What skills do you need to become a baker?
To become a baker, you need to acquire a wide range of skills. You need to master every stage, from growing the cereals to selling the bread, buns, biscuits and dough you make.
Knowing how to get the job done
Being a farmer-baker means knowing how to organise cereal production in its entirety. And since consumer expectations have changed dramatically in recent years, it’s now essential for a farmer-baker to know how to produce organically grown cereals that respect the environment and the health of their customers!
You also need to know how to transform the cereals you grow into bread. Here, you’ll have three different roles:
- 1st role: the miller. Milling should hold no secrets for you. You need to find a mill that processes your seeds with quality, preserving all their nutritional value.
- 2nd role: that of the baker. Making bread, biscuits, brioches, cakes, pasta, pastries: you need to define a range of healthy products that appeal to customers because of their taste and quality!
- 3rd role: salesperson. It’s essential to sell your products direct from the farm, to create a unique link with consumers. Here, you’ll need to know how to talk about your products, show them off to their best advantage, talk about your passion and what makes your products different from everyone else’s: quality wholemeal flour, ancient cereal varieties, organic farming, recipes that promote the local produce and take care of your customers’ health…
Organisation and versatility are a must!
Financial questions to ask yourself
Becoming a baker also means knowing how to manage the financial side of your business. To steer your strategy, you’ll need to ask yourself a number of questions:
- What equipment can I buy?
- Which do I need to hire initially?
- How much bread, biscuits and dough do I need to produce and sell to be profitable?
- What price should I set to attract customers and still be a profitable farmer-baker?
Knowing how to work both the oven and the mill – that’s the challenge that a passionate farmer-baker must be prepared to face! And it’s by using the right tools that these goals can be achieved.
What equipment do you need to become a baker?
To become a farm baker, you’ll need a lot of equipment, which can represent a heavy initial investment. Fortunately, there are tips to help you along the way.
Soil cultivation equipment
To grow the cereals of your choice, you’ll need a tractor and tillage equipment such as a plough, cultivator and seed drill. If you don’t have the financial means to buy this part of the equipment when you start your business, turn to CUMAs (Cooperatives for the Use of Agricultural Equipment). They give farmers the opportunity to pool the equipment they need to develop their business.
Milling
It’s a major expense, but it’s also THE area that will help you stand out from the crowd.
If you want to become a farmer-baker, you can’t just do what everyone else does, and offer products made from white wheat flour, which is devoid of nutritional quality. Consumers want you to look after their health! Becoming a farmer-baker means above all asking yourself what do consumers want and need? What are they looking for? And it’s the answers to these questions that will guide you towards the right strategy!
So acquiring an Astrié mill may well be THE strategy that will enable you to meet their expectations. Unlike other mills, the Astrié mill pampers the grain by unrolling it, preserving all its nutritional qualities (vitamins, proteins, fibre, minerals, etc.).
This means you can offer quality products that meet customer expectations, and help your business grow.
Difficult to know how profitable the Astrié mill will be for you? Don’t panic! Astréia can help you with all the financial aspects. You will then know how much flour you need to produce to make your business sustainable, and when your return on investment will be. To establish your financial strategy, the Astréia team is on hand ☺ And if you need training to get to grips with your Astrié mill, Astréia can help you too!
The bakery
When your cereals are transformed into flour, you’ll need a mixer, an oven and small equipment to make your unique, refined and healthy products!
You can start by renting this equipment to raise enough money to finance it yourself as your business grows.
To become a farmer-baker, you need to incorporate skills in growing cereals, milling and making products. Ready to embark on this extraordinary adventure?
