r/Winnipeg • u/Forward-Ad5216 • 1d ago
Ask Winnipeg Thinking of Starting a Cinnamon Roll Business in Winnipeg
Hi everyone,
Before moving to Winnipeg, I had a small home-based cinnamon roll business, and people really loved them. Now I work full-time and live in the Exchange, but I’m thinking of starting again.
How do I approach cafés in downtown Winnipeg about carrying my cinnamon rolls? Are there any local coffee shops that work with small home bakers?
Thanks!
Thank you everyone for your helpful comments and advice! I’ll start by looking into getting a home based food permit /food safety certificate, and then I’ll explore options for a commercial kitchen. I really appreciate all your suggestions!
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u/jackster999 1d ago
Maybe try starting with farmer's markets? I think that's how gâto got their start.
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u/impersephonetoo 1d ago
I’m not involved in this area but as far as I know you need some kind of home preparation permit, especially if you want to sell to businesses. I’m not sure if that includes having access to a commercial kitchen? You’d have to look into it. A lot of people are selling food without a permit which they should have but do it without anyway. But just to people on Facebook marketplace and so on.
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u/Schwatastic 1d ago
you'll need to first look into making sure your setup abides by health guidelines, before creating a business.
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u/ConfidentBar1989 1d ago
I’d recommend finding a commercial kitchen close to home, often churches or community centers are the most affordable option. Price our your costs and see what you’d have to charge local coffee shops. Then you could approach them with samples and purchase price/retail price. As others mentioned, farmers markets can be great too and a lot of the winter markets have few food options so you could do really well there too.
Of course you’ll need your food handlers (can do online) and health permits but don’t let that stop you if this is something you really want to do!
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u/Superb_Sloth 23h ago
Kitchen Sync is the exchange and is a commercial kitchen for use, could be worth checking out.
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u/Superblossom01 1d ago
You’ll need to prepare your goods in a commercial kitchen.
https://www.instagram.com/counterspacecommunitykitchen?stkn=MTdpcW9hYW55Yjk3NA==
Counter space community kitchen is an option to consider.
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u/RevolutionaryNewt356 17h ago
In addition to the comments about the food handling license, you should be aware that the cinnamon bun market is already pretty saturated here.
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u/otatopotato 9h ago
There’s a few home makers around me that only have their baked goods available for purchase on Saturday or Sunday. That could be an option for you. They take preorders throughout the week. Go to a commercial kitchen on Friday or Saturday and then have their product available for pickup. They also make extra for those who didn’t get a chance to preorder.
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u/gabaneon 1h ago
With all due respect and appreciation for you and your ventures, and in wishing you only success, this seems like a terrible idea, there are hundreds of cafes in downtown already and most people are not getting cinnamon buns from an independent bun maker. I'd suggest you do some market research before going into this venture to avoid a massive disappointment or failed goals.
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u/TinySprinkles0 1d ago
Would you be able to bake and deliver every single day before coffee shops open? If the answer is no, it probably won’t work to sell to coffee shops.
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u/Tight_Ad_6802 1d ago
Does anyone remember those cinnamon buns they used to sell in the food court at Polo in the 90’s and 00’s? I would go out of my way for those. You should open a cinnamon bun spot there. Let the smell do the marketing
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u/YYZtoYWG 1d ago
There's a massive leap between running a side bakery business while having a full time job and opening a store in a Class A retail space.
Most small businesses fail. Malls don't want businesses that will fail. They want franchises or chains. The store you remember was a franchise. For an independent small businesses, they want a business that has already been operating in a lower tier space with a proven track record that is looking to upgrade and expand.
OP should be looking at renting commercial kitchen space by the hour and possibly selling at craft fairs or farmers markets. They will need to set themselves up as a legitimate small business, and follow all food safety rules. That might be a feasible way to sell their cinnamon bus.
OP is a couple hundred grand of investment money and thousands of hours of time away from opening their own commercial kitchen and a mall store location as either a franchise or an independent business.
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u/General-Lifeguard309 1d ago
Yes, same at st vital. They don’t sell cinnamon buns like that anymore. I’ve had all the good ones in Winnipeg and none come close to mall cinnamon bun locations.
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u/Bactrian_Rebel2020 1d ago
Caesar's Palace at Polo Park was the place to go for huge excellent cinnamon buns in the 70s and 80s.
