Baking a dream
with BRØT

Ever since he was ten, Bas Schaap had dreamed of owning a small surf bar. However, between dream and reality, practical objections sometimes stand in the way. After his studies, he ended up in the corporate world, a world that never completely suited him. The idea of the surf bar slowly but surely transformed into something else: a place where craftsmanship and conviviality were central.

December 18, 2023

Planning

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It was during a weekend in Budapest that everything became clear and concrete. “At that moment, I was making pancakes, and I felt really good about baking, and I heard myself exclaim: I’m going to be a baker! Instead of pancakes, I saw myself baking bread, fresh own bread, preferably in my own place, with a great atmosphere,” Bas shares. After that weekend, he had two weeks of sleepless nights, his thoughts revolving around one thing: baking.

Back home, Bas couldn't escape the grip of his new passion. Night after night, he lay awake, his mind entirely occupied by thoughts of bread and owning a bakery. “It was more than a dream; it was a calling that I felt to my core,” says Bas. Day and night, he watched countless YouTube videos about bread baking and began practicing the craft.

Bas laughs as he reminisces, “Every failure was a crucial lesson, every bread that didn’t turn out as planned taught me something new. By the way, you can immediately tell if you’ve done it wrong, then you end up with a very thick pancake!” To conclude his self-created training, he spent some time in a bakery. This period of trial and error formed the basis of his craftsmanship, a foundation on which he builds his current and future success.

“It was more than a dream; it was a calling that I felt to my core ”

Baking and delivering

The place where he sold his first bread was at his job, where he was allowed to supply bread for lunch. Bas says, “I was surprised and moved by the support I received. Even when my bread wasn’t perfect, the feedback was always positive and constructive.” These early experiences with colleagues and the first other customers gave him not only financial support but also the confidence to continue.

His venture soon expanded to the private market. “I started delivering bread on Saturday mornings for friends and family, coordinated via a group app. This gave a personal touch to my business,” Bas shares. Besides bread, he also started selling butter, diversifying his range.

Despite these expansions, the investments remained limited. “The biggest investment was an oven, but otherwise, I tried to keep costs low,” he says. This approach allowed him to grow gradually and sustainably while further developing his passion for baking and entrepreneurship. This development extended beyond baking; it included learning entrepreneurial skills such as financial management, marketing, and customer relations.

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“Even when my bread wasn’t perfect, the feedback was always positive and constructive”

Growing with Vev

Soon Bas realized that BRØT needed smart order and delivery software. He remembers how he first heard about Vev: “An ex-colleague pointed me to Vev. When I first saw the platform, I knew immediately that this was the solution for BRØT.” With Vev, the way Bas ran his business changed drastically.

“My experience with Vev is amazing. It feels good, I am very satisfied, and it saves me a lot of work. Until that moment, I did everything via WhatsApp, very inconvenient and an administrative nightmare. Vev transformed BRØT into a dynamic delivery service, almost comparable to big players like Takeaway. It was a game changer. From production to delivery, everything was streamlined. And the professional appearance of the platform along with the clear address management makes it unmatched,” he says.

And then there’s the payment system of Vev, which has had a significant impact on his business operations, as BRØT receives payments directly since using Vev payments. With the administrative and logistical support of Vev, Bas can now fully concentrate on what he loves to do: bake a lot and continue growing with BRØT. Additionally, Bas feels he should start working more with social media, something that doesn’t come naturally to him.

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“Vev transformed BRØT into a dynamic delivery service”

A place of his own

Bas’ dreams extend beyond just baking bread. He longs for a place where his passion for baking and community come together. “My dream is to open my own bakery, not just any bakery, but a place that is a cross between a bakery and a restaurant, a community center where people come together,” Bas explains.

This dream place, as he imagines it, is much more than a traditional bakery. “I want to create a place where the smell of fresh bread blends with laughter and good conversations. A place where people come not just for the bread, but also for the experience, for relaxation,” says Bas.

In his vision, this place has a modern, trendy style, inspired by the vibrant culture of Amsterdam. Bas wants his bakery to become a destination, not only for the ‘locals’, but also for visitors looking for something unique.