business plan cake bakery

Bakery Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Business Plan Outline

• Bakery Business Plan Home
• 1. Executive Summary
• 2. Company Overview
• 3. Industry Analysis
• 4. Customer Analysis
• 5. Competitive Analysis
• 6. Marketing Plan
• 7. Operations Plan
• 8. Management Team
• 9. Financial Plan

Bakery Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your bakery’s business plan.

We have helped over 100,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their bakeries.

A bakery business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your bakery. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan, and details your financial projections.

How To Write a Bakery Business Plan & Sample

The following information will provide a description of what to include in your bakery business plan along with links to an example for that section:

• Executive Summary – The Executive Summary section provides a high-level overview of your plan. It should include your company’s mission statement, as well as information on the products or services you offer, your target market, and your business goals and objectives.
• Company Overview – The Company Overview section provides an in-depth look at your company, including information on your company’s history, ownership structure, bakery location, and management team.
• Industry Analysis – Also called the Market Analysis, in this section, you will provide an overview of the industry in which your bakery will operate. You will discuss trends affecting the industry, as well as your target market’s needs and buying habits.
• Customer Analysis – In this section, you will describe your target market and explain how you intend to reach them. You will also provide information on your customers’ needs and buying habits.
• Competitive Analysis – This section will provide an overview of your competition, including their strengths and weaknesses. It will also discuss your competitive advantage and how you intend to differentiate your bakery from the competition.
• Marketing Plan – In the Marketing Plan section, you will detail your marketing strategy, including your advertising and promotion plans. You will also discuss your pricing strategy and how you intend to position your bakery in the market.
• Operations Plan – In the Operations Plan, you will provide an overview of your store’s operations, including your store layout, staff, and inventory management. It also includes information on your warehousing and distribution arrangements and a list of long-term milestones or business goals.
• Management Team – In this section, you will provide information on yourself as the talented baker, your team, your experience, and your roles in the company.
• Financial Plan – In this section of your bakery financial plan, you will include your financial statements: income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement. It also includes information on how much funding you require and the use of these funds.

Next Section: Executive Summary >

Bakery Business Plan FAQs

How can i complete my bakery business plan quickly & easily.

Learn more about writing a successful plan by using this bakery business plan template .

Where Can I Download a Bakery Business Plan Template?

Get a downloadable bakery business plan template here . 

What Are the Main Types of Bakeries?

A bakery can be retail or wholesale. A retail bakery sells baked goods directly to customers, while a wholesale bakery typically sells products to other businesses, like restaurants, grocery stores, specialty shops, and cafes.

How Do You Get Funding for Your Bakery?

Bakeries are most commonly funded with personal savings and bank loans. Credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding for bakeries.

Learn More:  Seeking Funding from Angel Investors vs Venture Capitalists

What Are the Main Sources of Revenues and Expenses for a Bakery?

The primary source of revenue for bakeries is its baked good sales. This includes deliveries and online orders. Sometimes bakeries also earn from bulk orders from wholesalers or special occasions.

The key expenses for bakeries are rent, wages and salaries, ingredients and packaging.

What are the Steps To Open a Bakery Business?

Opening a bakery business can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to open a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster.

1. Develop A Bakery Business Plan - The first step in opening a business is to create a detailed bakery business plan that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include potential market size and target customers, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast.  

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your bakery business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your bakery business is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your Bakery Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your bakery business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws. 

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to open your bakery business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms. 

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations. 

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events. 

7. Acquire Necessary Bakery Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your bakery business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation. 

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your bakery business. This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising. 

Learn more about how to start a successful bakery business:

• How to Open a Bakery Business

Where Can I Get a Bakery Business Plan PDF?

You can download our free bakery business plan template PDF here . This is a sample bakery business plan template you can use in PDF format.

BUSINESS STRATEGIES

How to create a bakery business plan

• Annabelle Amery
• Oct 29, 2023
• 12 min read

When launching your bakery business , the first step is to whip up a detailed and well-crafted business plan. Think of it as the secret recipe for your bakery's success. This document isn't just a list of ingredients; it's your roadmap to achieving your goals, whether you're baking artisanal bread, delightful pastries or delectable cakes. Your bakery business plan will help you navigate the sweet and savory challenges of the industry, ensuring your path to success is as delightful as your treats.

So if you're looking to start a business in the baking industry, keep reading for instructions on how build a strong business plan.

Ready to get baking? Use Wix to build a business website and learn how to make a bakery website .

Why create a bakery business plan? Key benefits to consider

Crafting a bakery business plan is important for several reasons. First, it forces you to conduct thorough market research and analysis, helping you gain insights into your target market's preferences, trends and competition. This information is vital for designing a product lineup that resonates with customers and stands out in the crowded baking market.

A well-structured business plan aids in clarifying your bakery's unique value proposition as well. By clearly defining what sets the bakery apart from its competitors, you can effectively communicate your brand's identity and build a strong customer base.

Beyond all this, your business plan lays out a detailed operational plan, outlining your bakery's workflow, supply chain management, staffing requirements and equipment needs. This level of detail is crucial to ensure smooth day-to-day operations and efficient resource allocation.

Finally, a bakery business plan is a vital tool for raising money for your business whether from investors, lenders or stakeholders. It demonstrates your commitment, understanding of the industry and your business's potential for profitability. It can help potential investors gauge your bakery's revenue-generating capacity and projected returns on investment.

How to create a bakery business plan in 6 steps

So how do you go about crafting your plan? In the upcoming sections, we'll guide you through six essential ingredients of a bakery business plan.

Executive summary

Business and domain names

Market analysis and research

Operations plan

Marketing and advertising plan

Financial plan

01. Executive summary

An executive summary is a concise and compelling overview of your bakery business plan, designed to capture the reader's attention and provide a snapshot of the entire plan. This section should be written last (after you've crafted the rest of the plan), to ensure that it accurately reflects the key points and highlights of your bakery business venture.

When writing an executive summary for a bakery business plan, aim to include the following elements:

Briefly describe the core concept of your bakery business. Highlight what sets it apart from competitors and emphasize your unique value proposition.

Summarize the market research you've conducted to identify your target audience, market trends and growth opportunities.

Provide a high-level overview of your financial projections, including revenue estimates, startup costs and potential profitability.

Outline the short-term and long-term goals you aim to achieve with your bakery business.

Introduce key members of your team and highlight their relevant expertise for this type of business .

Mention any funding requirements you have and how the funds will be utilized to support the bakery's growth.

Conclude with a compelling statement that encourages readers to explore the rest of the business plan.

Example of an executive summary for a bakery

"Sweet Delights Bakery is a specialty bakery poised to revolutionize the local dessert scene with its artisanal approach and innovative flavors. Our commitment to using organic and locally-sourced ingredients sets us apart in a market craving healthier alternatives. With a target demographic of health-conscious consumers and a focus on catering to dietary preferences, we anticipate tapping into an underserved niche.

Our projected revenue for the first year is $300,000, with startup costs totaling $100,000. By year three, we aim to achieve profitability and expand our reach to neighboring towns. With a team that brings together culinary expertise and marketing prowess, we are well-equipped to execute our vision.

We seek $75,000 in funding to secure a prime location, procure high-quality equipment and launch an impactful marketing campaign. Sweet Delights Bakery is poised to become a local favorite and a go-to destination for unique and guilt-free indulgences."

02. Business and domain names

Naming a business is critical for brand recognition and online presence. A business name generator can help spark ideas and ensure your restaurant business name aligns with your bakery's identity.

For instance, if your bakery focuses on gluten-free treats, a name like "PureBites Bakery" reflects your commitment to wholesome ingredients. Once you decide on a company name, ensure that a corresponding domain name is available. Your domain name should be memorable, easy to spell and closely related to your bakery's name. Avoid complex names that can confuse potential customers.

Once you’ve landed on a business name, you’ll want to learn how to register a business .

03. Market analysis and research

Including a comprehensive market analysis in your business plan is crucial for understanding the competitive landscape and shaping your business strategy. Conduct market research to identify your target audience's preferences, behaviors and spending habits. Analyze your competitors' strengths and weaknesses to find opportunities for differentiation.

By understanding market trends and consumer needs, you can tailor your bakery's offerings and marketing messages effectively. Use this analysis to develop a unique value proposition that resonates with your target customers, ultimately setting your bakery apart in a crowded market.

04. Operations plan

The operations plan is a pivotal section of your bakery business plan, outlining the practical aspects of running your business effectively. This includes selecting an appropriate location, detailing the layout and design of your premises, identifying the necessary equipment for baking (alongside packaging and display) and specifying your staffing needs.

For instance, in the operations plan, you would detail how your bakery's layout promotes efficient workflow and customer engagement. You'd also discuss equipment like ovens, mixers, refrigerators and display cases that are essential for your bakery's operations. Staffing needs would include roles like bakers, decorators, cashiers and customer service representatives.

05. Marketing and advertising plan

The marketing and advertising plan outlines how you'll promote your bakery business to your target audience. Consider a mix of strategies such as using social media platforms, such as Instagram or Facebook, to showcase your visually appealing baked goods and engage with customers.

Additionally, you can build local partnerships by collaborating with local cafes or businesses for cross-promotions. This can include hosting tastings or events to introduce your products to the local community.

Consider making a website where customers can browse your offerings and place orders. A website builder like Wix can help you get online fast. From there, you can market and sell your goods as well as build an email list for newsletters and promotions to keep customers informed about new products.

Need some help building up your brand? Check out these bakery logo ideas and Wix’s free logo maker , as well as our guide on how to make a bakery logo .

06. Financial plan

The financial plan is a crucial part of any bakery business plan as it outlines the financial aspects of your venture. It includes cost to start an LLC if relevant, other startup costs, projected revenue, expenses and profitability timelines. Clearly define your funding needs, whether through personal investment, loans or investors.

The financial plan should encompass a break-even analysis, highlighting the point at which your bakery covers its expenses and starts generating profits. It's essential to provide realistic financial projections based on market research and industry benchmarks.

Bakery business plan example: SweetBite Bakery

Part 1: executive summary.

SweetBite Bakery is a gourmet dessert destination set to captivate dessert enthusiasts with its delectable creations. Our commitment to crafting unique and artistic desserts using premium ingredients positions us as a standout in the bakery industry. With a focus on custom-designed cakes and intricate pastries, we aim to elevate the dessert experience for our customers.

We anticipate generating $500,000 in revenue in our first year, with a startup investment of $150,000. Our team of skilled pastry chefs and experienced business professionals are well-prepared to execute our vision. We're seeking $100,000 in funding to secure a prime downtown location, invest in state-of-the-art baking equipment and launch an immersive marketing campaign.

Part 2: company and domain names

Company name: SweetBite Bakery

Domain name: www.sweetbitebakery.com

Part 3: marketing analysis and research

Through comprehensive market research, we've identified a niche for exquisite custom desserts in our target area. The bakery landscape lacks specialized gourmet options, providing us a significant opportunity for differentiation. Consumer preferences for unique, visually appealing treats and the growing trend of personalized celebrations further support our concept.

Part 4: operations plan

Location: We'll secure a charming storefront in the heart of the city, attracting foot traffic and enhancing visibility.

Premises: The bakery's interior will exude a cozy yet sophisticated ambiance, reflecting our premium offerings.

Equipment: Our bakery will be equipped with top-tier ovens, mixers and presentation displays to ensure the highest quality.

Staffing: We'll hire skilled pastry chefs, decorators and front-of-house staff to provide exceptional customer service.

Part 5: marketing and advertising plan

Social media: Engage customers through Instagram by showcasing our artistic creations and behind-the-scenes processes.

Local partnerships: Collaborate with local event planners and venues for special occasions and catering opportunities.

Tastings and events: Host weekly dessert tastings to introduce our offerings and build a loyal customer base.

Online presence: Launch an interactive website where customers can explore our menu order customized treats and stay updated on our latest creations.

Email marketing: Build an email subscriber list to share exclusive promotions, seasonal specials and upcoming events.

