Bernhard Neuhoff has been an organic entrepreneur since 1989. Initially, he started with a small organic shop, which has since become a large organic market in Regensburg. In 2018, he took over the Neuhoff organic bakery, which was founded by his son in 2011. In the meantime, they have six more branches, which they supply with their 100% organic baked goods.
“Rested and happy at the baking table” – this is how Bernhard Neuhoff, head of the organic bakery Neuhoff, sums up the principle of day baking. In the family business in Regensburg, Bavaria, the bakers do not arrive at work until 4 a.m. in the morning. He does not have the night shift that is otherwise common in the bakery trade. Bernhard Neuhoff talked to us about what changes this brings for customers, why he appeals to experienced bakers in particular and why traditional businesses should have more courage.
Mr Neuhoff, when your son founded his organic bakery in 2011, he said goodbye to a tradition of the bakery trade – night shift. Why is that?
Bernhard Neuhoff: For my son, it was clear from the beginning that he wanted to have a daytime bakery. Who likes to work at night? My son doesn’t. Neither do I. When my son wanted to study again in 2018 and I took over the organic bakery in Regensburg, I changed a lot of things, but the concept of daytime baking didn’t change.
How can you imagine a daytime bakery? What does a normal daily routine look like for you?
Bernhard Neuhoff: Since we are not such a big bakery, we can map out the daily business in one shift. The first baker comes at 4 a.m. and starts preparing the dough. An hour later, the second baker comes to help. That’s when we start preparing the dough. Around half past five, another helper arrives and half an hour later a second one. The more work there is, the more employees there are in production. . Since we produce fresh and without baking mixes, the bakers take care of everything. They grind the wholemeal flour, prepare the sourdough for the next day, and so on.
And when does that end?
Bernhard Neuhoff: Of course, the one who comes first also goes home first. Usually at lunchtime. The last one goes home at 2 p.m. at the latest. So everyone has their eight hours full and that fits wonderfully.
Apart from more sleep – what do you think are the biggest advantages of a day bakery?
Bernhard Neuhoff: Word has spread that we don’t work at night. This makes it easier for us to get bakers and we don’t have a shortage of workers. This mainly concerns experienced bakers. Those who are young are happy to take the night bonuses and tend to be fitter. Many bakers with families change the industry at some point – because instead of being there for their families, they had to catch up on sleep during the day. With us, bakers who are passionate about baking can stay in their industry.
So day baking is not necessarily a decisive point in the recruitment of young people?
Bernhard Neuhoff: Yes, I do notice a difference. We have enough young people. But interestingly enough, they are usually high school graduates or dropouts who find that studying is too dry for them. They want to do something with their hands. These are exactly the kind of people we need. Almost anyone can press a button, but to bake good bread and good rolls, you need someone who thinks for themselves.
Now we’ve talked a bit about the advantages – are there any disadvantages to a day bakery in your opinion?
Bernhard Neuhoff: Certainly. For example, the restrictions in sales. When I took over the organic bakery from my son, production was mainly geared to the wholesale trade. Now we have moved away from that and sell our baked goods through our own branches. And in the last of the six branches, the fresh bread is only available at 10 am. Our customers buy biscuits from 6 a.m. and the fresh bread from 10 a.m. at the latest. What we are already doing, however, is offering the leftover bread from the day before at a lower price. It has simply changed which product is bought when.
How do new customers react to this?
Bernhard Neuhoff: Mostly good. We recently took over the location of a conventional bakery, including the customers. They have actually all remained loyal to us. Of course, it was strange for some to see only the previous day’s bread in the counter in the morning. But there was never a real problem, because only every seventh or eighth customer actually buys fresh bread instead of rolls at that time of day.
Do you see yourself as a pioneer in the industry when it comes to the concept of a day bakery?
Bernhard Neuhoff: Yes. I have noticed that one or two bakers have ventured into daytime baking in recent years. Many young bakers are also setting up day bakeries. The old-established businesses are probably afraid of losing customers. They are afraid of having empty counters in the morning.
But it seems that this fear is not justified from your experience.
Bernhard Neuhoff: Not really. A baker is already a traditional profession. And I think you have to say goodbye to a few traditions. And one of the traditions is that you start working sometime between 11 am and 1 am. You just need the courage to do it.
Day bakeries are sometimes described as the future of the bakery trade – do you agree?
Bernhard Neuhoff: Definitely. For me, it also has a lot to do with credibility. We also discuss this with the customers. When people ask me why our bread comes so late, I ask: Do you like to work at night? And practically everyone says no. There is immediate understanding. In addition, we have very high quality when it comes to keeping bread fresh. The day-ahead breads are actually in no way inferior to the fresh breads.
Would you say that every bakery can follow your model?
Bernhard Neuhoff: The smaller, the more artisanal a bakery is, the easier it is to implement day baking. A large bakery that has many branches and also produces for the wholesale trade is probably more difficult. Basically, it’s about staying true to yourself as an artisan baker. Whether you bake at night or during the day – it’s all about producing yourself and producing in high quality. That’s what the customers taste.
If you were to describe a day bakery in as few words as possible. What would they be?
Bernhard Neuhoff: Being rested and happy at the baking table and baking great bread. That’s what our bakers love.
