I recently called a local bake shop that is getting a name for having very good cupcakes.  I enjoy them as well.  They placed in the top ten for the cupcakes in the state.  Most of them have a very delightful filling and they are so light and fluffy and just plain good. 

 

I was in the shop recently while they were baking and I know I smelled the scent of a packaged mix(which is what I suspected because I bake a lot)  Anyway I called and asked if they used a base mix and she would not answer the question and stated that if the product is good what difference does it make and if someone has an allergy then she would identify if she used that item.  And that she would not answer the question.  Well that answer speaks for itself.

 

If it were my shop I completely understand the need for giving a good quality and good priced item that is consistent.  I get it.  So why not be honest?  I would have said,  "Yes I use a high quality base mix to which I add high quality fresh ingredients.  That I have wonderflul products and decorate very well."  I would have then made an invitation to view my website to see if there is something that is of interest.

 

But for goodness sake this charade of not answering gives the answer and makes the owner look like she is not proud of what she does.  Sad because she has a very good product line and sells out most days. 

 

I did not write this get into the mix vs scratch debate.  But, I will say this if I had a shop I would more than likely use a base mix, it just makes sense and I would be a proud owner.

 

cakemom

Yep.

AShe has the right to not tell anybody about her business , its her business , she makes her best to let the shop work , so its naturally to not answer this kind of qs .

She gave you an honest answer, in a round about way...it's none of your beeswax. If you like her product, why should you care about what ingredients she uses. Also, like she stated, if there is an allergy question, she would inform you if a particular ingredient is use. No charade here that I see.

Wait a minute here.  That's dishonest, and no, she didn't give a direct answer.  She skirted around the issue and got pissy which was totally inappropriate and unprofessional.  If you bake from a mix, you need to say so if someone asks.  There is no rhyme or reason to beating around the bush when it comes to that stuff. That is a quick way to lose customers.

 

FYI, and for what it's worth, you can almost 100% guarantee that if the baker doesn't advertise that she bakes from scratch, she usually doesn't.  That is a major advertising advantage for scratch bakers, especially since truthfully, most people are not good scratch bakers so they start from a mix.  In this day and age, people want to be educated consumers.  They want to know what they are paying for and eating, and they have that right.  Some people don't want to consume something that's not from scratch. 

 

At the end of the day, you need to stand by your product, no matter what.  And if you are ashamed of using a mix, or you feel like there is some stigma attached to it, then obviously you need to look at what you are doing and either change your attitude or change your recipes.
 

You got your answer, even though she didn't answer.

AI agree that the answer was not as professional as it could have been, but I don't feel that it was dishonest. It would have been dishonest if she told you she baked from scratch. I can understand why she refused to answer, given the stigma associated with mix baking.

A

So if a customer asks about confidential business information (whether it involves trade secret ingredients, process, or both) you are dishonest if you don't divulge that information?

No, that is considered good business practice because those specific details are privileged, and of no potential danger to the customer.  But ingredients, yes.  Even manufacturers have to put ingredients on packages, and most restaurants keep books which contain ingredient lists and other nutritional information if a customer asks.  OP wasn't asking for a recipe or process or anything that detailed, she was just asking what was in it, or rather, if they started from a mix.  

 

A few years ago I was watching an episode of Unwrapped, and they toured the Peeps factory.  There was a huge tarp over the machine so no one could see how the Peeps were being made.  But obviously if you go purchase a package of Peeps the ingredients will be on the label.  

 

I still think it comes down to the fact that bakers need to be up front if asked about ingredients.  People have a right to know what they are consuming.

A

That's why I said "trade secret ingredients". They are exempt from disclosure laws, which is why you sometimes see a generic listing for "spices" or "natural flavors" on an ingredients label.

OP wasn't asking for a recipe or process or anything that detailed, she was just asking what was in it, or rather, if they started from a mix.

Scratch or mix is a question about the process. How much of the process to disclose to the public is a decision each business owner can and should make for themselves. If you don't like the answer you are free to not patronize that business, but it's a stretch to accuse someone of being dishonest because they choose to keep their process a secret.

I still think it comes down to the fact that bakers need to be up front if asked about ingredients.  People have a right to know what they are consuming.

I agree, and if OP had asked for a list of ingredients the business probably would have provided that list, but that's not what she asked.

Yes I definitely get that about the trade secret ingredients.

 

To me, scratch or mix is just as much about the ingredients as the process.  When I think of scratch, I think of each individual component coming together, not commercial or box mixes to which you just add other stuff.  I think it's safe to assume that most people, especially those in the baking business, understand what someone means when asked if they bake from "scratch."  If not, that is error of assumption on my part.

