipes. This is the only way to achieve high quality products!
5. IMAGE THE IMPORTANCE OF IMAGE AND COMMUNICATION The appearance of your facilities, the clothing worn by your employees, the dynamics implemented in the shop and on the market, the advertising of your brand among potential consumers and influencers should not be “left to one side�. Nowadays it is vital to set yourself apart from the competition, approach consumers and interact with them. Draft an annual action plan for advertising the products, services and company itself: organise tasting sessions with customers, employees and even suppliers, organise school study visits to your factory, participate in cultural and culinary events in your local community, establish partnerships with local charity associations, create a website and publicise your brand using mailing lists; make sure you have an active presence on social networks. Good economic management of resources is one of the basic principles for generating profit. This rule also applies to communication. Invest in actions that generate a return for your brand.
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