Do It Once And Do It Right

Michael Gray, coowner of Total Baking Industries, trained as a baker by trade. Gray holds a level four craft apprenticeship. Alongside his ownership of Total Baking, he also owns and runs his family business of 48 years, Nada Bakery.

“Total Baking was started about ten years ago with my business partner and long-time friend Jason Heaven who used to run Heavens Bakery, a 45-yearold family business,” said Gray.

Gray and Heaven are significantly involved in Baking New Zealand and are on the board, and both have also been presidents of the organisation, with Gray commenting that baking was in his and Heaven’s blood.

making the workload light for the operator, a positive shift that priorities health and safety of the workplace, which Gray added was a vital part of any business in New Zealand.

Ovens have been Total Baking’s most famous equipment, particularly energyefficient options and retarder proofers, as it allows bakers to start later in the day, supporting the retainment of team members by offering better working conditions.

system and have non-bakers trained t divide and bake the bread using a pre-programmed oven and a current divider.”

The cold dough process also means that dough not used one day can be used the next, with excellent results being achieved for doughs being used that are up to 72 hours old, with Gray commenting that the flavour only improves.

Michael Gray Total Baking Industries

Total Baking is committed to only selling equipment that Gray and Heaven would install in their bakeries—selling top-quality equipment, which is often too expensive to buy twice. However, the quality of this equipment has enabled Gray and Heaven to know that their customers will have reliable equipment that delivers the best quality and yield to their bakery customers, resulting in more significant profit for businesses.

There has been an increase in labour-saving tools, reflecting the industry’s difficulty in finding and retaining good labour.

“Our equipment has a focus on easy-to-use with consistent results.”

As well as labour-saving tools, there have been trends into how to create products with greater shelf life, to make and bake produce on demand to reduce waste, and a significant step into cleaner eating, which has driven bakeries to use high-quality ingredients and equipment that deliver consistent results regardless of which baker is onsite.

There have also been trends in

Gray continued that doughnuts have become a significant trend, showcased by Total Baking at the Foodstuffs Expo. This trend has allowed Total Baking to install its IZO doughnut fryer into PAK’nSAVE in Wellington, which has enabled the supermarket to create over 1000 doughnuts per day with one operator.

“It has been a great success, and now other bakery departments are enquiring after their triumphs.”

However, staff retention is a real challenge for the industry. Gray explained that Total Baking has noticed that bakeries with updated equipment have higher staff engagement and excitement, helping productivity and pride in products created for customers.

Total Baking actively searches for energy-efficient baking solutions as well as waste minimisation.

“The cold dough process has shown this to be hugely successful as the bakery can do a face-bake of bread in the morning and then hop up quickly and easily through the day. We have stores that use the

Secondly, Total Baking has specialised extraction systems that condense atop the oven. This means ovens do not require re-extracting but can be used in any location in the bakery.

Organisations such as Baking New Zealand support bakeries nationwide. Total Baking has a strategic partnership with Vanrooy in Australia, which does extensive equipment testing and holds the Woolworths account for Australia. This relationship gives Total Baking confidence in recommending its varied equipment and technology range as it can handle all a supermarket’s needs.

Furthermore, Total Baking and co-owners Gray and Heaven use the equipment they sell.

Clean eating, sustainability, and trendy new foods will impact the industry’s future. Gray commented that businesses must be responsive to market trends to nail core products well and to ensure and capture returning customers.

When it comes to the equipment businesses install and invest in, Gray stated that businesses should do it once and do it right.

“You cannot afford to do it twice.” n