International School of Baking
Consulting
Marda Stoliar has consulted with hundreds of bakeries over the past 25 years. Topics such as bakery openings, psychology of the bakery consumer, demographics, ethnic focus of products, business layout, and more, helping businesses understand what builds success.
More than 25 years of experience in the training and development of baking expertise and skills in the areas of . . .
- New Product development, troubleshooting and product evaluation.
- Start up business including formulas, equipment specifications and bakery wholesale and retail layout
- Evaluating overseas operations specializing in the Asian Market.
- Training new bakers on sight or in our Bend, Oregon training facility.
- Custom designing breads, cookies, cakes and pastries.
- Troubleshooting yeasted products as well as cookies and cake production.
- Follow-up and continuing educational support available on a continuing basis by Marda.
Marda Stoliar & Associates is the consulting arm of International School of Baking. The line between the two many times can become blurred. A high percentage of our students come to the school with the aim of opening a bakery, if not now, sometime in the near future. Other people contact us wanting to open a bakery or bakeries, knowingly having little baking or bakery knowledge.
Marda’s approach to consulting is as personal and unique as how she teaches baking. She formulates a customized strategy and then takes a “hands on” approach to oversee the technicians, bakers, plumbers, or manufacturers of whatever is necessary to solve or bring to completion the task or bakery as the case may be. She takes a very active role in what ever needs to be done which is her way of bringing good results and a lot of satisfied customers.
Whether on the site, (wherever that is), anywhere around the world, or coaching over the phone, she is there for her clients. Psychology of the bakery consumer, demographics of support area, ethnic focus of products and understanding what builds success are all involved in how Marda consults with a client, builds a product line, and lays out and designs a bakery. Marda feels that there is so much more to building a successful bakery than just being a good baker or having a great location.
Marda has worked on over 150 bakery openings of all types over the past 25 years. From creating small to large totally “turn-key” bakeries for customers to re-designing bakeries, product-wise as well as facility-wise, after the problems have already appeared. In assessing the problems and formulating a plan with the client she brings years of small and medium size upscale bakery and baking knowledge with her as she takes a no-nonsense approach to solving the situations, whether they be lack of baking knowledge, improper or wrong sized equipment, poor bakery layout or employee problems.
Marda has a passion for successful and well-run bakeries. She is especially proud of the bakeries she has worked with that are making wonderful scratch artisan products.
Small Bakery Problem Solving
- Niche Marketing
- Training staff to handle product timing and ingredient and production controls.
- Team building skills and testing to find the “best person” for the job. Infuse enthusiasm.
- Solving product formulation problems that deal with the need for flavor enhancement, handling ability in production, profitability or longer shelf life.
Product Development
- Creating new products or lines of products or re-formulating
- Existing products for easier handling, greater shelf life and above all customer acceptance.
- Training professionals in new techniques or products – refresh their ideas.
- Image marketing targeting specific ethnic tastes or voids.
- Assessing a market, and developing a specific product to meet that need.
- Packaging ideas to reflect the products target market.
Formulation & Training
- New products or new to YOU.
- New trends and influences, such as low carb.
- New techniques
Custom Designing Pastries & Desserts
- Creating new products with TODAY’S consumer demands in mind.
- Training chefs that feel a lack of education in the pastry arena and are looking for that comfort level.
- Designing new lower fat, healthier products to meet the demands of today’s market.
- Defining an image.
- Targeting a market and identifying the customer and meeting their demands with a product or a line of products.
Bakery & Economic Development Support
- Evaluating small or large production for optimum profit.
- Training staff on cost and loss issues and how to customize a paper trail that will alert them to possible problems.
- Formula support and trouble shooting.
- Motivational training for retail staff.
Marda Stoliar, Experienced Instructor:
- International School of Baking Teaching since 1985
- Baking Consultant in Asia & North America since 1986
- Owned and operated French boulangerie & patisserie
- A consummate student of the bakery foods Market
- Understands today’s needs of the entrepreneur
- Published Author
