The Company
A 150-year hospitality institution with a bakery running on paper
Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth is part of a landmark hospitality business in Michigan with over 150 years of history. The bakery supplies products — breads, cakes, donuts — to Zehnder’s own restaurants and retail locations across the Frankenmuth operation.
Despite the scale of the overall business, the bakery had no software. Day-to-day processes were managed on paper and spreadsheets, held together by the knowledge of key staff members. Recipes existed in people’s heads, not in any documented system.
The Challenge
Everything worked because the right people showed up
Zehnder’s bakery had been running for decades on institutional knowledge. Recipes weren’t documented — the bakers knew them. Costs were managed manually, without real-time accuracy. Product categories were unorganised, which meant items got missed. Order cut-off times weren’t enforced, so some locations couldn’t be fully served.
The bakery didn’t have a centralised record for ingredient prices or purchase history. And the entire operation depended on specific people being present and remembering how things worked.
It was the kind of setup that functions perfectly until someone retires, calls in sick, or the business needs to grow.
“Getting our food costs in line was number one. We also needed a better way to track ingredients and keep everything organised.”
— Amy Callison, Bakery Manager, Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth
The Solution
Paper to ERP in stages, without stopping production
Zehnder’s chose FlexiBake because it could be shaped to fit their operation — not the other way around. Implementation followed a phased approach: online data collection first, then an on-site audit, staff training, and a scheduled go-live. Production never stopped.
The team started by formalising every recipe into FlexiBake, creating the documented record that had never existed. From there, they added ingredient cost tracking, product categorisation, and order management with enforced cut-off times across locations.
Zehnder’s later upgraded to the Enterprise plan with cloud deployment, giving them multi-location management and remote access to the system. FlexiBake’s support team was hands-on throughout — including after-hours responses when questions came up.
“Support has been amazing — anytime we need something, even after hours, the team is there and ready to help.”
— Amy Callison, Bakery Manager, Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth
The Results
Recipes documented. Costs tracked. Operations no longer dependent on who’s in the building.
The transformation at Zehnder’s wasn’t about dramatic efficiency numbers. It was about building the operational foundation that never existed. Every recipe is now formalised and documented, which means production is consistent across shifts regardless of who’s working. Ingredient costs are tracked in real time, so purchasing decisions are based on current data instead of estimates.
Product categories are organised. Order cut-off times are enforced. And the operation no longer depends on specific staff members carrying institutional knowledge in their heads.
- All recipes formalized — Production consistent across shifts, no longer dependent on who’s working
- Real-time cost tracking — Ingredient costs tied to inventory and purchasing, replacing manual estimation
- Order cut-offs enforced — Every location places and confirms orders on time
- Products categorised — Recipes organised and easy to find, eliminating missed items
- Reduced staff dependency — Key processes live in the system, not in people’s heads