Part 6: financial plan

Startup investment: $150,000 (from personal savings and a small business loan)

Projected first-year revenue: $500,000

Projected first-year expenses: $350,000

Profitability timeline: By the end of the second year

Bakery business plan example: Wholesome Harvest Bakery

Wholesome Harvest Bakery is a health-conscious bakery determined to revolutionize baked goods by focusing on natural, nutritious ingredients. Our dedication to producing wholesome treats and accommodating various dietary preferences positions us as a pioneer in the health-oriented bakery market.

In our first year, we anticipate generating $350,000 in revenue, with startup costs totaling $100,000. Our diverse team of nutritionists and bakers are poised to execute our mission. We're seeking $75,000 in funding to secure a local storefront and invest in equipment that aligns with our health-focused approach.

Company name: Wholesome Harvest Bakery

Domain name: www.wholesomeharvestbakery.com

Our market analysis reveals a growing demand for healthier bakery options due to increased health awareness. With a focus on gluten-free, vegan and sugar-free offerings, we aim to cater to health-conscious consumers seeking guilt-free indulgence.

Location: We'll secure a location near fitness centers and health food stores to target our niche market.

Premises: Our bakery interior will reflect a fresh and natural ambiance, showcasing our commitment to health.

Equipment: We'll invest in specialty ovens and equipment that align with our ingredient-focused approach.

Staffing: Our team will comprise of nutrition experts, experienced bakers and customer service professionals.

Social media: Utilize Instagram and Pinterest to share health tips, recipe insights and showcase our nutrient-rich treats.

Local partnerships: Collaborate with gyms, wellness centers and yoga studios to cross-promote healthy living.

Tastings and events: Host workshops on healthy baking and nutrition, attracting a community of health enthusiasts.

Online presence: Develop a user-friendly website with detailed nutritional information, allowing customers to order online.

Email marketing: Regularly send out newsletters with recipes, health tips and exclusive discounts to our subscribers.

Startup investment: $100,000 (personal savings and a small business loan)

Projected first-year revenue: $350,000

Projected first-year expenses: $250,000

Profitability timeline: By the end of the first year

How profitable is owning a bakery?

Yes, owning a bakery business can be profitable, but it is important to note that it is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Bakeries have thin profit margins, so it is important to carefully manage costs in order to be successful. However, there are a number of things that bakery owners can do to increase their profitability, such as:

Offering high-quality baked goods and coffee

Providing excellent customer service

Marketing their bakery effectively

Offering catering services

Selling merchandise, such as aprons, cookbooks, and gift baskets

Controlling costs by using fresh, seasonal ingredients and making products in-house

It is also important to choose a good location for your bakery. A high-traffic area with good visibility is ideal. Additionally, it is important to consider the competition in the area. If there are already a number of successful bakeries in your area, you may need to offer something unique to differentiate yourself from the competition. If you are willing to put in the hard work and dedication, owning a bakery business can be a rewarding and profitable experience. Here are some tips for increasing the profitability of your bakery business:

Focus on high-margin items. Some items, such as cakes and cupcakes, have higher profit margins than others, such as bread and pastries. Focus on offering a mix of high-margin and low-margin items to keep your customers happy and your profits up.

Reduce costs. There are a number of ways to reduce costs in your bakery business, such as using energy-efficient equipment, buying in bulk, and making products in-house.

Increase sales. There are a number of ways to increase sales in your bakery business, such as offering catering services, selling merchandise, and offering loyalty programs.

Market your business effectively. Make sure people know about your bakery by marketing your business online and offline.

By following these tips, you can increase the profitability of your bakery business and achieve your financial goals.

What are the disadvantages of owning a bakery?

Owning a bakery can be a rewarding experience, but it's important to be aware of the disadvantages before starting a bakery business. Some of the disadvantages of owning a bakery include:

Long hours and hard work. Bakers often work long hours, especially during busy times, such as holidays and weekends. Baking is also physically demanding work, and bakers often have to stand for long periods of time.

Thin profit margins. The profit margins for bakeries are thin, so it's important to carefully manage costs in order to be profitable.

Competitive landscape. The bakery industry is a competitive one, so it's important to differentiate your bakery from the competition.

Perishable products. Bakery products are perishable, so it's important to manage inventory carefully to avoid waste.

Food safety concerns. Bakeries must adhere to strict food safety regulations to protect customers from food poisoning.

Reliance on suppliers. Bakeries rely on suppliers for ingredients and supplies. If a supplier has a problem, it can disrupt your business operations.

Seasonality. Bakery sales can vary depending on the season. For example, sales may be higher during the holidays and lower during the summer months.

Customer expectations. Customers expect fresh, high-quality baked goods. It's important to meet these expectations in order to keep customers coming back.

Employee turnover. The bakery industry has a high employee turnover rate. This can make it difficult to find and retain qualified staff.

Despite the disadvantages, owning a bakery can be a rewarding experience. Bakeries play an important role in the community, and many bakers enjoy the satisfaction of creating delicious and beautiful baked goods that people love.

What mistakes do startup bakeries make?

Some of the most common mistakes that startup bakeries make include:

Underestimating the costs. Starting a bakery can be expensive. It's important to carefully estimate all of the costs involved before starting your business. This will help you to avoid financial problems down the road.

Overestimating demand. It's important to be realistic about the demand for your baked goods. Don't overproduce baked goods or you will end up wasting money.

Not marketing their business effectively. Make sure to market your bakery business effectively in order to attract customers. Don't be afraid to invest in marketing strategies and advertising.

Not offering a diverse product mix. Offer a diverse product mix to appeal to a wide range of customers. Don't just focus on one type of baked good.

Not having a good business plan. A business plan is essential for any business, but it's especially important for startups. A business plan will help you to define your business goals, strategies and financial projections.

Bakery business plan FAQ

What is the most profitable bakery item.

The most profitable bakery item varies depending on the region and the type of bakery. However, some of the most profitable bakery items include:

Coffee and tea

What is the failure rate of bakeries?

Can i start a bakery with no money, are bakeries hard to start, want to create another type of business plan.

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Bakery Business Plan: How to write it [Complete Guide]

• January 3, 2023
• Food & Beverage

Whether you’re looking to raise funding from private investors or to get a loan from a bank (like a SBA loan) for your bakery, you will need to prepare a solid business plan.

In this article we go through, step-by-step, all the different sections you need in the business plan for your bakery. Use this template to create a complete, clear and solid business plan that get you funded.

1. Executive Summary

The executive summary of a business plan gives a sneak peek of the information about your business plan to lenders and/or investors.

If the information you provide here is not concise, informative, and scannable, potential lenders and investors will lose interest.

Though the executive summary is the first and the most important section, it should normally be the last section you write because it will have the summary of different sections included in the entire plan.

Why do you need a business plan for a bakery?

The purpose of a business plan is to secure funding through one of the following channels:

• Obtain bank financing or secure a loan from other lenders (such as a SBA loan )
• Obtain private investments from investment funds, angel investors, etc.
• Obtain a public or a private grant

How to write your bakery’s executive summary?

Provide a precise and high-level summary of every section that you have included in your bakery business plan. The information and the data you include in this segment should grab the attention of potential investors and lenders immediately. Ensure that the executive summary doesn’t exceed 2 pages in total.

The executive summary usually consists of the five major sub-sections that include:

• Business Overview : give a brief introduction to your bakery and quickly describe your brand, its offerings, the pricing list of products and what sets you apart from your competitors
• Market Overview : the market analysis segment will contain an overview of the expected bakery market size and growth in your area, as well as an analysis of your competitors and target audience
• Management & People : introduce your bakery’s management and employee structure. Provide a brief (no more than a couple of sentences each) of the knowledge and experience of the team. Also, speak here about your hiring plans and the reporting lines
• Financial Plan : how much profit and revenue do you expect in the next 5 years? When will you reach the break-even point and start making profits? Include here a chart depicting your key financials such as revenue, gross profits, and net profit
• Funding Ask : what loan/investment/grant are you seeking? How much do you need? How long will this last?

Bakery Financial Model

Download an expert-built 5-year Excel financial model for your business plan

2. Bakery Business Overview

In this section of your bakery business plan, you will provide an overview (slightly more detailed) of your business. If there is something unique about your baked products, mention that in this segment.

Some of the most important questions that you must try to answer in this section include:

• Why are you opening a bakery?
• Where will your bakery be located and why did you choose that location?
• What type of baked products will you sell (low-calorie, vegan, gluten-free, etc.)?
• Why do you want to offer those product lines?
• How will you price your food offerings?
• Will your operating hours be the same as your competitors?
• Who is your target audience?
• What will be the legal structure of your company?

Let’s look at different subsections that you must include:

a) History of the Project

Any business must have two components:

• Passion & experience of the business owner
• Rationale behind the business

Passion & Experience

It is not necessary to have any prior experience with a bakery. As long as you are passionate about it and you know your market, you are good to go. 

However, if you have any experience, make sure that you are mentioning that. For example, you may have been a head pastry chef and a creative cake decorator in a popular bakery for 6 years and now you want to launch your own bakery.

No matter what, ensure that you demonstrate not just passion but also some industry knowledge that you must garner through thorough research.

Every business has a rationale behind its existence. What’s yours? Are you going to solve some problems that exist in the current bakery business scene? 

For instance, the target market may have a very high percentage of pastry-loving obese people. You may be the first one to introduce low-calorie pastries, cakes, and other baked items. 

Similarly, if the area has a high vegan density, you may want to introduce a line of vegan products that no other bakery in the area is offering.

You must also ensure that the market is conducive for the business to exist. For instance, if you are a master cake maker who makes ultra-realistic cakes that cost a lot and try to sell them in a low-income neighborhood, your cakes will probably not sell.

Therefore, it is important to understand the market before starting a business to prevent extreme losses, and eventually closure.

b) Business Model

This is where you will talk about the business model and the type of bakery you want to open. Some points that you need to briefly describe here are:

• Will you buy a new bakery, or will you buy an old one and remodel it?
• Will you open a specialty bakery, a counter service bakery, or some other bakery type?
• What equipment, technologies, inventory, and tools will you need to operate your bakery?
• Where will you source your ingredients from?

There are various types of bakeries that you consider:

• Bakery Café : It is a sit-down bakery. It is a retail bakery with a dedicated dining area. There will be front-of-house and back-of-house spaces and people will often order food and other drinks apart from your baked items like muffins, cupcakes, cookies, etc. People can also order tea, coffee, sandwiches, etc.
• Counter Service Bakery : These bakeries do not have any dining area. People will order food and take them away. You can sell other food items like drinks, burgers, sandwiches, etc. apart from your usual baked goods.
• Specialty Bakery : These bakeries focus on a very specific set of products. For example, wedding cakes, gluten-free baked products, etc.
• Retail or Wholesale Bakery : The difference between a retail and a wholesale bakery is that in the retail model, you will sell to your direct customers (B2C). In the wholesale model, you will be selling to other businesses like cafes, restaurants, specialty shops, etc.

Irrespective of the type of bakery you want to open, make sure that there is adequate demand for the products you want to sell. For instance, if you are trying to sell a vegan line of baked products to customers who want non-veg-based baked products, you will not succeed. There must be enough vegans in your target market.

c) Products & Services

In this sub-section of your bakery business plan, you will provide a list of your products and services . For instance, if you intend to open a specialty bakery such as wedding cakes, you must provide a menu listing all that you have to offer.

Similarly, if you want to sell bread, cookies, and pastries only, make sure that your sample menu lists them. If there are too many items that you intend to sell, make sure that the sample menu you are providing includes the major attractions. You don’t need to list all the items.

d) Pricing Strategy

This is where you will explain your pricing strategy . Of course, your prices can vary significantly from your competitors. However, if there is a significant price variation, you must explain such differences.

For instance, you may be selling custom-designed birthday and wedding cakes instead of generic designs. That may be the reason for higher costs. Similarly, the quality of the ingredients you use for baking can also account for the price differences.

Irrespective of the case, include a pricing chart for your menu items. No need to include the price of every product or product bundle you intend to sell. Instead of listing the price for every product individually, you can just provide a pricing range.

For example, you can do something like this:

• Multi-decker cakes with custom fondant-crafted figurines: $350 to $1,000
• Gluten-free cookies: $3 to $6

Offering a pricing chart is important because your pricing strategy will also allow investors to tie your pricing strategy with your financial projections later on.

e) Legal Structure

Finally, your business overview section should specify what type of business structure you want. Is this a corporation or a partnership (LLC)? Who are the investors? How much equity percentage do they own? Is there a Board of Directors? If so, whom? Do they have experience in the industry?

