Opening up to "April Bakery" with the plan to expand the dessert empire to 1,000 million
Deciphering the success of "Khun Orn Kanokkanj Mathuraporn" from a stewardess to the owner of a 630 million dessert empire "April Bakery" with a plan to soar to 1,000 million in 2 years
Deciphering the success story of Singha Foods Industries (Thailand) Co., Ltd. or the brand April Bakery , the original Hong Kong red pork pie recipe. The first in Thailand.
From a small candy booth that had to overcome trial and error obstacles to a leader in Thailand's bakery industry with revenue in 2024 reaching 630 million baht.
With a challenging goal to soar to sales of 1,000 million baht. By 2027 and expand to the international market.
From the sky to the stove , the birth of "April Bakery"
The story of "April Bakery" was born from Mr. Or Kanokkanj Mathuraporn. "April Bakery" is from her birth month in April .
After accumulating experience as a flight attendant of Eva Air for 2 years, Mr. Orn decided to turn to his own business.
She started her dream by opening a small café of 15 square meters. In the CDC area, from the beginning, it was just a small candy booth that had to overcome obstacles and trial and error for more than 10 years to create a selling point and identity to be remembered for the quality of the products.
Khun Or revealed to Posttoday that she is from another province (Nakhon Sawan). He hopes that the income from selling coffee of 40,000 baht per month will be enough to
make ends meet.
Because she used to receive a salary of 40,000 baht per month while working as a flight attendant.
She hopes that if her business generates the same amount of income, she will be able to live without need.
But the reality is not so pretty. The small café sells only 200-800 baht per day, while the rent is up to 30,000 baht per month.
This makes the coffee shop business not as successful as it should be. Despite trying to improve the restaurant and add to the menu, due to the limitations of knowledge and food skills, the restaurant has been able to improve the restaurant. This makes the product unable to attract customers.
Red Pig Pie, Strength to Restore Confidence
A major turning point for "April Bakery" It happened when you got the opportunity to present products in Central Department Store, starting at the Rama 3 branch.
Although at first, the red pork pie was not sold yet, but they tried to sell bread and cakes in general, which received a good response. There were sales of 20,000 baht on the first day of selling by ourselves.
But that popularity didn't last long. Sales began to decline continuously. Therefore, Central recommends that Mr. Orlong always present new products.
Finally, Mr. Or decided to bring the "Red Pork Pie", a recipe that he invented and made himself every day, to sell it.
But with confidence in its unique taste. Mr. Orn believes that this product will eventually create a reputation for "April Bakery".
Headed straight to the 7-Eleven convenience store and the turning point that almost gave up
Entering the 7-Eleven convenience store market is another important step that has made most people start to know more about "April Bakery", but it comes with new challenges.
Mr. Or told Posttoday that despite the growth in sales, higher costs and fierce competition have not yet been achieved. As a result, the business has not been able to make a profit as expected. The increase in the number of employees is also a burden of heavy expenses.
In addition, the expansion of the market to Singapore with the last investment was unsuccessful and suffered huge losses. At that time, Mr. Orn felt discouraged and thought about closing the business.
Turning the crisis around with "Chocolate Dubai " Viral hits on the wind
At the end of 2024, April Bakery created a significant phenomenon with the launch of the product "Chocolate Chocolate". Dubai", which was inspired by the viral trend in the online world.
With an easy-to-access price of only 39 baht. Dubai " Most of them require pre-order. Waiting for something from abroad and the selling price is around 400-600 baht.
This product has received overwhelming response. It has become a product that helps drive the total sales of the whole year 2024 to grow impressively.
Previously, April Bakery's products in 7-Eleven had an average sales of 50,000 - 70,000 pieces per day (including all SKUs). Dubai" is highly popular.
Total sales soared to 180,000 pieces per day. Dubai" alone has already reached 70,000 pieces sold per day and has remained at a level for several months.
Wide range of products Meet all needs
Currently, April Bakery Not only Red Pork Pie is the starting product, but it has expanded its product line to cover the needs of consumers in all channels.
- freshly baked pie in front of the store: An original pie recipe that is still the brand's identity.
- products for coffee shops: products that differ both in stores and in 7-Eleven
- 7-Eleven >: Sold at more than 14,000 stores nationwide, accounting for 80% of the company's main revenue.
- other channels: Such as Line Ads, TikTok, and online, accounting for about 5%.
In addition to "Chocolate Other best-selling products in 7-Eleven include "Salted Egg Lava Spring Rolls", which has been popular for 3-4 consecutive years, and "Smash Cake", a viral chocolate trend from Korea
Expand production capacity to support growth
In 2024, April Bakery The total revenue of all sales channels was 630 million baht. This is an increase of 20% from the previous year, in line with the target, with the distribution channels divided into 4 channels, including :
1.Modern Trade (50%)
2.Off-line Sale (30%)
3.E-Commerce B2C (20%)
4.Distributor (10%)
April Bakery's rapid growth has resulted in a major investment in expanding production capacity.
In 2024, the company invested nearly 100 million baht. In the purchase of additional factories and land, as well as new machinery. Currently, there are a total of 9 factories.
The company has increased its workforce from 500 to 1,200 people, which is expected to be able to handle a production capacity of 300,000 pieces per day.
Stepping into the global market With big dreams
April Bakery It does not stop at Thailand, but also looks far into the international market. In the past year, the company has participated in international trade fairs in many countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Singapore, which has led to more new customer penetration.
For his future goals, Mr. Orn revealed that he has a dream to bring April Bakery products to be sold in a large department store like Costco in the United States
Building on the success of his own cocoa plantation
In order to build on the success of its chocolate products and create sustainability for its business, April Bakery also plans to develop its own cocoa plantation in Mae On District, Chiang Mai Province.
With an investment budget of more than 10 million baht. To grow organic cocoa on an area of more than 10 rai to be used as raw materials for baking in the future, and may develop into the opening of a unique chocolate shop of the brand.
The growth path of "April Bakery" is a testament to the determination of the little woman to develop quality products. Meet the needs of the market and be ready to adapt to any situation .
With a sharp strategy. Creating products that resonate with consumers and having a foresight to expand the business both domestically and internationally.
As a result, April Bakery can proudly become one of the leaders in the Thai bakery industry and move forward to reach the goal of 1,000 million baht and continue to build its reputation in the global market.
Reference website : www.posttoday.com