The Gale Centre as successfully operated a community baking model for over 12-years, selling cakes on a commission basis whilst supporting community bakers and maintaining a home baked offering in their café. This operating model supports the café operations, community wealth and circular economy and provides visitors and locals with freshly home-baking as opposed to bought in commercial bakes, whist creating strong relationship with their local community.

Key notes of learning achieved from this exchange included and understanding:

• Commission-based baking model: Gale Centre operates on 67% of sales and 33% to cover costs.
• Baker onboarding and training: understanding of environmental health compliance and allergen management.
• Kitchen Space Limitations: Managing limited kitchen space effectively and food waste solutions.
• Community Engagement and Sense of Ownership: Encouraging local bakers and maintaining a sense of pride and shared ownership.
• Financial Sustainability: Ensuring fair price points cover costs for both the baker and café, whilst remaining community focused.

Learning Outcomes

• Learn how the Gael Centre effectively collaborates with local bakers and other community businesses to create a sustainable and supportive network.
• Gain insights into the Gael Centre’s strategies for creating an engaging and informative visitor information hub that attracts and educates visitors.
• Understand the Gael Centre’s approach to managing a community-run café, including menu development, pricing, and customer service.

"The learning exchange was thorough and incredibly valuable. Janet Gale provided detailed insight, practical knowledge, and shared the Gale Centre Community Bakers toolkit, demonstrating a genuine willingness to support our community. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to learn from Janet. The information shared has given us a strong foundation to begin to develop our own community baking initiative at The Glenmore Visitor Centre and Café."