3. Bakery Market Overview

A complete understanding of the market where you want to operate is important for the success of your business.

For example, there may be a large number of cafes in the area with regular and high demand for baked goods like pastries and cookies. Thus, opening a wholesale bakery to serve the B2B demand instead may make sense here.

Therefore, you must cover here 3 important areas in the market overview or market analysis section of the business plan of your bakery:

• Market trends : how big is the bakery industry in your area? What is its growth rate (or decline rate) and what are the factors contributing to its growth or decline?
• Competition overview : how many competitors are there? How do they compare vs. your business? How can you differentiate yourself from them?
• Customer analysis : who is your target audience? What type of bakery setup do they prefer? How frequently do they buy baked goods? What is their average spending at bakeries? 

a) Bakery Industry Status Quo

How big is the bakery industry in the us.

According to the American Bakers Association, the US bakery market represents $154 billion and employs over 800,000 people..! The commercial segment is by far the largest (91% industry size) vs. retail bakeries that only represent 9% of the total US bakery market.

In terms of products, here is the breakdown of the most common bakery products as a percentage of total bakery sales in the US:

How big is the bakery industry in your area?

Once you grab the exact data for the US market and add it to your business plan, you can then divert your attention to the area where you want to operate. It might not be possible to find region or area-specific studies, and hence, you must estimate the size. For more information, read our article on how to estimate TAM, SAM and SOM for your startup.

Let’s now see how to estimate the market size of the bakery industry size for your business plan . We know that:

• The total US market size for retail bakeries is $15 billion (10% of the total $154 billion)
• The total number of retail bakeries is around 23,000

Therefore, the average annual revenue for each retail bakery is around $650,000 (that’s an average of $1,800 in sales per day).

So, if there are 20 already bakeries in the area where you will operate, we can reasonably assume the market size of the bakery industry in your area is around $13 million.

How fast is the bakery industry growing in the area?

Now, you must show the expected growth rate of the bakery industry in your area. This information may not be available via online research papers. However, assessing the growth rate will not be difficult.

You can approach each bakery separately and ask for their year of establishment. You will get a clear picture of the overall growth rate.

For instance, if there were 18 bakeries in 2018 and 20 bakeries in 2022, the average annual growth rate is 5.1%.

b) Bakery Competition Overview

Studying your competitors’ business models is vital. You need to understand what makes them successful or why they fail. A clear understanding of their bakery product offerings, marketing strategies, etc., will allow you to provide a better service.

If your competitors are offering nearly the same products & services, then what is their market share and how do they market their products & services to attract new customers?

It is always a good idea to do some research (if necessary, physically visit your competitors without revealing your business intentions) and create a comparative table summarizing their product & service offerings, marketing strategies, target audience, etc.

Here is a sample table that you can use:

The competition analysis table you will add to your bakery business plan will depend on what information you need and want to include based on your business model.

Bakery SWOT Analysis

Try to provide a SWOT analysis . It must be crisp and highly focused. SWOT stands for Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats.

Here is a sample that you can use as a reference:

• Strengths : Baking & Pastry Arts degree from Culinary Institute of America; 6 years of cake and pastry baking & decoration experience in a renowned bakery chain
• Weaknesses : Startup cost, zero reputation
• Opportunities : Increasing demand for healthy baked food because of increasing health consciousness in the target market
• Threats : Big brands like Dewey’s Bakery, Insomnia Cookies, Bare Snacks, etc., are flooding the market

A clear understanding of your strengths and weakness along with opportunities and threats in the real market can help you to design your marketing strategy . It also helps potential investors to assess the risk and reward profile of your business.

c) Bakery Customer Analysis

This is the sub-section where you will provide a detailed analysis of your target audience. Some important points that you must include in your customer analysis include:

• Age and gender distribution (you can get local demographic data from census.gov )
• Per capita expenditure on baked food items
• Frequency of bakery visits
• Average monthly income and disposable income
• Average bill size per visit
• Type of bakery preferred
• The expected price range for baked items
• Preference for healthy snacks and willingness to pay for high-quality products
• Any seasonal preferences they have

You can add as many data points as required to validate your business decision. The idea here is to display your deep understanding of the target audience and their needs, preferences, and expectations. This knowledge can help you to tailor your products & services to attract new customers.

4. Sales & Marketing

This is the segment where you outline your customer acquisition strategy. Try to answer the following questions:

• What is your USP ?
• What are the different marketing strategies you will use?
• How do you intend to track the success of your marketing strategy?
• What is your CAC or customer acquisition cost?
• What is your marketing budget?
• What introductory promos and offers do you intend to provide for attracting new customers?

Let’s expand a bit on a few questions below:

What marketing channels do bakeries use?

A few marketing channels that bakeries typically use are:

• Online listing & reviews (e.g. Google Business)
• Bakery directory listing
• Signage and billboards
• Print media (newspapers, etc.)
• Loyalty programs
• Coupons & gift cards
• Social media interactions and social media ads

It is not necessary to use all channels. You can start by focusing on a few of them. You can include other marketing strategies later.

Also, you must have a fair and nearly accurate estimate of your marketing budget. Failure to display a well-planned and adequate cash flow for advertising and marketing can lead to investors losing confidence. That’s because investors are fully aware that if adequate funds are not allocated for marketing, the business will be derailed before becoming a success.

What is your unique selling proposition (USP)?

In other words, how do you differentiate yourself vs. competitors? This is very important as you might need to win customers from competitors.

A few examples of USPs are:

• Low Calorie : Craving for sweets while burning fat? We have the perfect pastries!
• Vegan : Dairy-free vegan cheesecakes that melt in your mouth
• Doorstep delivery : We will reach your door to satiate your cravings

Your USP will depend on your business model, competitor analysis , and target audience. Whatever your USP be, it should appeal to your potential customers and attract them. Plus, The USP you offer should be convincing enough for investors and lenders.

5. Management & People

You must address two things here:

• The management team and their experience/track record
• The organizational structure: different team members and who reports to whom?

a) Management

Small businesses often fail because of managerial weaknesses. Thus, having a strong management team is vital. Highlight the experience and education of senior managers that you intend to hire to oversee your bakery business.

Describe their duties, responsibilities, and roles. Also, highlight their previous experience and explain how they succeeded in their previous roles.

It is also important that you explain how their experiences and qualifications help you in implementing the bakery you are proposing. If they have specialized training, and experience (such as a degree in baking and pastry arts degree, 6 years of baking experience in a renowned bakery chain, etc.), add that information.

b) Organization Structure

Even if you haven’t already hired production bakers, pastry chefs, kitchen helpers, marketing & accounts personnel, etc., you must provide a flowchart of the organizational structure defining the hierarchy of reporting.

6. Financial Plan

The financial plan is perhaps, with the executive summary, the most important section of any business plan for a bakery.

Indeed, a solid financial plan tells lenders that your business is viable and can repay the loan you need from them. If you’re looking to raise equity from private investors, a solid financial plan will prove them your bakery is an attractive investment.

There should be 2 sections to your financial plan section:

• The startup costs of your project (if you plan to start a new bakery, purchase new equipment, renovate your store, etc.)
• The 5-year financial projections

a) Startup Costs

Before we expand on 5-year financial projections in the following section, it’s always best practice to start with listing the startup costs of your project. For a bakery, startup costs are all the expenses you incur before you open your bakery and start making sales. These expenses typically are:

• The lease deposit for the space (if you rent) or the cost to purchase the real estate
• The renovation / refurbishment of the building / space
• Equipment & furniture for the bakery

Of course, the startup costs depend on many factors like the bakery shop size, its location, the number of staff, quality of the equipment, etc. 

As an example, it costs on average $109,250 to $310,050 to open a 1,500 sq. ft. bakery in the US .

Note that these costs are for illustrative purposes and may not be fully relevant for your business. For more information on how much it costs to open and run a bakery, read our article here .

b) Financial Projections

In addition to startup costs, you will now need to build a solid 5-year financial model for your bakery.

Your financial projections should be built using a spreadsheet (e.g. Excel or Google Sheets) and presented in the form of tables and charts in the business plan of your bakery.

As usual, keep it concise here and save details (for example detailed financial statements, financial metrics, key assumptions used for the projections) for the appendix instead.

Your financial projections should answer at least the following questions:

• How much revenue do you expect to generate over the next 5 years?
• When do you expect to break even?
• How much cash will you burn until you get there?
• What’s the impact of a change in pricing (say 15%) on your margins?
• What is your average customer acquisition cost?

You should include here your 3 financial statements (income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement). This means you must forecast:

• The number of customers over time ;
• Your expected revenue ;
• Operating costs to run the business ;
• Any other cash flow items (e.g. capex, debt repayment, etc.).

When projecting your revenue, make sure to sensitize pricing and the number of customers as a small change in these assumptions will have a big impact on your revenues.

7. Funding Ask

This is the last section of your bakery business plan. Now that we have explained what your bakery business model is, what you sell and to whom, what’s your marketing strategy, etc., this section must now answer the following questions:

• How much funding do you need?
• What financial instrument(s) do you need: is this equity or debt, or even a free-money public grant?
• How long will this funding last?
• Where else does the money come from? If you apply for a SBA loan for example, where does the other part of the investment come from (your own capital, private investors?)

If you raise debt:

• What percentage of the total funding the loan represents?
• What is the corresponding Debt Service Coverage Ratio ?

If you raise equity

• What percentage ownership are you selling as part of this funding round?
• What is the corresponding valuation of your business?

Use of Funds

Any bakery business plan should include a clear use of funds section. This is where you explain how the money will be spent.

Will you spend most of the loan / investment in paying your employees’ salaries? Or will it cover mostly the cost for the lease deposit and the renovation?

Those are very important questions you should be able to answer in the blink of an eye. Don’t worry, this should come straight from your financial projections. If you’ve built solid projections like in our Bakery financial model template , you won’t have any issues answering these questions.

For the use of funds, we also recommend using a pie chart like the one we have in our financial model template where we outline the main expenses categories as shown below.

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Bakery Business Plan

Ready to turn your love for baking baked goods into a successful business?

To ensure that your business endeavor happens to be a flourishing one, write a business plan specifically crafted for your unique bakery business.

From helping you finalize the bakery location to evaluating the financial position of your business- a detailed plan uncovers every detail essential to kickstart a successful bakery business.

Writing a business plan can get complicated. With this step-by-step guide, you will have all the information essential to write a bakery business plan . Also, download our free bakery business plan template and modify it to fit your needs.

Ready to dive in? Let’s get started.

Key Takeaways

• Conduct a detailed industry analysis of the bakery market to understand market trends, target market, and the growth scope of your business.
• Outline the business goals and devise a business strategy that is in line with your bakery’s branding image.
• Analyze the competitive landscape of your business and identify local businesses that will offer direct and indirect competition to your business.
• Make calculations, assumptions, and projections to form key reports such as income statement, balance sheet, Cash Flow statement, and Break-even analysis.
• Determine the operations of your bakery business by outlining the procedures, processes, and equipment required to kickstart the business.
• Determine the baked goods and services you will sell through your bakery business.

Why is a bakery business plan important?

A business plan helps achieve your business objectives by creating a roadmap that will guide your bakery business in a strategic direction. An actionable well-drafted plan offers an in-depth view of your business idea and are a few benefits you must know:

• A business plan instills clarity in your business idea. All the ideas that were messed up in your mind start getting a clear point of view once you start writing a plan.
• A business plan is your checklist to understand what different aspects of the business need- the resources, equipment, manpower, licenses, etc.
• It helps crystallize your business vision and what it aims to achieve in the bakery market.
• A business plan optimizes the bakery operations and brings down the operating expenses by ensuring the resourceful allocation of bakery resources.
• A plan evaluates the financial aspects and viability of your bakery idea before you actually invest money in the business.

And, of course, a well-crafted plan will get you essential funds to get started in the bakery market. Moving forward, let’s craft a spectacular plan for your bakery business.

How to Write a Bakery Business Plan: A Complete Guide

From writing an executive summary to creating your financial plan- let’s decode the key elements of writing a business plan.

