As you likely know niche bakeries and confectionaries are thriving. They are prospering thanks to their unique and creative concepts, evolving and meeting the demands of the market.

Niche bakeries can increase their margins and build their business by capitalizing on trends which consumers love. Customers are increasingly seeking interesting treats as well as local and better-for-you options. Focusing on a specialty allows you to customize and personalize your products, features which are beloved by the younger generations – who are often the first to embrace a new specialty shop.

The options for a niche bakery are endless, from cupcakes to doughnuts, ice cream, avocado, éclairs and more. Take a look at some existing specialty concepts which you can adapt to suit your bakery business model.

Cupcakes

Cupcake bakeries are an incredibly popular specialty option due to their prestige and endless flavor combinations. It is also a very practical dessert, being able to be easily served in single portions or as a larger collection. Cupcakes appeal to consumers as they showcase creativity, visual appeal and can be easily personalized. However, due to their over popularity cupcake sales are in decline and their trend may have peaked, as there is a lot of competition. So, make sure you have a solid business plan before entering the cupcake craze.

Doughnuts

Specialty doughnut shops can be so much more than just Restaurant Chains. A skilled pastry chef can give these sweets much more personality and flare. Like the cupcake, doughnuts are popular as they can be easily served in single portions or as a larger collection. With true creativity doughnuts flavor combinations are almost endless and are sure to delight regular customers.

French Patisserie

If you thought the traditional French pastries couldn’t be unique, think again. Things like Eclairs, Macarons and Croissants have limitless flavor options. It is important to breathe new life into these classic bakery staples. New flavors, new sizes, food combinations such as Croissant and éclair together are all creative ways to delight customers and keep them coming back for more.

Ingredient Specific Bakeries

A new up and coming specialty for bakeries is ingredient specific menus. Things like Avocados, berries, Cocoa, Vanilla, Matcha are all very popular and ‘In’ ingredients. Having an entire menu built around that one ingredient of your choice is a truly unique experience for consumers. It also demonstrates that you put a lot of thought and creativity into your items. This makes the customer value your products more as each item feels very personalized. 

While having a specialty is great, you also need to plan how you are going to capitalize on this feature of your business. It is important that your bakery plan includes all the steps below to ensure you are maximizing your businesses profitability.

1. Make sure the name of your bakery fits the theme of your specialty items. The more creative, clever and catchy the name, the better, you are trying to make your bakery memorable after all. Make sure you research other bakeries in your city so that you do not pick a name or specialty too similar to one that is already well established.

2. Select a good location for your bakery. Know your target audience and know your location demographics. If you are catering to students, make sure you are located in a walkable distance, etc. Use your city’s published demographic data to find target areas that have the types of customers you are looking for. Make sure this there is a need in this area for what you are offering.

3. Take your time and develop your offerings. Plan and set the recipes for all your products. Know your menu, what products do you think will be the most popular? Which product has the highest margins? Lowest margins? etc. Make sure your products are all associated with your theme or specialty. It is okay for not everything you produce to be exactly your ‘theme’ or specialty, but it should have a reasonable relation to it, or it will seem out of place and likely will not perform well.

4. Make sure the design of your bakery, interiors and exteriors, showcase your niche. If your theme is French deserts have photos of Paris, make the names French etc. Your tables, walls, decorations, counters and display cases are all an opportunity to highlight your bakery’s uniqueness and personality. Invest in professional or unique signage for your baked goods and your windows. The more photographable and instagramable your business is the more people will post about it. All of which is promotion which will ultimately make your business more popular.

5.  Invest early on in online marketing such as social media outlets and a professional website. Also ensure you are updating your online presence regularly as old pages and old profiles which are largely inactive are easily forgotten.

Being unique and creative in all aspects of your bakery from the name, to the design to the product is ultimately what will sell your goods. Niche products set you apart from the competition and diversify your offerings. By focusing on what can do best, you can spend more time being creative and interacting with your satisfied customers.