Microbakeries
Lots of impressive work on microbakeries to be found around here, and I'd like to start a new thread dedicated to it.
I'm particularly interested in a few issues:
- equipping a small one person operation
- design of small spaces for bread productivity/quality/efficiency
- production capacity and scheduling
Of course, links to great examples/stories/resources are great too...
I think my first big questions (althouth they are all so interdependent) are about:
- choosing an oven and...
- production quantities.
Some neat examples of people making beautiful bread in conventional home ovens, but a small modular commercial deck oven with steam is really my ideal (except from the standpoint of $$$ of course). Having used commercial equipment, I realize how nice it is.
But now, the smart reader would say...but you didn't say how much you want to produce! I don't know that yet (and that depends on my equipment/space), but I'd like to be able to get up to around 50 loaves per baking day, doing a couple bakes per week, but I'm not sure what is reasonable for one person to produce, doing all sourdough with overnight retard of shaped loaves.
Mine just started small - standard (but well equipped) domestic kitchen, Stanley range cooker (think Aga, but a smaller oven) We were making cupcakes for a small local shop once a week and doing the occasional "outside catering" type of job - buffet suppers, lunches, small partys (and an afternoon tea for 100 people once too)
Then the bread started to get popular and a new local wholefoods shop opened and I started to make bread daily for them - just 2 loaves a day, then it grew...
I'd no idea how it would grow (nor if I wanted it to!) so after a few months of that when I needed 2 runs through the home oven to get 4 loaves, I got the cheapest domestic oven I could get locally. £195 for a Beko oven designed to be fitted into a standard workspace. That worked well for almost a year when more local shops wanted bread, cakes and so on.
The issue at that point was what to get next - I knew about Rofcos but at the time it was a direct import from Belgium and there were a few not-so-happy stories floating about the 'net about them, so decided not to. The other issue was electrical power - most deck ovens are three phase and installing that in a domestic house is very expensive here. There are some that can be converted to single phase, but that would require re-wiring anyway to handle the load.
So I got the biggest oven that would plug into a domestic wall socket that had good reviews - Lincat EC08. This also has water injection which is a nice bonus (but it also vents to the outside, so not as effective as it might seem)
I retro-fitted the Lincat with steel plates - 3 x 530x330x10mm plates - 16Kg each. This made a huge difference. Well worth it.
And about a year ago, things were looking somewhat interesting and that the bakery/catering side might actually be worthwhile, so we decided to upgrade the room the ovens were in - a sort of dumping space/utility room into a proper room, so had a local chap in who refurbished the room, installed a workbench, made a cupboard, installed a sink, made nice plinths for the ovens and so on. And then I bought the Rofco B40.
Capacity is limited by 2 factors - 1 is how early I want to get up - right now, 5:30am is good with the occasional 5am on market days (twice a month) and just how early the people want their bread. My aim is to get it to the shops by 9:30 at the latest. Capacity of a single load is 6 large loaves in the Lincat and 12 in the Rofco. I can do another 2 in the ordinary oven if needed, but I tend to use that for smaller loaves and cakes. I make a mix of large and small loaves - the Rofco will do 18 small loaves and the Lincat 12, so its a bit of a balancing act some mornings, but it's all well planned.
The saving grace right now is slow fermented breads - either with a natural levian (aka sourdough), or a fraction of normal yeast. So I can do all the mixing/kneading at 8pm, be in-bed well before 11pm and up at 5:30am. Right now I don't want to do the traditional bakers middle of the night thing, nor do I want to move out of the house into a unit/shop either.
I could do 50 a day with relative ease - I'd probably go for smaller loaves though - right now my large ones are scaled at 920g for a UK "large" loaf of 800g baked weight. If I took it down a bit, I'd get 9 in the Lincat and hopefully either 5 or 6 per shelf in the rofco, so 15 to 18. That's then 2 runs through each oven, leaving the Beko for buns, etc.
