About the Australian Baking Industry

There are more than 4,500 bakeries in the Australian baking industry, this number includes retail and wholesale bakeries. Baking businesses can be called many things such as Hot Bread Shop, Bakery Café, Take-away Bakery, Pie Shop, Bakery, Wholesale Bakery, and Patisserie. In addition, there are grocery store and supermarket bakeries, such as Coles, Woolworths, and IGA and manufacture bakeries such as Tip Top and Sara Lee.

The baking industry is mostly made up of independently owned bakeries who employ fewer than 20 employees and operate under their own brand. However there are several franchise groups and supermarket bakeries that contribute to the industries annual revenue of more than $700 million.

Baking businesses sell a variety of baked goods including cakes, bread, cookies, lamingtons, pies, sausage rolls, tarts, buns, donuts, croissants, eclairs, and more, which means a baker is never bored in their job.

There are many businesses who supply various services to the Australian baking industry such as servicing and providing equipment or suppling ingredients. These businesses usually hire their sales staff and workers from the industry because they have the technical knowledge to service their clients.

Most bakers qualified or not work within the Retail Industry under the General Retail Industry Award. Apprentices earn less than qualified Tradespeople as they are learning their trade and are not as productive for their employer. There are a number of other awards that are also used in the baking industry, for example, Fast Food Industry Award, Restaurant Industry Award, Food, Beverage and Tobacco Manufacturing Award, and Clerks – Private Sector Award. Click here to find out more about what a baker does.

Baking Businesses are generally located in suburban street shopping centres, close to other retailers to benefit from increased foot traffic.

The Australian baking industry is well supported by suppliers and key companies who support several industry baking competitions aimed at both qualified and unqualified bakers, such as The Official Great Aussie Pie Competition and L.A. Judge Award. There are also many regional baking competitions that are run by local agricultural societies or industry associations.