An artisan’s touch adds sparkle to petit fours!

When stepping into the small bakery in Nordheim in Germany, one is not only immediately struck by the delicious aroma of freshly baked bread but also enters a world representing that rarest of combinations: the sales desk, the large counter in the center and the comparably huge bakery on the inside of the building. This is reminiscent of the classic artisan bakeries of one’s childhood and evokes memories of cheesecakes that used to turn Wednesdays into the highlight of the week.

A few things are quite different, however: The windows are decorated with colorful macarons, creative motif cakes and various spelt-based baked goods that catch the attention of customers who will definitely get an attack of the munchies once they see the display. Stylish black-and-white striped boxes sit on the shelves, ready to carry the purchased “masterpieces” home.

Master baker Daniel Böhm goes his own way

Boxes and advertising displays include a small camera icon, indicating the Instagram account of Daniel Böhm’s Bakery (#baeckermeisterdanielboehm). The 28-year old master baker from Stuttgart is living his dream as a bakery owner, having opened his own store in October 2018. He practically inherited his passion for baking from his father, a passionate baker himself, who enthusiastically supports Daniel and his plans. At the Nordheim location, two factors came together: luck – the store had already been a bakery and both equipment and staff were already in place – and the courage to make a decision. Instead of entering the family business, Daniel Böhm decided to go his own way. His plan seems to be working out. Daniel Böhm’s Bakery is so popular with the locals and commuters that the opening hours and variety of products available – baked goods made with heirloom grain in particular – could be expanded.

Large selection - also for payment

Building on bakery classics, the portfolio is cleverly enriched using special, regional retail products, such as honey from a local apiary. All baked goods are produced in-house. The pastry chef makes individual cake dreams come true and the bakery also includes its own chocolate factory where the owner himself acts as a chocolatier. The bakery accepts cashless payments for shoe-shaped chocolate – a great gift for all footware fashionistas – and all other items on sale. Payment can be made by debit card or bakery loyalty card offering discounts on baked goods and coffee specialties. In the end, there was only one thing missing when it came to equipping Daniel Böhm’s flagship bakery: an in-store baking oven. It was an essential investment in Daniel Böhm’s sale concept, since he wanted the flexibly to offer baked goods, even during opening hours, without having to use the large production oven.

WIESHEU baking ovens fit perfectly into the concept

He chose a combination of WIESHEU deck and convection ovens. The doors of both open inwards, requiring no extra space in front of the baking station. The Dibas-Ebo combination could therefore be installed in the small walk-through between the sales counter and the bakery, enabling customers entering the store to see fresh products baking in the oven for themselves. Responding to growing demand, more pretzels and in particular the popular “Glücksbrötchen”, rolls with grated carrots can therefore be baked several times a day. The afternoon bread sold fresh from the oven is baked in the deck oven. Thanks to the touch control, this is so easy that Daniel’s fiancée, not a baker herself and new to the baking business, can operate the oven on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

In his first weeks as a young entrepreneur, Daniel Böhm has already developed many new ideas that he is planning to implement. In cooperation with the neighboring butcher shop, he has recently set up a refrigerated vending machine with fresh meat for the grill and bread for dinner for those customers who cannot make it to the store before closing time.

In the summer, the bakery also offers ice cream sundaes for customers to enjoy at one of the tables out front. We will certainly keep tabs on this business and will be happy to make ourselves available as guinea pigs for the testing of any new products.

When everything came together...

Do energetic and positive people have more luck in their lives? We think we are lucky that everything has happened this way: time, circumstances, people! The result is a successful company and a harmonious atmosphere. Yes, many stories are true, but it is like the tip of an iceberg – it is the only thing that is visible. I am pleased to be able to tell the story of Nina Mironova, the owner of two cake shops in Kaliningrad, and her path to success.

The story begins in 1999, when Nina Miranova had completed her degree at a technical university in her home town of Vladikavkaz and decided to go to Kaliningrad. She did not want to work as a programmer and remembered the great passion of her childhood – cake! When she was young, Nina watched her Aunt Ethel create her culinary masterpieces – cakes. Everything was breathtaking to her: the magic of the right mixture of ingredients, the baking, the smell and the decorations! Nina wanted to turn her hobby into a job, but her parents insisted that she had to get a "normal" education. When she arrived in Kaliningrad, she replied to a job advertisement for a pastry chef. The employer was looking for someone with experience and specialist training. Nina proved herself and was hired for the production team.

Circumstances required that she had to work twice as hard, virtually without days off or rest days. But she was hard-working and diligent and gradually gained professional experience. After a while, a master baker came to the production team to teach baking techniques and baking standards. Nina was eager to learn and listened carefully. She absorbed the new knowledge like a sponge and tried to directly put it into practice. She was not afraid to experiment and create new products. Thanks to good cooperation with suppliers from the confectionery industry, the product range was continuously updated and the company became a trendsetter for innovations. One of the ingredients suppliers offered Nina a job as a process engineer, which opened up great perspectives for training, travelling and development. A few years later, Nina became the general manager for raw materials. 

