RICHMOND, BRITISH COLUMBIA — It’s a household name — Cake Boss — from the iconic reality TV show to the man himself, celebrity baker Buddy Valastro. Even a Google search for “Cake Boss vending” reveals images of vending machines that carry cake slices and bear the synonymous brand, Carlo’s Bakery.
Valastro, a fourth-generation baker and owner of the Hoboken, NJ-based bakery, has led the growth of Carlo’s from a local bakery to commercially producing cakes and cake slices for vending machines, retail outlets and more around the world.
Although the TLC show created celebrity status for the Cake Boss name, it was around 2020 when Carlo’s Bakery products were thrust into commercial production to provide easy consumer access well beyond New Jersey.
Turning the corner toward manufacturing
With Cake Boss fame and the launch of Carlo’s Bakery vending machines in Las Vegas, the bakery was making anywhere from 500 to 1,000 cakes a day with the help of automation, including equipment from Unifiller, and MAP packaging to extend shelf life without preservatives. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Carolo’s retail locations shut down, online and wholesale orders skyrocketed, and the business evolved…