 Quote:

"She skirted around the issue and got pissy which was totally inappropriate and unprofessional."

 

I dont think the op ever said she got pissy she just didint give a staight answer and she was dishonest . It is her business !! I agree if there is an allergy problem then ask about ingredients other than that its not anyones business but hers!! 

The response the OP was given sounded pissy to me.  Refusal to answer, then basically saying what difference does it make, sounds a little pissy.  Then again, I wasn't privy to the conversation, so maybe it was said just as polite as can be.

You should call and tell her you're allergic to proylene glycol, and do her cupcakes have any of that in them? That would be your answer, even though you already know the answer.

 

And yes, it's a yes or no question. Answering whether you use a base mix or not doesn't give away your trade secret recipes.

What I don't get is why you are (and everyone else is) so obssessed with what this woman is baking. You said the cupcakes are good. Why make a big deal about if they use a mix or bake from scratch? You got your answer - it's obvious that they use a mix. If you don't want to eat cakes made with a mix the stop shopping there. It's that simple.

 

I'm a scratch baker.

AExactly! Everyone on this site seems to be so picky and obsessed... I have had my business for 2 years, and have only had 1 person ask me... And she didn't even care! I think she must've been influenced in some way to ask, because I told her no, and she still ordered!!

Hmmm - why would you not ask whilst being in the shop?

 

Perhaps the lady thought you were another bakery when you called - shrug

 

I don't see any signal that she was dishonest...  Isn't being dishonest telling an untruth?

 

She just took the 5th ... as America calls it

 

If she said yes, i bake from scratch - and she actually used a packet mix - now that would be dishonest...

 

Maybe you should have been upfront and mentioned why you were asking..... shrug.

 

Bluehue

Truly the reason I asked about baking from scratch is because I was considering ordering my birthday cake from her.  I like Italian Cream Cheese cake and if she baked from scratch I would have ordered it to save myself time from baking my cake. 

 

Anyway, I did get my answer by her evasiveness. 

 

 

Cakeymom

But asking if its a mix is different from asking what is in the cake.

If you like her cake, who cares if it's scratch or a mix?  The only important thing is that it's good and you like it. RIGHT??? 

No, I don't really think all that matters is if you like it.  I like, no love, Diet Coke.  Had quite a habit of drinking 3 - 4 per day.  As I became more aware of the harmful chemicals in it, I chose to give it up; haven't had any soda for almost two years.  I'm not totally obsessed with keeping all chemicals out of my food, but I do try to minimize them.  Since I'm no chemist or doctor or whatever and since I don't know how any of the chemicals in box mixes affect my body, I choose not to use them, particularly since there are viable alternatives.  A bakery using a mix would be a deal breaker for me, regardless of how beautiful and tasty they are.

Well, for the record I did purchase my birthday cake from the bakery and it was good.  But, I don't see what the harm is in knowing what you are paying for.  I get the point of using a good quality commercial mix; consistency, and being able to sell a product at a good and fair price.

 

But, what I do not get is, why not just say you use a mix.  Why does there have to be this lack of ownership???  Again, if I had a bakery I might be one that uses a mix.  But, at least I would be forthcoming if asked this question.

 

cakeymom

The bakery I worked for used a mix of scratch recipes and those from a doctored mix.  The 'recipe' most requested from us was our doctored mix.  We did not disclose  our recipes nor did we say whether we used a mix or not.   Unfortunately some people have the misguided notion that if they purchase a baked good produced from a mix (doctored or not), that it somehow is worth less.  That's why the baker was hesitant.   Whether true or not, perception rules the market place and I'm sure she was concerned if she divulged her baking methods,  some customers might reconsider using her.   Right or wrong, that's what happens. 

 

If I were in the same position and asked point blank if I used mixes I too would be hesitant...but I might say that 'some of our recipes use a base mix, while others are made completely from scratch--and it just depends upon which recipe provides the highest quality and superior taste as to which type we use for any given order.'  

AYou really already knew the answer, because you could "smell" the mix. So what was the motivation for asking?

A

Just looking at some of the responses in this thread re mixes, it looks like the bakery made the right call in declining to disclose their baking process.

A

Except if the bakery only uses mixes, answering that some products are made from mixes and others from scratch would be dishonest.

The question absolutely has to do with process...if it was about ingredients OP would have asked for a list of ingredients. Some mixes have chemical ingredients and some don't.