Nina agreed to move to a new location for this. There were training courses for the new president programme, international exhibitions, the latest innovations and trends in the industry. This experience helped Nina with structuring and planning her work and that of her employees and with preparing and checking contracts with partners. In 2009, she was promoted to deputy director. In the same year, Nina became the head of patisserie at Factory Kitchen.

After three years, she was once again working with the supplier for restaurant raw materials and equipment in sales. This continued until 2014. Everything was smooth and stable. One day, a customer called and requested a personal meeting. Nina had handled a not quite successful project at two cafés. Customers stayed away from the café, although it was a very good establishment. The owner was tired of fighting for customers and decided to close the café. She remembered Nina's enthusiasm and business acumen and offered her the lease for the space. Nina had not been expecting such an offer and was generally not ready for it. The customer, however, ensured her that there was no risk, sent contracts for review and invited Nina again. All the knowledge she had gained from her various fields of work proved useful: She used her technical knowledge to evaluate production and in particular the reason for the unsuccessful product range and the management's failure to correctly calculate costs, and to check the contracts with suppliers. Nina was still not completely sure whether to accept the offer. She then visited the cake shops and saw the great equipment with WIESHEU ovens, and decided to go for it. In the first years, she added to the equipment. Five years after the takeover by Nina, it has become a very successful business. And we decided to ask how exactly she managed to virtually revive the café. 

PARTNER: Nina, how do you assess the situation in 2014? Why was business not going well for the customer? 
Nina Mironova: I think the main mistake was that there was no in-house production. They were only selling imported frozen products from Europe. At the time, that was accordingly very expensive for guests at the café.

P.: What were your first steps? And what convinced you to take on a struggling business?
N.M.: When I saw the great ovens, proofers and freezers, I realised that this could be used for a successful business. Otherwise I would not have agreed to it.
When I saw the freezer section, I immediately knew which products I wanted to sell. 

P.: How did your experience and knowledge of technology and management help you?
N.M.: The work would have been impossible without this knowledge. I baked the first cakes myself, looked after the pricing and found raw material suppliers. I like natural products, without chemicals or preservatives – and with a great taste! There should be many different toppings and fillings, and the products should always be freshly baked.

P.: Is everything produced in one place? Which area do you look after?
N.M.: Yes, our production is at the central café. They focus on making cakes and dough – exactly what I have been learning about all my life. We make some frozen products and then bake them at the shop.

P.: Do you bake in WIESHEU ovens?
N.M.: Yes, that is my great treasure. Honestly! I am not saying this to please the manufacturer – it is a recognition, because they have never let me down in my work. These ovens are multifunctional. We can easily bake many different products and that is quite rare.

P.: How does the service work for these ovens?
N.M.: I am content to say that we do not need service very often, although I am always in contact with the Russian representatives who are available with help and advice. I like working with them and that is important, too!

P.: Nina, what are your plans for the future?
N.M.: I have great plans! There will be a pizzeria in mid-April! That had been my childhood dream from the start! I am very proud of the project, it is almost a part of my soul. The room is adjacent to the cake shop, which is convenient for production. We will offer traditional Italian pizza. And of course we will also bake them in a WIESHEU oven!

P.: Very interesting pizza concept. I was not expecting that!
N.M.: I studied different pizza-making techniques for a long time. I travelled through Italy, watched, tasted, compared. I came to the conclusion that the best and tastiest pizza corresponds exactly to our technology. I am sure that our guests will enjoy the unique taste of the pizza and the cosy Italian design of the new building.

P.: I wish you great success, prosperity and new ideas!

Interview with Catherine Starkova (translated from Russian into German and English)

“An extremely popular port of call, especially at the weekend.”

In 2004, SPAR Hungary started the implementation of a freshness campaign, in the course of which the SPAR Express markets at OMV and Lukoil filling stations were equipped with Euromat in-store baking ovens. The customers appreciate the attractive range of freshly baked goods, and especially at the weekend, the bakery counter is extremely popular. The round-the-clock availability on a 7/24 basis, together with the comprehensive range of products, is a magnet which is attractive not only for passing customers but also for regular customers from a wider catchment area.

“… because there are freshly-baked products all day long!”

Florian Gusenbauer knows exactly what appeals to his customers. This is also why the high quality, constant availability and great care of the fresh products in his SPAR supermarket are of enormous importance. He has been managing it since 2013, and the attractive bakery products from the WIESHEU in-store baking oven rounds off his wide range of products perfectly. Customers of all age groups appreciate the variety of bakery products and enjoy the wide choice around the clock. However, a precondition for this is also the permanent availability of the technology, and Florian Gusenbauer finds this “super”, for “the after-sales service always comes on the same day, if need be.”

“… very satisfied after only a short time.”

In the SPAR supermarket Kesselaar in the small Dutch coastal town of Westkapelle, two Euromat B5 in-store baking ovens have been providing the customers with fresh baked goods since February 2017. Even now, the range of products has been very well received by the locals. From April until October, however, a large number of tourists will also flood the popular holiday resort. The son of the market manager is already certain that the wide range of bakery products direct from the in-store baking oven will also make countless friends, and is looking forward to a busy season.