We are going to be using a shared kitchen, where we are able to put our items in their store, as well (cakes, cookies, cupcakes, etc).
We are trying to figure out the best way to do this efficiently and effectively.
I really like the look of the natural brown boxes for our cookies, cupcakes and cakes. But, I am trying to compare them to the clear plastic containers that snap closed. These are kinda ugly, but I am wondering if they will keep our product fresher.
Basically, I will be at the kitchen every morning (before my regular job . yippee lol) I will be making cookies and cupcakes for a few hours, boxing them up and putting them on the shelves. I am in the process of testing "freshness" of our product over a "24" and "48" hour period. I don't want to throw our product out, yet I NEVER want a customer to get a product that is not totally fresh.
There will be no chemical preservatives in my items, so I am concerned . .
How long do you keep your boxed items on the shelf? 24 hours? 48? longer?
I don't think I will go more than 2 days, and maybe only one day . . .
I only bake so that no storage is needed. Mine are scratch too. Baking early morning for that day's products is how every artisan bakery works. Otherwise, no matter what you store them in, they are day old or older. I personally put them in the cardboard, but only when they go out the door.
For custom orders we use cardboard boxes with inserts (they are more cost-effective), but in a wholesale situation where the retailer's customers will make purchasing decisions based on how your product looks, I would recommend plastic clamshell containers so your product is visible.
I only bake so that no storage is needed. Mine are scratch too. Baking early morning for that day's products is how every artisan bakery works. Otherwise, no matter what you store them in, they are day old or older. I personally put them in the cardboard, but only when they go out the door.
I agree with you 100% and I wish that I can do the same . . . but I am not afforded that luxury, just yet.
Very limited budget, but fortunate enough to find a shared kitchen, where the owner has a retail front, and allowing me to place items on the shop. I am very lucky for that . . .but at the same time, I can not expect her staff to box up my items and wait on my customers like that. Rather, I believe she will be allowing me to place "boxed" items out . . for easy check out and not burden her cashier. I will have to wait and see until we have another set up meeting this week.
Baking from scratch is super important to me. I test all of my products tremendously in my home kitchen before I decide to add them to my line up. I test my product fresh, then I freeze a few, and then box a few to test how they hold up after one day boxed, and frozen for a few days . then thawed.
I have found that most cookies and cupcakes hold up super well!! And there is literally no difference in taste and freshness from the first day.
This weekend I baked a few batches of cookies and boxed them up, as we are testing how long they will stay fresh baked . . . so far so good after 24 hours.
I don't ever plan on leaving a boxed item on the shelf for more than 24 hours, but I want to see how fresh my cookies will be . . after the customer gets them home. I want them to stay fresh for another few days . . after purchase.
I really like the brown recycled boxes . . but I am wondering if they will truly keep the items as fresh as plastic clam style . . .
I agree that plastic clam shells better show off our products . . however, I also feel as if the cheapen our appearance. It gives us more of a walmart or supermarket feel . . . the recycled brown boxes give a nice upscale . . care about the environment look, that we want.
I am more concerned with which package will be best for freshness
For custom orders we use cardboard boxes with inserts (they are more cost-effective), but in a wholesale situation where the retailer's customers will make purchasing decisions based on how your product looks, I would recommend plastic clamshell containers so your product is visible.
Kuya, don't compromise on the freshness either. If it were me, I would limit my retail to weekends and only sell fresh. This way you can still bake all at one time, example early Sat morning for Sat and Sun. If you want this to grow, please do everything you can to keep that product fresh.
Pm me and I'll show you something that may work for you.
Could you put out a small display of your products in something like a glass cake dome and then have the ones for sale in the brown boxes. I like the look of the cardboard, and you can put pretty labels on them to tell what they are. If you went with the ones that have the plastic in the top, the customers could see what was in each one.
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