Zehnder's of Frankenmuth

Background

Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth is part of a hospitality business with over 150 years of history, located in Frankenmuth, Michigan. The bakery produces breads, cakes, and donuts, supplying restaurants and retail locations. Despite the broader enterprise’s scale, the bakery division had no dedicated software, processing fewer than 20 orders per day across 5 routes with 100-500 SKUs.

The Challenge

Despite operating within a large hospitality enterprise, the bakery had no software in place. Operations depended on paper, spreadsheets, and individual staff knowledge.

Specific Pain Points

• Costs managed manually with no real-time accuracy
• Recipes undocumented, causing production inconsistencies
• Unorganized product categories leading to missed items
• Missed order cut-off times, limiting service to some locations
• Heavy reliance on key staff knowledge to sustain operations
• No centralized record for ingredient prices or purchase history

The Solution

Zehnder’s transitioned from paper-based processes to FlexiBake ERP, gaining centralized management of costs, recipes, products, and orders.

Product Fit

• Single system covering costing, recipes, and multi-location orders
• Integrated purchasing, receiving, and real-time inventory updates

Implementation Approach

• Phased rollout: online data collection, on-site audit, staff training, scheduled go-live
• Later upgraded to Enterprise plan for cloud-based multi-location management
• Detailed documentation and quick guides provided for staff adoption

Support & Collaboration

• Responsive assistance during and after go-live, including after-hours help
• Cloud hosting simplified remote support and database access

Results

Operational Improvements

• Formalized all recipes for consistent production across shifts
• Organized product categories for easier recipe location and management
• Reduced human-factor dependency by moving key processes into the system
• Enabled real-time ingredient cost tracking with purchasing decisions based on current data
• Established order cut-off times so all locations can place and confirm orders on time
• Tied consistent recipe costing directly to inventory and packaging

Advice for Other Companies

1. Dive in — the initial overwhelm is worth the payoff
2. Proceed step by step — break the process into manageable stages
3. Look back at your wins — progress becomes visible over time