How to Start a Home Bakery of Your Own

(Page 5 of 5)

January/February 1976
By Jack McQuarrie 
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The amount we charge for our pies and nut loaves varies from time to time, depending on the actual cost of the ingredients we use. As a rule of thumb, though, we follow a pricing schedule that leaves us with $1.00 after all expenses for each pie and a net of 80¢ over and above expenses on every loaf of nut bread.

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This clears us $20.00 or more on most days and still leaves plenty of room for our buyers to make a fair profit when they resell our products to their customers.

WE WORK FOR MORE THAN MONEY

No, we're not getting rich in the bakery business. But then, we didn't set out to become rich. We're quite content as long as our little home enterprise guarantees our day-to-day survival, keeps us relatively independent of The System, and leaves us free to pursue other interests.

We also feel that our business "pays" us with more than money. Shelling all the nuts we use, for instance, is the most timeconsuming part of our operation and, in many ways, the most satisfying. All three McQuarries-Marie, me, and our ten-year-old son, Wesley-thoroughly enjoy sitting around the living room fireplace in the evening cracking and picking nuts, sharing the day's experiences, and listening to KPFA (our area's "alternative" radio station). It gives us an idea of what family life must once have been like: closely knit, with each member having the satisfaction of actively contributing to the general welfare.

Nope. We probably won't stay in the family baking business forever. But, yep! Now that our walnut pie has shown us the way to . economic liberation, we intend to always earn our daily breadwhile we draw our family closer together-with a do-it-ourselves enterprise that we completely own and control.

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Comments

  • Ameia Schwagmeier 7/1/2009 8:32:32 PM

    Amazing Article, Packed with lots of great information !!!
    Thanks So Much,
    Ameia
    Baking in Indiana

  • Nancy 10/5/2008 8:02:37 PM

    I am a homebased baker in Richmond, Virginia and I just learned about a class (just Googled) that shows you how to start a homebased bakery. I enrolled on October 13th and I will come back and tell everyone how it turns out (it's 10 weeks online). I am not really a business person and this course goes over the business end of home-based baking.

    I just love reading this article, I have read it a few times, it reminds me that I too can be a home baker.

    Nancy
    Richmond VA

  • Fran 7/10/2008 6:52:48 PM

    Thank you so much for this article! I really have a dream of starting a bakery business from my home but have always been intimidated by "legal" issues. Your story gives me hope! Thanks again for "fueling" my fire and keeping my dream alive!

  • felicia 1/2/2008 10:42:05 AM

    Thank you so much. This article is very informative. I took plenty
    of notes and it helps focus my thoughts. Thanks for being so honest
    and sharing most don't. They keep this valuable information to
    themselves.

  • Crumbs 12/12/2007 9:13:27 PM

    ohhhh....i just realized this is an archive from 1976. Times, they
    have a changed.

  • Crumbs 12/12/2007 9:11:00 PM

    Boy oh boy - your personal account of this has really made my day.
    I've been scouring the internet to figure out which route I should
    take my baked goods and this just gave me hope. As a stay at home
    mom, I just might be able to pull this off. Thanks -

  • Anthony 12/11/2007 12:26:30 PM

    I have been through similar situation with the Dept. of Agriculture
    and so forth and kept stopping and stating when asked if I had a
    license or label to list ingredients. Have put chess pies in some
    (gas stations) and trying again thank you. I have a very good
    recipe/ product and it does sell it self. having a hard time
    pricing, thinking about shipping to Ga. in a couple of weeks, any
    advice thanks again

  • kim 9/5/2007 5:39:52 AM

    This article is encouraging and I only hope that using this method
    I can get my pies marketed. Thank you.

  • Chantelle 7/31/2007 4:47:36 PM

    I really seriously found this article helpful. Thanks so much:)
    chantelle

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