1. Get a business plan template

Before you start writing a business plan, consider getting a sample template to simplify the entire plan writing process.

A lot of information goes into writing a comprehensive business plan. Addressing all the key components in brief details is a challenging task.

However, by using a template, you can add structure to your plan. Not only that, it will help you organize the information clearly in a cohesive manner. With appropriate prompts, you will know exactly what to write in each section.

We know you would start searching for a template. Well, the Upmetrics business planning template is perfectly relevant and suited for your bakery business. It’s intuitive, modern, and available for free download.

Need Assistance Writing a Bakery Business Plan?

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2. Write an executive summary

The executive summary is a concise description of your entire bakery business plan. It highlights the key findings and entices the reader to delve further into your business plan. So make sure to keep it interesting.

A well-drafted executive summary includes an answer to every question, a potential investor might have.

For instance,

• What is the core objective of your bakery business?
• What are the pain points of your target customers and what solutions can you offer?
• What type of baked goods will you offer?
• What is your target market?
• What is your marketing strategy?
• What are the financial highlights of your bakery business?

As you start writing, remember that the executive summary should summarize the plan and not your business idea.

Lastly, fit your compelling summary description in 1-2 pages.

3. Conduct a competitive and market analysis

The market analysis section paints a clear picture of your ideal target market, bakery industry trends, and your competitors in the market. In a way, this section is your chance to validate the potential success of your bakery shop.

The market analysis section of your bakery plan must include:

Market share, growth potential, and industry trends

Identify your targeted available market (TAM) through thorough market research and determine your share in the bakery market. Analyze the emerging trends in the bakery market and assess your growth potential as a retail bakery.

Understanding of the target market 

Who will be your potential customer at a bakery shop?

It gets much easier to succeed in the market when you have a clear understanding of who your target customers are.

In this section of customer analysis, you will create a buyer’s persona of your ideal customer by understanding their psychographic and demographic details.

Competitor analysis

This is an equally important part of the market study, where you evaluate the position and competitive landscape of your bakery shop.

Begin by identifying your top competitors and evaluate your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats against other bakeries. Establish your competitive edge and show the potential investors that your business stands a promising opportunity in the competitive market.

Want to Perform Competitive Analysis for your Business?

Discover your competition’s secrets effortlessly with our user-friendly and Free Competitor Analysis Generator!

4. Prepare a company overview

The company overview section of a bakery’s business plan is a brief description of your bakery business concept, its legal structure, location, and value proposition.

Be creative and write a compelling section that can propel the readers’ interest in your business idea.

Wondering what to include in your bakery’s company overview section? Let’s check:

• Type of bakery business: retail bakery, specialty bakery, cloud bakery, mobile bakery, etc.
• Business structure: Sole proprietorship, LLC, partnership LLC, corporation, etc.
• Mission statement
• Value proposition
• Quantifiable business goals and milestones
• History and background of the bakery, if applicable
• Partnership and ownership structure
• Name of owners/ partners
• Operating hours
• Service style

Drill down to details and make this section an engaging read.

5. Describe your products and services

After describing your bakery structure and mission statement in the previous section, you will now outline the product and service offerings of your bakery shop.

As a bakery business, you may sell a variety of delicious baked goods such as pastries, cakes, fresh bread, cookies, tarts, pies, donuts, sweet buns, etc. Add this to your product section and also non-baked goods such as savory snacks, coffee, etc, if it’s on your menu offering.

Specifically mention, if you will have products for special diets, i.e. gluten-free, keto-friendly, sugar-free, vegan baked goods, etc.

6. Bakery store design and layout

An effective bakery business plan must include a blueprint of your bakery shop’s layout and design to demonstrate the bakery’s concept practically to the readers.

Mention your bakery size and the space allocated for the back of the house and front of the house operations. Also, explain how the proposed layout will increase the efficiency of your business operations in great detail.

In this section, you will also talk about the decor and theme that will create a warm ambiance for your target audience. Keep in mind that the decor should reflect the branding image you want to create in your target market.

Offer an immersive experience to the readers while explaining this section.

7. Prepare a bakery marketing plan

The marketing plan offers a detailed outlook of marketing strategies you will use to market and promote your bakery shop. Consider it as a roadmap that will guide you in building a brand of sustainable value in the market.

So how do you build a perfect marketing plan?

Begin by identifying the marketing channels and different types of digital marketing campaigns that will work best for your potential customers. Now, allocate the monthly budget to different marketing activities. Lastly, devise a marketing strategy for each channel with a clear plan of action.

Here are a few marketing strategies that are popularly used by successful bakery businesses:

• Social media platforms for brand development
• Email marketing for promotional offers
• Video content such as easy baking recipes, tips, tricks, etc
• Online workshops and live sessions
• Influencer marketing
• Tasting events and sampling
• Customer testimonials

Now detail all your plans in this section and show your investors that you have a solid way to establish your business’s popularity in its target market.

8. Outline your organizational structure

In this section of your bakery business plan, you introduce the management team and employees at your shop. Also, highlight the organizational structure and hierarchy of employees in the organization.

Begin by introducing the owners and their role in your organization. Highlight their experience in the bakery industry and the key skills that can benefit the business.

Introduce your talented baker and their role in recipe development and standardization. Show their experience in the baking field and prove their asset worthiness.

Draw a clear flowchart depicting the flow of authority and responsibility in your bakery business. It is your chance to show the investors that you have a team and knack to take this business on a successful path.

9. Create a logistics and operational plan

The operations plan of your bakery business plan is a strategic document highlighting the processes, procedures, and resources needed to efficiently run your bakery shop.

A well-planned operations plan is like a business manual that has answers to all the questions one might have while running a bakery shop.

Wondering what to add to your operations plan? Well try to include answers to the following questions to make it detailed and comprehensive:

• Physical facilities: What will be your bakery location to produce bakery goods? Will you serve customers from that location or a different shop? Are you planning to sell the bakery goods online?
• Suppliers: Where will you get the raw materials and supplies for producing bakery goods? Who will supply non-bakery items like scones, sandwiches, and savory snacks?
• Inventory: Where will you store the raw material and ingredients? What will be the shelf life of these ingredients? How will you manage the stock levels? What are the minimum thresholds for different items and how long it takes to stock them?
• Production: Who will bake the goods? How long is the process? Will everything be made fresh or in batches to be stored for a few days? Will there be recipe cost cards for each menu item? How will you meet an unexpected spike in demand?
• Bakery Equipment: What type of bakery equipment will you require? Will there be a POS system at your store? What other technologies will you use? How will you take online orders?

The amount of precision here will help you regulate your operating expenses once the bakery starts serving the customers. Proper planning is advisable at this stage.

10. Create a Financial Plan

And now comes the most exciting part for investors- a financial plan. The figures in financial statements are helpful in determining the viability of your business idea. So this section holds a considerable weightage in terms of whether you will get funding or not.

To ensure you create a comprehensive financial plan, including financial projections for these key components:

• Cost of starting a bakery shop
• Sales forecast
• Revenue projection
• Operating expenses
• Pricing strategy
• Income statement/ Profit & Loss statement
• Break-even analysis
• Cash flow statement
• Balance sheet
• Business ratios

In this section, you will also evaluate your funding requirements and identify the funding sources for your business. i.e. bank loans, SBA-guaranteed loans, angel investors, and personal savings.

Having realistic financial projections at hand will help you realize your financial goals while evaluating the sustainability of your bakery business.

However, creating the projections for all these elements from scratch can get overwhelming. Additionally,  you also need to work on visuals and graphs to add impact and clarity to your plan.

Well, there is an easy way. Create your plan with the Upmetrics Financial forecasting tool . This tool will generate key reports and visuals that can be easily downloaded and added to your plan.

We hope this sample plan will guide you in writing a perfect business plan. Now, let’s move forward and check the industry trends ruling the bakery world.

Bakery Industry Highlights 2023

Before you open a bakery, here are some latest highlights from the bakery industry, you may find helpful:

• Bakery market size: The US bakery market size was valued at $99.47 billion dollars in 2023. It is projected to grow at a CAGR of 2.08% between 2023-2028.
• Retail Bakeries: According to IBIS World , there are 8,780 independent retail bakery shops in the US.
• Bakery consumption: In 2022, Americans consumed 8.6 billion kilograms of cake and pastry goods, a sizable amount compared to other countries.
• Bakery trends: There is a growing trend of providing healthier alternatives, i.e. gluten-free baked goods in the bakery market. The organic and gluten-free baked goods market grew by 2.45% in 2022.
• Market Saturation: 55% of commercial bakery revenue in the US is generated by 3 major players- Grupo Bimbo, Flower Foods, and Campbell Soup.
• Specialty bakery market: The US Specialty bakery market share is expected to grow by 10.54 billion US dollars by 2026.

Download a sample Bakery business plan

Need help writing your own bakery business plan? Well, download our bakery business plan pdf and write your plan section-by-section with utmost precision.

Upmetrics templates are perfectly suited for entrepreneurs who need a little help to kickstart their business planning. Import the data into the editor and start planning.

The Quickest Way to turn a Business Idea into a Business Plan

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Write your business plan with Upmetrics

Optimize your business planning with Upmetrics .

With more than 400+ business plan examples , we offer invaluable guidance to help you write a cohesive business plan.

Whether you are writing a business plan to strategically grow your business or attract investors, Upmetrics’ invaluable resources like AI assistance, forecasting tools, and step-by-step guides will serve you perfectly.

Let’s bake a recipe for success together.

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Frequently asked questions, what should be included in a bakery business plan.

An effective bakery business plan must include:

• Executive summary
• Business overview
• Industry and competitors analysis
• Bakery goods and services
• Bakery design and layout
• Operations plan
• Key management team
• Financial bakery plan

How long should my bakery business plan be?

A bakery business plan should be not more than 15-20 pages including graphs, visuals, and charts. You are likely to lose the interest of investors with a lengthy plan. However, keeping it extremely short is also not favorable, as it would not cover important details. So try using crisp content for your business plan.

Can a bakery business plan template help in setting clear business objectives and goals?

Absolutely yes. A template offers a variety of prompts that will help you to write each section clearly and cohesively. Moreover, you will get a variety of bakery-specific examples that shall help in clearly determining your goals and objectives.

Do I need to have financial projections in my bakery business plan?

Yes, financial projections are important to assess the viability and profitability of your business idea. If you are planning to seek investor funds, this section is of crucial importance. Investors will evaluate the financial section and determine whether to invest or not.

Can I use the same bakery business plan template for different locations?

Yes, you can. However, you need to alter the content of your business plan for different locations and target markets by making specific modifications.

About the Author

Vinay Kevadiya

Vinay Kevadiya is the founder and CEO of Upmetrics, the #1 business planning software. His ultimate goal with Upmetrics is to revolutionize how entrepreneurs create, manage, and execute their business plans. He enjoys sharing his insights on business planning and other relevant topics through his articles and blog posts. Read more

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Sample Bakery Business Plan For Inspiration

Writing a business plan is a crucial step in starting a bakery. Not only does it provide structure and guidance for the future, but it also helps to create funding opportunities and attract potential investors. For aspiring bakers, having access to a sample bakery business plan can be especially helpful in providing direction and gaining insight into how to draft their own bakery business plan.

Download our Ultimate Bakery Business Plan Template

Having a thorough business plan in place is critical for any successful bakery venture. It will serve as the foundation for your operations, setting out the goals and objectives that will help guide your decisions and actions. A well-written business plan can give you clarity on realistic financial projections and help you secure financing from lenders or investors. A bakery business plan example can be a great resource to draw upon when creating your own plan, making sure that all the key components are included in your document.

The bakery business plan sample below will give you an idea of what one should look like. It is not as comprehensive and successful in raising capital for your bakery as Growthink’s Ultimate Bakery Business Plan Template , but it can help you write a bakery business plan of your own.  

Bakery Business Plan Example – Home Sweet Home Baked Goods

Table of contents, executive summary.

• Company Overview

Industry Analysis

Customer analysis.

• Competitive Analysis

Marketing Plan

Operations plan, management team, financial plan.

