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Updated 7 October 2026: Added context on what changes when a home bakery supplies retail shelves.
For the most part, many great ideas are born out of necessity, after covid-19 badly affected the tourism industry, Heidi Dempers was unable to make ends meet from her job, that was when she took it upon herself to hone her talents in the kitchen and started her business, Yum Baker.
Today she supplies vegan treats to over 40 Checkers supermarkets in Johannesburg and has also developed an exclusive vegan festive range for the retailer.
Background
When Heidi Dempers’ salary in the tourism industry was cut, she started her own baking business to make ends meet. She got in the kitchen and baked confectionaries at night after work and on weekends.
To sell her products, she approached a butchery in Centurion, and enticed the owner with the idea of supplying them with her home-baked goods. Luckily, the owner agreed.
She later started Yum Baker, an online business delivering baked goods around her neighbourhood.
Heidi didn’t initially sell vegan-friendly bakes, but through an encounter with a vegan friend, she soon realised there was a gap in the market for vegan sweet treats.
“I had a coffee with vegan friends one night and asked what they missed from a vegan perspective, and they said one of the things they really miss is fudge, and that contains animal by-products,”
After cracking the vegan code, she invited her friends over to find out what they thought of the vegan product that she came up with.
“It worked, and soon our little online shop was busy. The next thing I had like 15 vegan items available,”
In April 2021, she started supplying one Checkers in Johannesburg. A year later, Yum Baker’s range has expanded from 15 to 19 product lines which are available for delivery via Sixty60 as well as more than 40 Checkers stores in the Johannesburg area, with plans to supply more stores before the end of 2022.
“It was so refreshing to learn that a big corporate like Checkers still fosters small businesses. Every little thing that comes from Yum Baker has come past my hands and Checkers has ensured that home-baked vegan treats are more accessible to thousands of consumers through its retail footprint.”
What can we learn from this?? Well everything happens for a reason, getting a salary cut was a blessing in disguise for Heidi Dempers, she now makes way more than the salary she was getting.
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What changes when a home bakery supplies retail shelves
Yum Baker’s own catalogue provides product-level context for the brand. The early account of supplying Checkers describes a stage in its development; the number of stores in that account should be treated as a historical figure rather than an independently confirmed current footprint.
Selling a cake directly to a customer and supplying packaged goods to a retailer are different operations. Direct orders can allow individual preferences and a flexible production schedule. Retail supply needs repeatable specifications, consistent packaging and deliveries that fit the buyer’s requirements.
A specialist offer such as vegan baking also needs clear communication. Customers should be able to understand the ingredients and product description without assuming that one dietary claim guarantees every other requirement. Accurate labels and consistent recipes support trust as the business grows.
For a baker considering wholesale supply, a useful starting point is a small, manageable range. Cost each product including packaging, rejected stock and delivery, then compare that cost with the wholesale price and payment timetable. More outlets can increase orders, but they can also increase the cash needed before payment arrives. This operating context helps explain why a retail listing is a milestone rather than the end of the growth challenge.
Source: Yum Baker’s product catalogue. The business interpretation in this section is Entrepreneur Hub SA’s editorial analysis.
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