How to start a bakery business ?

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Opening a bakery responds to various aspirations: proximity to customers, design of fresh, organic or gluten-free products, or the desire for independence .Many entrepreneurs are thus embarking on the creation of a business considered emblematic in France.

How to get started without a degree?

The baker’s activity: definition

To open a bakery , and be legally qualified as a baker, you must retail your production of breads, pastries and other baguettes. You must also ensure the kneading of the dough, its fermentation, its shaping and its baking.

All this must be done at the point of sale of your production. If you do not make the bread yourself but you buy that from another baker to resell it, you cannot have a “bakery” sign, because your activity will be qualified as a “bread depot ” .

Diploma issued by the national directory of professional certifications.It is also possible to create a bakery after having had 3 years of professional experience as a business manager, self-employed worker or baker employee.

Opening a bakery without a diploma and without professional experience is also possible when your spouse or one of your employees has a diploma or a professional experience of at least 3 years.

Please note: to open a bakery thanks to the qualities of your spouse, he must have the status of collaborating spouse, a status available only in SARL.

If you plan to open a franchise, it is sometimes possible not to have a diploma. It will depend on the bakery franchise you choose and the way you will carry out your activity (bread depot or bakery).

Is the installation preparation course a mandatory step?

From the moment your bakery activity is at least partly artisanal, that is to say when you hire less than 10 employees, you can take this course, which is now optional.

This aims to train you in the operation of a company , its means of financing and the difficulties you may have to face. The cost of the course is around €200 , but may vary depending on the regional chamber of trades and crafts on which you depend. It is therefore a cost to be taken into account in the cost of creating a bakery if you choose to do so.

Traveling baker, is it possible?

For this, it is not necessary to obtain the card allowing the exercise of an itinerant activity, as long as you make your rounds in the municipality of your local bread production or in the neighboring municipalities. This is very practical if you plan to open a bakery in a village or in the countryside.

Please note: if you do not sell in the municipalities close to yours, you must apply for the itinerant trader’s card!

Which legal status to choose?

The auto-entrepreneur regime is not appropriate for opening a bakery because the amount of turnover is capped. In addition, you will not be able to deduct from your turnover the charges that you have to meet. For example, when you sell a baguette for €1, that corresponds to €1 in turnover without you being able to subtract the cost of flour, yeast and labour. The turnover of the auto-entrepreneur does not correspond to the profits made.

It is generally more favorable to create a company because it will allow you to protect your personal assets. Whether you opt for the SARL or the SAS , you will be able to develop your activity more easily. Generally, bakers opt for the creation of an LLC  because it is considered a form of stable company and easily manageable by the partners. Moreover, if you plan to open a bakery thanks to the experience of your spouse, be aware that only the SARL allows you to grant him the status of collaborating spouse.

If you create a company you will have to write articles of association and the description of your activity is part of the mandatory information. Be vigilant in the precision of this description and help yourself with our examples of corporate purpose .

Good to know: the ideal is to write a bakery business plan to get a clear idea of ​​all the costs and needs you will have when you start.

Regulatory requirements

When you decide to open a bakery, find out about the standards to be respected so as not to be surprised during an unexpected check! For example, you must comply with certain hygiene standards concerning the cleaning and disinfection of places where food is prepared, cooked and stored .

In addition, there is strict legislation governing the names given to breads . You cannot designate your products as you wish. For example, a traditional French bread must not have been frozen or contain additives.

You now have the key elements to launch your project in good conditions. Take the plunge and create your bakery!

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