I don't currently have a retarder/proofer, but its on the cards (to home-make one that is)
A typical load out of the Rofco
Mixers - I have an old Hobart A200 and a Finera spiral mixer. The spiral is only one speed, but it works really well. It'll take up to 18Kg of dough - more than I currently need.
One thing I've found is to not make too many different mixes - they need different shaping, different proofing and baking. My biggest day in terms of loaves is Friday morning, but hardest is Saturday as there is more different types of loaves. So my regular shop has set days for different breads - Spelt is only done for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for example. Ryes on Weds & Friday, etc.
Of-course none of this is much use to you, not being in the UK, so oven types, power etc. will be different!
And lets not forget the local laws governing making food for sale - fortunately in the UK it's very sensible indeed - all I need is an inspection every 3 years and up to date food hygiene certificate (and even that isn't strictly needed) and some insurance. I keep a daily diary of anything and that's keeps me in-check (look up safer food, better business). At my last inspection the chappie even said my procedures for handling raw meats were fine too, (and advantage of having 2 kitchens!) so I make pastys, quiche and so on from raw meat which I sell at the markets.
If I was starting again, I'd look for a small deck, but my bakehouse is up a flight of stairs which would more or less rule that out right away.
Hope that helps, or gives some food for thought!
-Gordon
Somewhere in the back of my mind is the place we're going to retire to. It'll be semi-rural and there's a vague image of an outbuilding with a wood-fired, maybe small deck, oven. The phrase 'community bakery' keeps floating through the picture. Your post makes me ever more eager to find it.
Unlike you, I'm semi-nocturnal, so it wouldn't be a problem for me to be pulling loaves out of the oven at six in the morning. My wife, on the other hand, is an early bird and would be quite happy to drop off fragrant loaves before heading for her early morning walk along the beach with the dogs.
Maybe...
These do exists - I've seen them. Well, they're pellet burners that heat oil which then acts the same as radiant electric elements in the decks...
An interesting concept!
All you need to do is find the right community...
-Gordon
...but 'combined' sounds interesting too.
I'll probably just end up with a cob oven for our own bread but it'd be nice to do more.
Beautiful bread btw
Thanks. That was a comprehensive comment. I'm just starting baking and at age 74 (next month) I'm not looking at any commercial effort. But I've often wondered what it entails. I wouldn't mind selling a little bit just to cover the cost of supplies, etc. There are some summer farmers markets here and I wouldn't mind getting my grandsons involved in something like that if they were so inclined and demonstrated some skill/interest.
Again, thanks. I'm sure your response will be of interest to many readers.
well - you've got 21 years on me - one reason I'm not really looking to make a full-time career out of this, but it works well with my IT consultancy/geekery that I also do.
I've no idea where you are, but in the UK to do stuff for small "make & bake" sales you don't even need to get the local authority involved (I think the WI championed that one!) Write a plan - mostly to do with cleaning before & after and keep a diary and enjoy what you do! It's as easy to make 4 loaves as one - if your oven will take it - otherwise 2 lots of 2, but start the scale/shape/prove half an hour later for the 2nd lot. Pick simple low-knead type recipes and off you go - see this for my take on that: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/44111/easy-sourdough-part-1
-Gordon
Going off topic, but what the heck. I wanted to say that I enjoy what you post on TFL, your breads and commitment are exemplary and your detailed responses to others (as well as your recent SD tutorial) are part of what makes this community so wonderful. Did I mention your breads? Thanks, alan.
ditto, amen!
Just took a couple of pictures:
These are my ovens:
The rofco is full of cakes right now...
and the main workbench:
I have another workbench which is off to the left of this photo, but it's in-use with all my wifes stuff right now (we share the room for our businesses)
One thing I didn't mention was cooling racks - I have plenty, but they need to rest on the workbenches which can make life somewhat interesting when I'm doing multiple oven runs. I need a better solution, but am running out of space )-:
Cheers,
-Gordon
Ahahaaha, not looking too bad for a small space :) So theoretically you could have a wall of ovens? Looks like youre pretty serious and well equipped, and yes, bannetons... we put ours in the oven after we're all done,(oven off and cooled a bit) the inspector told us they were not regulation and so we thought wed dry them out and heat treat to kill any bacteria, silly really considering that theyre widely used everywhere, but he said because its at home theyre flexible (?) Looks great anyhow :)
I wish... To the left of the ovens is the sink, etc. and to the left of that is a wall - which has a window in it and storage racks for my wifes stuff. In the corner not in any photo is a cupboard with more storage for my wife and the hot water tank. The area in-front of the window is the only place I can put a 4-5 shelf cooling rack. Not ideal, but ...
