New Developments & Announcements 04-15-2011

We have a number of new developments so far this year, to streamline our operation.

First, we have moved our warehouse/office/production to a bigger location but still in the Pasig area. We can now be contacted at 792-2977 or 792-2967 for general concerns, and 792-2998 for fax.

Secondly, we focused our efforts on building up our sister brand and hence got a little sidetracked with Bakers Depot's operation. We will be shifting our focus back to rebuilding Bakers Depot into a destination place for baking enthusiasts.

Thirdly, we are consolidating our Starmall location (effective this week) into our other outlets, this should help us focus our efforts onto our main stores instead of spreading thin.

Fourth, our new website's domain has been registered at www.bakers-depot.com and we look forward to the continued development of the website. Its coming along slowly but so far looks great!

There are a couple events which we weren't able to coordinate very well last year, especially with most of our time & efforts directed at our sister brand, however we hope to slowly restart our promotional efforts again with Bakers Depot later this year.

New Developments & Announcements 10-04-09

First up, we have recently opened our newest branch at Robinsons Place Manila, right next to Bee Cheng Hiang. We are located on Level 1 of the mall, nearest to the Padre Faura Street entrance. Robinsons Place Manila is bordered by Padre Faura Street, M. Adriatico Street, and Pedro Gil Street in Malate (Ermita), Metro Manila.

Second is a simple list of the bazaars that we will be participating in for October through December of 2009. This can also be found on the Google Calendars widget to the right (once I finish updating it).
Oct 1, 2009 up to March 31, 2010 >> St Francis Square Bazaar
Oct 15 to 18, 2009 >> DTI Exporters Expo at the World Trade Center Tent ( between PTTC & WTC)
Nov 25 to 30, 2009 >> Noel Bazaar at the World Trade Center (Booth #263) at Sen Gil Puyat , Pasay
Dec 4 to 16, 2009 >> Worldbex Bazaar at the World Trade Center (Booth #537)
Dec 18 to 20 , 2009 >> Noel Bazaar at the World Trade (Booth #117)
Dec 16 to 22, 2009 >> 2nd Manila Toys & Gift Show at Megatrade Hall 2, Level 5, Mega B, SM Megamall (Booth #84)

Last update is a reminder that if anyone would like bulk orders of ingredients or other items for Christmas, now or the following couple of weeks would be the excellent time to make your orders so that we can prepare for the Christmas rush and set aside a portion of our holidays inventory in advance. We can be reached at any of our stores or by e-mail (see the above tabs for our stores or e-mail link).

New Developments & Announcements 5-18-09

As some of you may have seen, we're still revamping the Baking Demos at our stores. Our apologies to any of our customers or visitors if there wasn't a demo when it was scheduled on the calendar. So far we've had to "butt heads" a bit with the mall operators to try to get this to work. Here's the recent lowdown on whats happening:

1. We have established regular locations that will allow us to host the demos on a more consistent basis. This means that the demos (unless changes are noted) should be at the same following locations in each mall whenever they are scheduled:

• Walter Mart Makati - 5th Floor Activity Center
• Walter Mart North EDSA/Munoz - Outside Simply Bread/Pasti on Ground Floor
• Pergola Mall Paranaque - Hallway between Simply Bread and Kopi Roti
• Starmall EDSA-Shaw - 2nd Floor Activity Center
• Victory Central Mall Caloocan - Inside our original location

Notice the absence of Robinsons Galleria in the list. For the time being, until we finish negotiating with the mall management, we would advise our customers to head to Starmall EDSA-Shaw's 2nd Floor Activity Center to see the Baking Demos.

2. We have added, in addition to the daily staff demos on chocolate lollipop and Baking Demos by suppliers, a new program at the stores called [M.Y.C.] Mold Your Chocopops. This program incorporates a group set of items and will have active participation by our customers in making their own chocolate lollipops (or chocopops for short). Our goal is to show our customers that chocolate making need not be difficult.

3. We have also added Chef Orly Pancho to our lineup of guests to host our Baking Demos. He has over 15 years of experience in the foodservice industry and specializes in breads, pastries, and other baked goods. He has previously worked with Delifrance as their R&D.

New Developments & Announcements 5-11-09

We will be adding some exciting new products at our stores. There's been a demand for new items in our packaging product lines and we've found 2 products that are very promising. Our meat processing lineup has also been finalized and is listed below, as mentioned previously in our 4/21/09 update.

But before talking about the new products, we'd like to announce our participation in the Robinsons Malls 3-Day May Back To School Sale, ongoing from May 15 (up to midnight), May 16 and May 17 (Regular Mall Hours).