Home Sweet Home Baked Goods is a home-based bakery in Bend, Oregon that has been operating successfully for the last 3 years. Founded by talented baker Jill Davis and her husband Sam, Home Sweet Home Baked Goods specializes in creating custom cakes, cupcakes, pies, and other desserts from scratch. Now that their business has grown and they have expanded their customer base, Jill and Sam are looking for funding to open a brick-and-mortar storefront location in Bend.

The new location will be a modern bakery with an inviting atmosphere and welcoming staff. Through the use of high-quality ingredients, innovative recipes, experienced baking staff, and updated bakery equipment, Home Sweet Home Baked Goods is poised to become the premier bakery in Bend. The new store will create jobs for local residents while bringing delicious baked goods to the community.

Home Sweet Home Baked Goods’ mission is to use locally sourced ingredients whenever possible to create unique baked goods of uncompromising quality at an affordable price. With its commitment to excellence and creative approach to baking, the company will provide customers with a unique experience with each visit.

In order to achieve these goals within their budget constraints, Home Sweet Home Baked Goods has put together a comprehensive plan utilizing proven marketing techniques, operational efficiencies, and cost management strategies. By leveraging technology such as social media marketing platforms like Facebook and Instagram as well as partnerships with local businesses, Home Sweet Home Baked Goods has created a strategy for success that will allow them to not only meet but exceed customer expectations.

As part of this plan, we are seeking funding from investors or lenders who share our vision for creating an exceptional bakery experience in Bend. With your help, we can continue our growth while developing long-term relationships with our customers through quality products and outstanding service — all while supporting small business owners in our community.  

Company Description

Home Sweet Home Baked Goods is a home-based bakery in Bend, Oregon that has been operating successfully for the last 3 years. Founded by passionate baker Jill Davis and her husband Sam, Home Sweet Home Baked Goods specializes in creating custom cakes, cupcakes, pies, and other desserts from scratch. The company’s focus on quality ingredients, innovative recipes, experienced baking staff, and updated equipment sets them apart from its competitors.

Home Sweet Home Baked Goods strives to provide customers with an exceptional experience each time they visit the store by using locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. This commitment to excellence has allowed them to expand their customer base across the region, leading them to seek funding for a brick-and-mortar storefront bakery location in Bend that will bring even more delicious baked goods and job opportunities to local residents.  

The Bend, Oregon home-based bakery industry is a booming sector that has seen significant growth in the last three years. According to figures released by the Oregon Department of Agriculture, retail bakeries generated over $200 million in sales in 2019 alone, up 8.3% from 2018. The number of establishments operating within the state has also increased, with seven new businesses opening their doors in 2019.

The majority of these bakeries specialize in cakes and cupcakes, though some offer other items such as pies and donuts. The market for specialty items is particularly competitive, with many bakeries offering custom designs that cater to specific dietary needs or themes. This demand has encouraged a larger variety of offerings from existing businesses and attracted more upstart shops to enter the market.

Bend’s bakery scene is driven by its large base of tourists and university students who often seek out unique treats while visiting the city. As a result, many local bakeries have developed memorable branding campaigns that target these customers and feature unique flavors or design styles that set them apart from competitors. These efforts have been rewarded with higher rates of customer loyalty, allowing these businesses to enjoy continued success despite an increasingly crowded marketplace.

Despite its popularity as a destination for bakers and dessert lovers alike, Bend also faces certain challenges that may affect business operations going forward. High rent prices are one such issue; with real estate costs on the rise, it can be difficult for small local businesses to secure an affordable space without sacrificing quality or service standards. Additionally, Bend’s seasonal climate – boasting cold winters and dry summers – makes it difficult for certain items such as ice cream or frozen yogurt to remain popular year-round options for consumers.

Overall, however, Bend remains an excellent location for home-based bakers seeking to expand their operations into a storefront setting due to its vibrant culture and lively atmosphere. With proper planning and execution, Home Sweet Home Baked Goods can position itself as a leader in this growing industry while helping bring more culinary creativity and innovation to the area’s residents and visitors alike.  

Home Sweet Home Baked Goods has an ideal target market that includes both local customers and visitors to Bend, Oregon. The company is particularly passionate about providing locally sourced ingredients in its baked goods, making it a natural draw for people who live in the Bend area.

The local demographic consists primarily of working professionals, families with children, retirees, and university students. These customers are looking for high-quality desserts that cater to their individual dietary needs while also remaining reasonably priced. Home Sweet Home Baked Goods’ emphasis on using local ingredients appeals to this demographic as it shows their commitment to supporting the local economy and providing fresher products.

The company also seeks to attract tourists with its innovative recipes and memorable design themes. Tourists often seek out interesting treats while visiting cities such as Bend due to their limited time frames; baked goods created with original recipes can be a great way to provide these customers with an enjoyable experience that they won’t find anywhere else. Furthermore, its custom designs help create an even more unique experience for each customer – whether a visitor or local resident – by allowing them to customize their order based on specific dietary restrictions or preferences.

Psychographically, Home Sweet Home Baked Goods targets individuals who are looking for quality desserts made from fresh ingredients but don’t want to sacrifice taste or convenience. The company is committed to creating innovative recipes that appeal to customers of all ages and encourages its customers to interact with staff members for advice or suggestions when ordering customized items – this gives them an added sense of security when selecting special orders knowing that they are getting exactly what they need from the bakery’s staff of experienced bakers. Moreover, Home Sweet Home Baked Goods’ commitment to using locally sourced ingredients resonates strongly with individuals who value sustainability and ethical production processes; this connection can become even stronger if the company decides to partner with local farms or purveyors when sourcing their ingredients in the near future.

Overall, Home Sweet Home Baked Goods is aimed at professional adults and families looking for delicious yet affordable treats made from quality ingredients as well as visitors interested in finding original recipes while discovering Bend’s culinary scene. By providing customer service excellence paired with locally sourced ingredients whenever possible, the company seeks not only to build a loyal customer base but also to contribute positively towards the overall development of Bend’s culinary industry.  

Competitor Analysis

Home Sweet Home Baked Goods will be entering a very competitive market in Bend, Oregon. The local bakery market is saturated with many established businesses that have been around for several years, offering a variety of products and services. Therefore, the company must assess the competition and identify its strengths and weaknesses in order to create effective differentiation strategies that will allow it to stand out from the crowd.

One of the main competitors in the region is The Baker’s Dozen Bakery, which has been operating since 2000. The business offers a wide range of baked goods such as cookies, cakes, muffins, brownies, doughnuts and more; their prices are slightly higher than those of Home Sweet Home Baked Goods but customers are willing to pay for their quality products. Furthermore, The Baker’s Dozen Bakery has built a strong reputation by catering events in the area as well as providing custom orders for special occasions. In addition to this, they also offer delivery services throughout Bend; while this may not be a major advantage over Home Sweet Home Baked Goods now due to the pandemic-related restrictions on food service industry operations in most areas, it could potentially become an important asset when things return to normal.

Another competitor is Sweeter Things Bakery & Cafe which has been running since 2013. This business specializes in customized cakes made with fresh ingredients; these expensive desserts appeal to customers looking for something extra special for weddings or birthdays whereas The Baker’s Dozen Bakery focuses more on traditional baked goods such as cupcakes and cookies. Sweeter Things Bakery & Cafe also offers delivery services throughout Bend just like The Baker’s Dozen Bakery – again, this could be an important factor once restrictions are lifted.

Finally, there is Kate’s Cupcakery which opened up in 2016 and focuses solely on cupcakes. While this business does offer unique flavors and custom designs that appeal to customers looking for something different from traditional cupcakes (i.e., gluten-free or vegan baked goods), its menu is limited compared to those offered by both The Baker’s Dozen Bakery and Sweeter Things Bakery & Cafe which provides wider varieties of baked goods plus other pastries like pies or tarts. Additionally, Kate’s Cupcakery does not offer delivery services so customers would have to visit the store if they want one of their cupcakes – this could pose a potential disadvantage if other competitors start providing delivery services once restrictions are lifted due to the pandemic situation.

Overall, while all three businesses have great potential they do not necessarily provide what Home Sweet Home Baked Goods plans on delivering: locally sourced ingredients used whenever possible combined with innovative recipes and custom designs catering specifically towards individual needs – all at reasonable prices that appeal both local residents and visitors alike. By leveraging these aspects that differentiate them from other competitors in the area, Home Sweet Home Baked Goods should be able to position itself as a leader in Bend’s bakery industry while still maintaining a competitive edge.

In order to do so, Home Sweet Home Baked Goods must focus on creating an engaging and unique atmosphere that will draw customers in. This can be done by utilizing modern design approaches and incorporating eco-friendly materials when possible as well as providing custom flavors that cannot be found elsewhere in the city. Offering discounts for orders placed online or through their app could also help to attract more customers while simultaneously cutting operational costs. Additionally, they must ensure that their products are of high quality; offering samples and feedback forms at the store are great ways to get customer opinions on what they like or dislike about a particular product – this information can then be used to make necessary improvements as needed or create new recipes. With the right combination of these elements, Home Sweet Home Baked Goods should be able to stand out from all other competitors in Bend and establish itself as the go-to bakery for all locals and visitors alike.

Home Sweet Home Baked Goods is a home-based bakery that offers locally sourced ingredients and innovative recipes. Our goal is to provide our customers with freshly made, high-quality pastries at reasonable prices. We offer custom flavors and designs for special occasions like weddings or birthdays as well as more traditional items such as cupcakes, cookies, pies, and tarts.

To drive foot traffic to our storefront location in Bend:

• Products : We will focus on creating unique flavors (gluten-free/vegan options) along with custom designs catering specifically to individual needs.
• Price : We will offer competitive prices that appeal both to local residents and visitors alike.
• Promotion : We will use digital marketing methods such as a website, social media platforms, and app ads to reach a wider audience. Additionally, we will create promotional offers like discounts (e.g., 10% off orders placed online or through our app) and free samples at the store.
• Place : To ensure quick delivery times, we will focus on developing relationships with local suppliers so that we can get ingredients quickly and efficiently whenever possible. This way customers can be sure that their orders are always freshly made when they arrive.

Home Sweet Home Baked Goods is a home-based bakery that offers locally sourced ingredients and innovative recipes to customers at reasonable prices. We specialize in custom flavors and designs for special occasions such as weddings or birthdays, as well as more traditional items such as cupcakes, cookies, pies, and tarts. As we expand to a storefront location in Bend, our goal is to create an engaging atmosphere that will draw customers in while providing quality products that can’t be found elsewhere.  

Daily Operations:

We will begin each day by prepping the ingredients and baking batches of our products. This includes sifting flour and pre-measuring all other ingredients so that our pastries are made with the utmost care and precision. In addition, we will also make sure to check the expiration date on all ingredients used to ensure freshness. Once this is done, we will start the baking process using various techniques such as panning dough into sheet pans or molds or piping batters onto parchment paper for cupcakes. After baking has been completed, we will package up the products for sale or delivery depending on customer orders. Finally, we will clean up any messes from the kitchen area before closing for the day.  

Milestones to Achieve:

The following milestones will be necessary to ensure the success of Home Sweet Home Baked Goods.

• Develop Relationships with Local Suppliers – We will create relationships with local suppliers to get fresh ingredients as quickly and efficiently as possible.
• Create a Website and Social Media Platforms – We will need to build a website that advertises our products, informs customers about delivery options, and provides contact information for orders. Additionally, we will develop social media accounts on popular platforms like Instagram and Facebook in order to reach a wider audience and engage customers through content marketing strategies.
• Offer Promotional Offers – We will need to create promotional offers such as discounts or free samples at the store in order to draw more customers into the shop.
• Develop Innovative Recipes – We will need to come up with new flavors, designs, and recipes in order to keep customers coming back for more.
• Increase Visibility – We will need to use strategies such as app ads and digital marketing campaigns in order to increase the visibility of our business and reach more potential customers.

By achieving these milestones, we will be able to create a successful storefront location that provides quality products and an enjoyable atmosphere. Our goal is to become a fixture in the Bend community by creating a safe space where people can come together over delicious baked goods.  

The management team at Home Sweet Home Baked Goods is comprised of Jill Davis and her husband Sam. Jill and Sam have been a dynamic duo since they first met in college, and their enthusiasm for baking has helped them to build an empire out of their passion.

