Starting baking business - HELP!

[ohthestruggles]

Hello. Long time member/poster looking for some help. I'm looking into starting my own brownie making business from home. I do have a profession which is a world away from baking, but baking is my hobby and it would be a side line, not a full time occupation. I would need to get my kitchen area checked by environmental health and do my food hygiene certificate etc, I know. I'm just wondering if there is anyone who has done this and what was it like? I have one kitchen sink so no separate hand washing other than our bathroom sink. Would this be my first stumbling block? The kitchen is also where we prep our own food etc obviously, did you have to buy another fridge for your baking? The only refrigerated items would be butter and eggs. Once baked they would be stored in an airtight container so storage not an issue. Any advice/experiences would be much appreciated!

@Notreallyawaitress

I don’t rate Gower Brownies much at all tbh.

Are you trying to start a riot?

I had actually never heard of Gower's Brownies

I think if you can deliver locally then that really helps. Perhaps marketing it as a brownie box that gets delivered on a Friday. Last day of the working week treat!

That seems to have worked out well for a baking lady in this area.

Tbf I prefer my AWT brownies to Gower, but it’s personal preference. The convenience factor with them is massive… next day delivery to someone the other side of the country.

Never heard of Gowers brownies, off to buy some

I've already put in an order for Gower brownies on the back of this thread. I'd never heard of them either.

It'll be interesting to see how they compare to mine as mine are gooey and perfectly delicious after tweaking my recipe over the years.

I do some brownies from home, alongside a full time job. The EHO team are really helpful. You won't make a fortune but good home made brownies are always popular - they compare really well to brands like Gower because they are individually baked in small batches with high quality ingredients. I sent some to a friend for her birthday and she had some also delivered from a very expensive London bakery - she said they were worlds apart. The expensive ones were quite dry apparently.

I found that I gained enough customers through friends, family, local village contacts to suit me.

I sometime use the 'scarcity model' on Facebook. Eg I've got one box of salted caramel brownies left today....they're often snapped up in 5 mins!

I’m always dubious of these ‘Facebook’ type food sales if they are too cheap. I know brownies if I make at home are not a cheap product, so when someone offers a large box for £5 I just assume they have added crap ingredients if they want any chance of a profit.

Have you realistically worked out all expenses and profits?

I know three people who have started baking businesses successfully since Covid - obviously success is individually defined, but they’re making what they need to. I’m not suggesting it’s easy by any means, and neither will marketing it be unless you’re willing to get your hands dirty, Learn and build a reputation… it’s more than Facebook posts, which was a shock to at least one!

But I don’t think you’ll automatically fail because there is competition. Work out what you need to make, your costs and times; and how much you’d need to sell. Then assess how you’d do that and if it’s viable.

How long will they keep for? If the brownies only keep 5 days, then that's a difficulty for shops.
Have you thought about supplying to a coffee shop first.
At least in a coffee shop, someone will pay £4 for a sit-down brownie with their coffee. You could ask local coffee shops how much they would pay you for your brownies.
I would think that no one else is doing it, not because they haven't thought about doing it, but because there is no profit it in.
First thing Dragon's Den will ask you is, how much does one Brownie cost to make? Including packaging, transport, etc. That will tell you how much you need to charge for each one.

Brownies don't actually cost that much to make, under a fiver for what is posted for £15-20.

A good chunk of the extra cost will be postage, another £3-4, plus packaging, the cost of accepting payment and electricity, no idea how much that costs. Marketing is probably fee or very cheap via Instagram etc.

But of course, if you cost your time even at NMW, you probably need to make and sell quite a few batches every day to actually make any money. Which means you'll need a few baking tins to make those few batches, so you'll need the volume to cover the cost of those.

I've never had Gower Cottage, but I have had Brown and Blond, which is another one that's been described as 'the bestest most gorgeous brownies ever' on here and I didn't think they were any nicer than what I can make myself for under a quarter of the price. Why would they be? We're both just mixing up chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs and flour, maybe adding some flavouring or broken up bits of cookie or whatever and baking it.