We will also be having a sale in ALL stores from May 14 to 31, 2009 with select products going Buy 1 Take 1 or discounts up to 30% off! Some of these items include:

• our popular Chef Grater
• egg beater
• foil packaging
• plastic bag packaging with designs

As for the new products, first up are the COPP Plastic bags which stand for Co-polymer Polypropylene. It is a type of plastic based on PP (Polypropylene) but is clearer at the expense of being slightly harder and thicker. It can resist alkali and acidic properties quite well like most PP plastics and can stand higher heat temperatures, also similar to most PP plastics. For a nice comparison chart of the most widely used plastic types, visit here. The sizes and prices are listed in the chart below:

Size	Price
4.5" x 7"	P10.00 / 10 pcs
5" x 8"	P12.50 / 10 pcs
6" x 9"	P16.00 / 10 pcs
7" x 11"	P24.00 / 10 pcs
9" x 14"	P40.00 / 10 pcs

For every 100pcs of any size, free 10 pcs pkg of the same size. Prices/availability valid as of May 11, and are subject to change.

For our second new product, we also have Scala boxes available for retail at smaller quantities in our stores. If you have ever eaten cakes and desserts sent by friends/family/acquaintances or been to a dessert shop, then chances are you've already seen their products! Scala has been in the printing and packaging business for more than 40 years and manufacture awesome cake boards/boxes that can rival the quality of imported cake boards/boxes. Lori Baltazar has even written about Scala boxes in her food blog, Dessert Comes First. Our available sizes and prices are listed in the chart below:

Size	Price
Red kraft box, size 10x10x4.5	P30 per pc
Blue kraft box, size 10x10x4.5	P30 per pc
Green kraft box, size 10x10x4.5	P30 per pc
Brown kraft box, size 10x10x4.5	P30 per pc
Red kraft box, size 12 x16x4.75	P49 per pc

For every 100pcs of any size, free 10 pcs pkg of the same size. Prices/availability valid as of May 11, and are subject to change.

Finally, we have the meat processing products which are listed below:

Name	Packing Size	Price
Curing Salt	250g / pk	P14.50
Phosphate	250g / pk	P59.00
Qualicel	100g / pk	P39.50
Versagel	100g / pk	P39.50
TVP chunks beef	250g / pk	P47.50
TVP chunks pork	250g / pk	P47.50
TVP powder	500g / pk	P55.00
Bacon powder	100g / pk	P68.00
Garlic powder	100g / pk	P36.50
Ginger powder	50g / pk	P68.00
Nutmeg	50g / pk	P75.00
Onion powder	100g / pk	P59.00
Smoked flavor	60cc	P94.50
Tocino Mix	100g / pk	P28.50
Tapa Mix	100g / pk	P28.50
Longganiza Mix	100g / pk	P28.50

Please note that prices and availability are subject to change.

New Developments & Announcements 4-27-09

We got another late invite into the DTI Exporter's Expo 2009, starting tomorrow April 28 to April 30, 2009 at the same place, in Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC), Roxas Blvd., Pasay City and beside World Trade Center. Entry fee is still only P20 per person and is again open to the general public! According to the "favorable turnout" from the March event, the organizers have decided to hold another event for this month. We're located in Hall A, slot A-19. From the entrance table, walk along the left-most aisle and walk all the way down. Visit http://www.dtiexpo.com/ for more details.

In May, we've got one special event lined up - the Philippine STAR's Flavors Throwdown Cook-Off Competition! This is billed as the "ultimate culinary competition" where top chefs face off.
For guests, there are plenty of things to do and at a P20.00 entry fee, this is a great way to spend the day full of "freebies, fun games, and food sampling"! There will also be a chance for attendees to purchase foodstuffs throughout the event. We'll have a booth presence there so if you do attend, make sure to stop by and see what we've got!

We will also be participating as an exhibitor in the Manila Food and Beverage Expo 2009 a.k.a. MAFBEX2009 on June 17-21, 2009. We are excited to be part of the "...biggest and most comprehensive food show in the country." You can find more details at the organizer's website here. Our booth is expected to be Booth #908 and since there's still quite a bit of time before the event, I'll post any changes or additional details here at the Bakers Depot website.

And last but not least, we've opened our Bakers Depot extension in Victory Mall Caloocan! It is located next to Go Nuts Donuts and the Lotto booth, near the main escalators and across from the entrance to Robinson's Supermarket. Feel free to shop at either location in the mall!