The next step up for me might be to replace the Lincat with a 2nd Rofco...
Or put another Lincat under the exiting one - however that's currently storage space and the area pencilled in for the proofer/retarder when I build it...
The area to the side and on-top of the ovens is hot enough to dry the bannetons/baskets out after a bake. I've never had any issues with them. I knock the flour out of them then just stack them after use.
Cheers,
-Gordon
Yeh we do the same with out bannetons and had any trouble really, a tiny bit of mould twice, but easily solved... it does get quite hot and humid here
Had a cancellation of one place I supply, so a relatively light load in the microbakery this morning:
The top 2 are white sourdough, the next 2 my Buckfastleigh sourdoughs (same recipe I put in my easy sourdough blog post), next are 5-seed sourdoughs (smalls) and the bottom 3 are my "rustic sourdoughs" (Basically the same recipe as my Bfl SDs just smaller & shaped into small bloomers with sesame seeds).
Focaccia for lunch...
-Gordon
Lovely!
Here are a few of the more informative threads I've found on opening/running microbakeries on TFL just as a reference (I wish there was more in the way of active forums for folks who do such work and those who aspire to - I have SO many questions, including the ones starting this thread)
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/43711/gross-margins-and-net-profit
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/36777/micro-bakeries
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/38623/plans-start-bakery-what-next
I'm back with an update on what I've found out looking into smaller commercial deck ovens that I might use for a small bakery out of my garage...
The first big issue was not deciding on brands or even size, but power supply needs. There are a number of threads out there that discuss 3 phase power, which is what most commercial ovens are designed for, and getting 3 phase to your residence, as well as work arounds (like phase converters that many use to run 3 phase electric motors, or rewiring equipment) to run 3 phase equipment in a single phase environment.
It turns out that a number of oven manufactures can supply their ovens built for single phase use (yea!!!!). This is a pretty huge breakthrough for me, as I called the power company and it would cost around $20K just to bring 3 phase power to my residence (and that does not include all the wiring to them make use of that supply). They so far include:
Polin
Baker's Best
I have yet to find out what if any performance implications there are (e.g. heating efficiency or overall power), but that is on the agenda.
WFO??? I'm also considering building a WFO instead...but that would make for a rather different vision of the bakery (one that has its definite pluses and minuses). It would certainly cost less for the oven and the electrical work, that is for sure (but then I'd need to dial in a wood source, learn a bunch about ovens and firing (in addition to baking) and I'd likely end up with a truck and chainsaw, etc., and spend plenty of time gathering wood). Exciting problems to have...please join in the discussion...
bikeprof
First, thanks for the thread. I've been learning quit a bit just by lurking.
And thanks for the invite to poke my nose in.
It seems to me that you could probably build 3 or 4 WFOs for what it would cost you to have 3 phase properly installed. Particularly if built at the same time. Hmm,
Of course it's good that you've found oven sources that don't require 3 phase.
One thing I've learned in this discussion, is to start small. Perhaps stay small (whatever works). One question I have tho is about profitablity.
The profit margins seem so slim and the labor so intensive and I guess I'm just curious as to how one could even keep their head above water, let alone profit? How much can you sell a loaf for to a market that in itself needs to see a profit?
But maybe that stuff would just work itself out. I'm at least a few years away from seriously considering such an endeavor, so plenty of time to contemplate (should I live so long). I still have to work at a proper bakery for at least a year, I would think.
Anyway bikeprof, thanks for starting the thread and thanks in particualr to Gordon and to Amber for their hands on insight.
