Many people dream of starting a business making and selling cakes for a living however they would be surprised at how much more is required than an oven and some ingredients.
In my opinion the most important factor of starting Nanny Sams Cakes was ensuring the safety of my customers. When a Nanny Sams luxury cake is cut at a celebration and enjoyed by many, those consuming the sumptuous delight would not even think about what was involved to ensure that what they are eating is safe.
As a minimum requirement to operate Nanny Sams Cakes, I am required to hold at least a level two food hygiene certificate. To satisfy my piece of mind and know I am putting my customers food safety first I have the following
City & Guild Level 2 -
Food Safety and Hygiene for retail
City & Guild Level 2 -
Food Safety and Hygiene for catering
Food Allergy Awareness certificate
Understanding HACCP
City & Guilds Risk Assessment
I am presently studying for my Level 2 HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) certificate
Whilst food safety is paramount I also have to consider data protection too, many customers do not consider this as they freely share their personal details with me when ordering their special cake.
I am also a data controller registered with the ICO (Information Commissioners Office) which means I comply with data protection rules and regulations and that any data held by Nanny Sams Cakes is secure, you can find my privacy statement on my website.
My most prized certificate / award is my hygiene certificate issued by my local authority, (being awarded this bought a tear to my eye as it was issued on what would have been my Grandmas birthday and after all it was her whom inspired me to share the love of baking with the world).
Anyone in the food industry will appreciate how much hard work goes into receiving one of these. To get my hygiene rating I had to illustrate the strict procedures I have in place when producing my cakes and bakes. I have management and cleaning systems in place to ensure that my customers are food safe and to enable me to track and trace any ingredients or order, did you know that I even check the temperature of my fridge twice a day?
With the foundation blocks of Nanny Sams securely in place I obtained the necessary insurances to start trading as Nanny Sams Cakes. To get to this point my cooker had not been switched on once for customers and this took a number of months - there was more than the legal side to work on to start my business from scratch.
Further aspects to consider when starting my business were branding, advertising, packaging , equipment, training and building a website... so much to learn and wow I had no idea how much work was required to get going so back to the original question no it is not easy to set up a cake business it takes continual back room input.
Staying up to date on legislation, ensuring the business is visible to all ideal clients, staying up to date on latest trends, furthering my skill set all take time so whilst it may seem I have no creations on my bench I am still investing much needed time to keep doing what I enjoy.
So I thank you for asking this question and for your continued support, I hope that this gives you an insight into knowing how importantly I take your safety when I bake a cake and trust that I consider the things you would not necessary think about to keep you safe.
Best wishes and stay safe
Nanny Sam
xxx
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