New Developments & Announcements 4-21-09

We've recently started offering a range of printed instructional materials, mostly how-to guides on pastries and desserts. These are small guides written in English and Tagalog with the aim of providing a basis for setting up small businesses. Check in our stores for their ready-stock selection, and make sure to inquire with our staff if we don't have a title of your choice in stock. The titles we offer are listed right below:

• Specialty Cakes
• Party Pastries I
• Party Pastries II
• Homebakeshop I (Breads)
• Homebakeshop II (Cakes)
• Affordable Bakery Products
• Noodles and Pasta
• Chocolates II
• Commercial Baking
• Ang Negosyong Food Retailing
• Basic Financial Business Management
• Pork Meat Processing
• Beef and Poultry Meat Processing

Also, we're now going to start selling heavier kitchen equipment at Bakers Depot! At the moment, we're going to experiment with this setup in Metro Manila areas only. Here's how it works -- inquire first through the website or call us through our landline office number (get our contact details here), then once we get the account details settled we can work out the delivery details with you. Its easy and relatively pain-free especially for our institutional and small business buyers. No more hassles with multiple suppliers for your raw materials, kitchen tools, and heavy equipment! Some of the products we have available include:

• Moulinex brand Toasters, Compact Tabletop Ovens, Food Processors, Meat Mincers, Hand Mixers, and Blenders
• Heavy Duty 1, 2, and 3 Deck Ovens in Gas and Electric versions
• Planetary and Spiral Mixers
• Chicken Rotisseries
• Electric Counter Top and Hanging Salamanders
• Crepe Makers
• Hotdog Rollers and Steamers
• Food Warmers
• Deep Fryers
• Gas and Electric Griddles

Finally, we will begin branching out from baking products into meat curing and preparation products such as curing salts, phosphate, and reading materials on how to do it (2 books are mentioned above). There will also be flavoring mix for meat items such as tocino and longganisa mixes. The idea of selling meat preparation products came from suggestions of our customers, many of whom had trouble finding these products in the market. We hope our customers will take part and experiment in new culinary delights, I hear baked goods and cured meats make for great giveaways and holiday baskets!

New Developments & Announcements 4-20-09

We've got a new ongoing experiment with the Twitter platform. Oprah is a recent convert and now so are we! Although we probably won't reach the instant popularity or comedic moment of Oprah (the ALL CAPS was a nice touch), we're experimenting with Twitter to do something more important -- to reach out to our customers and get their feedback. Make sure to add us if you've got a Twitter account, we'd love to hear from you!

We're also going to be developing a price list and products page that you can download/view at leisure. We're still trying to figure out the details and get a procedure ready to streamline the process but doing this should theoretically improve our response speeds.

And finally, we will be restarting the Baking Basics 101 schedule, after a long hiatus. The next article should come out this week.

Holy Week Update

Holy Week and Easter are right around the corner and with it we have Easter-themed products available at the stores. Inquire at our stores to see whats new!

We will also be having some adjusted operating hours during Holy Week, particularly the following list:

Pergola Mall: Closed April 9 and 10

Starmall EDSA-Shaw: Closed April 9 and 10

Robinsons Galleria: Closed April 9 and 10

Walter Mart Makati: Closed April 9 and 10

Walter Mart North EDSA/Munoz: Closed April 9 and 10

Victory Central Mall Monumento: OPEN April 9, CLOSED April 10

Holy Week is a time of somber reflection for some, a time of relaxation for others, but for all it is a time to be with family and friends. Everyone here at Bakers Depot wishes for our customers, suppliers, friends, and their family a safe and festive Easter & Holy Week.

Bakers Depot Robinsons Galleria -- Now Open

Our newest store at Robinsons Galleria has now opened! It is located in the Food Court area, near the escalators going to the West Wing & parking areas. We are near the Robinsons Supermarket and Mister Donut.

New Developments & Announcements 3-25-09

We got a late invite into the DTI Exporter's Expo 2009, starting today March 25 to March 29, 2009 at the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC), Roxas Blvd., Pasay City and beside World Trade Center. Entry fee is only P20 per person and is open to the general public! We're located near the native products area, at section D-11. Visit http://www.dtiexpo.com/ for more details.



Next is a reminder that we will be participating in the Mega Summer Expo at the SM Megamall's Megatrade Hall B from tomorrow, March 26 until March 31.



We will participate in these two events simultaneously this week, so come visit us at either event!

New Developments & Announcements 3-2-09

We will be attending 2 bazaars for the month of March, the PIFBEX 2009 (Philippine International Food & Beverage Expo) at World Trade Center in Pasay City on March 5-7, 2009 and the MEGA SUMMER EXPO at Megatrade Hall 2, Level 5 Mega B, SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City on March 26-31.

A new feature at our stores, the Wholesale Corner, is now fully implemented in all of our stores. For our high volume buyers, this will be a good chance to purchase your supplies with volume discounts and/or in bulk sizes!

We will also be implementing a weekly baking demonstration schedule at all our stores, where we will feature our staff and a constantly revolving set of recipes every week at all of our stores. We are expecting to implement this schedule every Friday, from 3-6pm. Please note that times, dates, and availability are subject to changes as we hammer out the details and choose more efficient times to offer the demonstrations.