Very interesting stuff.
dobie
Looks like we are grappling with many of the same things... A few comments...
I also feel pretty strongly that I need to work in a good bakery or two before attempting doing something on my own. I hope to do that starting this summer.
I also personally want to start and stay small, with very low overhead, following a CSB model, perhaps just with local subscription service, maybe with farmer's markets as well (I'd like to just have 2 bakes a week).
That leads to the issue of profits...the margins are indeed small on bread, so production volume and/or baking a greater variety including sweets with higher margins would make it all more profitable. Fortunately, I have the room to do a small operation in my garage if I convert it (low overhead), and I also am looking to semi-retire, so profits aren't so important...if I can make a little supplemental income, be an active contributor to the community, and do something I find meaningful (making really good bread from locally grown and milled grains that people find appealing) then I'll be in good shape. It is more of a quest for good bread as sustanance than a business venture, even though the business end does matter.
Good luck on your pursuits, and please do contribute as you go, including info on profits. I'll be writing a business plan in the coming year, so this will get nailed down at some point.
bikeprof
You and I are pretty much on the same page, scale wise, income wise and pleasure/profitablily wise, I think. I believe I understand where you are coming from in those regards.
And as such, while 'business and profitability' are not the root, there's only so much shirt I can afford to loose, if you get my drift. I would prefer to give the shirt off my back than to lose it. All the more importance of 'real world' bakery experience, to my thinking as well.
I agree it would be a fine feeling to accomplish such a goal, particularly within parameters that make sense in one's life.
I know I can amaze and dazzle my little circle of friends and loved ones, but it would be very validating to get that appreciation from people who otherwise don't know or 'love' me.
If you do come up with such a business plan, I would love to read it. PM me if you would prefer.
Thanks again,
dobie
Just a follow up...I got ahold of a baker running commercial 3 phase oven and mixer out of his garage using a phase converter (his was around $1500). I then contacted American Rotary Phase Converters and they left me a message back that their phase converters are approved for this type of use and should be no problem. I still have a message in for the oven manufactuers again to make sure it doens't violate the terms of use/warranties, but it is helpful to get some clarity on the options (I looked into this option by searching online and found the typically widely varying claims by electricians with all sorts of warnings that it wouldn't work, that it would violate building codes, void fire insurance, etc. etc. - so I will still need to go throught local code and terms of insurance, but it looks like this is a viable option in terms of the electrical issues).
Don't forget that you still need the power to drive a 3ph rotary converter - and they're not that efficient, however driving a resistive load won't be an issue.
The issue is going to be to get single phase cabling of sufficient current capacity to where the converter & oven is - and if you can get that wiring, then you might want to consider an oven that can be converted to run off single phase in the first place. So US domestic voltage is 110v or 220v for larger items - so a deck oven is going to need - what - looking at a modest mono oven, 2 tray wide, needs 6kW per deck. 2 decks - 12kW. That's not hard to provide in the UK (at 230V), so I imagine similar in the US. You'll need cabling for 60 amps @ 220v though. That's a lot of copper.
And as an exercise - work out what it will cost you to run a 12kW load for 3 hours... Hopefully your electricity is cheaper than mine!
-Gordon
Good points.
So the folks who sell converters (and a very successful microbakery operator) both say no problem using a phase converter to run 3 phase equipment off a single phase line.
The oven rep. however, says that I'd be better off ordering an oven setup to run off of single phase power (which they offer).
Both are possible, I don't know which is optimal. But I do know it isn't a big deal to get a 220V line installed here, and electricity isn't that expensive here in the greater NW.
Now the follow-up questions are how big an oven to get and how many loads per bake day to optimally take advantage of firing the oven up and have a good production schedule. That sort of scaling issue is a central one to work out ove time.
Here are a few of the microbakeries that I take as interesting examples, even though most are larger/more ambitious than my current plans (and I'm particularly interested in the Community Supported Bakery (CSB) modeled after CSA's):
http://barriobread.com
http://www.elmoremountainbread.com
http://mcgrathsbakehouse.com
https://brakebread.com
http://thepartisanbaker.com
Others to add? Especially good model microbakeries or CSB's???
