The Baker’s Dozen to expand to 50 stores across 15 cities by 2021

Homegrown artisan bakery The Baker’s Dozen (TBD) plans to invest over Rs 30 million to rapidly expand its geographic footprint to 50 stores across 15 cities by 2021. The brand has seen unprecedented growth during the pandemic and plans to grow sales to Rs 30 crore and employee strength to 200 over next year, whilst serving a million customers in that time. The expansion plan also foresees a successful entry into the D2C market and redevelopment of its eCommerce platform before Diwali 2020.

Having built a national following across Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Delhi-NCR, Ahmedabad, Surat, and Baroda, TBD plans to first strengthen the company’s current reach in these seven major cities, followed by aggressive expansion across major metros and Tier-1 cities such as Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Goa, Kochi, Jaipur, Chandigarh, and Lucknow. Taking a step forward in this direction, the brand has already piloted its new D2C store formats (as part of their lean diversification growth strategy) in Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, and Delhi-NCR. It aims to maintain a healthy frequency of opening at least two outlets each month across India.

“With the constant support and hard work of our extremely talented team, even in the midst of a pandemic, I am happy to announce our efforts to make The Baker’s Dozen India’s first choice in artisan bakery products nationally,” mentioned Sneh Jain, co-founder, and managing director, The Baker’s Dozen.

“We have grown by 300% in the last 6 months and are now aggressively pressing the pedal on our transformation from a B2C to a D2C brand. The demand for home deliveries and products has increased exponentially and we have also initiated bulk deliveries all across Mumbai. Our sales channels have shifted from retail partners to our own branded stores and delivering directly to customers. This direct relationship with the customer will reinforce our aim to become the preferred neighborhood artisan bakery brand for everyone. For example, we recently crossed the momentous milestone of selling a million sourdough loaves across India! Who would have thought a so-called Western concept such as sourdough would find such widespread acceptance across Indians from all walks of life,” he added.

The brand’s product range covers a wide range of artisan bread, tea-time cakes, handmade cookies, and healthy snacks. They are also currently expanding their existing product line by adding a need-based + ready-to-use bakery range. Based on consumer research during the lockdown, their functional need-based bakery category will now evolve to include specific health requirements, namely high protein, gluten-free, and low-carb, while the ready-to-use bakery range will focus on products like pita bread, cinnamon buns, etc. The brand has recently launched its functional range called ‘FitKneads’, which is being well appreciated for its taste while being healthy by its patrons.

Aditi Handa, co-founder, and head Baker, said, “The Baker’s dozen began its journey via a small kitchen and 4 bakers (including me) in Mumbai in 2012. We were amongst the first few artisan bakeries that offered authentic and honest products and people have loved us ever since. Our continued focus on healthy hygienic products has helped make our brand as the first choice across major cities in India, as we are committed to provide the best quality bakes to our customers whilst upholding safety and hygiene as our topmost priority. Moving headquarters to Ahmedabad in 2019, TBD has also pioneered one of India’s first COVID and similar pandemic-ready 25000 sq. ft baking factory alongside other innovations in 2020. Many of these include our first-of-its-kind hygienic airtight packaging, preservative-free baking and 100% whole-wheat products, that have helped us provide our customers with quality that is class apart.”

Handa started her business journey in 2009 with a souvenir store, ‘The Wimwian’ situated on the campus of IIM Ahmedabad. A few years later, she trained as a professional baker from the International Culinary Centre, New York, and as a patissier at Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, that eventually led her to pursue baking as a career.

Jain completed his MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and is the mastermind behind the brand’s operations and functioning. The blend of Aditi’s impeccable baking skills and Jain’s business prowess has led to TBD’s success and expansion as a National Artisan Bakery brand.