@ftw163532 they’re not as good as mine and I only ordered some after a similar thread on here to see what the fuss was about. Nicely presented though

@irene9

How long will they keep for? If the brownies only keep 5 days, then that's a difficulty for shops. Have you thought about supplying to a coffee shop first. At least in a coffee shop, someone will pay £4 for a sit-down brownie with their coffee. You could ask local coffee shops how much they would pay you for your brownies. I would think that no one else is doing it, not because they haven't thought about doing it, but because there is no profit it in. First thing Dragon's Den will ask you is, how much does one Brownie cost to make? Including packaging, transport, etc. That will tell you how much you need to charge for each one.

Not a chance would I pay £4 for a brownie. Stand up, sit down or doing the Argentine Tango! I'd pay £2.50 and wince. I'd pay £4 for a slice of fancy gateau but not a brownie. My kids make brownies at the weekend.

Have a look at the Sugar and Crumbs Community on Facebook, lots of bakers and nice friendly advice. No one there will tell you you can't possibly make great brownies...

I bake for my guests in my holiday cottages. I stopped doing brownies because they were expensive to make and SO difficult to get right. I guess the key is getting butter etc wholesale.

I think if you can deliver locally then that really helps. Perhaps marketing it as a brownie box that gets delivered on a Friday. Last day of the working week treat!

This is my plan!

I think I may have confused people with my post, I'll sell through social media for collection/delivery. Not postal brownies. I've had a few of my friends ask for boxes so I'll see what the feedback is. I've never had GREAT brownies by post or in a coffee shop to be honest. My ones are really fudgey and goo-ey I must admit. You need to have a higher quantity of wet ingredients which means more dark chocolate which means more cost, which is maybe why people don't bother?

And I don't think you can market brownies as being certain flavours/fillings if they're just a plain brownie with loads of product on top, they need to be baked into the batter.

Op, reading back through your posts - what is your motivation for contemplating this? What is it you're trying to achieve?

You seem to have said that it's your dream but also that you're not fussed if it succeeds, and that you want it to be a business but aren't fussed if it turns a profit. What is the goal?

To get the hobby to pay for itself? To make a profit? To build an alternative from your job? To dispose of the brownies you make? To feel successful? Kudos from having a business? Fulfilling a fantasy?

The trouble with trying to turn a hobby into a business is that you have to completely transform the way you are approaching it such that your hobby is usually no longer recognisable or enjoyable - that's fine if you were simply trying to pick something you were good at to turn into your income stream but not so great if you still want it to be your hobby.

It's also really easy to get yourself in very hot water with finances, regulations, taxes etc, if you start trying to monetise a hobby without properly approaching it as a serious business venture and being commercial about it.

@ohthestruggles

I think if you can deliver locally then that really helps. Perhaps marketing it as a brownie box that gets delivered on a Friday. Last day of the working week treat!

This is my plan!

I think I may have confused people with my post, I'll sell through social media for collection/delivery. Not postal brownies. I've had a few of my friends ask for boxes so I'll see what the feedback is. I've never had GREAT brownies by post or in a coffee shop to be honest. My ones are really fudgey and goo-ey I must admit. You need to have a higher quantity of wet ingredients which means more dark chocolate which means more cost, which is maybe why people don't bother?

Have you costed them up?

I have no difficulty believing you could be making fantastic brownies. But so are lots of people. And commercial success is a lot more about marketing, networking and luck than simply a natural reward that flows from the quality of your offering.

My friend has a similar business model to the one you plan to have. Brownie boxes that she sells locally on Facebook and Instagram. She does different flavours and toppings and tray bakes. I don’t know how much she makes but she does sell to cafes.

I think if you do your coatings and have a good product you can make a profit. As you said it is not dragons den level of business your after. It is her main income as a single mum do she can’t be doing too badly.

She does boxes to order for special events Mother’s Day etc. People order in advance so she knows how many ingredients to buy.

@ftw163532 hey, I didn't say that I'm not fussed if it is profitable, I just said I'm not aiming for 'gower brownie' success. I have my own profession and doing the sums, making brownies won't pay me a salary anywhere near it so I don't plan on turning it into a full time occupation. Its something that I've figured won't lose me money, and I have done the sums and costing yes. It's a hobby that I could turn into a small profit. When I go back to work from maternity leave I thought it could be a sideline and I could do orders.

My partner has his own business so we are fairly clued up on the practicalities of running your own business. (Not in the same industry)

I wasn't criticising you, that was just the impression I was left with reading back through

• which obviously didn't make sense, hence using the word "seem" and asking you for clarification.