Just to add a few more on this - one of the issues is where you're going to start - slowly at home or jump in at the deep end with a shop/industrial unit making 100's a day... Obvously if the latter then you need to know that you'll have a local market - with the former, you can start small and slowly grow as demand goes up, however it can then make it harder to move into a bigger unit... I'm in this category but I don't want to upscale right now, also, I've not given up the day job ... yet, although it is very much on the decline. (Computer software/hardware/IT "stuff)
So for the small microbaker, you need other sources of income - I'll not reture selling bread alone! So to suppliment that, as well as supply a few local shops, I also attend local markets - one is weekly and 2 others monthly. Add to that some "outside catering" occasionally - buffet lunches, afternoon teas, etc. the other thing I do is teach - people want to learn to make good bread, pastry or specialities - e.g. I'm working on offering a "mans day" (women welcome!) on the BBQ and wood fired pizza oven... that's very weather dependant though.
I think the self-employed microbaker has to be very versatile.
One thing I did have ambitions for was to open the "bakehouse cafe" - this is a popular thing in cities in the UK now and slowly spreading out, essentially the bakery and cafe in the same building, but you really need the right location for that and you need to attract the right people too. ie. trendy student types, the "yummy mummy" brigade, "hipster" and so-on.... That's not going to happen where I live, sadly )-:
-Gordon (waiting for loaves to prove, oven is heating up)
Gordon, bikeprof, Amber, Gerhard and everyone else
This thread has got me thinking. I might have an idea for how I could start small and maybe be successful.
I often make individual little fruit crumbles for parties. I make them in little 6 oz pyrex (prep) bowls. The bottom is essentially a fruit pie filling and the top is a sweet, buttery loose crispy crust that kind of glazes over a bit. It's just sprinkled on top, so without all the work of a proper pie dough crust. I make them not too sweet and they are mostly fruit, so they are a somewhat health conscious choice for a dessert.
I make them with what ever is the best fruit in season I can find. Commonly, pineapple, peach, apple, pear, etc. They go over well and quickly.
I know the prepping of the fruit might seem daunting to some, but I actually find it cathartic and relaxing. I have at times done it for hours on end with no ill effect.
They're very easy to make and cook. Kept wrapped and raw in the fridge, they can be micro'd for a minute and then put under a salamander or broiler for a minute or so and they're done. So they would be quick and in fact, 'baked in house'.
I do have a relationship with one particular restaurant where I am friendly with the owners, the chef, cooks and front staff. I sometimes hang in the kitchen if I want (and try to be helpful).
I know they pay pretty high prices for the various desserts they bring in (one of the few things they don't make in house). Maybe I'll make a few samples of these and bring them down there to see what they think.
I'll also find out what they normally pay for a 'dessert' but I would bet it would be a dollar or more. That could become profitable. And if it is successful with them, there are many other local restaurants for me to approach.
I could also knock out a few cheesecakes and maybe some other pastry type things. That might be the way to start and something I could do immediately with what I have available and at a scale that could work in my circumstances.
You've got me thinking guys.
dobie
You can't give-away pyrex dishes - not can you rely on getting them back.
A restaurant might have their own crockery code too - so they'd need to remove them from their dish and put them in their own.. Just more data points to think about. If they were pastry top & bottom, then you could supply them in disposable foil dishes.. Next time you're hanging out, check the packaging of the existing desserts they're getting in ... Check how many come in frozen too and don't be afraid to use your freezer...
-Gordon
Thank you Gordan, good points all around.
I did think about the Pyrex, and I guess because I feel comfortable with this one restaurant, I felt confident I would get them back at the next delivery. But you are right, that would probably not be sound practice with other establishments.
Using disposable foil wouldn't work, I don't think. For aesthetic reasons if nothing else. Swapping out from foil to crockery would be problematic as well.
But maybe what could work would be if I constructed them in the crockery they provided. Just a thought.
