The micro bakery course
Virtuous Bread teaches you how to set up a microbakery. And if you like it and are interested, to enable you to teach baking yourself. Whether you are going to bake from home or join a community bakery/community supported bakery, this course on how to set up a micro bakery may be for you.
We call it Bread Angels. And it comes in three parts:
1. Baking. Lots and lots of baking and detailed information on ingredients and method.
2. Sales and marketing including a strong focus on social media marketing.
3. Logistics and Admin from insurance to taxes.
What is stopping you? Concern that your baking skills are not up to snuff? That you could never go out there and sell a loaf? Or that the admin burden seems too high? We understand all those concerns - we do! They are normal and everybody has them (at least one of them). In us you will find the whole process demystified, discover confidence you did not know you had, and enter a network of lovely and supportive bread enthusiasts around the world.
Click here to learn more and click here find your local trainer. The person who can help your dream of having your own micro bakery business a reality.
Linda Adeson
28. Feb, 2011
Unfortunately I don't know a place to run this but will think..however I would LOVE to be able to use one!!!! I am in the Chelsea area, if you have any leads on a place I'd be very keen to help out.
Amanda Page
20. Apr, 2011
This sounds amazing, I would go to the DIY Bakery all the time, it sound like so much fun. I think the best place for this would be Queens Park in London, it has a wonderful community and this would go down very will there.
virtuousbread
20. Apr, 2011
I love that you love this! If I could only find a space that would let me do it without having to re-do the WHOLE BUILDING practically I would do it tomorrow in Queen's Park!
Chrissy McFarlane
03. May, 2011
I love the idea - love it love it love it! However, I am keen to to understand how, and if profits are made on this basis? Would the cost of a commissioned average fresh loaf of VB compete with your run of the mill (!) supermarket-stocked loaves? Will this only ever really work in an upper crust (argh!) area where there is perhaps a demand for better/higher quality of food and the willingness to pay a extra for it?
virtuousbread
04. May, 2011
Hi Chrissy, I did respond in an e mail but it was bounced back to me! Thanks for your enthusiasm. The idea is that people pay £5.00 for the experience and whether we can make money depends on how much the space costs. As a pop up the idea would be impermanent, cheap and cheerful. The council and H&S have other ideas which is making it very tricky. Do let us know if you have any ideas!
Andrew
19. May, 2011
Fantastic idea, brilliant concept. Am more than tempted to give up the day job to do this. SW London sounds like the perfect place to trial it - if it doesn't work here, it won't work anywhere.
virtuousbread
20. May, 2011
thanks!
Michaelbakesbread
30. Jun, 2011
This is such as superb idea. Manchester could use such a place and would probably have the right kind of premises.
virtuousbread
30. Jun, 2011
Do you think so? if we could find a place we could do it. Here in London it is firmly in the "too difficult" bucket due to rules and regs...
Victoria
11. Dec, 2011
i would love to join in as one of your breadmakers but it seems like you have the sw13 area covered - you currently use your own kitchen so i assume yyou had to have it inspected inspected by health and safety? will just have to make do with a course for myself.
mark
08. Apr, 2012
Hi I run a micro bakery from my home in Walsall west midlands,I bake 120-140 loaves on a Saturday plus pin wheels,pizza wheels and specialty breads,I would like to develop links with other Artisan bakers,I also teach at least once a month.How can we benefit each other?
Thanks
mark
virtuousbread
09. Apr, 2012
Dear Mark, thanks for your message - what you are doing sounds great. Let me know what you think about benefitting each other? We can take it from there! Kind reggrds, Jane
mark
10. Apr, 2012
Just for any one thinking of staring a Micro bakery from home ,you do not need any fancy equipment or specialist machinery.I started with my hands a double oven with porcelain tiles on the racks.
Contact your local Environmental Health Officer( EHO) who in my area of Walsall was very helpful.
I started by baking 12 loaves for work colleagues and neighbors,I now bake 120-140 on a Saturday to sell from my front garden as well as other baked treats.
I also share my table with a 12 year old Girl called Alice who bakes fantastic cakes,and a 15 year old Megan who makes Chutneys/Lemon curd,so the word is spreading.
I now do have a small mixer and a ROFCO oven which just plugs into a domestic supply.
Take the plunge bake for 2 then 4 then 8 then 16 and so on
you'll be glad you did I now can say hello to at least 50 new people that live within spitting distance that I never knew before
virtuousbread
10. Apr, 2012
Hi Mark, it sounds like you are a natural bread angel! One of our programmes is teaching people to set up home baking businesses to enable them to work at home and build their local communities. The places some of them have gone from there are amazing.....There are over 65 Bread Angels now in the UK and around the world all experiencing the same delights as you are! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us too!
mark
11. Apr, 2012
I would like to meet more bakers who live close by,and start a "bread club" where in turn 1 person says today we make/bake and then we share tips on how to achieve the same end result .but with differing styles.My main aim is ti convert everyone to sourdough breads of all types and I will FREE of charge give away a starter which I do at least twice a month.I would like to see the winds of change and to move the center away from London as there are great bakeries all over the country who vary in size and ambition.I found a good baker in Liverpool last week at the Quarter Deli.We need to pull together to develop contacts from Lands End to John O Groats
virtuousbread
16. Apr, 2012
The Real Bread campaign is an excellent contact for you as is the Weston Price Foundation in the UK who are deeply committed to sourdough.
Ellen
08. May, 2012
Hello! I was wondering which breads you learn to bake on the home baking course. Do you learn about sourdough, or would I need to attend the separate specific course for that?
Thanks!
Ellen
virtuousbread
08. May, 2012
Hi Ellen, we don't cover sourdough on the home bakers course simply because there is too much else to do. There is the other course which, if you would like to, you can attend to master sourdough. It's a whole day (it takes a long time!). Meanwhile I see and am delighted that you have enrolled on the home bakers course and look forward to seeing you soon!
John
07. Feb, 2014
Hello, I'm thinking about starting a Sourdough Bakery here in Melbourne, Australia. I've managed some of Melbourne's best bakeries including Brown's, Laurent and Phillippa's! For all you English Lads and Lasses, Phillippa's is basically the Sally Clark's (think London)! I have all this knowledge but a HUGE fear of failure! Any help would be greatly appreciated!!! Re. JP
virtuousbread
09. Feb, 2014
Performance anxiety is something we ALL suffer from. And gaining 10 kgs while you eat all your bread instead of selling it. Practice, practice, practice and give lots of bread away for a while - that is the way to start and then once you are confident - just dive in!