Ever since there’s been a surge in demand for baked goods in India, the bakery industry has seen tremendous growth in terms of opportunities, innovation and job generation. While the idea of making freshly baked goods, low barriers to entry and high profits might make you want to wrap your apron and get going, it is important for anyone who is starting out in the bakery business to also know the challenges that they might have to undergo as a baker.
The industry is largely divided into organised and unorganised sectors. The organised sector consists of large scale manufacturers while the unorganised sectors consists of small to medium scale manufacturers like the local bakeries near your house.
Hygiene practices
Most baking giants have to conform to stringent hygiene measures, but there are no such guidelines for the small scale bakeries. It may seem like an advantage for the latter but if the small scale bakeries don’t adhere to strict hygiene practises in their kitchens, it can lead to widespread illnesses within their customer network. Thus, even if you are planning to start a small bakery, follow the guidelines the large scale bakeries do, even stricter if you can. This will ensure that your products are safe for consumption and will also safeguard your business.
Dealing with the finances
In the baking business, it is important to have a financial manager who understands everything about baking. Baked goods are perishable products so if you don’t sell them fresh, their price will get marked down the next day. But baking it will cost you just as much. Hence, it is vital to know how much to charge for each product, so you can sell the entire produce without incurring losses.
All about nutrition
As more and more customers are becoming aware of the products they’re buying, they want to know the nutritional value of their baked goods and are also looking for healthier options. This becomes a problem for the unorganized sector as they cannot state the nutrients with precision with their limited resources. Adding extra nutrients into the baked products is also not an easy task. Such modifications can create changes in the original product and will require changes in equipment, processes and ingredient costs.
That’s why it is of prime importance that one must have the training and skills to not only know how to bake but also know how to implement hygienic practices in their businesses to keep up with the needs of the customers.
Competition
With bakeries popping up around every corner, it can become difficult for any business to find opportunities to grow. A feasible strategy in this case would be to either make artisan baked goods that most people won’t be able to find anywhere or to create a menu that caters to special diets of the customers. This will make your business stand out as compared to the others, and also help in building a loyal customer base.
Variable factors
The bakery business can also face challenges if there are any changes in the government regulations, change in the demand-supply chain or increase in prices of any major ingredients like refined flour.
As a business owner, one must always be the first to know if there are any changes in the market or any upcoming challenges so they can buy some time and are better prepared to face the problem head on.
Do you think you have what it takes? If yes, then check out our professional courses where our extremely talented chefs will teach you everything you need to know to run your own shop, starting from the very basics to the baked masterpieces.
If your answer is no, you can still look into the courses and see if the world of pastries, breads, biscuits excites you, and maybe even pick up a course of your interest. Either way, dough not wait. Do what you loaf.
