Putting bakery management software to work
The Bread Bakers Guild of America hosted a virtual panel, “Putting Bakery Management Software to Work,” on October 6, 2024, in partnership with Cybake. The event was moderated by Wai Chu, Education and Events Manager at the Guild, and featured Luke Karl, Head of U.S. Operations at Cybake, alongside Sarah Williams, President and Head Baker at Seven Stars Bakery in Providence, RI, and Zach Martinucci, Founder of Rebel Bread in Denver, CO.
The session explored how bakery management software is transforming the way bakeries operate, from streamlining production to reducing administrative workload and increasing accuracy. As bakeries grow, managing recipes, wholesale orders, and production schedules manually becomes more time-consuming and prone to errors. The panel discussed how an integrated system like Cybake helps bakeries work smarter, cut costs, and maintain consistency across every stage of production.
Automation
When Rebel Bread launched in 2018, Zach and his team relied on spreadsheets to manage nearly every aspect of production. Each recipe was recorded manually, and wholesale orders were tracked in what they called “The DOC,” a master spreadsheet listing all accounts and weekly deliveries. While it worked in the bakery’s early days, the system became increasingly fragile as the business expanded.
“Those spreadsheets were the core of the bakery, but they would sometimes break if someone deleted a formula or entered data incorrectly,” Zach explained. “It became harder to train new staff and manage all the moving parts.”
As Rebel Bread grew, Zach recognised the need for a more reliable, automated solution. “My role was to find the systems that sit at the core of what we do and improve them. When there’s enough complexity that you’re finding a better tool than you can make yourself, that’s when software becomes essential,” he said.
Cybake provided that next step forward. Designed specifically for bakeries, the software automates daily processes including recipe management, production scheduling, order tracking, costing, and invoicing, all within a single central platform.
Onboarding
The transition to Cybake was both structured and collaborative. Zach shared that the onboarding process took about a month, with dedicated support from the Cybake team throughout. “We had someone at Cybake go through all our recipes, customer data, and reports with us to ensure everything was set up exactly how we needed,” he said.
With seven department leads involved, the bakery customised its system to match its real production workflows. Together, they built scaling reports for mixers, printed packing slips for fulfilled orders, and designed delivery manifests for drivers. Most importantly, every staff member received hands-on training to use the system confidently.
“The biggest difference now,” Zach added, “is that we’re not relying on one or two people who understand how the spreadsheets fit together. Anyone can print the reports they need and trust that everything will be accurate.”
Training
Seven Stars Bakery’s Sarah Williams shared a similar story of transformation. When she started at the bakery nearly 20 years ago, everything was managed on spreadsheets. Over time, the bakery adopted another software system but found it overly complex for their needs. Eventually, they made the switch to Cybake, a move that Sarah describes as a turning point.
“Part of what we really liked about Cybake was how user-friendly the interface is,” Sarah said. “I knew if I could figure it out, I could train it. Now it’s seamless. Everything works together easily, and orders come in automatically through an online portal.”
Since moving to Cybake in 2022, Seven Stars has grown from four to seven retail locations and expanded its wholesale operations, all while maintaining efficiency and accuracy.
Streamline operations
Both Rebel Bread and Seven Stars Bakery show how bakery management software like Cybake helps bakeries of all sizes streamline operations, reduce admin time, and boost productivity. Whether you are managing a single retail shop or a growing wholesale business, Cybake gives you the tools to scale with confidence.
Watch the full webinar to hear directly from Zach Martinucci of Rebel Bread and Sarah Williams of Seven Stars Bakery as they share how Cybake transformed their bakery operations.
If you are looking for a solution like this for your bakery, book a free demo with Cybake today and discover how our bakery software can help your business work smarter, not harder.
Catherine Thomas is the digital marketing executive at Cybake.
