Every bakery owner wishes to someday be able to scale production as they realize the need to keep up with growing demand. Going from hand-rounding dough balls and hand-piping cookies to automating those processes can seem like a daunting transition. But it does not have to be! This blog will educate bakers on how to scale bakery production easily and efficiently without sacrificing quality and keeping customers happy.
Start by Auditing Your Current Bakery Production
It is important to look at your current lineup before investing in new equipment. Look into what some of your bakeries' bottlenecks are. What is causing slowdowns in production? What are the capacities your current equipment can handle?
Walk through a typical production cycle and note anything that needs improvement. This audit will help you prioritize what equipment addition or upgrade is needed for your bakery.
Invest in Commercial Bakery Equipment That Matches Your Growth Stage
For example, the equipment that got you to $500,000 in revenue will not get you to $2 million. As bakeries grow, they need to scale their production to grow with the rest of the business. Making sure your machines are built to withstand the increase in bakery production can make or break your expansion. Here are some of the machines that typically need to be upgraded in order to scale production and grow your business.
Mixers
Mixers come in a variety of bowl capacities and as a bakery grows and production increases, so must the mixer. A 30qt mixer will not be able to keep up with your bakery’s growing demand and upgrading to a larger bowl size will allow you to make more product and serve more customers efficiently. Spiral mixers are engineered for bread dough specifically — they develop gluten efficiently.
Ovens
Oven choice should follow product type, not the other way around. There is no single oven that can bake all bakery products well. Certain ovens do an excellent job at baking specific products and might not be suitable for other types. Deck ovens deliver the radiant heat and steam control that artisan breads need. Rack ovens and convection ovens provide the even and gentle heat needed for rolls, pastries, cookies, and laminated doughs. Many growing bakeries ultimately run two or three oven types side by side, each dedicated to the products it bakes best.
Dough Sheeters and Dividers
A bakery will never be able to scale when processing dough manually by hand. You might be thinking, a bakery doesn’t need machines when they can just hire more hands. Well, more hands means more labor costs and less profit! A quality dough divider ensures every roll, bun, and loaf weighs the same, looks the same and does it in seconds at the touch of a button. You truly can’t beat that level of speed and consistency.
Design Workflow Before You Add People
Adding staff to a disorganized kitchen multiplies chaos. Before you even think about adding new staff, make sure you have an organized bakery. Plan your production process so that it is seamless and efficient. Make sure you can easily go from mixing to dough processing and then to the final bake without causing clutter or overlaps in the workspace. Most bakeries that are scaling will admit that automating processes with machines is always easier and more efficient than hiring more labor.
Ready to scale your bakery production? Empire Bakery Equipment helps bakeries of every size find the mixers, ovens, proofers, and production equipment that match their growth goals. Contact our team to discuss what your next stage looks like — and what it takes to get there without sacrificing the quality that built your business.
