Timing is everything at Bakery Express, Halethorpe, Md. The bakery receives fresh orders at 10:30 a.m., and within a few hours must hand pick, package, wrap and ship out thousands of products, anywhere from five to seven truckloads worth, every day.

“Simultaneously, we’re producing our frozen products, and getting those set up and ready,” said Steve Borsh, chief executive officer.

There are few manufacturers producing such a wide array of products and at such a high volume as Bakery Express. To make it all work, the company keeps production flexible.

For example, the bakery hasn’t committed to tunnel ovens, allowing it to move quickly between products. This is especially beneficial on days when the bakery must do multiple runs of the same product to meet the shipping times of its fresh customers. 

“Flexibility has lent itself extremely well to our success,” he said. “We can fit anything in where we need to fit it in, and if we can’t, we just make the day longer, work at night, whatever we have to do.”

At the same time, Bakery Express knows when to make those critical investments in automation to boost its capacity. The bakery is currently installing a frozen donut line, complete with a spiral freezer, proofer and packaging system to meet growing demand and maximize labor savings.

“We needed that line just to keep up with what we anticipate volume to be,” explained Matt Reade, chief financial officer of Bakery Express. “And to make it make sense over time, we had to get labor out of it.”

Borsh noted that if the company believes any product to have high growth potential, it invests. 

“It kind of turns into ‘If you have a hunch, bet a bunch,’ ” he said. 

Bakery Express has the added benefit of a flat leadership team that often quickly comes to an agreement on which customers to take on and where to invest.

“We really put our heads together and ask, ‘Does this make sense? Is this the right thing to do?’ ” Reade said. “And if the answer is yes, then we find a way to make it happen.”

“Finding a way” is the backbone of Bakery Express’ culture. Whether a fresh or frozen customer, if Bakery Express says it can ship, it does. 

“Culturally, it’s a big commitment to do business that way,” Borsh said. “And there are definitely times where it’s a loser. But we said we would do it, so we do it, and figure if we do a great job, we’ll get it back in the end.”

This article is an excerpt from the November 2023 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Bakery Express, click here.