Jill is the co-founder and head baker at Home Sweet Home Baked Goods. She is a talented pastry chef with a keen eye for detail, ensuring that every product they produce meets their high standards. She has spent years perfecting her craft, creating innovative recipes with locally sourced ingredients to meet the needs of their customers. Her creativity and skill in the kitchen have earned her renown among local bakers, and she often receives requests from customers to create custom flavors or designs for special occasions such as weddings or birthdays.

Sam serves as co-founder and CEO of Home Sweet Home Baked Goods. He brings his wealth of business knowledge, acting as a strategic partner to Jill by overseeing operations, developing marketing strategies, and securing connections with suppliers. Sam’s dedication to customer service ensures that every customer gets the best possible experience when ordering from Home Sweet Home Baked Goods. His commitment to excellence has enabled them to consistently provide quality products at reasonable prices.

Together, Jill and Sam have turned a hobby into a successful business that specializes in fresh baked goods made with love for each customer who comes through its doors or orders online. Their passion for baking has enabled them to grow from a small home-based bakery into an established storefront location where they can continue providing exceptional products while getting to know their community better than ever before.  

Home Sweet Home Baked Goods is dedicated to providing quality baked goods and an enjoyable atmosphere for their customers. To ensure the success of their storefront, they need to create a comprehensive financial plan that outlines their projected growth and profitability.

In summary, Home Sweet Home Baked Goods’ financial plan is based on the following assumptions:

• Initial Start-Up Capital – We will need to raise initial start-up capital of $30,000 in order to cover expenses such as rent, equipment, and inventory for our storefront location.
• Profitability – We anticipate a 10% increase in sales every month, resulting in a steady growth of profitability.
• Cost of Goods Sold – We estimate our cost of goods sold to be 35% which is lower than the industry average due to our commitment to quality ingredients and competitive prices.
• Working Capital – Our working capital requirement will need to be adequate enough to cover at least three months of inventory, wages for staff, and other operating expenses.
• Financing – We plan to raise funds from a combination of personal savings, investors, and bank loans in order to meet our initial start-up capital requirements.
• Expansion – We anticipate the need for additional space or equipment within 12 months of opening.
• Taxes – We plan to pay estimated taxes quarterly throughout the year in order to remain compliant with federal regulations.

These assumptions will form the basis of our financial plan for Home Sweet Home Baked Goods and will help us to determine how we should allocate funds in order to reach our desired business goals. With this financial plan, we hope to transition Home Sweet Home Baked Goods into a successful storefront business.  

Sample Menu

1. Fresh Bread:

• White Sandwich Loaf
• Whole Wheat Loaf
• Raisin Walnut Bread
• Italian Herb & Cheese Loaf
• Cinnamon Swirl Bread

2. Cookies:

• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Peanut Butter Cookies
• Vanilla Layer Cake with Strawberry Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting
• Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

4. Pies and Tarts:

• Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
• Lemon Meringue Tart

5. Specialty Desserts:

6. Coffee Drinks & Teas:

• Cold Brew Coffee

7. Smoothies & Shakes:

• Strawberry Banana Smoothie
• Mango Pineapple Shake

Financial Statements

Balance sheet.

[insert financial statement]

Income Statement

Cash flow statement, bakery business plan example pdf.

Download our bakery business plan pdf here. This is a free bakery business plan example to help you get started on your own bakery plan.

How to Finish Your Bakery Business Plan in 1 Day!

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your bakery business plan?

With Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template you can finish your plan in just 8 hours or less!

How to Create a Home Bakery Business Plan (Template Included!)

by Aurelia Lambrechts | Home Baking Biz Tips

How to Create a Home Bakery Business Plan

I’m beyond excited that you’ve decided to take action to read this post because your life could be starting on a NEW path from here on out…

Deciding to create your Home Bakery Business Plan means that you are actively responding to your dream. Today your dream has officially started to become a reality.

Acknowledging that you are a baker at heart is extremely difficult in our corporate world. It’s frowned upon to pursue a career that’s RICH in CREATIVITY and IMAGINATION.

So I just want to give you a room full of applause for being brave enough to start accepting who you were made to be.

We are Home Bakers and the world needs us.

The world needs the comfort, joy and hope that pure home baking brings.

And that’s why I’ve made this post and  FREE Workbook to help you create your own Home Bakery Business Plan !

I want to give you the jump start you need to start your Home Bakery.

Creating your business plan will give you a lot of insight into yourself, your ideal clients, what you want to bake and why you want to do it.

Most importantly it will help you figure out where you want to go …

Because “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.”

By outlining where you want your business to go, you have a much greater chance at success because you will always be aware of where you are heading.

Your free Home Bakery Business Plan workbook is waiting for you in my free Resource Library. Follow this blue link to access the library and then download & print out your workbook 👉 Access your free workbook here!

Awesome! Let’s get stared!

YOUR HOME BAKERY BUSINESS PLAN

Step #1: your executive summary.

It might sound super intimidating to create an “executive summary”, but don’t worry 🙂 An executive summary is super easy to create through answering a few questions. It’s basically just about WHAT you do and WHY you do it…

IF YOU HAVEN’T STARTED YOUR HOME BAKERY YET:

You might not be able to a nswer all of the questions below yet, BUT you can share your research and all the steps you’re taking to ensure your business’s success.

1. YOUR MISSION STATEMENT

What is the purpose of your Home Bakery? What value do you add to your city/town? Why did you start your Home Bakery Business?

2. HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR GROWTH

3. your products & services.

Write down a short summary of the products & services your Home Bakery will offer in order to make your business profitable.

4. YOUR GOALS FOR YOUR HOME BAKERY

Time to dream, my friend! What are your goals for your Home Bakery?

What do you want your business to look like 1 year from now, 2 years from now and 5 years from now?

STEP #2: Your Home Bakery Business Description

Now we are going to dive into your business culture & brand which is something that EVERY business is either working on or has figured out.

1. WHAT SETS YOUR HOME BAKERY APART?

Why should someone buy from YOUR Home Bakery above others? What makes your business different?

2. THE PEOPLE YOU SERVE

Every business needs clients in order to survive and thrive! So it’s super important to define WHO your business’s ideal clients are:

How old are they? What do they do for a living? What do they care about most? Why have they come to your baking business? How can you help them? What are their goals & aspirations? What are their hobbies? Which things make them happy?

3. YOUR HOME BAKERY’S CULTURE & BRAND

Another way to think of “culture & brand” is simply to see it as your business’s personality & looks; it’s the first impression that clients get from your Home Bakery Business…

When people interact with your Home Bakery, what do you want them to feel? How would you describe your Home Bakery’s Personality? What purpose does your Home Bakery serve?

4. YOUR HOME BAKERY’S ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Organizational Structure simply refers to the legal definition of your business. If you are the only person working in your Home Bakery – which is pretty much always the case – then you are automatically defined as a “ sole proprietor “.

Even if there’s one other person in your business who cleans for you or helps you out with deliveries or admin, etc. you are still a sole proprietor.

You’ll include this organizational structure definition when submitting your tax information each year.

Related: Home Bakery Certificates, Licenses and Insurance

If you decide to expand your Home Bakery in the future, you can do the necessary research to figure out whether you should register your business as a Partnership, CC, LLC, etc.

The motivation for changing your business to one of these other organizational structures is for financial reasons. If your business should go bankrupt while you are a sole proprietor, then YOU are by definition bankrupt as well.

But if you have an LLC, CC, etc. then only your business will be bankrupt and not YOU as a person.

This may sound like super scary stuff, but you don’t need to worry AT ALL, okay? Home Bakeries typically do not shuffle around tens of thousands of dollars each day so our risk is SIGNIFICANTLY lower.

We also typically do not buy like 5 company cars and employ 20 people and stuff like that.

Our Home Bakeries are small and safe 🙂

STEP #3: Competitor Analysis

Before launching your Home Bakery business, I encourage you to THOROUGHLY research your largest competitors (popular bakeries with staff) and other Home Bakeries in your city, town and suburb.

Doing this is important because it will enable you to make more informed decisions and chart your own, unique course moving forward that serves a REAL need in your community and beyond.

Be mindful when you’re researching & analyzing your competitors though…

It’s SO EASY to be swooped up in a wave of comparison when you look at other Bakeries; their high skill level, beautiful website & branding, EPIC social media…

Guard your heart and analyze with your HEAD. Be HAPPY for them because they’ve worked super hard to get to where they are.

They may be your competitors, but they are NOT your enemies.

ALWAYS BE HAPPY FOR OTHER BAKERIES. BAKERS SUPPORT EACH OTHER AND THEIR SUCCESS. PERIOD.

See these businesses as inspiration for where YOU could be in a few months! It’s 100% possible!! By completing this home bakery business plan you’re taking a GIANT LEAP towards your own success!

Related: 5 Mindsets Shifts of Successful Home Bakery Owners

Also, I know all too well how tempting it is to just copy their cakes, their designs, their website design etc., but doing this will ONLY DAMAGE YOUR BUSINESS!!

They became successful by doing THEIR own thing and so will you if you do YOUR own thing.

Now, when doing your competitor analysis, you’ll want to take the following steps:

1. IDENTIFY YOUR COMPETITORS

Now you’re going to list of all of your competitors. Which other Bakeries bake goods that are similar to yours (or similar to what you want to bake in the future)?

Write down the Bakery’s name with links to their website & social media:

The Free Home Bakery Business Plan Workbook has very handy spaces for you to easily fill in 👉 Access your free workbook here!

If you’re brand new to the Home Bakery scene, then you may not know who your competitors are.

Here are a few ways to find them:

• Search on Google: This is the easiest way to find your competitors. Search phrases like “delicious cake [your town/city]”. You can even get more specific by searching for “home bakery [your suburb]” which will give you results for Home Bakeries closest to you. I encourage you to click through to look at all result pages from 1 – 4 to get a more thorough scope (and because Home Bakeries mostly not listed first).
• Search on Social Media: Social media – especially Instagram – is THE place to be for businesses today. Bakeries that are worthy competitors will have social media accounts. Search hashtags in Instagram like #[your city]cakes or #[your city]food. Or simply search for “Home Bakery [your city]”.

2. STRATEGIES & GOALS OF YOUR COMPETITORS

Cool, now that we know who your main competitors are we need to find out what their angle is for reaching their ideal clients – because you can learn from them and also readjust your own strategy accordingly.

What are they promoting? (Their products, services, lifestyles, feelings…)

What strategies do your competitors have in common ? (Like Instagram lives, Facebook lives, certain types of promotions or giveaways…)

Which things  set each competitor apart from the others on your list? (What do they do differently than all the rest?)

What goals do your competitors have? (I know you’re not a mind reader, but what assumptions can you make from analyzing their business? Sometimes Bakeries will even share their goals on their about pages on their websites…)

3. PRICE RANGE OF YOUR COMPETITORS

Check out the prices of all of your competitors for each different type of bake they sell. This will give you a better idea of what your future clients will be comfortable paying for baked goods.

4. STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES OF YOUR COMPETITORS

Now that you’ve analysed each of your competitor’s websites, social media, products & services, you should have a pretty good idea of:

who they are, what they are doing, why they are doing it, who they are doing it for and where they are going with their business…

Let’s dig a little deeper. Use the next section on the home bakery business plan workbook to make a list of some of their strengths and weaknesses.

What are they super good at and what can they improve on or change completely ?

STEP #4: Audience & Market Research

Back in STEP #2 of your home bakery business plan we identified and described your Home Bakery’s ideal client. Go ahead and look back to refresh your memory because now we’re going to dig deeper…

1. SURVEY YOUR AUDIENCE

Surveys are hands-down the best way to gather priceless insights into the minds and needs of the people you want to serve – especially because surveys are anonymous.

People tend to share their TRUE desires and thoughts a lot easier when they have the security of anonymity.

Create your own FREE survey on SurveyMonkey or Typeform and then share it with your audience. I recommend sharing it with your email contacts, your social media, local family & friends.

You don’t want your survey to be too long – because then people will be too lazy to answer the questions! Trust me… Keep it to 3 questions 😉

What are the best 3 questions you can ask your audience to understand their needs & desires better?

