How do I pass my bakery’s recipes to a family successor?
Write each recipe as a formula by weight, with method, timing and equipment notes, then bake every item side by side with your successor until they match you. Record what you do by feel, such as dough texture and oven hot spots. Decide in writing who owns the recipes once the business changes hands.
Most bakers carry more in their hands than on paper. Begin by choosing the items that make up most of your sales and the ones customers would complain about if they changed. Write those first, in full, including the ingredient brand and the temperature of the room if it matters to the result.
Then bake together. Your successor should make each item while you watch, and you should only speak when something is going wrong. Photograph the dough at each stage and note how it should feel. Ask them to try the recipe on a bad day, with a cold kitchen or a different flour lot, to see how well the written version holds up.
Consider the supply side as well. A recipe depends on the mill, dairy or egg supplier behind it, so introduce your successor to those contacts and list which substitutions are acceptable. Finally, settle ownership. If the recipes are a core asset of the sale, say so in the agreement, and think about whether you will keep any signature items. Your lawyer can draft this properly.
Key takeaways
- Write recipes as formulas by weight, then bake side by side until results match.
- Record the things you do by feel, with photographs and notes.
- Put recipe ownership in the written agreement, not in a handshake.
- Introduce the successor to the mill and dairy contacts behind each recipe.
Related reading
15 pages on the same subject, grouped by topic.
Buying
- Expert answerDo the bakery’s recipes and starter come with the sale?
- Expert answerDo the recipes come with a restaurant when you buy it?
- Expert answerHow do I make sure I get the recipes when I buy a food brand?
- Expert answerAm I liable as a successor employer after an asset purchase?
- Expert answerCan I run a bakery profitably if I’m not a baker myself?
Succession
Legal
Selling
Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentAdvice for succession planning - Articles and tools
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat is succession planning?
- 03Canadian Federation of Independent BusinessResearch dataSuccession Tsunami: Preparing for a decade of small business transitions
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