I'm in the process of writing my business plan in order to open a local organic bakery & coffee shop. I'm very passionate about using all natural and organic ingredients, biodegradable & earth friendly packaging, and energy efficient appliances, etc.. I've been progressing very nicely with the plan until now. I feel like I've hit a brick wall when it comes to plugging in the numbers. How do I get realistic estimates of costs to open, costs for first 6 months of operation, and projected profits? Would any one know of reputable suppliers of organic/all natural foods, etc.?? Since this is a relatively new niche in the market (a big reason I want to do it), so there isn't much data available to look back on or go forward with. I don't have any experience in the baking business, so I'm not familiar with the equipment or ingredients needed. At the moment I just need to get a realistic grip on the numbers so I can get the biz plan finished.
Any suggestions/advice/ways to point me in the right direction is much appreciated!!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Michelle
p.s. if there are any wonderful bakers out there who also care about good health and the earth, let's talk, I may need you!!

Hello. I'm in a similar situation, but I'm still dreaming at this point. The space is not available at this point. I will let you know if I get response on the bakery ingredients. I do know King Arthur is a good source, but there might be a better one for mass producing baked goods, I'm also not sure. I know you might want to check out www.localharvest.org for local producers of fruits/vegetable if you are going all natural. Hope this helps.

Amy

Hi Amy,
thanks for your reply, glad to hear of your dreams too! I'll check out those sources for sure. This morning I met with a SCORE counselor (score.org or through sba.org) and they were very helpful. The main thrust of our conversation though was that I should work for a few months in a high-end bakery and then I can get first hand insights as to what the costs and profits should be like. So, this afternoon I popped into one I like and applied for a part-time job. I hope to keep working on the business plan in the hours I'm not working at the bakery. However, would love to hear back from you or others still if they know any other great sources on organic/all natural ingredients. Also, any earth friendly packaging? Whole foods is now using these card board boxes for their salad bar and prepared foods and reducing the amount of plastic containers. Love ideas like that!
Good luck,
Michelle