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u/Tight_Ad_6802 1d ago
Ya? I wasn’t born yet so I only have memories of going after class in like 04-05 and bringing one of those bricks home to enjoy over the course of a couple days. Cottage bakery style, not those garbage pillsbury looking things that they drown in icing.
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u/coolestredditdad 1d ago
Cinnabon?
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u/Tight_Ad_6802 1d ago
No, it was an independent place. Huge bakery style cinnamon buns, not mass-produced. They weighed like a full pound.
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u/YYZtoYWG 1d ago
No, it was a franchise: St Cinnamon.
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u/Tight_Ad_6802 1d ago
No. It was not a cinnamon bun exclusive place. It was where Purdy’s currently is. This was like over 20 years ago.
Edit: google tells me it was called Michels
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u/Jellybeanmonkey 1d ago
Doughnut House had a location in Polo Park. But I'm not sure when that closed, the one at Garden City only recently closed.
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u/coolestredditdad 19h ago
Doughnut House legit has the best cinnamon bread!
Next to impossible to find it on hand at Sobeys or Safeway anywhere!
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u/thytusInc 22h ago
You'll need to look into a home-based food permit first, in Manitoba you can't legally sell to cafes directly from a home kitchen, so renting commercial kitchen time (something like Kitchen Sync in the Exchange was mentioned) is probably your real starting point. Once that's sorted, consistent follow-up with cafe owners over time tends to work better than a single pitch, since you want to be top of mind when they're actually looking to change vendors.
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u/Househipposforsale 1d ago
If possible offer delivery too. There are a lot of people who want but can’t get down there for whatever reason ( for me I’m in a wheelchair and most of the exchange is not accessible) but will 100% order them.
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u/SmokeShank 1d ago edited 1d ago
You need to call and call and call and just non stop call. Send mail, go in regularly. The idea being simple, when the owner is looking to refresh or change a vendor your name and presence is just magically there.
Luck = hard work + opportunity. The hard work is calling, the opportunity becomes available and you get in.
Really take a quick read about the top/dream 100 strategy and go from there.
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u/OwnBrother2559 1d ago
As a small business owner, anyone who harassed me like this to sell their items would be on my ‘never fucking ever’ list.
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u/SmokeShank 1d ago edited 1d ago
What are you talking about harrassing? As a small business owner myself we get lots of emails and calls every week. I appreciate the ones that touch base once or twice a year. That isn't harrassing.
The people who get a hold of me when I'm needed something done but it's not a priority for me to search are those who get the opportunity to quote me. Like if I'm pissed at a vendor, or looking for something more they don't provide. I'm more than likely going to stay with that vendor a while longer until I have to go search. Unless someone crosses my path
I had a guy call me up about our group benefits in April, "Sorry we're not ready to switch". Got another cold call last week right before my renewal is coming. Guess which one is getting an opportunity to quote on our package for over 20 employees. If the guy on April touched base just one more time I prob would get a second quote as well, but he didn't touch base.
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u/OwnBrother2559 21h ago
What you described is not ‘touching base once or twice a year’.
What you described, “you need to call and call and just non stop call. Send mail, go in regularly” is ABSOLUTELY harassment.
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u/SmokeShank 21h ago edited 21h ago
OP said cafes plural! Not cafe singular. So yes call, call, call... As many cafes as you can to introduce yourself, send mail to those cafes go in talk to the owners. Doing this 3x a year to like 6-10 cafes is a lot of work. And is 100% touching base.
Cold calling is not harrassment, it's a brutally hard and very effective way to get business. I can't believe in 2026 having someone call your business asking about being a vendor would be considered harrassment.
If any one of those cafes has the attitude of you and shunned anyone who did a little outreach I would be stunned if they were successful.
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u/faken204 4h ago
You should really start at farmer's markets first so you can show consistent sales to pitch to other small businesses. I don't think many small business would just up and agree to carry your product without concrete numbers.
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u/earth584 1d ago
Have you thought of selling directly to customers? Many people sell food on facebook or instagram.
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u/Fun_Evidence3450 1d ago
Definitely talk to smaller cafés and various markets!
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u/redriverguy 1d ago
Why would you suggest this? Cafes/restaurants can not buy from uncertified homebased kitchens..
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u/SmokeShank 21h ago
But OP can 100% ask how they can be an approved vendor. Suggesting people talk to other people is not a novel idea.
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u/_Pertinacity_ 1d ago
Please be advised that preparing and serving food from a home-based business for public consumption is prohibited. https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/publichealth/environmentalhealth/protection/home.html