**UPDATES 3/12/09** We will be adjusting the date and time for our weekly demonstrations to Saturdays from 2-4pm, at all stores. This is to take advantage of better availability for many potential attendees of the demonstrations. If you have any suggestions or feel that this time is not good and want to suggest an alternate time, feel free to let us know!

**UPDATES 3/18/09** After having our first Baking Demo session inside all our stores and some feedback from customers who participated, we will explore a bi-weekly schedule on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 4-6pm. This new time slot will supersede the 3/12/09 update's time slot. We also have a poll up on the right hand side, vote for the day that is most convenient for you!

Bakers Depot EDSA Starmall -- Now Open

Our newest store has just opened, located on the Ground Floor near the Shaw entrance along Robinson's Handyman section and in front of Puregold.




Watch for our next store opening in Robinson's Galleria around mid-March.

New Developments & Announcements 2-23-09

We have taken a break from regular posting of Baking Basics 101 articles during the past few weeks to prepare for new offerings at our Bakers Depot stores:

Starting February 27, we will be launching MAIDEN®, our in-house brand margarine and chocolate, at all Bakers Depot stores. These two product lines were closely developed with our suppliers over the past few months until they passed our specifications.

Also starting February 27, we will do a gradual rollout of a Wholesale Corner in our stores for customers wishing to purchase batch quantities. We have decided to offer this option based on our customers' feedback.

We have added a new line of selected chocolate products from Belcolade, offering their Noir (Dark), Lait (Milk), and Blanc (White) Belgian chocolate, specifically their Selection couverture line (C501, X605, and O3X5 items). Visit http://www.belcolade.com for their company history & complete list of products (in-store availability of Belcolade products based on supply from distributor).

Our EDSA Star Mall location is also nearing completion (pending a few minor issues) and will be opening soon to again service customers near Greenhills, New Manila, Ortigas, and surrounding areas. We are also planning a Robinson's Galleria location in the future with opening date to be decided.

Happy Holidays & Upcoming Updates

First off, the entire staff at Bakers Depot would like to wish all of our visitors, customers, suppliers, and friends & family a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We couldn't have done well this year without everyone's support, so a big "Thanks!" is in order.

This year, we have expanded our operations & offerings for our customers and as a result have been able to meet many people who share our passion for baking and cooking. We will continue to improve our offerings and have been busy the last month preparing for the holiday rush along with penetrating the Bazaar locations. We plan to expand our educational offerings by hopefully adding video tutorials to the website in addition to our Baking Basics 101 info sessions (as much as we're able to shoot them on camera), as well as having a steady schedule of baking demos at our stores.

If there is anything in particular anyone would like to recommend in terms of feature they would like to see either at the store or here at the website, please do not hesitate to suggest it through the "Contact Us" buttons or the tab at the top navigation bar.

We are very excited at the developments for the upcoming year and it would be appropriate to end this by giving and update of the topics that will be included in future sessions of Baking Basics 101:

Flour Oxidation
Non-Wheat Flours
Yeasts & Leaveners
Sugars & Sweeteners
Fast & Oils
Dairy Products
Thickeners, Starches, & Gelatins
Chocolates
Laminated Doughs (Puff Pastry)
Cake Basics
Egg-based Desserts
Pies & Tarts
Cookies
Syrups & Candies

...and many more!

Bakers Depot San Juan - Store Relocation

Hello fellow baking enthusiasts, this is a notice for all of you who frequent our Bakers Depot San Juan branch that we have relocated it to EDSA Starmall to better serve our customers. We are located at the Ground Floor, across from Rustan's Supermarket.

(We are planning for a more permanent location inside EDSA Starmall, please bear with us while the dust settles on & around our current site at Starmall)

Introduction - The First Post

First of all, I'd like to welcome you to Bakers Depot. We are a retail store devoted to all kinds of baking tools and supplies, and have multiple locations throughout Metro Manila.

With this post comes another milestone that Bakers Depot has reached, and that is for us to have another avenue to reach out to our customers. We've heard your feedback, and this blog is proof that we care.

Ever since the team started Bakers Depot, our primary responsibility has always been to listen to the customer and empower them without the exorbitant price gouging sometimes seen in stores around Manila. We believe that providing baking supplies at reasonable prices and teaching them how to properly utilize those baking supplies will allow more people to explore their hidden potential in the culinary and baking arts, and hopefully someday drive their entrepreneurial spirit to success.

Thanks for stopping by, and make yourself at home. We have grand plans for the website so check back frequently as the site will be continually updated with new content.

Like the old Chinese saying goes, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

-KRC & The Bakers Depot team