2. HOW CAN YOU HELP/SERVE YOUR AUDIENCE?

In Step #2 we covered your brand’s personality and in Step 3 we defined the brand personality of your Competitors. With this information in mind, here are a few questions for you…

How can YOU, as a unique human being & baker, help your audience?

What makes your Home Bakery different from all other Bakeries (big & small)?

In what ways can your Home Bakery’s unique qualities benefit your ideal client that’s different from all the other Bakeries in your town/city & suburb?

STEP #5: Your Home Bakery’s Products & Services

And now it’s time for the BEST part – your baked goods & services! Yay! 😄

These are the 2 things that will bring profit to your Home Bakery , so it’s super important to put thought, heart and proper planning into this…

1. YOUR MENU – THE BAKED GOODS YOU WILL OFFER

Which products do your ideal clients need? Refer back to the answers from your survey to get good ideas.

HOWEVER, I do believe that people are aware of what they want, but they aren’t necessarily always aware of what they NEED. So trust your own talents and passion on this as well…

2. THE BAKED GOODS YOU WILL NOT OFFER

Defining what you DON’T bake is just as important as defining what you DO bake. Which products will NOT be on your menu and why?

I’ve also got an amazing free guide for you in my Home Bakery Resource Library to help you find the perfect niche for your business. Join the library to get the free guide on finding your niche.

3. YOUR SERVICES – WHAT YOU WILL OFFER

Which services do your ideal clients need? Refer back to the answers from your survey to get good ideas.

Will you offer delivery? Are you considering to offer customization? Will you offer on-site catering or set-ups? Will you offer rental services for cake stands etc.? Get specific here.

4. THE SERVICES YOU WILL NOT OFFER

Defining which services you DON’T offer is just as important as defining which services you DO offer. Which services will you not offer and why?

5. HOW ARE YOUR PRODUCTS & SERVICES DIFFERENT?

Refer back to your competitor research: How are your products & services different from theirs? Is there anything you could add that would make your menu & services feel even more valuable than theirs?

This sure is a LOT of information to keep track of! You can easily have it all on hand by downloading your free Home Bakery Business Plan Workbook 👉 Access your free workbook here!

STEP #6: Your Home Bakery’s Sales & Marketing Strategy

  Wow! Look how far you’ve come already – I’m so proud of you for putting in all this hard work to create your Home Bakery’s Business Plan…

It’s the first and biggest step you can take to start turning your Home Bakery dreams into a reality! 😄

The last step in your home bakery business plan is working out your sales & marketing strategy. Without a strategy there’s nothing you can do besides “waiting and hoping” your business will grow. A strategy makes it all REAL! Let’s dive in!

1. HOW WILL YOU MARKET YOUR BUSINESS & BAKES?

Take some time to consider which platforms and methods you want to use to market your business and baked goods…

Do you want to use a Facebook group, page or ads? Are there some local Food Markets you’d like to trade at? Do you have some contacts and connections who love your baked goods you can ask to “spread the word” via email or with a flyer?

RELATED: The 4 Essentials of Home Bakery Marketing

Once you’ve decided on some methods, research them online for better results.

2. YOUR MARKETING SCHEDULE

It’s important to set a day and time aside for yourself to spend on Marketing – otherwise life will find a way of soaking up all of your time! When will it be?

Related: How to Plan your Home Bakery’s Work Schedule

3. LAUNCHING YOUR HOME BAKERY (IF YOU’RE NEW)

If you haven’t started your Home Bakery yet, it will help to create a “launch” strategy for your business. How will your business officially come into existence?

What are some things you can do to launch your Home Bakery with a bang and get people excited about what you bake?

4. HOW WILL YOU GROW YOUR HOME BAKERY?

You’ve made it to the last question! Congrats! This last section is about coming up with strategies to grow your business.

This doesn’t necessarily mean employing staff and moving to a larger facility (or opening a retail bakery) – unless that’s what you desire.  This last section pertains more to how you will grow your profits and client base.

Will you outsource certain tasks like cleaning, branding, photography, deliveries, social media management, website building, etc.?

Will you expand your menu & services?

How will you look after your clients to keep them coming back?

Think about things that you can do to keep your Home Bakery Business growing and thriving.

And that concludes your Home Bakery Business Plan my friend! I’m so proud of you for taking action and taking this first step towards starting your baking business 😄

Now you might be wondering, what happens next?

The perfect next step for you is to check out my Ultimate Guide to Starting a Part-Time or Full-Time Home Bakery.

What info are you looking for?

Hi! I’m Aurelia 🙂

I help home bakers create a Home Bakery Business with consistent orders so they never have to worry about a stable income.

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Local News | Pastry Pants bakery in Swarthmore holds grand…

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Local news | pastry pants bakery in swarthmore holds grand opening on sunday, owner who ran home-based bakery moves to storefront in heart of swarthmore.

Pastry Pants, a new bakery owned by borough resident Robert Smythe, will hold its grand opening, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 10 Park Ave., in the Swarthmore Town Center.

The bakery will feature croissants, baguettes, cupcakes, cookies, breads, macaroons, cakes, tarts, pies and much more.

“I will feature a wide variety of bakery items, depending on what customers want and request,” Smythe said.

He has hired seven full and part-time employees who are all trained by him. Bread baker Jerome Sheehan, who pleased customers with his baking skills at Pastry Pants’ former location, is on board at its new location, as well.

“All employees will be versatile,” Smythe said. “They will not only know how to bake, but they will also wait on the customers so they will be knowledgeable on every product sold.”

Smythe is advertising the event as a “grand re-opening,” as he previously had a home-based bakery business that he started during the pandemic. Local residents would line up in his driveway, anticipating various baked goods made fresh daily. Pastry Pants became neighborhood-famous for Bavarian pretzels, tarts, croissants, madeleines, brownies, butter crunch popcorn, muffins, cinnamon buns and more, all baked from scratch.

Smythe’s new bakery storefront is the realization of a longtime dream.

Born and raised in New England, Smythe met and fell in love with his wife Susan, when they were sophomores at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. After graduation, they relocated to the Philadelphia area, where Smythe earned a Master of Fine Arts in theater and playwriting at Temple University.

Smythe founded the former Mum Puppet Theatre where he worked for 25 years. He also taught theater history courses at Temple. He was a company member of Hedgerow Theatre from 2017-2020.

Although his life was entrenched in the arts, Smythe never stopped baking. Even during graduate school, Smythe began a sourdough-bread subscription service and made and delivered 50 pounds of sourdough bread each week to customers.

“I love to eat,” he shared. “As a kid, I realized early on that the only way to get the food that I wanted, was to make it myself.”

By playing around in the kitchen, Smythe discovered his talent and passion for baking. As the second eldest of 21 first cousins, he would make each of them their annual birthday cake.

Meanwhile, Susan, who holds degrees in engineering, has been a construction project manager at Swarthmore College for 35 years. Most recently, she was instrumental in planning and building the college’s new dining center.

Robert opened and was the lead baker at the bakery, located at Swarthmore College Dining Center.

After COVID hit, his work at the college bakery came to a standstill.

Smythe noticed that the Village Vine Wine Bar and Bistro, located two doors down from his soon-to-be bakery location, was packed with customers during the pandemic. He talked to owner Jill Gaieski and Village Vine’s executive chef Krupa Patel and soon had a job as the restaurant’s pastry chef.

He immediately began impressing customers with specialty desserts like Lemon Polenta Cake, Key Lime Pie Bars, Chocolate Croissants, Caramelized Pineapple Cake, and Madame Sarah Abbot’s Gingerbread.

The latter took 45 years to get the recipe to perfection after craving a gingerbread that he enjoyed long ago as a young student at the Abbott Academy boarding school in Andover, Massachusetts. When he finally felt he perfected the gingerbread to taste like the delectable cake made by the school’s chef years earlier, he named it after her.

“Chef Patel, who is now a sous chef at the Four Seasons in Philadelphia, was very generous to me with her compliments,” Smythe remembers. “She would say ‘You have no idea how good you are.’ ”

With his confidence boosted by Chef Patel’s encouragement and customers’ raves, Smythe decided to realize his dream and go into business for himself.

The baker converted his home wood shop, located in the garden of his Swarthmore home, into a cottage kitchen and an array of baked goods and word spread.

He opened on Labor Day 2023 and was jammed daily with customers. He’d post the day’s featured baked goods on social media to entice customers, and it worked. From the first day onward, customers lined up in all kinds of weather to buy the treats.

“We rarely ever had a leftover from the day,” Smythe shared. “That’s another reason why we wanted to move to a bigger place: to serve more customers.”

When he opened the bakery, he had no doubt what he would call it. His good friend teasingly nicknamed him “Pastry Pants,” because he’d always show up at social gatherings with his arms laden with baked goods.

“I knew I couldn’t name it anything else,” he smiled.

As his little home bakery on Cornell Avenue was growing in popularity for cakes, cookies and breads, so were his thoughts of opening up a storefront bakery in the borough’s business hub.

When he heard Occasionally Yours Catering and Restaurant was vacating 10 Park Ave. after 35 years, he immediately made a serious inquiry about the store.

“Space rarely opens up in the Swarthmore Town Center,” Smythe shared. “April 1 was Occasionally Yours’ final day and I went to work right away to renovate.”

Smythe hopes the storefront location will be like a 1925 European bakery, where customers will wander in off the street when they’re walking around town, and watch the bakers in the kitchen as they mix the batter, twist the pretzels and knead the bread.

He emphasized how important it is to have the people selling the baked goods being the same ones who also made them.

“I want the customers who come through the door to smell the smells, talk to us, and watch us make our baked goods from scratch,” he said. “This is very important to me.”

Pastry Pants

Location: 10 Park Ave., Swarthmore.

Store hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday to Friday; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday; and closed Sunday and Monday after the grand opening.

For more information: Call 610-328-3963 or visit pastrypants.com or follow Pastry Pants on Facebook or Instagram.

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Duston's Bakery building listed for $1.85M. Owners explain grand plan to expand.

DOVER — The Duston’s Bakery and Deli building has been listed for $1.85 million, though the owners of the longstanding business don’t plan on walking away from the 53-year-old institution. Instead, they’re doubling down and looking to expand beyond Dover.

Dennis and Krista LaBrasca are attempting to sell the building at 153 Portland Ave., and lease the space back from the new owner as they renovate the interior. The plan doesn’t stop there. The LaBrascas’ goal is to open a second Duston’s location in the Portsmouth or Newington area.

Dennis LaBrasca sees an opportunity for growth for the business due to an influx of customers following the closures in Dover of Earl’s Steak Sandwiches and the Sassy Biscuit. By renovating the existing building alone, the LaBrascas project a 25% to 35% jump in sales. 

“As these other places close down, we keep picking up people,” he said.

The Portland Avenue building was listed Tuesday through realtor Bob Marchewka of Brick & Barn Group | Compass real estate in Portsmouth. The LaBrascas have owned the business and the building since 2022, when they bought it from founder Bob Duston, who was retiring.

More Dover news: Removal of trees causes heartbreak. City official offers explanation.

The commercial sale and lease back listing calls for the building to be sold for $1.85 million, then leased back to the LaBrascas for a decade at $180,000 per year. 

“They would still be operating the business,” Marchewka said of the Duston’s owners. “They would still be using the building. They would then use the funds from the sale of the building for improvements for the business and expand the building.”

Though dependent on the sale of the building and market factors, the LaBrascas wish to take on a “complete facelift” of the 10,400-square-foot building, according to Dennis LaBrasca. New floors, a new ceiling and a new alarm system would be installed, while combining the kitchen with its downstairs baking station and leaving the first floor open for retail operations and interior dining.

Parking at Duston’s would also be expanded from 31 spaces to 56, he said. 

“Once the building is sold, let’s say we sell it July 1, the renovations would begin as soon as possible,” he said. 

A timeline for the upgrades and potentially finding a second Seacoast site to house a new Duston’s location would be dependent on the sale of the Dover property. Dennis LaBrasca envisions opening a second Duston’s not in downtown Portsmouth, but in another high-traffic location on the outskirts of the city, or potentially in Newington.

"(Customers can expect) the same high-quality, fresh-made products we have now, just more of them,” he said of the future renovation and expansion in Dover. “You walk in now, our place looks nice. But if you walked in (afterward), everything (would be) brand new.”

