Buying or starting a bakery in Canada

If you are one of those people who love baking bread and pastries and always get involved in baking birthday cakes, or if you want to start a business that not only provides income but also follows your interests, starting a bakery is one of the best options.

Job responsibilities of bakers in Canada

·         Baking and decorating bread and various pastries based on customer requests and tastes

·         Training staff

·         Preparing raw materials for baking bread and pastries, such as dough

·         Supervising the baking and sales process

·         Ensuring the quality of the products produced

·         Purchasing necessary raw materials

Skills required to start a bakery in Canada

·         Baking, preparing and serving bread and pastries

·         Designing and decorating bread and pastries

·         Skills in using and repairing equipment, machinery and devices

·         Management skills such as hiring employees and supervising them

·         Skills in data analysis and information

·         Skills in organizing financial affairs

Steps to start a bakery in Canada

1.        Choose the type of bakery you want to start.

Consider your talents, budget, and goals when making this decision. You can research local job markets and best businesses in this area for inspiration and awareness.

After examining the job market around you, try to choose a unique type of bakery for yourself. For example, if there are three bakeries in the area where you live that offer different types of bread, you can be creative and offer sugar-free bread or gluten-free bread.

2.       Decide on the type of services you want to offer.

Depending on the type of bakery you have chosen, you can offer some services in your bakery, for example, you can offer online services.

In this day and age, many services are online. When people prefer online shopping, why not provide these services for them? You can design a website for yourself and also offer the possibility of ordering online. This way, in addition to in-person purchases, you can also allocate time to prepare orders received online.

If you want to have online services, you need to pay attention to a few points:

In the case of online services, you also need to think about delivery to the customer's door.

You need to be very organized to handle both in-person and online orders.

You must schedule properly to ensure that products are delivered to customers on time.

Your website costs should be higher than in-person purchases due to delivery costs.

3.       Obtain the necessary permits.

After deciding on the type of bakery you want to open, you need to obtain the necessary permits.

The three common permits required to start a bakery in Canada are:

·         Keeping and distributing healthy food (Health Protection and Promotion Act)

·         Food premises prerequisites

·         Canadian Food Inspection Agency

4.       Plan your business.

Having a well-written business plan can help you succeed in this venture. A business plan allows you to look at your business from different angles.

Your business plan should include the following:

·         Financial plan

·         Calendar plans

·         Responsibilities

·         Business expansion methods

·         Marketing and advertising

·         Expenses

If you don't know where to start, the University of British Columbia has a business plan template that you can use for inspiration.

5.       Register your business.

One of the important and necessary steps in this path is to register your business. By doing so, you give a legal identity to your business and avoid legal and financial problems in the future.

6.       Rent or purchase a location for your bakery.

One of the most impactful factors for the success or failure of your business is the location where it is established. Consider the following factors when choosing a location:

Existing competitors in the area

Average price of renting or buying shops in the area

The level of crowding or quietness in the area

7.       Price your products.

As the owner of a bakery, you need to determine a price for the products you offer. Consider these factors when pricing your products:

·         Cost of raw materials

·         Time spent to produce the products

·         Packaging costs

·         Time spent expanding your business

8.       Market your business.

Marketing may be the most important step in starting any business. You need to make people more aware of the services you offer. Use these methods for marketing your business:

·         Social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.

·         Writing a blog

·         Joining commercial marketing groups

9.       Understand the importance of your customers and appreciate them.

Steve Jobs once said, "You have only one chance to create a first impact."

Customers are always an important factor in the success of any business. They are the key to your success. Satisfied and happy customers will keep coming back to you. Use every opportunity to attract and retain customers.

Ask your customers to give feedback about your services, talk to them, and try to create a positive experience for them.

Reasons for the failure of a bakery business in Canada

Your business may face failure due to three main reasons:

Weak marketing

If you don't have appropriate marketing and a good advertising plan, your business is likely to fail. Marketing is one of the major reasons why bakery businesses fail. You may offer the best products, but if people don't know you exist, they won't be able to find you.

Don't think that if you offer quality products, you will automatically be recognized. You need to spend hours designing a cohesive marketing plan.

Weak financial planning

Understanding and tracking financial matters is one of the most important issues in starting any business, and if it is weak, it can easily lead to your failure. It is very important to know how much your income is, how it is earned, where it is spent, and how it can be increased.

Keep in mind that you must separate your financial and business affairs.

Incorrect pricing

The last but not necessarily the least important issue is related to the pricing process. You need to price your products in a way that covers your initial costs, generates income, and provides additional profit for the expansion of your business.

One reason why your bakery business may fail is that you have not priced it correctly. Note that out of every five bakery businesses, one fails due to incorrect pricing. So, don't let this happen to you.

An important point to keep in mind in the pricing process is that you should not think you have to choose low prices to attract customers or compete with nearby businesses.

Required permits for starting a bakery in Canada:

Food handling permits

Selling permit

Food safety certification

Kitchen safety and health permit

Employment permit as a baker.

Immigrating to Canada through setting up a bakery

To immigrate to Canada through setting up a bakery, you must use the startup method. Through this program, you can also obtain permanent residency in Canada.

The Startup Visa Program helps foreign entrepreneurs to start their businesses in Canada, obtain permanent residency in the country, and bring their families with them.

Requirements for immigrating to Canada through the startup program

- Proficiency in English or French

- Minimum pre-university degree

- Medical tests

- Certificate of no criminal record

- Financial ability to start a bakery in Canada

- Financial ability to apply for permanent residency in Canada through the startup program

- Number of people | Financial ability

- 1 | $12,960

- 2 | $16,135

- 3 | $19,836

- 4 | $24,083

- 5 | $27,315

- 6 | $30,806

- 7 | $34,299

- For each additional person | $3,492

- Financial ability to apply for a Canadian work visa through the startup program

- 1 | $25,338

- 2 | $31,544

- 3 | $38,780

- 4 | $47,084

- 5 | $53,402

- 6 | $60,228

- 7 | $67,228

- For each additional person | $6,827

Costs of immigrating to Canada through setting up a bakery

- Permanent residence fee for the applicant | $2,075

- Permanent residence fee for spouse or common-law partner | $1,325

- Permanent residence fee for dependent child | $225

- Job offer fee for applicant | $230

- Work Permit fee for applicant | $255

- Work Permit fee for spouse or common-law partner | $255

- Visa fee for each dependent child | $255

Required documents for immigrating to Canada through setting up a bakery

- Resume or CV

- Detailed business plan

- Copy of passport

- Identification documents such as birth certificate and ID card

- Employment documents

- Marriage certificate (if married)

- Certificate of no criminal record

- Bank statement showing financial ability for the last 6 months

- Language test results

- Medical certificate