And I had thought about using the freezer to create a solid form, but if it doesn't conform with what they would serve it in, that probably wouldn't work either. But maybe a tin that could be removed and still conform to their crockery.
Maybe I'll go down with a few samples and see what they think. They might have no interest at all (altho possible, I would doubt that).
I don't know, but you're right. A lot of thinking needs to be done.
Thanks again,
dobie
I think the versatility/flexibility point is a really good one...even if just doing a basic baking gig, as you need to serve your market. That is part of the challenge, but I hope also part of the fun/satisfaction - drawing on your skills and creativity to constructively respond to a complex and evolving environment. This is particularly true for a CSB, as the basic idea is to serve the community and have them be supporters with some tie to the bakery beyond just buying bread (giving input on products/process, perhaps helping to fund equipment, exchanging labor for bread). For me, this is both really attractive and a bit daunting.
Personally, while I like the idea of having a commercial spot, fully equipped and cranking out a nice range of beautiful baked goods, I'm not ready to take on the debt, while under the gun of a lease. And while the bakery/cafe is definitely an attractive goal in many ways, I also don't want employees any time soon.
I also thinkg the decision about at what scale you start at is a really, really big one:
- What (size) oven?
- What (size) mixer?
- What refrigeration capacity?
These are the things that really get me going...and so I'm back to considering ovens, including whether to go with an electric deck oven (and what size) or a WFO.
The other key element for me at the moment is getting experience in a good bakery (there are none with 2 hours of me at moment). I'm going to put in app's at a couple where I can get decent housing over the summer.
Gordon
Thanks for that. Very insightful.
bikeprof
I feel much the same about it all.
As well, a lease and employees are not things I want to revisit either. At least not until things are well developed, if then.
I like Gordon's many faceted approach. It could keep things fresh and interesting, never boring.
It's unfortunate about 2 hours away, but it sounds like you have a good plan.
dobie
If you are happy doing this to keep busy then location is not important but if you hope to make some or all of your income from it and have growth potential then location is probably the most important factor. If you think that you want to grow into a full time occupation then I would buy mixer, fridge, counter tops ect. larger than my immediate needs would indicate. Nothing more aggravating then just having completed renovations to find that everything needs to be 50% larger.
Gerhard
Mark Sinclair (mcs) runs his bakery out of a 24ft trailer. If you look at his blog entries, you can follow the process from concept to reality. Now, Mark has the advantage of having operated a solo bakery from his previous home, so ha already possessed the necessary equipment for the trailer. He also operates from a fixed base where he can use bigger equipment like his sheeter and a 60-quart mixer. Even so, he did a masterful job of arranging his workspace and of defining his market and clientele. His blog and videos should be on your list to study, bike prof.
Paul
I'm back again, feeling a bit lonely as I plod along planning a small baking operation and wrapping up my current full time job.
I'd love to hear more feedback from folks who have taken the plunge, especially on equipment, general trials and successes, and addressing the challenges of small scale bread production.
Things change and my other job being IT type of stuff has been diminishing over the past few months and the bakery side increasing. (completely lost count of the number of hot cross bunnies I've baked this year!) I've no plans to move out of the home based bakehouse though, but I'm doing more markets now than I was 3 months back, as well as seeing the shop deliveries increase.
Working from home is both good and bad - the bad side right now is space - not for making bread, but for cooling loaves as they come out of the ovens! If I have to do 3 runs through each oven, then that's a lot of loaves for a small space and I have to start to get them packed and out of the bakehouse as soon as I can... However vertical shelving is currently being investigated...
Be realistic about what you can achieve - I don't take on new markets, shops, etc. until I'm very comfortable with the current load.
Good luck!
-Gordon
Lots of thoughtful comments here, but I could really use more specifics from people doing this, that goes for equipment, but also for finances.
Anyone running a microbakery willing to share the basic finances? (Yes, I'm working on my business plan)
Even very general categories like:
Total costs per unit (and what you are including in that calculation) -
Gross revenue per unit -
I also wonder how many people are formally paying themselves a salary as a part of their business structure and accounting