How We Price Your Baking Order — Honestly, Line by Line

We don't sell packages. We don't bundle extras you never asked for. Every quote from Bake Supply Co is built from five transparent cost layers: ingredients, labour, finishing, logistics, and timing. Below, we explain each one so you can understand — and challenge — every euro on your invoice.

The Five Cost Layers — What Shapes Your Price

Cost Layer	What It Covers	Typical Range	You Control It?
Ingredients	Flour, butter, eggs, sugar, specialty items (Valrhona chocolate, Nielsen-Massey vanilla, seasonal fruit). We source Irish dairy first.	€8 – €65	Yes — choose standard or premium
Labour	Mixing, proofing, baking, cooling. Charged per hour of active bench time. A simple soda bread: ~40 min. A three-tier celebration cake: ~6 hrs.	€22/hr	Partially — simpler designs = fewer hours
Finishing	Icing, fondant work, hand-piped detail, edible print, sugar flowers, gold leaf, custom toppers.	€0 – €120	Yes — your design brief sets this
Logistics	Packaging materials, temperature-controlled delivery within 30 km of Hackettland, setup at venue if requested.	€0 – €45	Yes — collect free from workshop
Timing	Rush surcharge for orders under 5 days notice. No surcharge with 7+ days lead time.	+15% if rushed	Yes — plan ahead to avoid it

Your Quote Is a Conversation, Not a Menu

Tell us what you're celebrating, how many people, what flavours you love, and any design ideas. We'll reply within one working day with a line-by-line estimate. No obligation. No deposit until you approve every detail.

Craft Methods That Affect What You Pay

Slow Fermentation

Our sourdough and brioche doughs prove for 18–24 hours. This costs no extra ingredient but adds a day to your timeline. The flavour depth is worth the wait — and it's why we ask for advance notice.

Hand-Tempered Chocolate

We temper couverture by hand on marble. No compound shortcuts. This adds roughly 90 minutes of labour per batch but produces a snap and sheen that moulded chocolate can't match.

Seasonal Fruit Sourcing

Strawberries in January cost three times what they cost in June — and taste worse. We'll suggest seasonal alternatives that save you money and taste better. Your quote reflects what's actually in season.

Buttercream vs. Fondant

Swiss meringue buttercream is labour-intensive but uses fewer specialty materials. Fondant gives a smoother canvas for sculpted designs but costs more in material. We'll explain the trade-off for your specific cake.

236 individual quotes sent in 2024 91% converted to confirmed orders €0 hidden fees reported 4.8★ avg. on Google (53 reviews)

A Real Example: Aisling's Christening Cake

Aisling ordered a two-tier vanilla sponge with lemon curd filling, Swiss meringue buttercream, and a simple piped border. She chose standard Irish butter and free-range eggs. No fondant, no sugar flowers, collection from our workshop.

Ingredients: €18 | Labour (3.5 hrs): €77 | Finishing: €12 | Logistics: €0 | Timing (9 days notice): €0

Total: €107 — and Aisling saw every line before paying a cent.

What We Don't Charge For

Consultation calls, flavour advice, design sketches, and quote revisions are free. We want you to refine your order until it's exactly right. We also don't charge a "tasting fee" — if you'd like to sample a flavour before committing, we'll arrange it at cost (usually €5–€8, credited to your order if you proceed).

Allergen substitutions (gluten-free flour, dairy-free butter, egg replacers) carry a small ingredient premium noted clearly on your quote. We never mark up allergen-friendly baking beyond the actual cost difference of the ingredients.

Common Questions About Our Pricing

Absolutely. Every line is adjustable. Want to switch from Valrhona to Callebaut chocolate? We'll recalculate. Prefer a single tier instead of two? The labour and ingredient lines drop accordingly. Your quote is a living document until you confirm.

We ask for a 30% deposit once you've approved the final quote. The balance is due on collection or delivery day. For orders over €300, we can split the balance into two payments — just ask.

We lock your quoted price at booking. If butter prices spike between your deposit and your baking day, we absorb the difference. If prices drop significantly, we'll pass the saving on — it's happened twice in 2024.

Request Your Line-by-Line Quote

Freshly baked artisan loaves cooling on wire rack at Bake Supply Co

Ingredient Transparency Promise

Every quote lists the exact brand and origin of key ingredients. If we use Abernethy butter, you'll see "Abernethy butter, 250g, €4.20" — not just "butter." If we use Macroom oatmeal for your brown bread, it's named. This isn't just honesty; it helps you understand why craft baking costs what it does, and why it tastes the way it does.

We maintain a live supplier list. If you have a preference — or a concern about a particular farm or brand — tell us and we'll adjust.

A Note on Dietary Requirements

Coeliac-safe baking requires dedicated equipment and certified flour. We invested in a separate prep area in 2022 specifically for gluten-free orders. This means your GF quote includes a small facility allocation (typically €6–€10) that covers deep-cleaning and cross-contamination prevention. We're transparent about this because it protects you.

Vegan baking uses aquafaba, plant-based butter, and flax eggs. These ingredients cost roughly 20–35% more than their conventional equivalents. We show the difference line by line so you can see exactly where the premium sits.