There are many pastry chefs who sell their homemade cakes via a website, in markets or even through word of mouth. Discover our advice to best sell your pastries online after the CAP!
The sweet catering service: order your cake online
Many companies have entered the Web race in recent years, why not pastry chefs? In addition, since the Covid crisis and the successive confinements, online product purchasing practices have become more democratic among a growing number of consumers.
If you want to order a wedding cake online , a birthday cake, pastries to satisfy the appetites of 50 people without spending hours in the kitchen… it’s entirely possible today thanks to the Web! The catering trades, like other professionals, invest in online sales. They now offer many delicacies and sweet products delivered to your home.
If you want to start your own baking business , this is an option to consider, but there are a lot of things to consider before jumping in headlong.
However, it is perfectly possible to bake at home , from a particular laboratory, without having to buy a physical shop that has a storefront!
Obtain a CAP to become a pastry chef
To be able to create your business selling pastries online, you will need to have a diploma and/or professional experience in this sector . The CAP Pâtissier is the minimum diploma necessary to be able to open a pastry business (unless you already have 3 years of experience in the sector).
You will also need to register with the Chamber of Trades and Crafts (compulsory if you have fewer than 10 employees). If your pastry business has more than 10 employees, you will need to register with the Chamber of Commerce.
To become a sweet caterer and sell online , you must therefore have followed a specialized course (and therefore a state diploma such as the CAP Pâtissier). It is a guarantee of professionalism that will reassure individuals and provide you with all the necessary skills to launch your business in this area!
Indeed, in addition to improving your knowledge in the manufacture of cookies and cakes, it gives you legitimacy and the necessary authorization to offer your products for sale.
You will learn many recipes but also all the best practices for preserving raw materials and fresh products (butter, cream, etc.) related to the sale of cakes and pastries.
NB: If you specialize in so-called “preservation” biscuits, the diploma is not compulsory but you will still need a laboratory with standards and HACCP training to be in good standing with basic hygiene measures .
The Pastry specialty CAP program
There are many solutions to create a site and sell pastries online . However, not everything is explained clearly when you start and you have to avoid the pitfalls of “it’s the Internet, it’s easy”.
Managing a website and social networks is a very different job from that of a pastry chef. But do not panic, accompanied by YouSchool and its team to listen to all your questions and problems, you will necessarily succeed in your project of selling cakes and petits fours online!
For your online cake selling project to work, you will need to:
Have the site developed with all the options necessary for your business and to facilitate orders for your customers
Promote the site and be visible to your future customers (local referencing in particular)
I rather want to open a tea room
Use auto-entrepreneurs or a communication agency specializing in web marketing or site creation. This is the best way to ensure an effective online presence and a successful e-commerce site!
Sending cakes home : special logistics
Your skills in cake design and your passion for cake decorating are beginning to be recognized. Your brand new website is running at full speed and, thanks to natural referencing or targeted Facebook ads, allows you to be found by potential customers.
Yes, but here you go, you won’t necessarily only have customers living close to your home via your website! Yet they really want this magnificent cake that you offer for the birthday of their 5-year-old granddaughter. Some will also fall for this pastel wedding cake highlighted on your fast. What to do ?
HOW TO MANAGE THE SENDING OF PASTRY?
There are solutions for sending foodstuffs , in particular Chronofresh which offers a delivery system adapted to the delivery of fresh and perishable products.
Find out about the prices, the weight and the quantities you can send. The time you spend packing and shipping your baked goods should be included in your schedule and factored into the selling price.
Also pay attention to the quantities you can produce. Otherwise, you risk making people unhappy and thus creating negative word-of-mouth. Everything you want to avoid as a baking entrepreneur!