Has it been your dream to start a cake supply business? Before the business launch, you’ll need to complete a few steps. And even prior to opening the business, equipment will be required to ensure your clients can bake and decorate moreish, sweet, sticky, tasty cakes.
But which types of equipment are you going to need, and how can you get your company started? We have a few pieces of advice and a list of all the equipment to help. Learn exactly how to start a cake supply business in our guide!
How to Become a Cake Supplier?
To start off, a few steps are needed to become a cake supplier, starting with market research and ending with marketing your business. Let’s have a look at some of those important steps.
Develop Your Business Plan
After completing market research, such as learning about your target market, assessing the cake supply demand, looking closely at your competition, thinking about your business model, and considering how to improve the customer experience, you’ll want to develop a business plan. It’s your roadmap toward success, ensuring you navigate elements such as goals and financial projections.
You’ll need to pay attention to and decide on a business structure, which may either be a partnership, a limited liability company, or a sole proprietorship. To decide this, think carefully about the tax implications and issues such as personal liability.
Acknowledge Regulations and Licenses
General business licenses - reflecting your business skills, resale permits, and food handling permits might all be required before you get started. The resale permit is needed if you intend to buy items wholesale and sell them to your bakery clients. The food handler’s permit is needed if you will be completing demonstrations with food to show how effective the products are.
In terms of regulations, there are a few. Local, federal, and state regulations may be relevant to your company. If you’re going to be handling food, get familiar with health department regulations. There are also tax collection reporting regulations that will be important to your company, so complete research into these regulations before getting started.
Obtain Funding
Funding will be an unavoidable step and should align with your financial projections. To consider what funding is needed, consider the expenses, such as equipment and product costs, and additional costs needed to successfully complete the startup. Look closely at the operational needs and base the funding on your financial plan.
With this decided, think about where you intend to source the funding. You might obtain funding from your personal savings, from a small business loan, through crowdfunding platforms, or through investors.
Find Products
With all of these steps completed, you will now need to find products. Equipment, items, cutlery, baking products, and more can all be included in your inventory. You’ll want to research suppliers before proceeding to place orders, which can be done by noting your product needs and exploring directories online.
You can evaluate suppliers, such as BuyDirect, by reviewing the popularity, customer feedback, and quality of their products. Consider factors like minimum order quantities (which BuyDirect does not demand), and consider the reputation of the supplier.
4 Products and Equipment Types Needed for a Cake Supply Business
Now that you’re familiar with the steps required to start your cake supply business, you’re going to need to stock up on products and equipment for home baking businesses or professional bakers. Which items are needed to support your clients’ business strategy? Check the list just below.
#1 Baking Pan Liners
Got a bakery client that makes cookies? The flat pans they bake those crunchy delights on will require baking pan liners. Bulk purchase the Boardwalk Grease-Proof Quilon Pan Liners and you will provide your clients with sheets that are precut to the right shape, ensuring the bakery owners can save time when lining each pan.
Since these items have an easy-release coating, they work well for multi-purpose baking, plus items low in oil or sugar. You also remove the need for your bakery clients to grease each pan manually with butter or oil before transferring the dough to the pan. These baking pan liners measure 24.5 inches by 16.63 inches.
#2 Cook’s Scrapers
Your bakery clients will need cook’s scrapers to get every morsel of the batter out of the bowl and into the cooking pan. This is where the Rubbermaid Commercial High-Heat Cook’s Scraper is ideal. Stock up on these, and you will have the items that professional bakeries seek to scrape bowls clean.
Since this is a high-heat cook’s scraper, when you supply bakeries with this solution, they can also use it for transferring recently baked cakes onto a cooling rack. They can withstand temperatures of up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Clients will also appreciate that these scrapers will not scratch the cookware and that they are stain-resistant.
#3 Fluted Bake Cups
Does your bakery client create small muffins that are absolutely irresistible? As their supplier, you can make their work easier when you sell them Hoffmaster Fluted Bake Cups . Order these solutions in bulk and your client can fill each cup with cupcake or muffin batter ready to be baked in the oven. They’re ideal for muffins with a 4.5 diameter.
Since they are wax-coated, clients can satisfy their customers with easy-to-access baked goods. Customers need not fumble with the fluted bake cups; they are easy to peel and separate from the baked goods quickly.
#4 Oblong Aluminum Pans
Purchase these Oblong Aluminum Pans created by HFA INC and you’ll have the stock needed to ensure clients can cook a range of delicious cakes. With these items you’ll be the trusted cake supply business your clients can go to when they need to bake pound cake, banana bread, bread, small cakes - the list goes on!
When you buy these cake pans, you also offer bakeries a disposable solution that is easy to clean up after cake decorating.
Get the Right Products from BuyDirect to Ensure Your Cake Supply Business is a Success
Starting your cake supply business might be both exciting and daunting, but it’s with the right equipment that you can help clients achieve excellent customer service and customer satisfaction. Trying to find all the equipment we’ve listed above? They’re easy to get when you shop at BuyDirect. From grease-proof pan liners to bakery food containers, we stock it all.
Make sure you have all the baking supplies, equipment and items needed to launch your cake supply business. Register as a Mission Linen customer, place your orders from BuyDirect, make savings on delivery costs, keep your clients’ cake businesses profitable, and help them achieve their customer expectations for existing and potential customers.
FAQs
Need more information about starting your cake supply business, supporting a loyal customer base, or assisting your client’s own cake businesses? Have a look at these FAQs!
What Are Bakery Supplies?
These are wide ranging, but the most important bakery supplies include items for the preparation of baked goods, products for the baking process, supplies for the frosting, and products for the packaging process:
- Preparation - These are more than measuring tools. Scales and mixing bowls, mixers or whisks are needed to ensure your client can prepare baked goods.
- Baking - A commercial grade oven, baking sheets, flat pans for cookies, and cooling racks are all required for the baking process.
- Frosting - From spatulas to piping bags, a few items are needed during the frosting process. Spatulas help baking clients smooth their frosting, while piping bags are ideal for dollops of frosting.
- Packaging - Your baking client may need boxes, storage racks, and more to ship or deliver their baked treats to their customers.
Do Bakeries Have Inventory?
They absolutely do, and the goods they rely on are often short-lived. Your cake business clients will want to monitor their stock on a regular basis and they will come to you to replenish their inventory when required.
They may have an inventory management system, and this helps them ensure the inventory is up to date. Your role will be to supply all the required items in the inventory management list.
What Do Bakers Need the Most?
There is a huge range of things - individuals running a baking business or professional bakers need more than mixing bowls. Spatulas and measuring cups, spoons and cutlery are also required, as are sheet trays.
For getting the right quantities of ingredients, digital scales are crucial, and for the baking process, sheet trays will be required. Since you will need to pass these items on to your bakery client, make sure you check BuyDirect to find the key items.