More local news: Sonny's Tavern of Dover opening second location in Rochester

In 1971, Bob Duston, then 20 years old, purchased a small business on Broadway Street, renaming it Duston’s Market. He moved the business to multiple locations over the years before settling on Portland Avenue for decades.

The LaBrascas are betting on the business and attempting to attract more customers for years to come.

“It’s been a very communicative, very friendly, very welcoming last few years,” Dennis LaBrasca said of business in Dover. “We feel very grateful for the last two years.”

Patriotic Red, White, and Blue Vanilla Cake Recipe for Memorial Day

Celebrate Memorial Day with a burst of patriotic colors by baking a Red, White, and Blue Vanilla Cake! This delightful recipe is perfect for adding a fun and festive touch to your holiday gatherings. Layer moist vanilla cake with vibrant red and blue berries, and top it off with a creamy, white frosting. It’s a sweet way to honor the day and impress your guests with a deliciously beautiful dessert. Whether you’re hosting a BBQ or a family picnic, this cake is sure to be the star of your celebration. Bake, share, and enjoy the patriotic spirit with every bite!

Don't forget you can find all of these ingredients right at your local Tops store. Busy? Shop Tops online as well to fufill all of your grocery needs.

Sweet Pea Bakery’s Vanilla Cake

• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Whisk dry ingredients together and set aside.

3. Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, 1 minute.

4. Add sugar to the butter and beat until creamy, 4 more minutes.

5. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla.

6. Beat in the flour in three batches on low speed, alternating with milk. Beat on medium-high speed until just combined.

7. Pour into greased pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, move to wire rack.

Sweet Pea Bakery’s Whipped Cream

• 1 cup cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
• 2 tbsp confectioner’s sugar
• ½ tsp cream of tartar or 1 tbsp cornstarch
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

1. Mix together cream of tartar or cornstarch and confectioner’s sugar.

2. Using a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sugar mixture, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 3-4 minutes.

3. Use immediately or cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

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Bakery Business Plans

Delicatessen and bakery business plan.

The Bronx Deli and Bakery will bring a slice of New York to Willow Creek, offering sandwiches, baked goods, and top-notch coffee.

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Do you have a knack for baking? Special bread or dessert recipes that your friends and family are always chatting excitedly about? Ever wanted to open your own bakery but just don’t know where to start?

Check out these sample bakery business plans and get inspired to start building your own bakery today. You can also read our comprehensive guide on how to write a bakery business plan .

The quickest way to turn a business idea into a business plan

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British prime minister rishi sunak sets election date for uk.

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British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday set July 4 as the date for a national election that will determine who governs the U.K., choosing a day of good economic news to urge voters to give his governing Conservatives another chance.

“Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future,” Sunak said.

Sunak’s center-right party has seen its support dwindle steadily after 14 years in power. It has struggled to overcome a series of crises including an economic slump, ethics scandals and a revolving door of leaders in the past two years.

The center-left Labour Party is strongly favored to defeat Sunak’s party.

Speculation about an imminent election mounted after Sunak called a Cabinet meeting for Wednesday afternoon – rather than the usual Tuesday – and Foreign Secretary David Cameron flew back early from a trip to Albania to attend.

The election will be held against the backdrop of a cost-of-living crisis and deep divisions over how to deal with migrants and asylum seekers making risky English Channel crossings from Europe.

The announcement came the same day official figures showed inflation in the U.K. had fallen sharply to 2.3%, its lowest level in nearly three years on the back of big declines in domestic bills.

The drop in April marks the greatest progress to date on five pledges Sunak made in January 2023, including halving inflation, which had climbed to above 11% at the end of 2022. Sunak hailed the new figure as a sign his plan was working.

“Today marks a major moment for the economy, with inflation back to normal,” Sunak said Wednesday. “Brighter days are ahead, but only if we stick to the plan to improve economic security and opportunity for everyone.”

Voters across the United Kingdom will choose all 650 members of the House of Commons for a term of up to five years. The party that commands a majority in the Commons, either alone or in coalition, will form the next government and its leader will be prime minister.

Labour leader Keir Starmer, a former chief prosecutor for England and Wales, is the current favorite. The party’s momentum has built since it dealt the Conservatives heavy losses in local elections earlier this month.

The Conservatives have also lost a series of special elections for seats in Parliament this year, and two of its lawmakers recently defected to Labour.

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Following on his party’s successes in the local elections, Starmer, 61, last week announced a platform focused on economic stability after years of soaring inflation as he tries to win over disillusioned voters.

He also pledged to improve border security, recruit more teachers and police and reduce lengthy waiting lists at hospitals and doctors′ clinics across the country.

Elections in the U.K. have to be held no more than five years apart, but the prime minister can choose the timing within that period. Sunak, 44, had until December to call an election. The last one was in December 2019.

Many political analysts had anticipated that a fall election would give Conservatives a better chance of maintaining power. That’s because economic conditions may improve further, voters could feel the effect of recent tax cuts, interest rates may come down and a controversial plan to deport some asylum-seekers to Rwanda — a key policy for Sunak — could take flight.

Sunak had been noncommittal about the election date, repeatedly saying — as late as lunchtime on Wednesday — that he expected it would be in the second half of the year.

Although inflation has fallen, Sunak’s other promises — to grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists to see a doctor at the state-run National Health Service and stop the influx of migrants crossing the English Channel — have seen less success.

He has struggled after entering office following the disastrous tenure of Liz Truss, who lasted only 49 days after her economic policies rocked financial markets. Truss had been chosen by party members after Boris Johnson was ousted over a series of ethics scandals.

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At this inclusive coffee shop, the mission is grander than a latte

In Florida, Coffee Uniting People employs workers with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

TAMPA — Danielle Ciaravino leans over the cash register at CUP in South Tampa , deliberately and diligently tapping all the correct keys to correspond with my order of an iced latte.

She considers it for a second and asks me what kind of milk I want. I tell her oat. She taps another key. She asks if I want any flavors, and I tell her hazelnut — don’t judge — and taps again. After another pause, she asks if I want anything else, and I look at the pastry case and ask for an almond cookie, because why not? That generates another tap.

It also cues Ciaravino’s colleague, Carlos Hernandez, to open the pastry case. He grabs a pair of tongs and contemplates the two almond cookies available. He asks another colleague which one looks best, which I take as a sign that Hernandez is looking out for me.

Ciaravino, 27, hands me my latte, then Hernandez, 23, gives me the cookie he matched to me. From order to fulfillment, it took maybe three minutes. If you were just watching this all unfold, it might have appeared a little slow, just because every motion wasn’t as fluid as you might be used to at a typical coffee shop. But this isn’t a typical coffee shop, and that’s something to celebrate.

CUP is an acronym for Coffee Uniting People, and its mission is to employ people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Some of the challenges the 38 employees face derive from conditions including autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and traumatic brain injury.

The cafe opened in 2023, but the origin story began about 10 years ago, at a Little League Baseball game. Greg Jones, a lawyer who lives in South Tampa, was talking to a friend who said that he needed to take his special needs child to a league almost an hour away because the local leagues didn’t have a division to accommodate him. That didn’t seem right to Jones, who was president of the Palma Ceia Little League at the time, so he helped establish a Challenger program, giving more kids a chance to play. He didn’t have a kid that needed that league; he just felt compelled to help solve a problem that wasn’t his own.

Years later, as he began looking at what he would do beyond his career, he started contemplating the nonprofit sector, enrolled at the University of Florida and earned a master’s degree in family and youth sciences and a certificate in nonprofit leadership.

Then one day he says he was out jogging when he started thinking about what the kids in that baseball program would do when they become adults. Fueled by endorphins and humidity, he germinated an idea to open a coffee shop that employed people with special needs to work alongside neurotypical adults. He wanted to give them an opportunity to be part of the fabric of society. He formed a board from like-minded neighbors and got to work.

The initial plan was to open a coffee shop in his church, Bayshore Baptist, but that got scuttled by zoning issues. So he decided to dream bigger and made a deal for a spot on South Dale Mabry Highway, one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares, for the first cafe. Volunteers and donors helped with the build out, an expensive proposition even at a fraction of the market value of the work.

But a funny thing happened on the way to opening that first cafe in the summer of 2023, and it meant that the first planned one would become the second to open.

A couple miles away in downtown Tampa, the Embarc Collective, a nonprofit organization that provides advice and infrastructure for start-ups, had lost the coffee shop that served its building and was looking for a new tenant for the space. Start-ups, perhaps not surprisingly, are largely powered on caffeine.

When Embarc’s chief executive, Lakshmi Shenoy, heard about CUP, she offered them the space. No build out required. Just come in and start brewing.

For Shenoy, who stops in in the afternoon for a tea, it was an extension of the mission. Embarc is a nonprofit that helps start-ups, and CUP is a nonprofit start-up that just happened to fill a need.

For Jones, it was an acceleration toward the dream of multiple locations. It meant that he could hire twice as many people as he had initially planned. (The cafe has about three dozen employees, and roughly that many more on a waiting list to work there.)

Jones says that CUP is limited only by its own limitations. Which I take to mean he’d like to have just enough cafes to give an opportunity to everyone on the waiting list.

CUP is similar in mission to Bitty & Beau’s, a North Carolina-based chain of 20 shops spread around the country. It describes itself as a human rights movement disguised as a coffee shop and employs about 400 people with special needs. The models are a little different, though: CUP is a nonprofit, meaning any profits legally must be reinvested in the company to benefit the mission. But Bitty & Beau’s success serves to embolden the goals of CUP.

Sitting in either of the CUP cafes is a good way to lift your spirits. The clientele seems to be there to support the mission as much as they are to get a caffeine fix. Some customers aren’t shy about talking about who their favorite employees are and detail progress they’ve witnessed over the months.

Many customers have a personal stake in the cafe. Jane Ramos says this is the only place she goes for coffee anymore, and when a friend wants to meet for coffee, she stipulates that it be at CUP. Her loyalty may largely be driven by the fact that her daughter Emily works here, but when I catch her here, Emily has already left for the day.

I wanted to talk to some of those employees, but I didn’t want to intrude. Turns out, just about everyone was excited to take a break from work to talk about how much they love their jobs.

In the morning at the South Tampa location, Anna Shoop, 24, was a little shy at first. I heard her tell one of her co-workers she was nervous about being interviewed — but then after introducing herself, she surprised me with a hug. She answered my questions with enthusiasm. What’s her favorite job at the cafe? “Serve coffee to everyone!” I asked what she had to learn to do the job. “Cleaning everything!” then she detailed how everything gets cleaned. I asked her favorite people to work with, and she fired off three names, then quickly added who she doesn’t care to work with (but that was off the record).

Later, at the downtown location, I met Cameron Shaw, 23. He politely answered my questions — he enjoys making coffee for others, but doesn’t drink it himself — without expounding on anything. But then I found out that he’s learning to bake, and we suddenly had a lot to talk about, including the apple pie that ended up as a soupy mess, an experience I told him I shared. (Apple pie is harder than it looks, Cameron.)

Then he pulled out his phone to show me a photo of a Kit Kat cake he made that was clearly an unmitigated success. Baking has captured his interest enough that he has interviewed for a job at Mike’s Pies, a local bakery that makes the pies that CUP sells in its cafes.

And that’s an integral part of CUP’s business model. In the food industry, it’s unusual for a business to hope that the employees it invests time and effort in training go out and find jobs elsewhere, but that’s seen as a major victory here. Not just because of the success it signals for that employee, but because it creates a spot for the next person on the waiting list to get their chance.

A day after my visit to CUP, I found myself in a Starbucks near Disney World in Orlando. The place was swamped, and there was a sign on the cash register that said that drinks and food orders would probably take 25 minutes to fill. It took closer to 40, but that’s not really the point.

I took the opportunity to watch the chaos. There were a lot of moving parts, the workers were moving fast — and they weren’t really catching up. I thought about how much care Danielle Ciaravino had shown in taking my order the day before. And how here, it didn’t really appear that anyone was as concerned about making the right choice for me as Carlos Hernandez had been. At CUP, they had managed all that in about three minutes.

Sometimes patience is a matter of perspective.